The Horrific Tales of HR
With the scariest day of the year almost upon us, we are not in the business of wanting to give anyone a fright, we take a look at some ghastly and fear-inspiring people horrors:
The curse of…..dire HR Admin
Did you know that not checking (and re-checking annually) your employee’s right to work in the UK could result in the need to dismiss and a spine-chilling fine if found to be employing someone illegally?
Checking and recording an employee’s right to work documentation should be done before employment commences (usually at the recruitment stage). The checks establish whether or not your candidate has the right to work in the UK and additionally if there are any conditions under which they are allowed to work. Failure to carry out these checks can result in a fine of up to £20k and possible imprisonment.
Enter at your own risk
Recent surveys have shown that more than 1/3rd staff have experienced frightful onboarding experiences, while for more than a fifth said it has it has been so dreadful they have changed their mind about a role.
Having a great induction programme in place means employees can be productive, effective and hit the ground running, as quickly as possible. An effective and well-planned programme should include elements on company history, as well as role-specific information.
Hair-raising experiences
Have you ever encountered a scarily familiar colleague at after work drinks? Not sure if this should be dealt with by the employer or not?
It is well recognised that excessive drinking can cause employees to forget personal boundaries. Whilst it is mistakenly believed employers are only responsible if things go wrong at an employer-organised event, in fact, the employer has a duty of care/vicarious responsibility to its employees when at functions where colleagues are in attendance.
Trick or treat Managers
Have you been terrorized by the perils of a team leader who doesn’t understand the impact of her behaviour on the team? Do your managers inspire fear when setting targets or offer horrifying feedback? Are they mysteriously aloof and hauntingly over-controlling?
Research has shown that negative manager behaviour can significantly affect employees, making them three times more likely to leave an organisation (incurring substantial disruption, recruitment and training costs), and potentially resulting in 4 times as many sick days. Managers who demonstrate great behaviours however, can inspire greater levels of loyalty and commitment leading to enhanced company and individual performance.
The case of the Mucous Monster
Tired of sitting next to a colleague who has clearly come into work when they should be tucked up in bed?
A recent poll showed that average number of sick days taken has almost halved in the last 20 years. This could be in part due to generally healthier lifestyles but could also be due to employee’s job insecurities. How do your sickness policy and average sick days fare?
Skeletons in the closet
A mischievous 52% of candidates believe it is necessary to lie on their CV in order to get an interview.
It’s a frightful statistic but is very much a serious issue if you uncover that an employee has lied about something on their CV. In extreme cases, this could be a dismissible offence and in many cases should be considered under your disciplinary policy.
If any of these fill you with horror or have scared you into action, please don’t hesitate to give us a call today on
01932 874 944
Email: info@peoplebusiness.co.uk
