Posts Tagged ‘Employees’

Your HR Questions Answered

Wednesday, September 20th, 2017

We aim to give our readers and followers the best advice when it comes to managing people effectively. Every month you can read a digest of some HR questions that might be relevant for you.

Q: Can we reduce our employees’ salaries?

Although most companies in our sector seem to be doing well, we have a lot of direct competitors and our sales have deteriorated badly in the last 12 months. The senior management team has taken a 20% cut in salary, and we have a senior sales manager who is paid a very high salary who refuses to do the same. Can we enforce a 20% pay reduction on his salary?

A: If the employee has a contract stating his salary and conditions, you are effectively breaching his legal entitlement. The best way to approach this is to consult with him, outline all the facts, and state that you are looking for him to work with you during this difficult phase which is hopefully short-term.

If he still refuses to co-operate, you could look at cutting out his sales commission/bonus, as this should not be part of his contract of employment, and may not be legally binding.

Make sure that you have looked at ALL the options, such as part-time working, offering career breaks, sabbaticals, offering flexible working, looking at your business pricing structures, your overheads. Your operational structure may also need to be reviewed to ensure that you have the best competencies and skills to deliver results in the business.

Q: We have received a couple of grievance complaints about employees being treated unfairly during the performance management process – they say that they are being given very negative feedback which is unfair and unjustified.

A: Giving feedback is vitally important, however too much negative feedback will only de-motivate any employee. If the employee needs to improve, they need to know the areas of improvement, but also have at least a couple of positive comments to keep them motivated. Constructive feedback is a major managerial skill that needs to be utilised carefully and effectively. Management development and training on performance management and motivation is essential.

If you need advice on HR issues, drop us an email at info@voltedge.ie or contact the office for any additional information 01-5252914.

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Your HR Questions Answered

Monday, August 14th, 2017

We aim to give our readers and followers the best advice when it comes to managing people effectively. Every month you can read a digest of some HR questions that might be relevant for you.

Q: I run a call centre and have a major issue with turnover – how can I improve this and hold onto good employees?

A:  Call centres – by their nature – tend to have a high turnover. However, good employers can at least extend the length of service by tending to the little things – such as caring when an employee has a sick relative, contacting them if they are out sick and asking how they are, celebrating a big customer win with small things – chocolates, pizza, a night out. Have you thought about celebrating each person’s birthday with a card from the CEO, offering flexibility in as much as you can in a call centre schedule. Sometimes employees feel they have no control over their day as they are sitting on the phone for a very strict amount of time. Offer a slot of time to achievers where they can take time out to take a break or get involved in a cross-functional project.

Q: My recent employee focus survey says that the senior management team are disengaged – what can I do about it?

A: This is a frequent issue in medium and large organisations, and the senior management team are always so busy that this may not be a priority.

Make sure that the senior managers are getting coffees and having meals with employees in their canteen or locally. Ensure that they are introduced to all new starters – where practicable. Look at the meetings that a senior manager can attend intermittently. Consider breakfast sessions where they have breakfast or lunch with a cross section of employees. Ensure that the senior management team have a rota to visit satellite offices and engage with employees.

If you need advice on HR issues, drop us an email at info@voltedge.ie or contact the office for any additional information 01-5252914.

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How to create an exciting Employee Value Proposition

Monday, July 17th, 2017

With the war on talent heating up all the time, and the lowest level of unemployment in Ireland since 2008, employers are all keen to ensure that they can attract, retain and continue to hold on to their employees.

So how can you ensure that your EVP is working for you and why should you be concerned about EVP?

An effective EVP that drives employee commitment and advocacy behaviour will also have a direct and profound impact on the loyalty of our customers.

So how can we develop or improve our EVP?

