Many have struggled during the past 15 months, whether it be through losing work, income, missing friends and family or with physical or mental health. With England removing restrictions as of 19th July, and Wales, Scotland and Ireland all planning a relaxation in the following weeks, it will be a welcome relief for many!
That said, a fuller return to work will bring its own challenges, and employees will need support and guidance as they come back. With Covid 19 still present, employees may feel apprehensive about attending the workplace, and you may experience an increase in absenteeism (ask us about signing up to our Newsletter which will feature absenteeism this month!). You may also encounter a reluctance to return to the workplace from remote working, an increase in flexible working requests due to a shift in priorities for those with families or other caring responsibilities, or conflict between employees who have not worked together for months.
You might also desperately require new staff, so recruitment will be at the forefront of your minds. According to the Office for National Statistics, vacancies have risen by 9.9% in the period between April-June 2021 compared to post-pandemic levels at the beginning of 2020, with the largest growth seen in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector as they can finally reopen and regroup.
To tackle these areas, you will need a strong management team. At Ashton People Solutions we offer training in HR skills for your senior leadership, managers and supervisors, as well as refresher training for your staff who may have become unaccustomed to their role. We can design and deliver;
- Tailored Training & Development Programmes – We can conduct a Training Needs Analysis with your team to identify any gaps in their learning, and go from there!
- Management HR Training: Managing Disciplinary and Grievance, Managing Absence, Recruitment and Selection – This covers the ACAs Code of Practice when navigating these processes to make sure your methods are fair and non-discriminatory.
- Leadership Skills Training: Managing Others, Effective Communication, Dealing with Conflict, Customer Service, Presentation Skills – Simply put, being a good manager will improve your team’s rapport, respect, morale and performance. It is important to resolve any conflict in the correct manner, we can give your managers the tools to do this.
- Bespoke Appraisal Documentation – If an employee is underperforming on their return to work, it is crucial to record any areas of improvement regularly, and give them SMART targets to work to. We can also guide managers through Performance Improvement Plans, if need be.
- Team Away Days – We can arrange a day away from the workplace for your teams to reconnect and build on relationships following furlough.
- Coaching /Guidance for Managers – We are there on the phone, Zoom or in person to advise on management concerns on an ad-hoc basis with our retained services.
- Customised Hybrid or Home Working Policies for post-lockdown new way of working.
Ensure your managers are fair, legally compliant and well prepared for any process, employee query, grievance, discipline or absence issue they confront. This will ultimately protect you as a business against unfair dismissal or discrimination claims, will help your teams feel happy and valued, in addition to giving your leaders skills to improve their careers. Contact us on 01352 878535 or at info@ashtonpeoplesolutions.co.uk to discuss any employee relation query or training need you have.
Let’s all look to an uptake in business in the coming months for our clients and all businesses alike. Here’s to Summer 2021!
