The HR Advisor

The COVID-19 crisis has unfolded so rapidly and escalated so dramatically, that businesses and leaders have not had the luxury of time to prepare for the extreme challenges put in front of them.

The many moving parts of this unprecedented health and economic crisis means that leaders have a significant task ahead in not only keeping their business afloat but also ensuring that their team stays positive and productive. 

One of the most counter-productive practices of corporate life is sitting down with employees once or twice a year to set their goals and review their performance.  The annual or half-yearly performance review process is not motivating for employees and is dreaded by most managers, so why do so many businesses still have this model in place?

Even the fact that the word ‘review’ is still used is puzzling.  While reviewing past performance is part of the process, there is so much more to driving employee performance than evaluating the previous six or twelve months.

Nothing impacts an organisations' culture more than the behaviour of its leadership. The way leaders conduct themselves has a direct influence on how employees behave and can significantly impact the performance of a business.  But what is it that makes a good leader? And can this be taught?

Leaders are skilled at engaging people to connect with the bigger picture and vision of the organisation. That way, everyone is focused on the now while also being aligned on the promise of the future.

Designing your employee recognition programs to align rewards to the employee’s performance is standard practice. After all, you want to encourage your team to make a significant contribution to business growth and profitability.

But what if you have a reward structure that is based on employee performance and yet your revenue, team morale or business performance has not improved?

Could we be missing the mark and rewarding our employees for the wrong things?

Workplaces are made up of people with different opinions, values, interests, ideas and communication styles. However, when differences are not accepted or are poorly understood, conflict results.

Diversity is a cornerstone of successful organisations, as is a passionate endeavour for continuous improvement. An organisation’s values, culture and leadership determine how conflict impacts on both individuals and teams.

Managing employee performance can be complicated. Every situation is unique, and despite feedback, informal counselling, additional support and training, an employee’s performance or behaviour may remain at a standard that is unsatisfactory.

While it is unlikely your business will be able to completely remove the need to manage employee performance and behaviour, there are tried and true steps you can take to improve productivity and reduce instances of underperformance. 

Begin by asking yourself these key questions and then take the suggested and necessary action to create a best-practice framework.

While flexible work arrangements have been the hot topic of the last decade, the question remains; how genuinely willing are employers to give it?

Being truly flexible requires a significant mindset shift for employers. It hands over control to the employee to determine how they work; whether it be from home, part-time, job sharing or non-typical hours. True flexibility provides employees with an element of freedom to design their work-life around their personal life and define work preferences which allow them to give their best. 

At this time of year, the office is a buzz of excitement for the Christmas period. With corporate gifts, Secret Santa, the office Christmas party and upcoming holidays, there is no shortage of things to prepare for.

However, failing to meet your HR obligations is not a risk worth taking. To help you avoid an HR disaster, here are our top HR tips for the festive season.