A recent survey carried out by the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, in collaboration with British Telecoms (over a six-month period) found that happy workers were 13% more productive overall. The survey used emojis to understand how staff felt.

Factors that impacted on the workforce happiness were:-

• The Weather
• Good Pay
• Security of role
• Engagement with the business
• Enjoying a work-life balance
• Good working relationship with colleagues and management

We can’t make the sunshine, or all be fortunate enough to be in a position to ensure regular wage rises are available to staff. However, we can ensure that we establish a good working relationship with our workforce and engage them in the business.
Communication plays a key part to engaging with your workforce and building good relationships but the way we communicate is equally crucial.

So what does good communication look like:-

• Being able to listen to others is imperative in the communication process.
• Having empathy with others
• Encouragement will improve morale and appreciation in the workplace.
• Being aware of others and their emotions means being sympathetic to misfortunes…
• Body language can also impact – so think how we deliver our message

If you would like some helping to improve the happiness and wellbeing of your staff through good communication, please do not hesitate to contact me for further advice

With Brexit being a hot topic this month with a ‘no deal’ looming closer there seems little let up in the news, social media, workplace and even homelife on the subject.

As a business Brexit means for many, uncertainties, which requires careful planning to be put in place to mitigate any changes arising as a result of this. But have you stopped to consider how this may be impacting on your workforce?

Your workforce is likely to be feeling equally uncertain about how the next 12 months will look for them. A rise to everyday living costs are speculated putting pressure on the household. Availability of goods and pharmaceutical supplies may be compromised for a period of time.

So, what can you do as an employer to reduce some of your workforces’ concerns: –

• Communicate – ensure you are keeping your employees up to date with your strategy for the future. This can be done in several ways e.g. company announcements or team meetings
• Training – identify any training gaps you may currently have to fulfil the company strategy and implementation of changes moving forward
• Financial Planning – many businesses implement financial planning for staff already in the form of pensions, income protection and life insurance

However, not all the above is affordable to businesses already under financial pressure. Training can be carried out in-house or online but expert advice on planning is required for the financial wellbeing of your staff. You may therefore look to take an alternative approach to financial planning using external advisors. Advisors will welcome the opportunity to visit a business to discuss with your staff either in groups or on an individual basis how they can plan for their future without adding cost to the business.

If you would like to understand more about some of the above please do not hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to discuss with you how together we can add value to your business.

HR stands for human resources and can be seen by some as a luxury that can be dispensed with in business. However, can you really afford not to pay attention to your company’s greatest asset ‘your employees’.

If you found a better deal through a supplier e.g. printing, paper etc you would readily change over but why do we ignore absenteeism or poor performance so many times, do we understand the true cost of this to a business.

Many business’s leave the role of the manager to deal with employee related issues, but who supports the manager? who helps them prepare for those difficult conversations they may face from time to time?

At NJM HR Consulting we care about the ‘wellbeing’ of all employees including the management team. Support can be provided for in many different forms: –

• Recruitment and Onboarding – right people, right roles
• Training and Development – enhancing expertise
• Contracts of Employment, policies and procedures
• Employee Benefits
• Employment Law advice
• Communication – building good relationships
• Job analysis – identifying gaps, planning ahead

Not only should we consider if our employees have the correct tools to do their job and work in a suitable environment but have we provided a solid basis to form a good working relationship with them. Contracts of employment, policies and procedures form a working foundation for a business to grow with, offering guidance to both our management and employees to work to. If we build on this foundation, we can improve the wellbeing of a company and in turn increase productivity.

If you would like some further advice on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me when I will be happy to help

It’s easy to take new staff on and dust off a copy of an existing contract of employment and office policies, but have you stopped to think when you last checked these were up to date!

Employment law is constantly evolving and regular health-checks for these documents will ensure you can rest easy and stay in line with current legislation.

Our policies should give clear information that can reduce conflict among employees by setting out guidelines to be followed within an organisation. This information provides a uniform approach to be recognised by both staff and management over a wide range of topics from discipline to maternity and should be your go to place for any questions raised.

