Including employees in decision making
It is said that leaders are paid the big bucks because they make big decisions; but could one of the best decisions you make be to involve your team in the decision making?
While you will trust your own judgement, and always reserve it for certain matters, there is so much upside to involving employees in some decisions.
Psychologically, you confer trust on them, helping them to feel valued and with a greater sense of control over their role. This is known to be a good thing, leading to higher engagement and increased motivation – both great for productivity. You’ll also get better buy-in on the outcomes of decisions, with employees appreciating that they are listened to.
Company decisions should, on balance, be better informed; with a range of perspectives introduced leading to more rounded outcomes. Differing perspectives may not always influence your overall decision, but they might temper it or help you understand where you’ll face resistance.
In some businesses, the employees will be closer to your customers than you. So accepting their input could help provide vital insight into how your customer base will respond.
Opening up the decision-making process could be an effective tactic for upskilling employees, helping them to think more broadly about issues and their wider effects. Working alongside you on such matters allows them to learn, whilst you can monitor their progress and judgement as you go.
As they improve, it may lead to faster decision making, and save you time through delegation. You are nurturing problem solvers in your business.
So how do you involve staff in decision making? It may well depend on the size of your business.
If it is just you and one or two others, mentoring might be a good approach, holding informal conversations to discuss issues, get their input and share how you do things.
If your team is a little larger you may still do this, but perhaps add a suggestion box, either a physical one or by way of an email address where ideas can be posted. When doing this it is important to check on suggestions regularly and respond to them, so that it does not appear an empty gesture. Employee surveys could be a good idea, too: for getting ideas, canvassing opinion and finding solutions.
There are some areas of employment law where staff have to be informed and collectively consulted: TUPE, 20 or more redundancies, and health and safety. In 2005, the ICE regulations came into force; and in 2008 extended to employers with 50 or more employees. They say that where 2% of employees request so, the employer must set up a consultation group.
Not many go the formal route, but having elected representatives is a good idea and can speed up formal consultation processes. Sharing information does improve employee engagement and no one person has all the bright ideas.
CSR in SMEs
CSR, or corporate social responsibility to spell it out, can be an important part of your overall strategy as an SME.
While it takes effort and resources, the investment can pay dividends in marketing, recruitment and retention, not to mention the positive impact you can have in the community.
There are many different ways in which you can implement a CSR strategy.
You’ll want to make it aligned to your business, and it is essential for it to be authentic (if it is perceived as a ruse or hollow gesture it could do more harm than good). To really leverage its power, ensure your team are involved – in the delivery yes, maybe too in shaping your policy so you have their full buy-in and engagement.
Volunteering staff time, fundraising or donating skills and materials are all great approaches to consider, depending on the set up of your business. For example, a building firm may help fix up community assets for free, or a café may donate unused food to a foodbank.
Across our nationwide HR Dept network, our new CSR initiative is called HR Dept in the Community.
Each individual office (we have over 70) has the opportunity to raise money for a local charity of its choosing, performing whatever events or activities suit them best. Our aim is to bring each of our teams together, get out into our local communities and, through group effort, raise money for local charities.
At a national level we look forward to reporting on a significant collective sum which we will have given to charities across the country, whilst uniting our team with a sense of purpose.
Student loan repayments are becoming more onerous?
Continuing a long-term trend, the overall cost of studying at university is increasing – considerably.
The cost is borne, of course, once students enter work and start earning a certain salary. Currently, it is £27,295; but for new university students this will drop to £25,000. With 9% of everything earnt over this threshold taken as a loan repayment, that will slap an extra £207 per annum onto every graduate.
More significantly, though, the repayment period (before which the debt is wiped) is increasing from 30 years to 40 years. This means that most graduates (unless very higher earners) will be paying this additional 9% their entire working life without ever clearing the debt.
Psychologically, could this be a tipping point, putting off many more young people from studying for a degree?
If you have always required a degree as part of your recruitment criteria, it may be time to embrace other pathways into the workforce to get the right talent. Generously funded apprenticeships will be a stand-out choice for many businesses.
Emojis in the workplace: ? or ??
Long a favourite for use in social media, emojis, GIFs and memes are growing in popularity as a tool within business communications, too. They are not for everyone, though.
In their favour, they can effortlessly convey tone in written comms where otherwise there could be room for misinterpretation. They can also be good for team spirit – with colleagues able to capture shared cultural references, or praise someone with added gusto.
They can certainly speed up communication, with reacjis (single emojis sent in reply to a message) often now used. A survey conducted by Slack and Duolingo found that 58% of respondents felt they could communicate with greater nuance in fewer words, whilst 54% said it sped up workplace communication.
For the case against, they may fall below the standard of professionalism or gravitas companies in certain industries want or need to meet. GIFs and memes can be quite edgy, whilst some emojis can have double meanings – innuendos which are not suitable for the workplace. Misuse of either could contribute to harassment or bullying, leading to disciplinary action.
Ultimately, it will come down to your own discretion as to how they are used. If you want or need to impose boundaries, do so.
Back to school… and a return to work
While the kids go back to school, in September working parents also have to readjust from holiday mode – whether they went somewhere exotic or not. More than a few may be breathing a sigh of relief!
Even so, it is not always easy to switch gears. So to make sure everyone hits the ground running, here are some tips to get them focused.
Catching people in this transition is an effective time to hold 121s focused on the months ahead. If they have been away you can check in with them to see how the summer was, but most importantly share your plans for the next quarter and set individual goals for them to work towards.
If your team has been fragmented while people take their holidays, it may also be productive to plan a small team-building activity to bring everyone back together. Strengthen bonds, upskill and make everyone feel welcomed back and ready to get down to business.
Going green?
Every company can do its bit to go green, but one business in Gloucestershire went a little further. Well, 600ft further to be precise!
They introduced a small potted cutting of ivy in 2009, and come 2023 it has grown to 600ft, truly making a mark on their office space, and their company culture to boot.
The ivy is low maintenance, requiring just a little food and water once a week. The biggest challenge is in supporting its growth. Like a good team player though it contributes to the business. As well as being an emblem of the company culture, it has also attracted its own sponsorship deal!
