HR ADVICE
Brought to you by The HR Dept Durham & Darlington
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison Schreiber is an experienced HR professional who provides practical and pragmatic outsourced HR support to SMEs in the Durham and Darlington area.
The HR Dept specialises in Employment Law, contracts of employment, disciplinary and grievance, appraisal, performance management, absence management, dismissal and redundancy, TUPE transfers, employee surveys, training and development, payroll, recruitment, health and safety.
Alison’s areas of expertise also include job evaluation, compensation & benefits, leadership, change management, employee engagement, coaching and diversity.
For more info, visit HR Dept Durham and Darlington or call Alison on 01325 526036 or 07535 853226.
LATEST HR ADVICE BLOG POSTS
HR Blog: Managing employee absence during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
Ordinarily, it would be highly unlikely for most of your team to be absent from work at the same time. Each case would be dealt with individually according to your absence policy and your staffing levels would typically provide adequate cover. But the continued impact...
HR BLOG: Face coverings: How might customer service teams need to adapt?
On August 8, face coverings became a legal requirement in most indoor public settings. The use of face coverings and masks is an important defence mechanism in the fight against coronavirus. However, the phased rollout of usage in some, but not all, public settings...
HR BLOG: How should businesses manage flexible working requests
One of the significant cultural changes forced by coronavirus is the rise of home working. Is the genie now out of the bottle to make this a permanent shift? Here Alison looks at how this issue is affecting local businesses. Alison begins: “Some companies already...
HR BLOG: What can Durham businesses do to avoid COVID-19 redundancies?
In her latest blog for the Peterlee and Seaham business park groups, HR expert Alison Schreiber asks: What can Durham businesses do to avoid COVID-19 redundancies? The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme remains open until October. It is reported 8.9 million employees...
HR BLOG: How are your employees getting to work?
Pre-coronavirus, commuter woes typically included delays because of rush-hour, strikes or storms. But ever since the UK’s recovery strategy asked people to stay at home in response to coronavirus, most people have not had to think about their commute for some time....
HR BLOG: Advice for parents facing a return to work with schools are still closed
As many parents are preparing to return to work in some, if not full capacity, they are facing the unwelcome dilemma of what to do with their children. Schools aren't due to re-open until at least next month, and with visits to other households not yet permitted, how...
HR BLOG: Get the most from your employees during the furlough scheme extension
Have your employees been participating in training and development during their furlough leave? It is not too late to introduce an effective professional development scheme for employees to feel motivated and sharpen their skills whilst furloughed from work. Perhaps...
PBP sponsor Alison hosts first online networking session
Businesses and organisations from around the region have taken part in a virtual networking event with HR expert Alison Schreiber from the HR Dept, Durham. It is the first time the Peterlee and Seaham business park groups have organised an online event, which was...
HR BLOG: What will life look like after lockdown ends?
What will life after the lockdown look like for Durham businesses? • A lockdown lasting weeks (at the very least) has transformed the way many businesses are operating. • For those which survive, the workplace could look very different after the pandemic. • But where...
HR BLOG: Managing workplace mental health during coronavirus
By now you will hopefully be well informed on the extreme measures put in place by the government to protect the public and slow the spread of COVID-19. The latest official guidance goes beyond frequent hand washing and coughing into a tissue, with most people now...
HR BLOG: How do you know when it’s the right time to hire your first employee
Starting and running your own business normally involves wearing several hats throughout each day. It’s down to you to manage essential functions like sales, marketing, accounting, customer services and more, in order to make your business a success. A master of...
HR BLOG: Register for our coronavirus webinar this Friday now
The introduction of coronavirus in the UK has created a rapidly changing terrain of obligations for employers which can be confusing. The HR Dept aim to provide clarity for SME owners by answering the commonly asked questions around how to deal with your employees...
HR BLOG: How to tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace
Bullying can take many forms. Sometimes it’s obvious, bearing the hallmarks of a playground bully. But increasingly in the digital age, bullying and harassment has moved online as well. Our ‘always-on’ culture means that bullies can operate at all hours. And, now, a...
HR BLOG: How to manage your staff as the ‘Brexit’ uncertainty continues
Earlier this year we touched on January being known as the season of separation. Perhaps then it’s apt to highlight that this January culminates with the most topical separation of the past three and a half years: Brexit. The legislation is passed, and Britain left...
HR BLOG: Top tips to ensure your new year’s resolutions don’t fail
Although usually the result of good intentions and a genuine desire for change, many new year’s resolutions fail to make it past January. Sound familiar? Perhaps you even hear the same resolutions cropping up each year: the friend that still wants to learn Japanese,...
