Helping your managers to thrive post-pandemic
Have your thoughts been turning to getting back to business since the lockdown easing was announced? Or maybe your business has been open this whole time but looking a little different to normal?
It’s now over a year since the pandemic first hit; and companies, workplaces, and the people within them have changed.
Many people openly admit to craving some sort of normality; but is that what’s best, or even possible, post-pandemic?
For many employers, getting back to business may well involve working in new markets, managing new processes, and mitigating new risks. To hit the ground running when the economy fully reopens, you’ll want confident and competent decision makers by your side.
A good management team can make the difference between a company flailing or thriving in the post-pandemic landscape.
However, despite the important role that line managers play in a business, it’s not uncommon for new managers to learn on the job. This can offer hands-on experience but can also leave them open to the risks of ill-informed decisions. Would you give the keys to your car to a non-driver and say here you go, learn to drive?
Firefighters practice many task-based drills before heading into a fire. Likewise, training and development can give your managers the skills they need to address people problems in your business before they escalate.
Managers recruited internally, perhaps even during the pandemic due to their ability to work well under pressure, will know your business well and will have built up valuable institutional knowledge. This is great, but you’ll want to ensure that their ability in key management skills – planning, communication, interpersonal, problem solving, and delegation – is sufficient for the task ahead.
Management teams in 2021 need to add a few new strings to their bow to adapt to the needs of the post-pandemic workplace and its people. Particularly the shift towards hybrid working which brings new management challenges.
At a time when budget cuts are high on the agenda, learning and development can often be one of the first to get the axe. Unless, of course, you look at the long game where upskilling employees and managers now saves time through enhanced productivity, a reduction in high-risk HR issues and better staff retention rates. Training is often reported to be the most popular benefit within a company.
When training is done well, it offers a true return on investment.
What is hybrid working and is it right for your business?
The term “hybrid-working” has gained popularity recently, but what exactly does it mean, and could it be right for your business?
Hybrid working is a style of working which involves both workplace attendance and remote working. Like remote working, hybrid-working is not new, but has received heightened interest due to the pandemic.
Since working from home became, and for some continues to be, the default way of working, more employers have been able to see first-hand the benefits and setbacks of managing a remote workforce.
Employees have also had a trial run of working from home, and understandably, the opinion polls are mixed when it comes to their long-term preference.
Can hybrid-working offer the best of both worlds? Many employers are keen to try it.
To understand whether hybrid-working is right for your business, it’s important to consider what the positives and negatives may be.
On the upside, increased flexibility can lead to happier and more productive employees. Flexible working patterns are known to support a better work/life balance and can be particularly beneficial for those with difficult commutes or caring responsibilities.
Another plus for the hybrid-working model is that it can widen a potential talent pool and thus increase the diversity of candidates. The best person for the job may not live locally, or want to work remotely all the time, in which case a hybrid model could be a workable solution.
The negatives? Some firms have found that their creativity and problem solving has stalled with Zoom. You could be paying for an office space that isn’t fully utilised, although if you can, downsizing may be a solution. You could also experience new challenges in communication between teams. When conversations happen in the office, how is everyone else kept in the loop?
If you’re undecided, why not give it a trial run? A phased transition back to work could be the perfect opportunity to do so.
An extension to H&S protections for workers
In a case involving the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the High Court found that certain EU health and safety protections for workers had not been correctly implemented.
The matter concerned the right to not be subjected to a detriment due to taking the appropriate steps to protect themselves, or others, from serious and imminent danger.
Currently, this protection is only afforded to employees under the Employment Rights Act 1996.
As a result of the case, the government has issued a correction, extending the health and safety protection to workers. This will be effective from 31st May this year.
An in-depth evaluation of workers’ rights and modern working practices has been underway since the Taylor Review in 2017. Whilst the government did address some issues raised through it’s Good Work Plan, there is still more to be done to ensure the protection of workers’ rights in the modern working world.
Are you managing a workaholic?
Have you ever been called a workaholic? When you have a business to run, it can sometimes feel like you’re spending all of your time working.
A hard work ethic is admirable and can set a good example for employees, however downtime is also very much needed. Not just for mental and physical health, but also the success of the business.
If you think an employee could be suffering from work addiction or presenteeism (the need to be seen working), consider how you can help them to channel their productivity in a healthy way.
Working excessive hours is unlikely to be productive all of the time. Mistakes can start to show, leading a workaholic to put even more pressure on themselves to achieve.
Encourage your worker bee to take some time out before they burn out. A team lunch (in line with government advice) could give them and you something to look forward to, and a well-deserved breather.
Progress made for equal pay
Asda’s equal pay dispute is the largest ever claim of its kind to be brought against a UK employer.
More than 44,000 Asda employees have just won their latest battle for equal pay through a Supreme Court ruling. The issue has been that the store workers who are predominantly women are paid between £1.50 and £3.00 an hour less than the warehouse staff who are predominantly men.
Equal pay is a matter of legality, originally introduced as the Equal Pay Act 1970 and brought under the Equality Act in 2010. It requires all staff to be paid equally for work of equal value and this ruling has allowed the women to use the warehouse staff as a comparator.
The case is not over yet as this is just the first step in a claim regarding equal pay. It does however set a standard for comparators in future similar claims of unequal pay, which several other high-street chains are currently facing.
Important employment law changes
With coronavirus still largely dominating conversations, it can be easy to miss other important updates concerning your business.
Important changes came into effect this month which we don’t want you to miss.
- Hourly rates for both the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage have increased.
- Statutory Family Leave payments have increased from £151.20 to £151.97 and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from £95.85 to £96.35.
- The new IR35 rules apply to medium or large businesses in the private sector only. If your business meets two out of the three criteria, you are classified as a small business and are exempt:Annual turnover is no more than £10.2 million
Balance sheet total is no more than £5.1 million
No more than 50 employees
If you need advice implementing recent changes due to updated employment law, please do get in touch.
