Blog

· by Emma Browning
Restructuring the Workplace post COVID-19 – FAQ’s for Employers The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) may have been extended to 31 October 2020, but employers are thinking now about what their workforce might look like following the end of subsidised furlough and a return to more normal working patterns. Following advice from a number of our legal sources; Draper Lang, Crosslands and Lewis Silkin, we’ve tried to summarise answers to key questions that we are being asked about regarding restructuring the workforce. These cover options for extending furlough, notice and…

Thrive with Meraki HR

· by Emma Browning
At Meraki HR, we have always been here to help and support clients with their immediate people problems. Being able to deal with these issues quickly and with the minimum of fuss and impact to your business, allowing you to get on with what you do best – running your business!  However, most of our work with clients has been around helping them create great places to work; where their people are happy, motivated, engaged and highly productive. We appreciate that there are a lot of immediate issues and problems…

Raising the Bar on HR

· by Emma Browning
Ready to raise the baaaaaa on HR?  Growing a business without HR expertise is challenging at best, and a constant uphill struggle at worst. If you’ve ever had to tackle a people issue on your own, you’ll know just how stressful it can be. Between trying to manage your legal obligations, and meeting your operational requirements, firefighting can become part of your everyday routine if you’re not careful. The last few months have shown us, how valuable it can be to have your HR Expert on speed dial. There is…

How volunteering or completing charity events can have a positive impact on your team and their well being

· by Emma Browning
If I told you that approximately 70% of FTSE 100 companies have a volunteering programme, would you be surprised? I know I was! So, there must be a compelling reason why our biggest and most successful corporates do this. After all, they have budgets and performance targets like the rest of us.  How do they justify this ‘charitable’ financial commitment to their returns-hungry shareholders?  Because they know that engaged employees make happier and more productive employees, that’s why!  Making sure you have highly engaged employees at the moment, is absolutely…

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – June Update

· by Emma Browning
It’s hard to keep up with everything that’s being introduced in relation to the COVID19 Pandemic, so here’s our round up of the latest news and info. Summary of the changes to the JRS announced on Friday 29th May 2020 The Furlough Scheme will be closed to new entrants, and employees must have been on Furlough for 3 weeks prior to 30 June 2020 in order to qualify for the new scheme. This means employees will need to have been placed on Furlough by 10 June 2020 to qualify for…

Support from Meraki HR

· by Emma Browning
We know from all the calls we’ve taken from clients old and new over the last 10 weeks how difficult things are for you right now. You’re trying to understand and make sense of what’s happening both from a personal and business perspective. This includes trying to unravel all the information we are receiving on a daily/weekly basis from HMRC and the Government and make sense of this and what it means for your business and your people. All of this as well as having to try and manage your…

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…

How healthy is your HR?

· by Emma Browning
If you don’t know, then take advantage of our Remote HR Health Check for just £500, in May or June Now is the time to make sure your HR policies and procedures are up to scratch and legally compliant (did you know there is a raft of new employment legislation that came into force on the 6th April?) You also need to know whether the documentation you have in place will support any important business decisions you need to make in the coming months. We will undertake our HR Health…

Make sure stress doesn’t get in the way of your success

· by Emma Browning
Six things every manager can do to make sure stress doesn’t get in the way of success When your team’s happy, healthy and engaged in their work, they’re more likely to meet their goals and help you to meet yours. More good days for your team lead to more good days for you, as well as a healthier, happier work environment. On the other hand, when people are stressed or burned out, their performance and relationships with others will suffer. So, what can you do to minimise some of the…

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…