Does your company culture really matter?
It’s not a trick question.
Your company culture is something that can be felt by an outsider coming into the business. It’s the way you do things, how you do things, the reason you do things… and it should be echoed across the entire business.
When you get your company culture right, it should be something that everyone in your business resonates with – that means your people will be happier in the business, be more productive, and stay with you for longer. Who wouldn’t want that?!
But where do you start if you want to work on your company culture if you’ve never really thought about it before?
That’s a pretty big question, and of course it can seem like a daunting task. However, like most things HR, if you break it down into more manageable chunks it doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by trying to understand what your current culture is like within the business. How do your leaders manage their teams? Do you put a focus on teamwork, or do you prefer your people to be more independent? Do you like autonomy or do you prefer the human touch?
Once you understand where you are now, you can start thinking about what you’d like your culture to be.
There are countless benefits to having a company culture that truly reflects the business and the people within it. For starters, it means that everyone is on the same page and understands what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. But it also means that when it’s time to hire new people, you’ll naturally attract those who think in the same way that you do, and you’ll be able to make choices based on a good fit.
Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. So, we’ve written a new guide that details everything you need to know to get started.
LATEST NEWS
Employers now twice as likely to offer enhanced parental leave
The number of job postings that offer enhanced parental leave have doubled since last year, according to new data.
Enhanced parental leave is defined as being above the statutory minimum required in the UK. And this can go a long way towards attracting and keeping the best talent.
It’s important for employees to feel supported by the company they work for, and paid leave programmes lead to improved wellbeing, productivity, and loyalty.
Flexibility or a four-day week?
While a third of employers have cut a day off their standard working week, new research has found that jobseekers would rather have flexible working instead.
45% of people said that the term ‘flexible working’ in a job advert was enough to make them apply, whereas 40% said they’d be more swayed by ‘four-day working week’.
Whilst there isn’t much in it, what the data does show is that people are still favouring a better work/life balance, so it may be the key to attracting the best talent to your business.
A new study from Bayes Business School, University College London, and the University of Cyprus has found that men from ethnic minority backgrounds are paid 10% less than white counterparts with the same characteristics.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month – how are you spreading awareness?
While we often associate bullying as being a problem in schools, it can also be a big problem in businesses too.
As a business owner or manager, you have a responsibility to make sure your employees feel safe and are protected from bullying from colleagues in any form. This means both inside and outside of business hours.
Bullying can range from unwanted comments and remarks to physical or verbal aggression. Victims of the behaviour often experience increased stress, anxiety and a loss of confidence. And unfortunately, it’s not always easy to spot when someone is being bullied at work.
As an employer, you must make sure that your leaders are trained to look out for the often subtle signs that someone is being bullied or harassed, and approach the situation with care and delicacy. This should include both bullying in the workplace, but also bullying between colleagues outside of work, as well as online.
Any complaints should be taken seriously and investigated quickly, and you should also have a formal policy in place that lets people know what they can expect to happen if they’re found guilty of bullying or harassment.
Failing to act on a complaint, or to spot the signs of bullying, could have serious repercussions for the employee being bullied, you as an employer, and the entire team.
If you don’t already, consider holding training or workshops that highlight the seriousness of bullying and harassment in the workplace. You should make sure that everyone is aware of your bullying and harassment policy, and also explain the things that constitute bullying, as in some cases what one person thinks is a playful comment or a bit of banter is often received by another as hurtful and upsetting.
Make the most of October to really ensure your people are aware of your business’ stance on bullying and create an environment where it’s not tolerated by anyone.
Is your business HR fit? Book a FREE HR Healthcheck. READ MORE HERE
Q&A
Must employers provide equipment for employees who work from home?
While there is no specific duty on employers to provide equipment for employees working from home, they should ensure that employees have everything they need to be able to work safely and effectively. Where the employer requires employees to work from home, it should provide the equipment or agree to reimburse employees for the cost of suitable equipment. Where the employer allows, rather than requires, an employee to work from home for some of the time (for example under a discretionary hybrid working arrangement), it should agree with them who will be responsible for providing the equipment.
Are employers required to pay for eye tests and glasses for employees who use visual display units?
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 cover visual display unit (VDU) work, for example work using computer screens. The Regulations sets out an employer’s responsibility for providing eyesight tests. It provides that the employer must ensure that employees who are VDU users, or who are to become VDU users, are provided with an appropriate eye and eyesight test if they request one.
Where an employee has two jobs which employer is responsible for ensuring that their total weekly hours do not exceed the working time limits?
Employers are obliged, under the Working Time Regulations, to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the 48-hour limit on weekly working hours is complied with. This means that, in this situation, both employers will be obliged to ensure that the employee’s total working hours in the two jobs combined do not exceed this limit unless the individual has chosen voluntarily to sign an opt-out agreement.
Let’s talk on the phone
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
This pandemic is teaching businesses just how important it is to get proactive, responsive HR support. That’s what I 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
Training can be fun!!
Our Chief Happiness Officer is excited that we’ve teamed up with Training Sensei to deliver modern, bitesize eLearning, that’s engaging and accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Whether you want to take your first steps in building a learning culture or looking for a new learning solution – find out how we can help you to build a culture where everyone can do their most brilliant, creative work, whilst enabling your business to grow and thrive through your people
To find READ MORE HERE
Download below the latest copy of our HR News Room to read with your cup of coffee and biscuit!