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Forgetfulness. It happens to all of us at one point or another. From forgetting to call someone back to defrosting the food you had planned for dinner or even missing an important anniversary. Causes of forgetfulness are varied, and there are different ways in which...
Ensuring that you have adequate staffing for your business to operate day-to-day takes some planning. However, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that things don’t always go to plan. Finding yourself short-staffed, whether due to sickness absences or an...
“I’m running late because my pet snake has escaped, and I need to find it.” “I accidentally got on a plane.” “A fortune teller told me I shouldn’t leave the house through fear of a brain haemorrhage.” Believe it or not, these have all been genuine excuses from...
Banter is defined as an exchange of light, playful teasing, and is also often accompanied by a declaration of “only joking”. However, as harmless as it sounds, it runs the risk of causing actual damage to a business and the people within it. Banter is often used as a...
Glitz, glamour, dancing, and a side of drama can only mean one thing, Strictly Come Dancing is back. Grabbing front page storylines since it started last month, this season is sure to provide some entertaining viewing as autumn and winter draw in. Even those not...
The BBC has reported that rush hour trips on the underground are at their highest since March 2020. This suggests that more elements of pre-pandemic life, such as commuting to work, have returned. Some people will be pleased about leaving their home office and...
Did you know that term-time only working isn’t just for educational establishments? Term-time only working is a type of flexible working that, if suitable for a business, can widen its prospective pool of talent. As the name suggests, an employee on a term-time only...
At a time when many business owners are focused on bringing employees back to work, and with some also dealing with a severe shortage of staff, proposals for a four-day working week have once again hit the headlines. Except this time, it’s a little closer to home....
Promotions in the workplace should be positive. They create new and exciting opportunities for employees and the businesses that they work for. They are however, like all aspects of people management, subject to complications. Are you aware of the risks involved when...
Hiring can be both an exciting and trying time. You’re likely to be busy, hence the need for a new person, but you also want to make sure that you take the time to attract and select the right people for your business. Similarly, job candidates are also going through...
Too often people shy away from disability, but it’s important to understand that many disabled people feel proud of their uniqueness and that disability should be celebrated rather than avoided. This is evident from the rapid growth of Disability Pride: a month-long...
Although some businesses have implemented successful remote working strategies, and some are considering a permanent move away from the office, a spotlight has remained on the green light to bring employees back to work. It signifies an important milestone of pandemic...
Blog supplied by HR expert Alison Schreiber of the HR Dept, Durham, and the Peterlee and Seaham business park groups: Having been bathed in sunshine for much of June, the UK is in for another treat in June 2022: an extra bank holiday is confirmed to celebrate the...
June 21st, the date designated for the final lifting of lockdown restrictions, is fast approaching. You may however have seen in the news some uncertainty as to whether everything will go ahead as planned. Despite the ambiguity surrounding this date, we are pleased to...
Last month we witnessed the welcome return of outdoor hospitality, non-essential retail, and other businesses such as gyms and hairdressers. And next week we are preparing for further restrictions to be lifted, which will allow indoor dining and more relaxed mixing...
After more than a year of ups and downs, cancellations and lockdowns, holidays have been in short supply. So as lockdown restrictions begin to gradually lift, many people will be eager to find out when they can book their next break. Simultaneously, the easing of...
After a winter like no other, the government’s recent announcement of a cautious and phased route out of lockdown will have provided some relief to business owners. Many will be eager to make plans for the year ahead. An integral part of the plan laid out a timeline...
With February being the month of Valentine’s Day, we’re taking a moment to explore how new and existing relationships have been impacted by the pandemic, how this affects employees and subsequently employers. Pre-pandemic, you could say that cupid had an all-access...
Pre-coronavirus, some employers may have thought that remote working couldn’t work for their business. In which case, a request from an employee who wanted to work from abroad could have possibly been rejected for this reason. A lot has changed in the past year. Many...
2020 is drawing to a close and what an eventful year it has been. New year celebrations are on the horizon, and while they will be very different this year due to the continuation of lockdown restrictions, plenty of people will be eager to acknowledge the end of this...
This time of year is usually filled with festivities. From Christmas parties to the legendary Secret Santa gift exchange, there is normally no shortage of reasons to get together with friends, family and co-workers during December. But after a difficult year...
We know that sadly many employers are finding they have no choice but to reduce costs and make redundancies in their business. This is just one of the economic consequences of the pandemic, and has meant that unemployment is at an all-time high. Because of this, some...
Sometimes change can lead to good things. If your business is in the position to be hiring at the moment, chances are you and your team are fairly busy, and business is going well. After finalising your recruitment process, which may have been arduous with...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...