  1. Job satisfaction: Look at how you are measuring, challenging and rewarding (not just financial!) your people. Have you a good career progression plan in place or – if you are a small employer – a good development plan which includes training? Ensure that even the most mundane jobs have opportunity for change/development.
  2. Employer Brand: Does your employer brand extend to your recruitment, your corporate social responsibility and your business strategy? Ensure that you are offering potential employees and current employees the emotional attachment to your brand and your business.
  3. Managers: Employees invariably leave their managers and not their job/company. Make sure that your managers are well trained, supported and understand that their actions have a profound effect on each employee’s retention and their satisfaction in their job. Managers are the key to retention and engagement.
  4. Company policies: Are you able to offer flexible working, flexible benefits, training and development? Are there other policies and benefits that you can consider that will engage and retain your employees? Think about what individuals need/want that will bind them to your company.

EVP is not a one stop solution – it’s a strategic and operational approach to your employees and your business.

Contact Voltedge for a more comprehensive review of your EVP to find out how it can help your retention and employee engagement. Email info@voltedge.ie or ring the office (0)1 525 2914.

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HR Practices in Ireland – are we keeping up with technology?

Wednesday, May 24th, 2017

CIPD Ireland recently undertook a survey of HR Practices in Ireland to see how the profession is responding to a changing and challenging workplace. This was timely given the increased difficulty in recruiting, retaining and engaging existing employees, and using HR analytics to drive business results.

The survey had 938 respondents, 61% in the private sector and 35% in the public sector, 4% were non-government organisations.

The survey gave some very interesting findings as follows:

  • 78% of companies in the public and private sector experienced skills shortages in the past 12 months. With unemployment dropping to 6.4% attracting and retaining employees is critical for business growth in Ireland.

In terms of technology:

  • 60% stated that they were using outdated/inflexible HR systems.
  • 35% stated that they had a lack of analytics and insight into workforce data
  • 35% had little or no opportunity to access analytics expertise.

This is very insightful given that 36% of all respondents state that their top priorities over the next 2 years are as follows:

  • 36% recruiting and resourcing
  • 37% culture change
  • 37% performance management
  • 54% employee engagement

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To ensure growth in the talent pipeline, respondents stated the following:

  • 46% are investing in their employer brand
  • 57% are increasing development opportunities
  • 63% are upskilling existing workforce

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You can access the actual survey here.

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So who invited Cupid to the office

Tuesday, February 14th, 2017

Whether you are feeling lovesick or entirely sick of love, February 14th is here again and St Valentine is no stranger to the many expressions of love and romance we find in the workplace.

We’ve all witnessed the delivery of a bouquet of red roses or a dozen heart shaped balloons, maybe not to us but to a work colleague – and the aftermath of the giggles or embarrassment that follows, but when it’s a co-worker who embraces the opportunity to express their undying affection for you – it can get a little more complicated than you’d bargained. The workplace can be the beginning of many long and endearing romantic relationships but discretion and privacy is always a good policy when it comes to sharing details with our work colleagues.

That’s not to say of course, that we can’t show our romantic side, or gossip about your plans after work, it’s just a good idea to keep it in perspective and consider your environment and your colleagues who may not be the lovesick romantic you are this time of year. Of course Valentine’s Day does offer colleagues an opportunity to organise a charity fundraiser or the social committee’s “work station themed” event to add a little fun and light humour to the office, it can be very entertaining and suitably romantic.

Our advice is that the usual good practice applies on Valentine’s day as it does for other special events at work such as the Christmas party and secret Santa etc. Managers don’t really want to have to discuss matters of love and romance with you, so it’s a good policy to stick to work and your performance at work.

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Managing the Probation Period

Monday, February 13th, 2017

Most permanent contracts of employment provide for a probationary period, usually of six months in duration. The purpose of the probation period is to allow the employer a fixed period of time to evaluate the suitability of the new employee for their role based on performance and behaviour.

Probation periods can often be misunderstood, especially when it comes to the need to terminate employment during the probationary, or extended probationary, period – termination during this period remains a tricky subject for employers.

It is a common misconception that employees can be terminated at will during the probation period. However, employers do need to carefully follow natural justice and fair procedures.