HR BLOG: Plan ahead so you’re not snowed in by the bad weather
We are more than two thirds of the way through December which tells us two things. First, Christmas is just two days, so panic, for some, is a plausible state of mind. And second, winter is only just getting started: it’s fair to assume that the recent bad weather may...
HR BLOG: Could cliques be damaging your business and staff morale
Colleagues getting along and working in teams is an ideal scenario for employers. That is until a clique forms and uses your business as its headquarters. A clique is a small exclusive group of people, which may also be referred to as a gang or posse. Their workplace...
HR BLOG: How to manage staff whose health impacts on the job
How to help employees manage when life gets in the way of work “It’s just one of those days” is a phrase we often hear when a friend or associate is experiencing an off day. Maybe you have even said it yourself. It’s understandable. Maintaining a good work-life...
HR BLOG: What to do when an employee goes AWOL to protest
When an employee goes AWOL to attend a protest… Are you so passionate about climate change that you would be willing to let employees take time off to protest? Earlier in the year, the teen activist Greta Thunberg inspired schoolchildren to bunk off school – sorry,...
HR BLOG: Why is flexible training so important to your business?
Why flexible learning matters to your business As a business owner you would have heard that training employees boosts productivity and can take your business to the next level. Which sounds great! If it wasn’t for the time it takes, the expense incurred and then the...
HR BLOG: Is this meeting really necessary?
Have you ever stopped to ask, “Why are we having this meeting?”. If the only answer presented to you is “We always meet at this time every week.”, it’s time to put meetings under the microscope. If you’re looking at ways to improve productivity you’re not alone....
HR BLOG: Does your employee contract template do the job?
Written contracts for employees may seem like burdensome paperwork. Yet another admin step prolonging your recruitment process. That is, until the full extent of their importance becomes clear to you when something goes wrong later on. You may feel that a verbal...
HR BLOG: How to manage remote working
There are many benefits to employing remote workers for your business, such as reduced overheads and better flexibility. But managing them comes with its own challenges. On-site employees jesting that their homeworker colleagues are “slacking”, and a lack of...
HR BLOG: What to do when an employee is always late for work
Employee timekeeping can be a major concern to employers. Particularly in businesses which require staff to clock-in. Lateness, absenteeism, even keeping track of sick leave can all act as a distraction to the time-pressed manager. There can be occasions when an...
HR BLOG: How to manage an employee under the influence of alcohol
How to manage an employee under the influence of alcohol Did you know that 21% of adults* drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week? That’s more than a glass of wine or low strength beer every day. Perhaps you are not too surprised by this statistic as going for a...
HR BLOG: Are your interview techniques a help or a hindrance
Are your interviewing techniques a help or a hindrance? Interviews. You either look forward to doing them, dread them or get someone else to do them for you. Perhaps you feel you have nailed your interviewing technique by now and typically follow the same process...
HR BLOG: How to protect your business from employee sabotage
Seven tips to protect your business from employee sabotage Finding out that you and your business have fallen victim to sabotage is awful. Uncovering that the damage was done from the inside and it was an employee who caused it can be even harder to swallow. After...
HR BLOG: How to keep the peace between employees
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could get along all the time? With different personalities working in one organisation and people spending a significant amount of their time at work, conflict between co-workers is inevitable. It could be a one-off disagreement that...
HR Blog: Five top tips to welcoming new employees
Five top tips when welcoming new employees After reading The HR Dept’s A-Z of recruitment you have found the ideal candidate to join your team. By now you have offered them the position, they have happily accepted, and you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the...
HR Blog: How to handle employees leaving to set up in competition
How to handle employees leaving to set up in competition One employee leaving the business to set up in competition may be considered a misfortune. Several leaving at the same time, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, looks like carelessness. Our political leaders are facing...
HR BLOG: Making the most out of Mondays in your business
Monday could probably be put on the same shelf as Marmite, most people either love it or hate it. Some like to embrace the dawn of a new week and all it promises, whilst others see Monday as a major hurdle to overcome, with next weekend a distant prospect. That hurdle...
HR BLOG: How to organise the perfect works’ Christmas party
There are times throughout the year that you may wish to reward your hardworking employees by hosting a party or a fun team-building activity. Work events such as the annual Christmas or summer party can be a great way to boost morale. They bring everyone together in...
