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If you want the job, prove you can do it!

04 May
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Blog, Recruitment   |  Comments Off

How many times have you taken on a new member of staff, only to find they are not capable of doing the job?

As a practice we are frequently helping clients to manage poor performers out of the business. People who came across really well in interview, but when it came to it, their ability to do the job was not as good as their ability to ‘sell’ themselves.

And whose fault is this? …. Well I’ll let you into a secret ….. It’s your fault. Just because you are a good manager or fantastic at your job, doesn’t necessarily mean that you can spot a fraud when they are working really hard to impress you so you give them the job you have on offer.

Buyer Beware

So, how do you tell the difference between a lovely person and someone who can actually do the job and add value? The answer lies in the recruitment and selection process.

Recruitment is about attracting the right people and ensuring they apply for the role.

Selection is the process of choosing the right person for the role.

Top Tips

Not all of these will be appropriate to every situation, so do speak to us if you need any guidance

  1. Write a comprehensive job description including key deliverables, the skills & experience required and personal attributes needed to succeed
  2. Choose the most appropriate method to advertise your vacancy: This may be through online job boards, recruitment agencies, face to face networks such as colleagues, suppliers, customers, family and friends; or social media networks
  3. Design a selection process which is fair and free from the risk of discrimination
  4. Design a selection process to specifically identify the skills and attributes you are looking for
  5. Use a minimum of two steps i.e. 2 interviews or an interview and a test
  6. If possible, get the shortlisted candidates assessed by more than one person from the business
  7. During the interview, identify behavioural evidence based on past experiences. Ask an open question and then drill down until you fully understand the behaviour and can take a decision based on objective evidence
  8. Don’t be afraid of silences during the interview – they can be very powerful. If you have asked a hard question, the way in which the candidate thinks about it is also very indicative of their personality
  9. Always respond to applicants, candidates and interviewees in a respectful way with due consideration for their feelings if you are rejecting their application. Your company reputation is at stake!
  10. Remember, recruitment is a two way process, you have to sell your company to the candidate as much as they have to sell themselves to you.

No one will get it right every time, but doing a robust behavioural and competency based interview as part of the process is an excellent first step and will significantly increase your chances of getting it right.

Over to You

We would love for you to share your experience of the recruitment process, either from an employers perspective or indeed as an employee. I myself have several horror stories from both sides of the table! If you share yours, I’ll share mine:)

Back to Us

If you require assistance with your recruitment and selection processes, we are able to help you every step of the way from writing the job description to holding interviews all the way through to reference checks and offer letters.

For further information, call 01923 504100 or email enquiries@dohr.co.uk

Try Before You Buy?

24 Apr
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Blog   |  Comments Off

When taking on new staff, employers have a choice as to whether to give a probation period or not. And if they do put a probation period into the contract of employment, they can (within reason) choose how long to make the probation period.

As advisors we generally recommend a 6 month probation period, but why do we do this?

Taking on a new member of staff involves finding the right person, offering them the right package and training them up as quickly as possible so that they are adding value to your business. All this takes time and money, so is giving them a probation period a sign of lack of trust, or a sensible precaution?

A probation period is designed to be a period of training, immersion in the company and it’s culture and an opportunity for a new employee to find their feet, learn their role and thrive. Most people pass through their probation period with no problems at all. Employers sometimes don’t even remember to confirm employment at the end of the probation period. But what happens when things don’t go to plan? How should employers deal with a failing employee within their probation period? And is it always the fault of the employee?

Induction

When an employee joins the company, they should be given an induction programme aimed at giving them all the information they need as quickly as possible. Examples of things which are commonly included are a health and safety briefing, meetings with key people within the business, organisational charts, copies of company policies and procedures and attendance at company, service or product specific training courses.

An intensive induction programme could take anything from one day to three months, depending on the nature of the business and any specific cyclical activities.

Regular 121s

As the line manager of a new employee, it is important to have regular 121s with your new team member. This may be work related, but should also include time to talk about them, their experiences within the business, their progress and any concerns they might have. This is an opportunity to identify any additional training or support needs or to amend workload and expectations (upwards as well as downwards).

Mid Probation Review

Regardless of how long the probation period, half way through you should have a more formal review which is properly documented. This is an opportunity to measure performance against objectives, to set objectives for the rest of the probation period and to ensure that progress is being made.

End of Probation Review

This should be a formal meeting along the lines of an appraisal. The meeting should take place 2 weeks before the end of the probation period. There are three possible outcomes:

  • The Employee Passes their probation period and is confirmed in role
  • The Employee Fails their probation period and a termination process starts
  • The Probation Period is extended in line with the contractual terms

Over to You

What is your experience of probation periods? You may be a line manager or an employee? Have they worked? Do they support the employee? Do they offer the business an opportunity to try before you buy?

