Strengthening your Employee Value Proposition in times of economic hardship

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So our aim is to improve individual and organisational effectiveness but we repeatedly see clients suffering as a result of how they manage their people.

We see clients:-

  • Struggling with Humphrey’s, our name for those employees that coast and do very little, those that come in despite feeling de-motivated or unwell and struggle on – productive?  Absolutely not!
  • Over reliant on those who we like to refer to as “Usual suspects” who are the employees you know that will get things done no matter what – but at what cost in the long run?
  • Avoid conflict and retain poor employees and in some extreme cases managers taking work on themselves that they pay others to do.
  • Drip feeding necessary redundancies over a prolonged period, an important point here is that talent does not migrate to companies who appear unsettled, unless of course the talent is joining at the right level with a brief to fix things.
  • Overlooking views from employees about different ways of working to save or reduce costs.  We see this as an ideal opportunity for a win-win for employee and employer.
  • Recruiting without rigour behind the process and failing to seize the probationary period where there to manage out poor fits out at reduced cost.
  • Recruiting through agencies or utilising the job centre, when actively utilising their own brand, web sites, networks and rewarding people through introductory schemes would achieve better results at less cost.

Unsurprisingly, people leaving their job voluntarily has almost halved over the last 13 years. 2.4% left their main job in 2011, down from 4.5% in 1998 and resignations fell from 1% to 0.6% over the same period.

If you are skilled enough to have kept your business going, you know that talent needs nurturing and cultivation. How many of your “Usual suspects” are deemed to be the talent of your organisation and how are you rewarding them?

It is a good time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to what you could do even better in 2012.

There are no guarantees that employees will stay with you in the good times but how you engage with them now will go a long way.

If you are interested to learn how you can cultivate your best talent, why not contact us and ask about our talent development support programmes for a successful 2012.

Watch out! There’s a Humphrey about!

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We’ve all come across the Humphreys…in fact, at some point in our lives, we have probably all been a bit of a Humphrey. He’s the guy (or gal) who attends his workplace religiously every day, clocks in and clocks off at the appointed hours, but actually contributes very little.

He may be ill, but afraid to admit it or he may just be demotivated. But, the truth is that Humphrey’s are costing UK business a small fortune every year. Presenteeism, to give it its technical name, is costing business as much as absenteeism. But so little is done about it.

So, we’re using Humphrey to launch a new campaign which will highlight the issues and help businesses to address them. It starts with a new series of workshops backed up by a range of practical services to help turn all those Humphreys into productive members of their teams.

The first workshop – Good Business Reasons to Manage Absenteeism and Presenteeism – takes place on 24th November at 9.30am to 12.30pm and it’s one of the first of our new “Say what you pay” deals. Click here for details.

You Say What you Pay

Times are hard for lots of businesses right now, so we’ve decided to give our financial controller another coronary by putting our money where our mouth is.

We’ve launched a new series of training workshops with a unique return on investment guarantee. When you’ve attended the workshop, you only pay exactly what you think it was worth. The series of workshops will cover subjects like Managing Absenteeism and Presenteeism (see above) to Occupational Health, Interviewing Skills, Employment Law, Social Media, Performance Management and Maternity/Paternity advice. The recommended price for these information-packed, half-day sessions, is £75 – so cracking value even at that price, but of course ultimately it’s up to you.


Cutting staff costs?

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Robert Bradley

If you’re thinking of cutting your staff costs in the recession – then please read on.
Robert Bradley, Accountant

Reducing costs by making employees self employed, can proven very dangerous as borne out by the recent Autoclenz case. This involved a group of 20 car valeters who had been engaged on a self employed basis by Autoclenz. Their contracts clearly stated that they were self employed but this is not enough to establish that they are. The actual circumstances were not consistent with self employment and they were ruled to be employed. This was referred to in the earlier weightwatchers case and now has been codified in the precedent set by Autoclenz.