HR BLOG: Four ways to improve knowledge sharing in your SME busines
It is not uncommon for a small business to be fuelled by multitaskers who wear various hats throughout the day. As the leader of such a team you may even read this and say, “Oh certainly, I myself have at least five hats to choose from!” Whilst creating a team of...
HR BLOG: How to make sure the show goes on during the winter months
The clocks have gone back, gloves are making a comeback and you haven’t looked for your sunglasses in weeks. This can only mean one thing. Winter is here! We’re pretty used to this now, it happens every year after all. And with the changeable climate of the British...
HR BLOG: How to spot and stop workplace bullying
Bullying in the workplace is sad but true that bullying is still a significant issue in many organisations. The TUC reported in 2015 that nearly one third of people are bullied at work, with women being more at risk than men. If left unaddressed, workplace bullying...
HR BLOG: It might be the easy option, but is it the ethical one?
Have you ever made an executive decision on impulse and then recited that famous, reassuring phrase “it will all be alright” to justify your decision making? You may have even felt good about the time saved by making a quick and easy decision. Because effectively,...
HR BLOG: Automation meets HR – sure-fire shortcuts to get things done
Unless you have buried yourself in offline processes for the past few years, you have probably heard that automation can be a great tool for SME success. From lead generation to real-time marketing, slick e-commerce to prompt customer service; automation can not only...
HR BLOG: Is it time to upgrade your space?
If you are reading this at work*, take a look around you. Are you inspired? Are you motivated? If you struggle to feel inspired by your surroundings at work, it’s fair to say that your staff members could be feeling the same way. So, if your answers to the above were...
HR BLOG: How to manage the employee who keeps calling in sick, and the one that won’t go home!
Not again! From being too hungover to work, to calling in “dead” only to return the following week as though nothing had happened, employee absences can be a pain for employers. Especially if one particular employee is a repeat offender and keeps calling in sick. This...
HR BLOG: Your team’s attention span is decreasing! Or is it?
Ever heard the phrase “Humans have a shorter attention span than a goldfish”? Perhaps you have quoted it yourself. This attention-grabbing headline has spread like wildfire in recent years as many have nodded, shrugged and added “Well of course, technology and smart...
Home Office reveals Brexit toolkit for employers
The HR Dept, which provides HR advice to small and medium businesses across the region, has highlighted that the Home Office has launched a content toolkit to help employers communicate important Brexit processes to their EU national employees living in the UK. The...
HR BLOG: Six steps to preparing for an intern
If you’ve never had an intern before, you could be forgiven for thinking you hire one to pass on your wealth of business knowledge, so your legacy lives on after you retire. That, and to have some extra hands on deck to order your lunch when the going gets tough. To...
HR BLOG: How to keep control over workplace instant messaging
Instant messaging (IM) is such a common form of communication these days that text speak acronyms are used daily. Your personality could even be defined by your most used emoji. Instant messaging apps are accessible communication tools with growing popularity. So, it...
HR BLOG: How can employers reduce the risk of being ghosted by recruits?
Have you ever been stood up by a job candidate? Called and emailed them but to no avail? You may have just been ‘ghosted’. In the dawn of a job-seekers’ market, that cold feeling of rejection usually associated with online dating is becoming a common occurrence for...
HR BLOG: Dress codes and discrimination
Dress codes can be subjective and your idea of dressing to impress may be different to someone else. In a diverse workforce made up of different cultures and backgrounds, it’s probable that you will come across varying opinions on what is and isn’t suitable for work....
HR BLOG: How to manage fathers returning to work
It is not uncommon to hear about the difficulties that working mothers can experience when returning to work after maternity leave. What is less apparent are the struggles that can affect stay-at-home fathers re-joining the workforce after a career break. The...
HR BLOG: Dyslexia in the workplace
With dyslexia affecting around 10% of the population, it’s very likely that at some point you’ll encounter it within your workforce. But while most people have heard of dyslexia, if it doesn’t affect you or someone you know, you may not understand exactly what it...
HR BLOG: GDPR Top Tips
GDPR is coming – is your SME compliant? Read our HR checklist to see what you have to do between now and 25 May. The General Data Protection Regulation becomes law on 25 May 2018 and if you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to make changes to your business to...
HR BLOG: HR myth busting!
HR has more than its fair share of myths and misinformation! Could it be the ever-changing legislation and case law, the conflicting pressures that many SME business owners face or simply the fact that we are in the business of people problems? It’s probably down to a...
HR BLOG: Ramadan – what employers need to know
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on lunar cycles. It is a sacred period for Muslims during which they abstain from pleasures (including food), pray and come together as families to celebrate. With almost three million Muslims living...