Dear Reader,

I had a refreshing two and a half weeks in Hamburg and Kiel (http://www.kielerwoche.de) and have returned energised to the UK in anticipation of the “usual” summer lull in HR business (everyone is on holiday or going to be and usually put off issues till September) and of course the gloriously warm summer we have come to love and cherish! The credit crunch is in the news right now, although it does seem a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy at the moment. This is a great time to concentrate on getting the most from your current employees, ready for growth when things change.

Best regards

Carolyne Wahlen

The credit crunch – bad news for HR?

From my perspective this is excellent for my business – I have never had so many active clients and interested potential clients as now. But not for the reason you are probably thinking, i.e. because everyone is being made redundant, companies are cutting back and letting people go. Rather the contrary. Companies seem to be saving money on recruitment by making sure that their current employees are actually doing the job they were employed to do. So they are investing much more time and effort in managing their current employees rather than what they possibly used to do which was throw in the towel and “hire someone who can do the job!” This can only be good news in the longer term for the companies taking this approach. They will have effective, productive and loyal employees who appreciate the investment the company is making in them. The company saves on agency and training costs by retaining that valuable knowledge longer in-house. So, despite the gloom and doom in the press, this could still be a valuable and successful time for you and your employees!

Free Stuff

The most crucial time in a new employee's life is the first six months. If they stay that long, without resigning, then they are probably going to stay with the company for a reasonable amount of time. Key to this is the induction process. To find out how effective your induction process is, we recommend getting feedback from the inductees themselves via our Induction report. This should be used at the end of the first week and first month to give you feedback on how the process can be changed to make it better for the next person. Especially useful is knowing what information they need to work effectively during the first month and what can wait till later. More on induction processes later on in the year.

Events

If you weren’t there on 10 June you missed THE event of the year – HR as you have never seen it before! We had about 13 people, split into two teams competing against each other in three rounds of easy and not so easy HR questions. The winners got chocolate buttons and Haribo sweets (the losers did too – with fluffy HR, no-one is allowed to lose!). Everyone came away a lot sweeter in the tooth and much more knowledgeable about the HR aspects of hiring your first employees.

October is our next event –

H&S and HR for small businesses: what's the point?

This takes place at the Shillingford Bridge Hotel on 28 October 2008 10am -12pm, cost £25 plus VAT. If you would like to reserve your place please email me on AvoidTheHassles@GapHR.co.uk

This month’s survey question

Annual reviews – How often do you do them, once a year, twice a year, sometime, never? Are they necessary in a small business anyway? Do you have to increase pay if you do one? Let us know what you think AvoidTheHassles@GapHR.co.uk

Let your personal image reflect your professionalism

Individuals and organisations have realised that image consultancy goes hand-in-hand with qualifications, experience, talent and good interpersonal skills.  It is an essential tool for guiding individuals towards a successful representation of themselves through personal appearance, appropriate behaviour, confident body language and excellent etiquette. Together, these elements are what gives an individual their unique charisma, personal power and success in all areas of their lives. 

Rosemarie Williams, Enhanced Image, works with individuals developing their personal image strengths to help them remain consistent and congruent with their personal values, lifestyles, profession and budget. She also provides training seminars within the corporate environment.

Rosemarie is a highly experienced and qualified image consultant (FFIC, AICI Associate, ISPEP Associate).  Please give her a call to discuss how you can “dress for success” on 01491 836657.

This month’s FAQ

When do I need to give a new employee a contract, and why?

Legally you have to give all new employees a contract within 2 months of them starting.  On a purely practical level, it ensures that they know what is expected of them (hours of work) and what they are entitled to (holidays), which frees them up to concentrate on doing the actual work you hired them for. On a financial level, if an employee brings a claim – for example, discrimination or unfair dismissal – and is successful at tribunal, further compensation may be payable where the employer has failed to provide a written statement of particulars.  The additional compensation will usually be two or four weeks’ pay so, to limit liability, make sure you issue written particulars and notify staff of any changes to their terms and conditions in writing.  Gap HR Services ensures that you meet all your legal requirements with the minimum of hassle.

Email us your question and it could get answered, free of charge, in the next newsletter! AvoidTheHassles@GapHR.co.uk