The Autoclenz valeters were able to establish employment rights including unpaid wages, holiday pay, or failure to be paid the national minimum wage. My expertise usually leads me to looking at situations where the taxpayer wishes to prove that he is self-employed to be able to save tax but the opposite applies and employees who have been “pushed” into false self employment by their former employers may well seek future recourse. The tax liabilities arising from the reclassification of self employed contractors as employees can be significant – The well publicised Dragonfly IR35 case resulted in an assessment of £99,000 but this pales into insignificance when compared to the 24.5 million pound assessment levied on Weightwatchers that the US parent company had to fund.
It is worth looking at what went wrong at Weightwatchers to give rise to this. The Employment Tribunal which initially heard the case held that there was a relationship of employer/employee based on the tests established in the well quoted in Ready Mixed Concrete case of 1968, namely:

(i) The weightwatchers leaders only had contractual rights when they led meetings themselves and so by definition had to provide personal service
(ii) Weightwatchers had a high degree of control imposed by the contract the leaders signed which did not give them freedom to decide how where and when to run the meetings.
(iii) The level of control, together with the personal service element, was characteristic of a contract of service and other provisions were, in total, consistent with this.
The tax appeal tribunal that decided the case agreed. The point is that before employers think about reclassifying their employees as self employed contractors as a way of, perhaps, offsetting the increasingly onerous national Insurance costs they should think carefully about the tests which establish self employment not just contractually but also in practice.

My own feeling is that business tests, such as financial risk, should be the true test of whether or not an individual is employed or self employed but the HMRC Office of Tax Simplification proposals have not adopted this as a preferred test, instead preferring to rely on arguing the case on the other badges of trade such as the provision of materials and equipment, personal service, control and mutuality of obligation. The first two of these formed the basis of the proposed tests which the labour government discussed before it lost office and would potentially have reclassified the majority of the labour only subcontractors in the construction industry as employed. The current government would no doubt like to adopt these proposals themselves, given the extra tax and national insurance it would raise. The downside would, of course, be a boom in the cash economy which some say is already returning in the construction industry.

In the meantime we are left with grey areas about whether individuals and their businesses are caught by employment status issues, IR35, National Insurance regulations, the European “worker” definition or the construction industry rules. Seems like it’s time for clear rules around what constitutes self-employment based on business tests. Surely the government must seek to remove artificial barriers to entrepreneurial spirit in these difficult economic times.

Welcome Onboard!

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Welcome Onboard!

We have all been there… first day nerves, feeling worried about what to expect from day one in your new company.

  • Will everything be as promised at the interview?
  • OMG can I do the job?
  • Will they like me?
  • What is the culture like?
  • What will I be expected to do in my first week?

Research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that socialization techniques http://bit.ly/pWWuiV lead to positive outcomes for new employees such as higher job satisfaction, better job performance, commitment to the organisation and better retention.

This research has prompted some companies to recognise the benefits of implementing a formal on-boarding (Induction) programme to support new employees before they even start their new role.

The aim is to engage new recruits from the start, so why often does it go so badly wrong?

Remember counter offers do occur and this generally takes place ahead of your new recruit leaving their current organisation to join yours!

Sadly on-boarding is all too often overlooked; so please do remember new recruits are watching you very closely during this period, they are also assessing you it is of course a mutual thing!  They’ll be challenging their decision making, did they make the right decision to join and also should they stay!   Week one is the most important week, it simply boils down to “make or break”!

So how confident are you that recruitment and on-boarding processes are bringing about the benefits listed above?

Are you:-

  • Confident that you are easing this transition for mutual gain?
  • Making employment offers that are rejected?
  • Facing counter offers by existing employers?

Clearly recruitment search and selection costs directly and indirectly, so you need your return on investment!  Equipping new recruits post acceptance of employment will help engagement through understanding company values and priorities before they even walk through the door on the day one!

Why not take advantage of our free 90 minutes HR support, all you have to lose is 90 minutes!    A fresh pair of eyes could add significant value to your recruitment search and selection practices so contact us!  Alternatively see http://bit.ly/pQR4lw  for handy hints and tips and the costs associated with getting it wrong!

Feeling HOT, HOT, HOT

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Hooray some heat in the UK at last!!

Please see our employer’s tips to overcome the negative effects of hot temperatures in the workforce and the environment given we don’t have any legal maximum for working in the heat in the UK.

