Human Resources
Published: July 8, 2024 | Updated: 8th July 2024
As independent HR consultants we’ve noticed an increase in new clients coming to us with what could’ve been relatively simple issues that have now become increasingly complex to manage, because it hasn’t yet been dealt with. We know how busy business owners and managing directors are, and how many plates they must keep spinning, so it’s understandable that certain things slip to the bottom of the list, especially if they’re uncomfortable to deal with.
From disciplinary issues that you’ve avoided dealing with and are now a recurrent problem, to absences that have gone unrecorded making it very difficult to build any kind of case to address.
Whilst we’re happy to help employers unpick the knot they’re in, explore the risks of any action required and provide advice to help them move forward, we know it would save them a lot of time, stress and, in many cases money, if they’d sought advise much earlier on.
Many small business owners find themselves having to juggle several hats, including HR and Employee Relations, and quite often, they don’t have any kind of training to equip them for the task. They’re often unaware of the risks they’re putting the business in by letting certain issues drag on, as well as underestimating the increased emotional strain.
As a result, it’s understandable that things might slip under the radar, that decisions are made for less stress short term and mistakes can happen. However, left unmanaged some issues can spiral into much more costly and stressful situations longer term.
Fortunately, there are simple things you can do to help you spot the warning signs of potential issues before they happen.
Monitor your absence levels! There are numerous tools you can use to record and manage sickness and absence levels. It makes it so much easier to identify patterns that might indicate someone is abusing the situation, or that they require additional support such as an Occupational Health assessment.
Use your Disciplinary Procedure effectively. Whilst you may want to be seen as the nice boss and let people get away with the odd misdemeanour here and there, you risk getting taking advantage of in the long run, as well upsetting your wider team who may become disenchanted by what they deem as unfair leniency for people who aren’t pulling their weight.
It’s much easier to implement decisive disciplinary actions at an earlier stage which might prevent deter future issues, than it is to deal with an escalation of poor behaviour that you’ve let go unchecked.
Be aware of and responsive to individual’s behaviour. If someone seems a little ‘off’, upset or reserved – investigate gently. It could be an indication that they’re struggling with something, at work or at home. Provide opportunities for your team to talk to you in confidence and without judgement. The sooner you can identify issues, be they illness, bullying, overwhelm & stress or something else, the sooner you can take action to address them and reduce the impact on the individual and the business.
It can be easy to put off dealing with things – like giving critical feedback or addressing someone’s behaviour – because you don’t like conflict. However, in doing so you’re storing trouble up for the future. It’s time to bite the bullet! Courses like our Challenging Conversations session can provide some useful tools and techniques that will give you the confidence to get the conversation started in a positive way.
The most important thing to remember is, it’s easier, and generally less costly and stressful, to deal with things quickly – or even better, to take preventive action – than to deal with the consequences of letting something go unresolved.
If you’re ready to deal with the red flags in your team, Pure Human Resources are ready to help.
You can call Pure Human Resources on 01794 329470 or email info@purehumanresources.co.uk