The procedures we write will provide guidance on how to implement our company policies. For example, how to make and deal with a request for ‘flexible working’.

If you would like any advise or would like to carry out a review on any of the above please get in contact with me when I will be pleased to help.

Our mobile phones are never far away from us these days and this powerful technology is at our fingertips just waiting to be used.

There are times during our working careers that occasionally we might need to have an awkward conversation with an employee and discuss their performance. These meetings can be very unnerving for the employee and sometimes you may find that they wish to record the meeting for legal evidence or simply for a memory aid.

Recording a conversation for personal use is not technically against the law and the expectation is that the employee should disclose their intentions to do so to you beforehand. However, there has been a case where a recording did become admissible where the employee was present.

As an employer to protect yourself when having difficult conversation it is advisable to take the following precautions: –

• Have an independent witness with you
• Take notes following the meeting and get these signed off by all parties
• Follow up on progress

More importantly though if you do not want to be put in this position ensure your policies in place reflect your wishes clearly.

For further help and advice on this topic please do not hesitate to contact me

With our society growing with an ageing population it is estimated that 1 in 3 of us will be over the age of 50 by 2025!

So, what does this mean for business?
The increase in the over 50’s population combined with fewer younger people expected to join the workforce over the next 10 years will give rise to a shortfall of new talent being available. More emphasis will therefore need to be given to the retraining and retaining of the workforce to ensure businesses can provide a pipeline of talent to survive.
Many over 50’s believe that they are being dismissed for interview by recruiters based on their age and the myth that they are no longer so susceptible to change. However, the main factor that is being overlooked by employees is that despite that we are indeed living longer and there is a huge talent pool in this age bracket, ultimately, they are young at heart. The over 50’s still have a lot to contribute to business and with a shortage of new talent coming through the ranks they are key to future business development.
Many over 50’s no longer hunger for those high level roles however they do wish to use their skills to enrich companies whilst maintaining job satisfaction.
So before you look to pass over these CV’s take time to see how they could add value to your existing team.
If you would like further help introducing a more balanced workforce into your business creating a talent pipeline please contact nicky@njmhrconsulting.com when I will be pleased to help.

As the glorious sunshine continues let’s not overlook the risks of over heating in the workplace and how we can take measures to prevent this.

Whether your working environment is naturally hot anyway (i.e. manufacturing, kitchens etc.) or the workplace does not have the luxury of air conditioning by taking a few simple steps you can keep your employees more comfortable.

Heat Stress leads to poor concentration and fatigue which in turn can lead to mistakes being made, so follow these simple steps:-

• ensure easy access to a cool drinking water supply
• relax your dress code – in hot working environments this may need consideration to breathable protective clothing
• provde a cool area or introduce fans

It may be necessary to carry out risk assements in areas such as manufacturing and introduce training to raise awareness.

If you require any further advice please do not hesitate to contact me

If you are looking to polish up your CV or interview skills then help is on hand. With so much uncertainty with current roles the way you present yourself is crucial to getting noticed.

Whether you are looking for promotion or applying for a new role and need a little extra help to present yourself, or merely want someone to cast an eye over your thoughts, then please get in touch.

The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) comes into force in May 2018. The changes to what data we hold and how must have a legitimate reason to the business.

Obtaining consent to hold personal data can no longer be obtained by a ‘catch all’ paragraph in a contract of employment. Businesses must ensure they have a greater understanding of what data is held, for what purpose and obtain express permission to do so.

If you are struggling to get to grips with this and would like some further advice please do not hesitate to contact me.

As we launch ourselves into 2018 take some time to step back and look at your business operation and ensure it is fit for purpose.

Making some simple changes to your approach can enhance your business for both your customer experience and staff satisfaction, whilst improving your bottom line. Every day technology makes things readily available for us all at a time that’s convenient, is your business.

If you need some guidance or fresh ideas on how your business can develop for the future, please do not hesitate to contact me for a no obligation consultation.