Suggestions to help keep things calm:-

  • Invest in fans where needed and allow windows to be opened wherever possible.
  • Move desks away from windows in direct sun light, draw the blinds or consider the benefits of reflective film on the windows.
  • Allow staff to take more frequent breaks, especially those doing physical work.
  • Provide a ready supply of cool drinks.
  • Consider a flexitime system so employees have the option of avoiding the rush hour commute.
  • Reconsider your dress code: for example are your male office workers still expected to wear a shirt and tie? And your female staff expected to wear tights? Consideration of a two-tier dress code, in-house and for external meetings. Don’t forget to be gender neutral, as you’ll have seen in the press claims have been won for discrimination in dress codes.
  • For outside workers, don’t forget risk assessments. Involve your employees in reducing risks. For example hats and sun cream in very sunny weather, or ways of providing shade in areas where individuals are working.
  • Keep an eye on your absence rates! Some maybe bona fide for example eczema and hay fever, however short-term absence rates can increase hugely during spells of nice weather… So don’t forget to monitor attendance, it’s very costly and can easily be managed through effective communication, monitoring and pro-active management.The cost of dehydration can result in decreased energy and lower performance. Being just 2% dehydrated can reduce concentration levels by up to 20%. The “Keep It Light!” health campaign aims to educate us and encourage healthy habits. For more details see: http://www.keepitlight.org

Working in hot temperatures can increase stress, irritability and reduce productivity. 1,500 employees employed by a recruitment firm, reported that not only does the heat stifle creativity (according to 78%), but it stops people from getting the job done, causes confrontation in the workplace and reduces concentration and productivity levels. 81% found it difficult to concentrate if the office temperature is higher than the norm and 62% admitted that, under hot conditions, a typical task may take up to 25% longer than usual to complete. – Source Office Angels.

Further guidance-
If you’d like your company dress policy refreshed or created, or you’re in need of support then why not take us up on our current offer of 90 minutes free support? Are you ready to start? Call us on 01562 745747 or email us info@rapportstore.co.uk.

The lights aren’t on and no-one is home?

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Employers could be forgiven for thinking that reduced absenteeism is good news, but is it that simple?

Are we confusing employee attendance with employee productivity, of course attendance is better than absence, but how much attendance is actually productive. As businesses look at ways to reduce costs, employees fearing for their jobs may be less inclined to take necessary time off work. As a result of the current recession are we seeing more of what is termed “presenteeism” in our working environment?  Has presenteeism switched places with absenteeism?

Presenteeism surfaced back in 1994 and was a phrase coined by Professor Cary Cooper.   We all have our off days which inevitably cost our employers; so surely the killer question is how can employers keep their people fully switched on and engaged?

Are organisations truly being pro-active and engaging in performance management?  This requires reviewing realistic workloads and resourcing requirements and meaningful and effective leadership and communication.

When armed with the knowledge that a sizeable proportion of our workforce is disengaged, fearful, over worked and a proportion are attending work when unwell or pre-occupied, are we really clear how much presenteesim is costing ?

The rapportstore have some stress resilience workshops that give effective and pragmatic advice allowing you to keep your people “in and on”. We have a range of services from effective ways of working polices to coaching and training. If you want to get the best out of your people in difficult times, call the rapportstore today and see how we can help you save money.

Even the boss gets sick !

Breaking the log jam

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Every so often something happens which challenges our set assumptions about an important aspect of life. Remember the advert showing a ‘hoodie youth’ hurtling towards a person walking down a narrow street? The immediate assumption was that an attack was taking place but the camera lifted to show the youth was getting the person out of the way of something falling from a great height. Object of loathing to hailed saviour in a swift change of shot. Something similar is happening in the world of people management.

Remember that old chestnut of training providers – ‘Dealing with Difficult People’? Strategies are taught which aim to help the manager deal with those people they would really prefer not to have around. So what are the assumptions behind this situation?

  • The employee has a negative attitude and needs to change?
  • They have a dislike of authority and need to know their place?
  • They are too cocky by half and need to learn some respect?

