How great HR Support can really make the difference in creating an ethical business.

· by Emma Browning
I haven’t read any business books for a while but over the Christmas period I read two that helped me to see the important role that HR should be playing in business. “She Said“, by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, and “Super Pumped – The Battle for Uber” by Mike Isaac. Both books feature rather nasty bullies – Harvey Weinstein and Travis Kalanick. What was interesting for me was that in both books the HR professionals in the organisations being discussed didn’t play an important role. HR was noticeably absent…

How to make sure your business is fighting fit for 2021!

· by Emma Browning
You probably started your own business because you’re passionate about bringing your product or service into the world, and providing a much-needed solution for your customers and clients. This people management malarkey though – it’s not necessarily what you signed up for is it? Call it the bit of the job you hate if you like, but the fact remains that if you want to grow a thriving business, you can’t get away from it. You need the best people practices, procedures, and policies in place that ensure you’re hitting…

An employers’ guide to strategically managing employee wellbeing

· by Emma Browning
If you take a look around at many businesses and their priorities in January, you’re likely to find that many leaders are finally identifying that improving wellbeing amongst their staff is high on their agenda this year – particularly with everything that has happened in the last 9 months! However, the cynic in me wonders whether these leaders are just paying lip service to the trend,  as the savvy business owners and leaders among you have already realised that looking after your people as a business owner is a human,…

Six ways to raise your leadership game this year . . .

· by Emma Browning
The beginning of the year is often a really useful time to take stock of your business; your objectives and priorities, and how you’re going to achieve them. It’s very possible to raise your leadership game in 2021, by making just a few manageable changes. If you’re ready to step up to the challenge, then read on. We’re going to look at six practical game-changers that you can get to work with right away. 1.Leave some unplanned time in your diary   If you take a look back over your schedule…

To party or not to party – that is the question!

· by Emma Browning
The Christmas period is a challenging time for many business owners, and this year will be no exception.  Normally, Christmas is a time when customers or prospective customers are in the Christmas spirit and often have a little extra cash that they’re willing to spend, so it will be interesting to see how many of us business owners approach Christmas, with many suffering losses to revenue they won’t be able to fully recover and therefore tightening our belts cost wise. With everything that’s going on, you might not have even…

Why don’t your employees trust you?

· by Emma Browning
Trust is a funny old issue. It’s hard to describe, and it’s arguably not very measurable. Those who are skeptical of the HR profession might say that it’s exactly the type of thing that we’re known for dealing with – in other words, all fluff and no substance! Jokes aside though, if there’s a lack of trust between management and employees, and employee and HR, you’re going to run into serious problems. Issues like low productivity, high turnover of staff, and a bad reputation as an employer. All of a…

Coronavirus Update

· by Emma Browning
Thank you once again to Beverley Sunderland from Crossland Solicitors on Milton Park, South Oxfordshire for keeping us fully informed and briefed on all the latest legal changes so promptly! The Job Support Scheme announced on the 28th September Running for six months from 1st November until 30 April 2021, employees who are working at least a third of their normal working hours due to such a decrease in demand will be paid for the hours worked by their employer, but for the hours not worked, the employer and the…

Managing Survivor Syndrome in your business

· by Emma Browning
What is survivor syndrome? We’ve all felt the impact of redundancies in one form or another over our careers, but what has been happening during the recent Coronavirus outbreak, is going to leave the people who may remain in your business in a difficult situation. When a company decides it needs to cut costs, redundancies will often be top of the list of considerations. In our experience, its often not the fact that you are making the redundancies that’s the problem – your employees are pretty clued up and will…

Why Having a Female Non-Executive Director (NED) Is More Than Just a Diversity Move

· by Emma Browning
Now more than ever, ensuring your business’ Board of Directors is diverse and inclusive is vital to your success. So why are we still not seeing this in action? My latest post explores the reasons why we’re not seeing this happening quickly enough and what business owners/Directors can do about it! If there’s one thing my peers know about me, it’s that diversity is one of the favourite aspects of my work. No, I’m not just talking about diversity in my day-to-day (although that certainly plays a role too), but…

The importance of knowing your why to employee engagement

· by Emma Browning
What’s your why? People often talk about employee engagement and will say to me that they need to “improve their employee engagement” but they don’t really understand what employee engagement is or why it’s important! Let’s start with what it’s not first! Employee engagement isn’t employee happiness! Employee engagement is defined by Kevin Kruse as “the emotional commitment the employee has to the organisation and its goals.” Employee engagement is based on trust, integrity, two way commitment and communication between a business and its employees. It’s an approach that increases…