We all know that bad habits in our personal lives can lead to serious problems. From trying to adopt a healthier diet through to kicking cigarettes, most of us have experienced a time when we recognised that changes had to be made. But have you ever stopped to think about the HR bad habits that could be having a seriously negative impact on your business? Like many less than favourable behaviours, we sometimes don’t realise that they’re a problem until they’ve spiraled out of control. Here, we identify some bad…

According to a recent study by XpertHR, 92% of companies have created employee handbooks to share with their staff. But the finished document is about so much more than just listing your policies and sharing some mission statements that you’ve cobbled together over a cup of tea with your managers. Based on the statistics, you’ve probably made a token attempt at creating an employee handbook for your business – but are you missing the mark? Here, we uncover the mistakes that too many leaders are making, and explain how you…

Think that becoming a better leader involves attending intensive courses, gaining years and years of experience, or getting your head stuck into a textbook? Well, not necessarily. These things can all have their place, but it’s very possible to raise your game this week, 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. Leave some unplanned time in your diary If you take…

Recruiting a new member of staff for your growing business can be a really exciting time, but it’s something that you should definitely consider carefully before you rush into taking action. Getting it wrong costs over £30,000 per new employee, according to the Oxford Economics group when they recently conducted a study with SME’s about new employees joining their businesses. One of the key challenges that you’re going to face is ensuring your new recruit is welcomed into your existing team without any significant teething problems. Now of course, some…

In an ideal world, we’d never have to worry about firefighting people issues within our businesses. We’d have perfectly crafted policies, highly skilled line managers, and an engaged workforce with individuals who are passionate about helping our operations to reach their full potential. Of course though, things don’t always quite work out this way. Pretty much every business owner has experienced some tricky HR issues during their career, and most would agree that they can sometimes come out of nowhere. Now’s not the time to point the finger though. If…

If you speak to most employers, they’ll probably tell you that they have a pretty good grasp on what’s going on in their workplace. There’s small talk over sandwiches in the canteen, and important discussions in the meeting rooms. You probably feel like you have your finger on the pulse, and know exactly what’s going on beneath the surface. Here’s the thing though. If you want to excel, you need to go a little deeper. Want to have some more meaningful conversations this week? Ask the following questions: 1.How do…