Back to Us

When taking on staff, it is essential that the employment contract is robust and that there are adequate provisions for a probation period. If you do need to terminate employment, it is essential that you do it legally or you could end up with a discrimination claim.

For help and support with all contract and probation issues, contact us on enquiries@dohr.co.uk or call 01923 504100

Business Continuity – Plan for the Unplanned

02 Feb
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Business Continuity, Employees, HR Consultancy, HR Policy, Human Resources   |  1 Comments

Business continuity, disaster recovery, whatever you call it, it has to happen. 2011 saw many disruptions to businesses both here in the UK and abroad. How prepared were the businesses, how did they recover and could you do the same?

Do you take the view that it will never happen to us and then bury your head in the sand, or keep your fingers crossed that it never does? Or do you sit around the table with your manager(s) and plan for all eventualities. There is no point always being an optimist if it puts your business at risk. You need to develop a list of possible scenarios, precautions and solutions to ensure no matter what the weather, terrorists or the Olympics throw at you, you know your responses, have the policies and procedures you need and the contact numbers of your key staff, IT support company and other key emergency response people.

Several years ago, I had first had experience of disaster recovery and the need for preparation. I worked for a company based in Hemel Hempstead when there was a massive explosion at Buncefield. Fortunately the explosion was in the early hours of the morning and there were minimal numbers of people on site. The building was absolutely out of action. The glass atrium collapsed and windows all over the building were shattered. Many other businesses were affected with sprinkler systems causing more damage than the actual explosion in several cases.

The priority was business as usual. With another local facility, staff who could worked from home or the London office on laptops, call centre staff from Hemel Hempstead were moved to St Albans and IT had back up systems running in less than 24 hours.

It is the people, information and customers which are valuable, not buildings and furniture. Ensure that your people have the ability to work from anywhere as the needs of your business dictate. You can’t avoid snow, floods or incidents, but you can plan for the worse and give yourself a competitive advantage if you can get back up quicker and better than others.

Your people are the key to your business continuity planning.

Do you have a plan for the unplanned?

Have you had an incident where Business Continuity Planning saved the day?

Share your thoughts and experiences.

Bribery – Have you protected your business?

27 Jan
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Blog, Bribery, Compliance, employent law, Employment Legislation, Hertfordshire, Policies and Procedures, training   |  Comments Off

I was in a room with 20 different employers this week and asked a simple question….

How many of you have a policy on bribery and have trained your staff in the application of that policy?

Despite the Bribery Act 2010 having come into force in July 2011, 90% of the businesses represented did not have a policy and had not trained their staff in relation to their duties under the Bribery Act. The first case has now been brought under this legislation and a court official was found guilty of being bribed to make a speeding offence disappear.

The previous bribery legislation was mixed and confusing, some of it being over 100 years old.

For those of you who are not clear, bribery is defined as ‘the giving or taking of a reward in return for acting dishonestly and/or in breach of the law’. There are four offences under the Act:

  1. Bribing another person
  2. Being bribed
  3. Bribing a foreign public official
  4. Failure to prevent bribery

It is the last of these which employers need to be especially wary of. There is an absolute obligation for employers, even those with one employee, to have a policy which ensures that employees know that bribery is not acceptable. There is also an absolute obligation for employers to brief / train their staff in relation to the law, their policy and its application to their business environment.

So what counts as bribery? Is it…..

  1. Tipping your postman for Christmas deliveries
  2. Taking clients out for dinner
  3. Taking potential clients our for an afternoon at Wimbledon
  4. Sending clothing samples to a fashion reviewer for their children
  5. Giving a FIFA official an amount of money to secure their vote in deciding the location of the 2022 World Cup? – This news broke the week the legislation came into force!!!

To find out more about The Bribery Act 2010, it’s implications for your business and how to protect your business from prosecution,  join us at the Business Essentials Conference on 29th February 2012 where you will be able to discuss the Act in the context of your business and walk away with a policy, training guidelines and some standard forms and letters. This would normally cost approximately £500 + VAT but the one day conference will cost you just £120. For more information and to book visit www.businessessentialsconference.co.uk or call us on 01923 504100.

Recruiting Blind

18 Jan
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Blog, Discrimination, HR Policy, HR Support, Human Resources, Policies and Procedures, Race Discrimination, Recruitment, war for talent   |  3 Comments

Would you? Could you?
Over 100 UK businesses have pledged to recruit blind as a way of increasing social mobility and reducing the risk of discrimination candidates with submit their applications on standard company from without a name or school.