But, changing the shot, what if it was the company that had let the employee down? The failures might include:

  • Failed to communicate clear expectations,
  • Failed to provide a clear line of sight between their job and what the company is trying to achieve,
  • The manager failed to provide timely and accurate feedback on performance,
  • Appraisal focused far more on doing something about weaknesses than showing appreciation for the positive aspects of performance.

The sea change that is taking place is that many employers are waking up to the idea that their whole system of people management should be focused on the idea of ‘playing to strengths’. Moreover, it is part of running a company in a way that really energises and engages staff and leads to exceptional performance. Leading organisations like Tesco, Aviva, Panasonic and Santander are applying it in recruitment, learning and development, management learning and team development. Growing organisations, like Cougar Engineering, I-Spy Marketing and QVC, are using it to transform the way in which they organise their people to ensure that the company vision, performance aspirations and ‘a great place to work’ are achieved.

So what does break the log jam of moving from a way of managing people based on old assumptions to a more positive and engaging way? Many organisations have found that it’s helping people to identify their strengths or natural talents and then engaging in conversations about what they want to do more of.

Over the coming months we will be introducing you to different examples of applying this approach in practice covering the range of people management processes. One tool we have found effective in introducing ‘strengths at work’ is the Strengthscope assessment tool. If you would like to be one of a limited number of people to try out this tool for free, including administration costs and feedback, contact Roger Wythe at the Learning Connection.

Love chocolate and bank holidays?

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We’re guessing you are looking forward to three, yes three bank holidays this month! We hope you have some great plans and thoroughly enjoy your well deserved break.

Some thought provoking considerations for you, not to ruin your break, just to ponder on. How many times have you made a snap judgement on someone or an assumption based on something? It’s so easy to do. Some thoughts…

Is everyone looking forward to these bank holidays?

I wonder how many people are looking on at this sizable break with dread. Holidays can prove a really tough place for people, stressful too, spending time with extended families whether hosting or visiting, in some instances forced to spend time out of duty and then of course what about those of us who are alone?

Will everyone shut off during the break?

How many of us will continue to work, convincing ourselves that either we need to or that we are “housekeeping” when glued to our Blackberry or iPhone. What impact does not switching off have on us and those near and dear to us? Divorce rates in the UK are the highest between couples in their late twenties and this invariably gets linked to pressures to build careers.

Coping?

Were you aware that the latest Health Survey for England (HSE) data shows us that nearly 1 in 4 adults, and over 1 in 10 children aged 2-10, are obese. Is this your method of coping?

Easter is similar to Christmas in the respect that there are so many lovely goodies around, chocolate in many forms and hot cross buns.

Recently we watched a funny stand up piece by Michael Mcintyre that was poking fun at the way that in the UK all religious festivals are marked by eating when many of the world’s religions actually fast as a way of celebration.

Watch out, our culture of food and holidays could put you in harm’s way this Easter.

So, how many of us have planned in exercise to combat all the temptation and socialising that exists in any holiday season?

Or even some well deserved R&R?

Are we truly managing our work life balance?

It’s worth noting that currently there is no employment law governing obesity; however the impact of this is huge, no pun intended! Clearly there are direct costs but many indirect costs too.

  • How many of us see an overweight person and make an assumption?
  • As an employer would you reject someone at interview due to obesity? They didn’t fit your brand; this quote made us think twice, “I am always very hesitant about bringing an overweight person into a team, it suggests a lack of discipline” – David Hemery Sporting Excellence.
  • In his fabulous book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge talks about personal mastery and discipline as the starting point for a systemic approach to solving business problems. The body is a great servant but a terrible master!
  • Rejecting an overweight person due to a Health & Safety risk, currently isn’t illegal, however, would you recruitment processes defend a discrimination claim?
    Obesity in the UK is defined by a BMI of 33.
  • Is this you? Do you have employees who fall into this category?
  • How are you supporting them?
  • Are you truly stopping and considering the root causes?

Food for thought

In the high street retail sector, despite the recession, Thornton’s Chocolates have reported 1st Quarter sales at 2.3% above this time last year.

Could the other side of this success manifest itself in further costs to the NHS for type 2 diabetes?

So if you can’t pick yourself up with chocolate, what should you do?

Give me a break!

