Trust is a vital commodity when you are running a small business. When someone in your team does work of a very poor standard, this not only potentially jeopardises your relationship with your customers, it also erodes trust and therefore needs to be handled quickly. However busy you are, you need to make time for a difficult conversation and provide honest feedback.
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staff management
Recently, the World Economic Forum forecasted that the trend for flexible working, including remote working and virtual teams, was set to become one of the biggest drivers for transformation worldwide. This trend has been embraced by companies and governmental bodies of all kinds. While trail-blazing tech companies such as Github, Basecamp and Microsoft all offer remote working, cornerstones of British life such as the Civil Service and Transport for London are praised by employees for their flexible working options. All of this means that it is well worth considering what these options could mean for your business, even if you’re operating on a much smaller scale.
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As an employer, you’ll face many trials and challenges when it comes to managing your staff. One of those challenges may be the issue of workplace bullying. In a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, 19% of respondents revealed that they had suffered from being bullied in the workplace. This is an alarming amount given that there should be a zero tolerance on workplace bullying across all businesses. So, what defines workplace bullying? And how can you, as an employer, deal with it?
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Everyone has a unique personality. That’s part of the reason why people are so interesting. But sometimes, personalities clash. When it comes to working in a team, knowing how to manage different personality types is a vital skill. While we are all unique, it is generally accepted that we all sit on a spectrum of introversion and extroversion. It’s common in the workplace for personalities from different areas of the spectrum to collide and it can be a challenge to work with or manage introverts and extroverts.
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First and foremost, dismissing an employee should always be the last resort. An employee is or should be, an asset of a small business. There may be reasons why an employee is not performing or has caused an issue, however, you should try to get to the bottom of this before making any decision to dismiss them.
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According to a recent study, employee engagement across the workforce is at a historic low. Many employees cite disengagement with the work they are tasked to perform each day, due to a variety of underlying causes. It could be they are not content with their current job position, or that they do not feel completely connected with the employer on a broader scale. Regardless of the root cause, employers and their HR departments are recognising the pressing need to improve employee engagement – and fast.
As a manager, it is your responsibility to promote employee wellbeing in the team. If the workforce is demotivated, stressed and not building positive relationships, the team’s productivity and efficiency will suffer as a result.
HR is an important part of a business, whether you have an entire department looking after the HR of your business or just one person. It’s vital that a small business has an HR professional on board. However even when businesses have dedicated professionals to manage their HR, mistakes are still made that can be avoided. In the worst case scenario, HR mistakes can lead to a court case, with huge legal fines that can be detrimental to a business.
Like many business owners, you may dread holiday periods coming around. Finding someone to fill in for an employee’s essential duties can be a dismal task. However, there are positive days ahead, as your business will benefit in the following ways when your employee returns from their vacation. Here Austrack Campers highlight why it’s important to encourage your employees to travel while on paid time off.
It’s incredibly important to stand out as an employer when you are hiring. Offering potential and existing staff perks and benefits will create happy, loyal employees. The extra perks and benefits could be a deciding factor when a candidate is choosing between you and another employer. Attracting and retaining talent is essential, especially for small businesses as the recruitment costs could be steep.
Keeping staff happy is essential for a thriving, productive workplace. Making sure that your staff are happy will ensure that they are working hard to make your business a success. Scheduling and managing shifts can sometimes be difficult, especially when running a small business. However, by creating a ‘give and take’ relationship with your employees, it can be beneficial to you both. A good business leader will always keep employee satisfaction and happiness in mind.
The gender pay gap has been in the spotlight recently, with the government actually taking action to start tackling the issue. Companies with the more than 250 employees have to report on how much they are paying their staff. Although this only focused on bigger businesses, small business should also start looking at the gender pay gap at their firm. A positive finding was that UK Fast, a hosting firm, had the mean gender pay gap which was just 0.9%.
It’s no secret that half of the start-ups started in the UK fail within the first five years of operating. Small businesses should consider surpassing the five year mark as a real accomplishment, as that is the point they are out of the danger zone. So, what are the reasons behind the failure of these start-ups?
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The number of people deploying professional apps to help run their business has exploded in recent years. With the rise of iPad POS systems, mobile accounting applications, and integrated ecommerce platforms, SMEs have capitalised and prospered, even despite the fact that not too long ago the only reason one would use an app would be to send angry birds flying into buildings.
The vast majority of employees in a business will have different aspects of introversion and extroversion, which is often to the benefit of the company. But every organisation will also have individuals who are highly extroverted – the life and soul of every party and the loudest person in the room at any given time. But extroverts are more than just loud people who like to engage with others, they also work very differently to other members of the team.
It’s difficult for small business owners to switch off, being a business owner means a huge work load that sometimes may seem never ending. Therefore, having a work/life balance is something that small business owners only aspire to have. It has become a culture in the UK to constantly be ‘on’, hence its not surprising that the UK’s workforce is crumbling under a digital overload, because they don’t get a chance to switch off.
Paternity leave is a hot topic in HR. This guide will help small business owners determine whether their employees are eligible for paternity leave, the statutory allowance and pay they are entitled to, as well as providing information on shared parental leave, extra pay or time off, and antenatal appointments. [continue reading…]