As an HR professional, I’m not sure how I feel about this.

15 years ago I developed application forms with tear off flaps for equal opportunity monitoring. The forms were all numbered sequentially and the applicant tracked through the system by number so we monitored age, gender and ethnicity. It actually made no difference to our employee demographics. It did however take time and resources to manage and continually monitor the applicants through recruitment, selection and promotion within the company. Even at the time, removing date of birth from the application form seemed odd – you just needed to look at when someone was at school or entered the workplace to be able to estimate their age.

So now we are removing name and school as well. Will it really make a difference? Will this prevent ‘the old boys network’ from blocking social mobility?

Companies signing up to the Compact have also agreed to use schools and other public forums to advertise work experience / intern opportunities rather than offering the places to informal contacts.

Thinking about your business, would you prefer to advertise for a junior in your local schools or take the son / daughter of an existing employee or a friend?

Is this the end of the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”?

I can’t afford to give pay increases!!

04 Jan
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Annual Leave, Benefits, Blog, pay, Reward, Total Reward, Voluntary Benefits   |  Comments Off

As I speak to my clients, I pick up on general trends. Sometimes it is based on stuff they have heard in the news, sometimes it is the fear of forthcoming legislation; but recently there is one trend which is repeated by almost all of my clients – pay increases! Staff are asking for them because the cost of living is on the increase, but companies can’t afford to give them as the economic future is so uncertain.

Going back five and even ten years, pay increases were generally given by small companies at about 5% and by large companies at 5 – 10% depending on the industry, company and individual performance. In these instances, the pay increase was above inflation and employees generally felt valued.

Today, with RPI at 5.4% and CPI at 5% these sorts of pay increases, if even possible, are barely covering Cost of Living increases. In many cases employees really do understand the pressure their management is under and would prefer to have a job with a low pay rather than no job at all, should the company go out of business. However, employees still need to be able to live: feed and cloth their families, put their children in childcare to enable them to work and to provide an adequate standard of living. As inflation increases and pay rises are not achievable, employers are having to look to alternative ways of motivating staff, ensuring they feel valued and remain engaged in the company, helping it to achieve its aims and objectives.

So, how are companies doing this? The answers vary based on size, industry and performance, but here are some ideas which can be adopted.
Communication and expectation setting
Talk to your staff. Be open and honest with them. If company performance is good, tell them, if it is bad – tell them. If you have to make changes to their compensation packages, tell them why and tell them when you will review the situation and what changes you need to see to provide a platform for restoration of their package. If there are decisions you are making to save costs, consult with staff – they may have useful insights and ideas. Try to put bad news with good news messages, but don’t lie and don’t ‘spin’ – you will loose their trust.
Other Rewards
Good performance does not mean you have to give pay increases. If the performance is due to a one off successful sale or project, providing a one off bonus to show your appreciation is an ideal way to demonstrate how much you value staff. It won’t add to the long term fixed financial commitments of the company, but will enable a set amount of money to be shared among employees.
Access to voluntary benefits is another way of showing staff that you are thinking of them, even in these stretched times. The employer usually pays a small amount per person and this enables the employees to access all sorts of discounts making their existing pay packet go a bit further. Choosing the right benefits programme is important, but it can be a very cost effective way of rewarding staff.
Time off
Providing staff with extra time off can be another cost effective way of rewarding them. This may not work for every business and certainly won’t work if you have a workforce who are too busy to take the annual leave they normally have, but for many extra time off goes a long way.

Getting reward right is hard at the best of times. Getting it right in the current economic climate is even harder.
What has your experience been with recent pay reviews? What alternative approaches have you adopted?

Strike Day – Business Continuity

28 Nov
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Blog   |  Comments Off

As business owners we should all have a business continuity plan, but talking to my small business clients, I wonder how many of us do?

What happens if we are ill? What happens to our business when we go away? What happens if our Internet access goes down? What happens if our staff can’t get to work?

Loosing a day’s work as a result of the strike is a real problem for many businesses, especially as it is still unclear how we will be affected. Will the trains be running, will the airports be open, will staff have Childcare if their child’s school closes? Will there be gridlock on the roads? The disruptions are endless and not something our generation have really had to deal with. I certainly remember the teachers strikes of the mid 80′s and the impact that had on my schooling, but I didn’t have the realities of running a business to contend with.

As many of my readers know I have one employee, she can work from home, but can she work with a six year old running around? Should she work from the office and bring him in? According to David Cameron, it would appear so. But what if we worked in a shop, or a factory? Would it be appropriate or safe for her to being her child to work?

