October 2018

What demotivates employees?

What demotivates employees?

Employee motivation has long been a thorn in the side of business owners and managers, so many questions arise when considering the motivations in a workplace. If employees are struggling to find motivation then in turn, their performance will drop and this will negatively impact a business in numerous ways. Organisations have differing approaches in their attempts to motivate, some concentrate on monetary rewards and other on promoting a work-life balance through a range of benefits. However, rewards will have little impact on the motivation levels in the workplace if the fundamental processes are not being carried out correctly. It is important for organisations to sometimes consider what they could be doing that demotivates their employees instead of what they can do to motivate them.

Employees have more recently become inclined to view recognition as a key to their motivation at work. Recognising and appreciating an employees work and efforts can take a considerably less amount of time than planning an elaborate reward scheme; yes both might have to be implemented but if managers are taking time out of their day to give recognition then it could make an impact. This process is easy to overlook and many managers may believe that it serves no value as the employees should provide themselves with the recognition or that they do not deserve the recognition because that is their job, this is not a successful viewpoint.

This links to another demotivating factor for employees and that is bad management, if an employee feels they are being treated unfairly or that their manager is not being as efficient/effective as the business needs then this will cause them to feel unhappy in the workplace. Employees have evidenced that good working relationships are vital and none more so than the relationship that is had with their manager. If a manager fails to build good relationships with their employees then it could lead to a decrease in productivity for the business overall.

Overall, it is important to recognise within your organisation what could be potentially contributing towards employee demotivation and find whether it can be easily fixed or not. A lot of motivation comes from interpersonal relations within the business and these can be solved by giving employees purpose and recognition for the work that they conduct on a daily basis.

 

Sources:

http://www.onrec.com/news/news-archive/the-top-three-demotivators-of-the-workplace-being-invisible-and-undervalued-a-lack

The UK’s approach to loneliness

The UK’s approach to loneliness

Loneliness has always been prevalent in society but its relevance to overall health issues (predominantly mental health) has been frequently overlooked. Current Prime Minister Theresa May has begun the process of taking extra steps to prevent the occurrence of loneliness in society and allow it to become an issue that can be discussed openly among UK residents.

The initial concentration is on the elderly and highlighting how big the issue is within the older generations and to encourage people to tackle loneliness, rather than ignoring it. By 2023 all GPs in England will be able to conduct the process of ‘social prescriptions’; this means that patients can be referred to take part in community activities or voluntary services. Therefore, allowing patients that are struggling with loneliness to become more active socially and physically. The Prime Minister has also been in discussion for another preventative measure that will coincide with the social prescription and has enlisted the help of the postal services to make this a reality. Postal workers will be tasked with speaking to isolated individuals and trying to reconnect them to the community or their families; giving the individuals an opportunity to communicate socially.

The approach to loneliness however, does not stop with the elderly. Further measures are being taken to assure that the UK is open in discussion about this issue and proactive in finding ways to prevent extreme cases. An ‘employer pledge’ is being introduced to ensure that the correct treatments are taking place in the workplace and that employers are attempting to maintain the well-being of their employees both physically and mentally. Mental health in the workplace is a growing discussion and this is another example of implementing conditions to support employees.

Furthermore, with the advancements of technology in society, the Government is also looking into how this impacts mental health and loneliness. The Minister of loneliness and the Minister for digital and creative industries are exploring the possibilities of educating people through schools and specialised courses to prevent technology having massive impacts on the rate of lonely individuals now and in the future.

The Government and Theresa May in particular are taking loneliness very seriously and are tackling it head on to encourage discussion and support the mental health of UK residents; a step in the right direction.

 

Sources:

Government launches first loneliness strategy

UK workers support positive sustainability in organisations

UK workers support positive sustainability in organisations

For many years now, the tendency towards supporting brands which operate with the intentions to maintain a higher level of sustainability has been a growing trend; this has mainly been evident in consumer purchasing decisions. However, more recently, this has been becoming prominent for employees choosing their next place of work.

The current UK jobs market is effectively candidate-driven, with employers trying their best to market themselves as an employer of choice. This means that the organisations are having to showcase to the candidates what makes them better to work for than their competitors, this can be done by offering benefits packages, higher salaries or by utilising the ethical approach that the business takes towards its employees and the world, to portray themselves as different. The latter is becoming the more important to UK employees as more people are becoming aware of sustainability and beginning to support it to greater extents. This is particularly evident in the younger generations entering the job market.

 

A recent study by NMD showed that:

“Younger workers go even further with over two-fifths (42%) saying they would take a pay cut if it meant they could work for a company that had a positive impact and purpose in the world” (Recruiting Times 2018)

 

Therefore, the new talent entering the job market will seek organisations that offer them the ability to support ethical issues at work and not just in their personal lives.

Employees are also relating their own personal happiness within their jobs to the prominence of the ethical considerations that take place at their workplace. Many UK workers have a tendency to feel more positive towards their organisation if they feel that they are contributing towards the improvement of sustainability in the UK. The workers are attempting to be the driving force behind the green movement.

What does mean for businesses?

If not already, organisations are going to have to take much greater steps to improve their sustainability and then try their best to promote this to potential employees; the problem that occurs with this is the process of greenwashing, businesses exaggerating their efforts or even falsifying them to better appeal to people. It is important that organisations operate transparently and only release information that they can prove. If a business is found to be falsely advertising this will have a massively negative effect for their reputation as both an employer and a brand of choice in the current market.

Businesses have to act according to the demands of the working population if they are to secure the appropriate talent and this particular demand for operating sustainably is only going to grow greater in the coming years. If a business can market themselves successfully and have a proactive approach, rather than reactive, they could have a unique advantage as an employer of choice.