Employee with less than one years’ service are not covered by the Unfair Dismissals Acts, 1977 – 2015, however, they are covered by the Industrial Relations Act, 1969 (as amended) and The Employment Equality Acts, 1998 – 2011 and may pursue a claim through these avenues if they feel a dismissal was wrongful or in breach of their equality rights.

Key points for successful probation management:

  • Plan your probation period as part of the On-boarding process for all your new hires
  • Ensure you have clearly set out the length of time for the probation period and that the probation can be extended, and for how long.
  • Include in the contract that employment is subject to a probation period, how long and how long it can be extended by.
  • Have procedures on how you will manage issues during the probation period – specifying that you will implement an abridged version of your disciplinary procedures during this period or have a separate probation procedure.
  • Have regular review points during the probation period to give feedback and guidance on performance or company standards.
  • Whatever your defined procedures are, ensure you apply and follow them fairly during the probation period, this may well come under scrutiny if it is being looked at by the Courts. The Labour Court has awarded damages to the employee due lack of fair process, even though the dismissal is deemed to be justified.
  • Document each stage of the process, where applicable; meetings, warnings, extensions, confirmations, terminations.
  • Manage the probation process in a timely manner – if the period of probation passes and you have not confirmed anything with the employee, it may be too late to commence probation procedures a month or so after the probation end date.

Length of the probation period

Most commonly a probation period will last six months with an option to extend up to or by a further 5 months. For certain employment types, that may require a longer period of training or assessment, the initial probation period can be for 9 months with an option to extend by a further 2 months. Equally, for roles that may require an employee to be effective more quickly, a shorter probation period could be implemented.

Care should be taken where the period of probation, or extended probation, is longer than six months as, once contractual notice is added to the period of notice, dismissals in these cases could come within the scope of the Unfair Dismissals Acts and the employer may have to justify a dismissal under those Acts. Employees come under the protection of these acts once their 12 months’ service is completed.

Summary

It is crucial that you have the correct procedures in place for managing the probation period and that probation is clearly outlined in the contract of employment. Having a good starting point with clear expectations of what performance and conduct is required during this period, the support and training that will be provided and the mechanism that will be used to assess outcomes will make for easier resolution of issues, should they arise, at the point of review. In all cases where a dismissal occurs employers must ensure they give due regard to general principles of natural justice and provide employees with a fair process.

Get Help Managing Performance

We have developed a very practical workshop for managers on “Effective Management of the Probation Period” which just might be the toolkit you need to get a better outcome from your new employees. Contact us on 01 525 2914 or info@voltedge.ie to request some additional information on our range of services to help your performance management skills.

Laura Banfield, HR Consultant

 

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Your HR Questions Answered

Monday, February 13th, 2017

We aim to give our readers and followers the best advice when it comes to managing people effectively and every month you can read a digest of some HR questions that might be relevant for you.

Q: I have a new employee who is on a 6-month probation – she is an administrator. She is not really working out -can I just give her 1 weeks’ notice and tell her to leave?

A: There is a pre-conceived notion that probation allows employers to terminate an employee who is on probation for little or no reason and that there is no come-back.

Unfortunately, this is not true, and we are seeing more and more cases (mainly brought under the discrimination legislation) where aggrieved ex-employees have said that they were not treated fairly during their probation period.

The golden rules are:

  • Have a clear probation clause in the contract, giving the option to extend probation up to a maximum of 11 months. The probation should allow for a one week notice period during the probation time.
  • Have a good job description so that the employee fully understands the job they are supposed to be doing.
  • Meet the employee at least every 2 weeks during the probation period to review how they are getting on, talk about any issues, clarify if the employee is not doing the work expected/or not doing the work well enough, and give them objectives to improve.
  • If the employee is not suitable, make sure that they understand that their probation performance is not reaching an acceptable level, and that they may not pass probation. When informing them that they are unsuccessful and that you are giving them notice, be very clear about the reasons and that you have supported them through the process.
  • And finally, treat the employee fairly and be supportive. This can be a challenging time for the employee, and with your support, most new employees will make the grade.

If you need advice on HR issues, drop us an email at info@voltedge.ie or contact the office for any additional information 01-5252914.

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