If she takes the day off, should it be paid or unpaid? Could she perhaps use her holiday time? Well she could if she had time left, but as we are nearly at the end of the year, most employees should have used up their annual leave or have some booked off for the Christmas period. So what can an employer do? Technically if an employee has no leave left to use, you could either give them the extra day, or insist they take it unpaid. If you offer an annual leave scheme above statutory, i.e. provide more than 28 days, you could
‘borrow’ a day from next year. Be aware you can’t use this option if you only provide the statutory minimum as the law requires employees to have their full statutory entitlement in a year.

So, what should you do?

  • Think about how your business will be affected
  • Think about the culture of your business and the message you want to give out.
  • Discuss the options with your staff
  • Make a decision and communicate it to everyone, so there are no surprises

If in doubt, seek advise, but make sure you stay legal and safe.

Share your thoughts and let us know how your business will continue during the strike on Wednesday. If you are reading this post after the strike, do let us know how you got on and the issues you encountered.

Look the part, play the part, be the part.

13 Sep
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Blog   |  Comments Off

I’m not sure if anyone famous has ever said this or if it genuinely came out of my head this week, but while interpreting some 360 degree feedback for a client as part of a management development programme, I wrote this phrase and I have decided that I really like it!

The issue identified was related to personal presentation. Several of the managers were rated as below expectation and development needs under the personal presentation criteria.

Employees want to be able to look up to their manager and respect them; they usually expect their manager to look the part. Now I’m not saying the manager needs to be in a suit and it may not be appropriate for them to be so, but this manager’s feedback was ‘need to improve personal presentation.’

So, what is personal presentation? Years ago, I was taken aside by my senior line manager and told my soft tailored suits were not professional enough and that wearing my hair in a ponytail made me look like a school girl. Only a matter of weeks later, the HR Director made me stand up in the open plan office, while she lectured two of my colleagues about how messy their hair was and how they needed to have it, ‘neat, tidy and tied back, just like Donna’s.’ I glanced at my manager who went bright red and could not look at me. Personal presentation is important, but what is acceptable does vary.

As a situational introvert, when I used to exhibit at the milk rounds I was so self conscious that I used to put on a full face of make up before each one. It was the only time I really wore makeup, but it made me feel like I was playing a role and therefore it became easier for me to adopt the role, to be confident, to get our recruitment message across and to achieve the level and quality of applications which we needed.

I looked the part, it was therefore easier to play the part and, gradually, my confidence grew and I could become the part – with or without the makeup. There is a reason people power dress – it is a route to confidence and communication. Managers would do well to remember that how they look as well as what they say affects the people around them.

Are you guilty of bribery and corruption? Are you sure?

21 Jul
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in Bribery, Corruption, HR, News of the World   |  Comments Off

It’s everywhere …… every newspaper, every news bulletin, every conversation down the pub. How could they not have known? Who knew what? Are they telling the truth? Will Cameron go next?

Have you taken a step back and looked at your own business? When you ask someone experienced, someone you have known for 5+ years, someone who always delivers on time and within budget to do a job for you, do you ask them how they are going to do it? Do you look over their shoulder and make sure they are doing it legally? Do you ‘know’ that they are within the law?

What if the law changes? What if everything you have done previously is now illegal? What if taking a potential customer out for a drink or a meal is seen as bribery? Who is responsible? Who will hold the employee to account? Who would go to jail for breaking the law?

Although the News of the World scandal has thrown bribery and corruption into the spotlight, July 1st saw the long awaited introduction of the Bribery Act. The timing ……. merely a co-incidence, but the impact is huge and bought into startling reality by the claims of hacking, failure to carry out proper checks, failure to properly investigate claims and the acceptance of bribes.

As a business owner or manager, there is now a legal duty for you to ensure that your employees know the law, are trained and understand what is acceptable and what is not, are monitored to ensure compliance and undertake risk assessments to identify potential opportunities for breaches. ALL companies need a documented and communicated policy on bribery and corruption. Don’t expose yourself or your business to the risk. Make sure you protect your business, yourself and your family.

British Jobs for British Workers?

07 Jul
by Donna Obstfeld, posted in British, Employment, EU, jobs, Work Permits   |  Comments Off
When recruiting for your business, who do you prefer to hire and why?
  • British workers
  • European workers
  • Non EU workers
What is your experience?

While working for an organisation a few years back, we needed to 20 year background check staff.

Some of the applicants came from Darfur and Baghdad. It was impossible to background check these people and unfortunately we could not offer them jobs. But should we have been interviewing them in the first place?

With the number of people of working age in the UK, why are there not people willing to take on the full range of jobs our society needs to function.

Is it better to work and earn than to claim benefits?

Should people who are ‘fussy’ about what job they take be allowed to claim benefits?                 

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