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HR News Room – February 2023

Let’s stop bullying in your workplace, today!

“There is no bullying in my workplace,” I hear you cry.

Well good. That’s exactly what I like to hear.

But what are you doing to ensure that remains the case? Because unless you are taking proactive, preventative steps, bullying can become a big problem very quickly in any workplace.

And it’s not always easy to spot the early warning signs and stamp it out, either.

That’s because often, bullying can take place through micro-aggressions from a manager to a subordinate. It might be happening online – on social media or even via your workplace collaboration apps. It may even be the case that bullying is taking place outside of work hours. And yes, that does still make it your responsibility.

What makes tackling bullying a little trickier, is the fact that there’s no legal definition of what constitutes workplace bullying. Likewise, there’s no legislation that clearly outlines how it should be dealt with.

That means you must have clear policies in place that highlight your stance on bullying, the behaviours that will not be tolerated, and the consequences if anyone should be found guilty of bullying in your business.

That’s not the only preventative measure you can take. In fact, there are a few different things you can do to reinforce the message that your business doesn’t stand for bullying of any description. That includes things that will help to shape your company culture to make sure that everyone takes the same hard stance on bullying, and feels confident and justified in reporting any situation, knowing that their complaint will be taken seriously.

And that also means that you and your managers must understand exactly how to react to any report of bullying, and the right steps to follow to make sure a complaint is handled sensitively, correctly, and fairly.

Sounds like a lot to think about, doesn’t it?

That’s okay. We’ve written a new guide that tells you how to stop bullying in your business. It explains all the above in detail and should leave you understanding exactly what you need to do to make sure bullying never becomes a big issue for your company. Get in touch for your FREE copy!

LATEST NEWS

Mass return to the office or staying at home – Remote working in 2023

The rise in the acceptance of remote working as standard practice has been one of the biggest shake ups in the workplace for many years. We also need to remember that it is also still in its infancy as a working practice. On top of which, to say the situation surrounding employment in general terms is complex at the moment would be a big understatement.

So, looking at the coming year, what will be the likely influencing factors around remote working for employers?

READ MORE HERE

Haus of HR is growing!

We are so excited to welcome Hayley White as an HR Adviser and Kelly Henderson as an Administrator to the Haus of HR team!

Between them they have over 33 years of experience in HR, training and recruitment.

We can’t wait to see what the year ahead has in store for us as we continue supporting even more clients with straight-talking Human Resources advice and guidance.

READ MORE ABOUT HAYLEY HERE

READ MORE ABOUT KELLY HERE

More than 30 million working days were lost to work-related ill health last year

hat could spell trouble for your business.

This type of absence cost the UK £11.2 billion between 2019 and 2020, and that figure is only set to rise year on year.

The main cause of this absence? It’s stress, depression, and anxiety. And as you may know, your business can have a big impact on the onset and development of these conditions.

So, what can you do to help make sure your business doesn’t suffer from excessive unplanned absence this year and beyond?

If you don’t already, look at how you actively encourage good mental health and wellbeing practices in your company. For example, do you ensure people take regular breaks? Are your managers good at spotting the early signs of stress and careful not to place too much pressure on their teams? Do you make recommendations for healthier lifestyles or even help to subsidise things like gym memberships or other fitness pursuits?

How approachable are you and your managers if an employee wanted to raise a concern or have a confidential conversation? Do you have an open-door policy, or is it difficult for someone to arrange a private chat with a senior member of staff?

What do you offer in the way of support for employees who may be struggling? Do you have resources available for people to locate the right support network if they have an issue? Can you help with the cost of counselling, or do you offer any employment benefits that cover this?

It’s a good time to look at things like this now. Although some of these suggestions cost the business a little, in the long run they may help to save you money because they can help reduce issues that lead to excess absence.

If you’d like to have a conversation about how your business can reduce employee absence this year, or anything else for that matter, we’d love to help. Just give us a call on 01604 261380.

Q&A

How many times can someone be sick before I can dismiss them?

This is a big fat grey area in business. It all depends on the type of sickness, whether it’s long-term sickness or a pattern of absence, and the cause of sickness too. We would highly recommend expert HR advice before you take any action.

I don’t think my employees are working from home as much as they should be – what can I do?

Before you launch into full-blown monitoring, talk to your people, and find out how they feel about their productivity. Perhaps morning and afternoon catch-up meetings could help them be more accountable. Or maybe the tools and systems they’re using aren’t suitable for remote work.

What’s the best way to motivate my employees?

Ask them! Everyone has different motivations, whether that’s praise, incentives like time off or vouchers, or even working towards a big universal goal. Speak to your team and listen to their ideas.

Let’s chat

Here are two questions for you:

  • Do you currently have a HR consultant?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you with them?

If the answer isn’t “I’m so delighted I could print 1,000 flyers to spread the word about them”, let’s jump on a video call. You know just how important it is to get proactive, responsive HR support. That’s what we do. And we’re now taking on new clients again.

Set up a FREE 30 minute discovery call at: https://calendly.com/rachelhr

CHO Corner

All work and no play….

Not in the Haus of HR! Our CHO takes his role very seriously. So he made sure we downed tools last Friday and enjoyed National Fun At Work Day to kick off the weekend.

Find out what his top tips are to help inspire some fun into your workplace.

His fav is definitely creating a Happiness Committee – to get employees together to engage everyone through the year through small or big events.

Download below the latest copy of our HR News Room to read, so grab a coffee and sit back and relax – enjoy!

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