Recent research conducted by Zenbusiness showed that more than half of employees do not have faith in the people function of the business which can have a detrimental effect on morale and productivity across the board.
Here at Gepps, we always encourage our clients to engage with their employees and / or employers to ensure that things are carried out properly and that the business continues to thrive – as businesses always needs people.
We set out below some suggestions of reinforcing or creating faith in the people's functions of the business, whether the company has a dedicated HR department or not.
There are a number of ways to ensure that the people in the business, have trust in the people function:
- Have clear processes in place that are adhered to across the board – sometimes, employees feel that they do not know what the right thing to do is, in many circumstances and that comes down to a lack of knowledge. It is important that the company has in place policies and procedures that are relevant to the business and the sector. It is even more important that all of those policies are widely available to all of the employees and that they know where they can get copies, if need be. This also means that all of the policies must apply in the same way to employees at all levels – from entry level new recruits to the senior leadership;
- Have transparency and open communication – as well as having the processes, it is important that employees know who they can talk to when they are unsure about things or when they have any issues. This could range for support from home concerns that might affect their working habits or commitment to having concerns about things in the workplace. Some companies would have a dedicated HR person or department and those would be the people to turn to, but in their absence it may well be appropriate and convenient to build the relationships between employees and line managers as their back up and support – there are even employee management training that can be rolled out for those in managerial positions that could support the business and its employees in arming them with knowledge and practical tips.
- Welcome staff feedback – as part of having good communication, it is also helpful for business to encourage employees to give feedback on issues that affect them and the workplace. This could include anything from the way staff appraisal is handled to thoughts about the company's overall performance. Employees react well to being appreciated and listened to as they feel more ownership for the work they undertake for the business and feel more integral as part of the business' success.
This is incredibly relevant all the time because, as we mentioned, people are always at the heart of a business because, really, businesses cannot thrive without its employees.
Our expert employment team is here to support employees navigating any work issues that they encounter using our vast experience and knowledge.
At the same time, we are also here to support businesses avoid these issues by pre-empting any workplace mishaps by having the right processes, information and communication in place as we recommend above. This could include drafting your staff handbook, reviewing your existing polices or even advising you on how to take the next step in staff engagement. Please do not hesitate to contact our team for further advice and discussion via e-mail or by telephone on 01245 228141.