Sources:

UK workforce attracted to companies who are making a positive impact

The future of the construction industry?

The future of the construction industry?

The construction industry is one of the most susceptible to a revolution of mechanisation. There are many external factors that are affecting the current climate within the sector, the most prominent being Brexit. The process of leaving the EU is still very uncertain and is edging towards a ‘no-deal’ scenario each and every day that passes, whether this is the case or not, any Brexit deal will have large implications upon construction.

 

Leaving the EU will in turn make migration harder for any current EU individuals wishing to enter the country. The job market is directly affected by this as there will be a decrease in technical skills entering the country, especially construction-related skills. The solution could therefore lie in the hands of technology, the robot hands of technology.

 

Recent studies show that many construction bosses and large companies are expecting to see the implementation of machines to conduct such tasks as bricklaying, which will see a rapid increase in efficiency and productivity. The move is not a decision that organisations are overly choosing to make, but one they are being forced to due to the depletion of skilled labourers in the present and even more so in the future. Some processes within construction sites are already automated, mostly with the use of drones to check on the progress of the sites and conduct certain aspects of surveying. It is not likely that construction will become a fully automated industry as senior roles will remain people-operated and the overseeing of the machines could create new roles. These new opportunities will be mainly surrounding specialist care and maintenance of the technologies used; much like the manufacturing responsibilities that are now prevalent in car manufacturing.

 

Many large manufacturers are already trying to push out their designs into the market and move forward the process of mass change. The big questions are now, how rapidly will these changes incur and whether the automation will lead to higher rates of unemployment among labourers in the construction sector.

DCHA Meeting September- Affina Organisational Development

DCHA Meeting September- Affina Organisational Development

Last month I was lucky enough to be invited to attend one of the Dorset Care Home Association’s meetings, this is due to Real Recruitment Solutions being a patron of the association and us taking a keen interest in the sectors we recruit for. The meeting was very interesting and there were several guest speakers for several different topics. As a non-healthcare savvy individual, some of the information was difficult for me to process but I listened eagerly to try and learn more about a profession which has its fair share of challenges. The meeting was well organised and the variety in attendees allowed for informative topical conversation which was beneficial to the healthcare professionals.

 

All being said, there was one segment in the meeting which I personally found to be the more engaging, however, this was mainly due to its relatability across numerous sectors. The talk was given by Sarah-Jane Dale, the chief operating officer of Affina Organisation Development (AOD) and detailed how working in teams can create for efficient results in the workplace. At first I was sceptical, I was sure that I had heard the same regurgitated information about team-based working enough times; I was wrong. Sarah challenged the attendee’s notions surrounding the concept of a team and stripped it back to basics to start with. We were asked how we would define a team, what characteristics make a good team and whether those characteristics are present in the teams we are already a part of. The talk was engaging in this sense as it allowed us to reconsider the knowledge we already possessed and attempt to apply the new knowledge to the situations we currently find ourselves in. The next section discussed the aims and objectives of team working, questioning our understanding of effective aims/objectives and how we measure these against our performance. This understandably is an important part of team efficiency and can provide the best results if aims and objectives are set correctly, people are informed and then they are carried out accordingly. Sarah displayed a strong understanding of this topic and then proceeded to present us with numerous facts and figures to support the application of greater team-based working in the healthcare sector. The most substantial exploration within the evidence was how mortality rates can be greatly affected by the standards of care provided to the service users; the standards rising when the carers are working for a mutual aim or objective. I found that what I learned throughout this small talk was very applicable in many situations and/or professions, not just healthcare.

 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at this meeting and it was a great learning experience for me. As well as the AOD talk, I was intrigued to find out more about the other talks such as adult safeguarding and how this is a hot topic currently in the sector. All the information I received was delivered by people who are passionate about their work and this was reflected also in the attendees, making for a space abundant with intellectuality.

 

For more information on the Dorset Care Home Association or Affina Organisational Development please visit:

http://www.affinaod.com/

http://www.dorsetcare.co.uk/

 

Sources:

Sarah-Jane Dale- Affina Organisational Development (2018)

Can my previous employer give me a bad reference?

Can my previous employer give me a bad reference?

References are always a concern for a candidate once they have accepted their job offer, the same paranoid questions begin to manifest and the overarching anxious wait can be frustrating for many. The one big question that features consistently throughout the wait is ‘What if my previous employer gives me a bad reference?’; this question can cause many headaches for both the candidate and employer.

 

When a previous employer is requested to provide a reference, the information they give must be seen to be fair and accurate, avoiding subjective opinions and claims that have no substantial evidence to support them. A reference can only be bad in the sense that it suggests a candidate to be unsuitable for a role by detailing their experience and the potential employer then perceives that this is not relevant enough to the responsibilities of the role. If the job offer is subject to references then this could see that offer revoked. Another challenging aspect to referencing is that the previous employer has no legal obligation to provide a reference and could refuse, this potentially means that the candidate is left with a lack of referees. The new employer will then not be able to proceed with the process of starting the new employee.

 

Under new GDPR laws, the candidate if unhappy or curious can request to view a copy of the reference. If the information in the reference is then found to be incorrect or misleading, and can provide evidence of this, then the candidate can claim damages in court. This is only relevant when the job offer has been withdrawn due to the reference in particular.

 

If you would like more advice on references then please contact us at Real Recruitment Solutions or visit this helpful link from Frettens Solicitors:

https://www.frettens.co.uk/site/library/frettensnews/acas-guidance-references-solicitor-bournemouth-ringwood

 

Sources:

Kate Fretten (2018)

https://www.frettens.co.uk/site/library/frettensnews/acas-guidance-references-solicitor-bournemouth-ringwood

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