Should you survey employee satisfaction and engagement?
This is a question we get asked quite often and our answer is always the same – only if you genuinely want to know what people think and are prepared to act on it and be seen to do so. You would think this was obvious, but all too often we hear of companies that conduct surveys but never act on the results. This is so much more damaging than never asking at all. Why I hear you ask? Well, if you were asked what you thought of working somewhere and you spent time answering the survey (often lots and lots of questions) and you never heard any more about it, how would you feel? At best you will be aggrieved that you wasted your time, but more likely and much more damaging is that you will lose faith in the company. You may feel there is no follow up as respondents have said they are not happy and the company either doesn’t care or doesn’t know what to do. You may feel that the survey was simply a tick box exercise or a fad – and again be pretty “cheesed off” about this. Perhaps you even decided to tell the business something really important, maybe borderline whistleblowing, as you wanted change – and you have been ignored. As well as damage to the reputation of the management team for ignoring the results, you may also be missing out on positive feedback about aspects you did not even realise people valued about working for you – that if you knew about it you would repeat. Finally, you will certainly see response rates to any future surveys dropping significantly as people literally think “why bother?” As with all surveys you can make them as complicated (and usually expensive) as you like, and many companies will do this for you and charge a lot for it. Our advice is always remember why you are doing it – to find out people’s opinions and be able to make changes to improve working lives and therefore business results. So, if your budget is to create your own on SurveyMonkey (we do a lot of these) then that is fine. What is really important is your planning for the communication of results, how you will involve people in acting on the findings and then again how you communicate the actions taken. So, to finish, going back to my opening line, if you think feedback will be negative and you are unwilling to do anything about it then don’t ask – it will only make a bad situation worse. However, if you are willing to genuinely listen, take action and communicate then our answer will always be YES.
Should employers monitor rest time and tiredness at work?
As an employer it is important to remember that hard work doesn’t start and end only at work. We all have extremely busy lives. A piece of research conducted in September 2018, found that 46% of employees regularly turned up to their jobs feeling too tired to work.
LGBT+ acceptance - Are we there yet?
I read a blog a couple of days ago written by a gentleman who believed that gay employees don’t have to be ‘out’ at work. Initially I understood the message of the blog completely, in that whatever sexual orientation you have you shouldn’t have to disclose it if you do not wish to. Freedom of choice is important and sometimes we would prefer to keep ourselves a little mysterious!
Steps to successful project management
Now if you have a role like mine that seems to incorporate a random list of jobs that do not fit anywhere else, you too understand what I’m about to say. Technically my job is Business Manager. This equates to finance and accounts, supervision of staff, daily running of office, insurance and other expected tasks.
Should I offer rewards and benefits?
You’ll be pleased to know that the quick answer to this is yes! Followers of our blogs will know that this bit is coming, but what rewards and benefits you do offer ‘depend’ on what fits your organisation.
How to create a learning culture that attracts better candidates
Basically, a learning culture is an organisation where learning is happening all the time and is actively encouraged and sought out at all levels. It goes way beyond planned learning activities, such as courses and qualifications, and includes attitudes to learning, feedback on performance and sharing of learning.
Mental Health Awareness Week
You would have to be hiding on a desert island somewhere with no links to the rest of the world to not have noticed that this week is Mental Health Awareness week. Having said that it may be that being on the desert island is a conscious thought to protect your mental health, and it sounds like a good strategy!
The Games Employees Play…
Now this article may be a little tongue in cheek, however, there are some certain tactics that are used by (a minority of) employees, but I’m hopeful that my ‘game play’ descriptions below may help you to identify when you have an issue with an employee and provide you with a little guidance on steps that you can take to stop play!
Why Occupational Health?
Humans are unique amazing creatures with the capacity to achieve great things. Unlike machines they do however fall ill and are unable to sustain working hours 24 /7. Some of the requests for support that we receive in terms of employee sickness and absences are ...
What’s the true cost of absence in your Business?
When we think of absence, we think of employees calling us and giving a reason as to why they won’t be working for the day or for a specific duration. There is no doubt their welfare is extremely important, but what does this mean to the business?
Are robots taking over HR?
It may seem as though I am writing this with an extremely biased view and of course you may think I’d say, “Absolutely not, automation and technology would never take over HR’s role!”
Three questions that you should ask employees from time to time
I like questions. They are a way of affirming knowledge and understanding. I am naturally curious, (some might say nosey) so perhaps that is why I love asking questions. Many clien...
The 3 key principles of professional selling
The best performing businesses understand that sales are not simply something that the sales department “does”, it is an attitude, a set of principles and processes. It is neither art or science, moreover a blend of both and requires a lifetimes commitment to understand, refine and perfect.
Do you know the Protected Characteristics?
Protected characteristics fall under the Equality Act 2010 which protects those who sit within any of the areas from discrimination ...
The Best Lessons come from Bad Managers
Many issues stem from communication; poorly communicated expectations or instructions. Employees not able or willing to communicate concerns or barriers to achieving these expectations.