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Well, it’s been four months since our last official break of any stretch, so I am guessing like us, many of you took the opportunity over Christmas and New Year to eat, drink and be merry, but did you build in any “you time”? For those of you that made New Year’s Resolutions, statistically the official date for breaking these is 17th January, how are you fairing?

With all the varying pressures we each have juggling the challenges of daily living and working, we recognise only too well how precious time is, however we now have the luxury of 10 whole work days off this month – yippee!! So how are you going to spend them?


We came across an interesting article by Philip Hodson, Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. To get the most benefit from a stay away, you need to know how to take a holiday. It may sound obvious, but too many people act as though they’ve got a deadline to meet, rushing around trying to fit in all the sights, when it should be about free time and relaxation.

They say a change is as good as a rest. How often when on holiday do you make plans to do things differently? “I will make more time for the gym”, “I will take time out at lunchtime to take in a different scene, meet non work related colleagues or even just get some fresh air?” How often do you stay true to yourself when you get back to the office?

The benefits of taking a holiday are proven. A trip away can lower your blood pressure, boost your immune system and even improve your memory, so what can we learn from this?

Switching off

Holidays are as much about resting your mind as your body. People talk about a holiday recharging their batteries and there’s a great deal of truth in that, but it’s less about physical tiredness and more about cerebral exhaustion.

No one says we are working physically harder than our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but how we are working is very different. We are designed to think about one thing at a time, and multi-tasking or even trying to multitask is a drain on our resources.

Being on holiday removes the ordinary pressures of everyday life, you don’t have to worry so much about cooking, cleaning and washing up and you don’t need to think about work. The day is a blank canvas, all you need to do is get up and eat. It’s back to how we were designed to be.

Sleep like a baby and we don’t mean waking up and screaming every hour!

We have noticed over the last few months a growing trend of our social media colleagues and friends’ status updates complaining of insufficient sleep. So when we came across Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre, Loughborough he made a lot of sense to us:-

A day breathing in the sea air always helps you snooze. It’s true that many people do feel as though they sleep better after a trip to the coast. But it’s hard to say whether that’s to do with the air – perhaps the ozone in it – or just because they’re relaxed and having a nice time.

There’s no disputing that holidays provide the perfect opportunity to catch up on lost sleep. Resting is good for the brain. When you’re awake, it’s in a constant state of readiness, so it can only take time out when you sleep. Lack of sleep can have an effect on your mood and make you grumpy, but, more seriously, it also makes you less able to think for yourself, less flexible and can affect your memory. Believing the key to a good night’s sleep is peace of mind, which is why you nod off so well on holiday when you’re not lying in bed worrying about things.

One final point on sleep. Energy, motivation and social interaction are closely related to sleep quality. People who have insomnia are likely to be 6.1% less productive and show significant poor scores in attention, decision making, memory and motivation at work. Moreover disturbed sleep is associated with greater risk of health problems. (Rosekind, MR, 2010.)

Having a bad day?

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Does this sound familiar?  Got up late for work, getting the kids ready for school, or sorting out other dependents or pets, and misplaced your car keys.  You eventually arrive at work feeling all flustered, and anxious that you are late for your first meeting, also angry having seen an email on your blackberry from someone who raises your blood pressure.  When you return to your desk you have a queue of people waiting to see you and its only mid morning!

Did you know that in these instances 13,000 biochemicals are released within your body, releasing cortisol (the negative hormone) which remains in your body for 13 hours!  If during these 13 hours your cortisol continues to increase and you are doing very little to alleviate this or invoke the positive and anti aging hormone DHEA – over a period of time this become a serious health risk!

>> We are exhibiting at the Herefordshire Business Expo 2011 come and visit our stand >>

9.30am – 3.00p.m.

Thursday 24 March 2011

Royal National College for the Blind, ThePoint4, Venns Lane, Hereford, HR1 1DT

>> Free Personal Stress Assessment >>

What’s in for you?

  • See your personal stress levels in real time
  • Learn techniques to manage your stress
  • Understand the impact that stress has on you, your life and others
  • Add another 9 years to your life

All of this and keep younger and healthier for longer!

Don’t want to wait until then, call me on 01562 745747 or 0781 650 9764.