Creators of the Egyptian pyramids understood teams, as did every military leader in recorded history, which is why it’s rather astonishing that the concept of teamwork in business is so recent. Anyone who is interested in history will know that the term “teamwork” wasn't really used in the organisational vernacular until the 1970s. It’s not known why it appeared so late, perhaps the turbulent economy or the shattering of social unity caused researchers to look into why some teams fail and others succeed.

It has been said that two large pizzas should be enough to feed a team. The most popular reasons for using the two-pizza rule is that as well as keeping teams agile and responsive, when teams comprise of a dozen people or less, each member is more likely to care about the others, and are more likely to share information.

As teams scale up, unity tends to come apart. At 100 people or more, team members may get on with each other but they aren't as likely to care about their roles and helping them out to complete a task.

Building an excellent small business team is about more than just employing the correct people. It's important to inspire your team with a vision, nurture their individual talents whilst appreciating their dynamics as a team. A business succeeds when employees invest in its success, so take a read through my tips below to ensure you choose the right people to succeed with:

Be a Thought Leader

Top talent doesn't work for average companies with ineffective brands. The more a company can be positioned as an authority in its industry, the more talent will naturally be attracted to working for it. Thought leaders in an industry share expertise with others, which in turn indicates to potential hires that the company is respected within its field.

Don’t Settle for Mediocre

Employers have a habit of often settling for the first run-of-the-mill person they hire, which in turn, can lead to weaknesses within a team. Once it becomes apparent that a member of the team is performing at a mediocre level, it’s essential to discuss the challenges they are facing as well as letting them know that is there is support for them to do better. If there’s no improvement within a few months, it’s time to find a new person for the team.

Forget the Money…at First

People who have passion for the company they wish to be a part of should be strongly considered when hiring, especially if money is not their number one priority when accepting a job offer. It’s important for employees to be interested in the success of the business, and if all they see are euro signs, their hearts may not really be in it.

Trust is Crucial

An employee may be highly intellectual and work hard, but if there is little or no trust in the working relationship, it’s advisable to let the employee go. Daily operations generally become negatively affected if untrusted employees remain in a workplace.

Personal Lives are Important

We all have personal lives and it is important to recognise employees’ lives outside the workplace. Celebrating team members’ significant moments, such as birthdays or weddings, and supporting them through giving necessary time off, helps build loyalty with them, and they often pay it forward with other members of the team.

Diversity Brings Innovation

Diverse thinkers aid in building a strong team. A range of sexes, ages and races often make a team think outside the box and solve problems from many different viewpoints.

Maintain Systematic Processes

Once success has been achieved in a particular space, it is necessary to create a process that mimics that success time and time again. Whether it is through using check lists in the workplace or adopting the same successful approach for different clients, the process increases the effectiveness of a team.

Use People’s Strengths

Employees have both strengths and weaknesses, both of which should be recognised and considered. Each team member should spend time using their skills to the best of their advantage, but weaknesses should be improved upon to create a skilled all-round employee.

Great Teams Read

It’s a well-known saying that ‘leaders are readers’, so to create leaders within a team, they should consistently read. Try to share articles and books amongst the workplace to keep on top of upcoming trends and stimulate strategic thinking.

Invest in Your First Five Employees

Training should be invested into all staff, however when more time is spent training the first five employees, less time is invested in training employees who join the company at a later date. Time needs to be reserved to assist team members and to prepare them to demonstrate the same support to further employees as the company expands.

It’s OK to Be Friends

More often than not, co-workers spend more time with each other in the workplace than they do with family in general. Getting on with team members creates a positive working environment whilst also increasing performance levels. As long as targets are being hit and people are being held accountable, it shouldn’t be unusual to manage a team that is made up of friends.

Give Recognition

Recognising employees when they do something extraordinary not only gives them a sense of accomplishment; it inspires other team members to make the effort to also go above and beyond their normal duties.

It takes time and effort to put together a dream team, but using the above strategies, an amazing team of brilliant employees is most definitely attainable. Remember that scale can hurt focus. The greatest leaders keep their teams small and bright.



The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.

People change jobs for a wide variety of reasons, and in the majority of cases, leave a role with a very positive outlook of their previous employer. In recent years, it has become more popular for employees to return to a workplace they may have left to seek employment elsewhere, in turn, being labelled as ‘boomerang employees’.

Hiring a boomerang employee generally has a high returns on recruiting investment, as the cost to re-hire a boomerang employee can be a third to two thirds of the cost of hiring a new employee.  However, whilst there are benefits to re-hiring a previous employee, there are also some drawbacks.  Companies should always have a rehire policy set in place for potential reappointment of past employees.

Boomerang employees generally fall into the below categories:

• Top performers who voluntarily left
  
• Employees who were in key positions
  
• Valuable workers with key skills, contacts, or experience
  
• Promising interns who failed to return
  
• Retirees who may have realised they weren't ready to retire
  
• Top finalists who accepted another job
  
• Long-term consultants or contractors
  

So what are the benefits and drawbacks of employing past members of your staff? The drawbacks are simple:

1. Employees can potentially return with baggage they left with, including any bad habits they may have formed on the job.
   
2. Returning employees may not get along well with employees that have been hired in their absence.
   
3. Employers have to fully consider the position that the rehired employee will assume. The workforce dynamic may have changed, such as a former junior employee being higher up the ladder than the boomerang employee.
   

The benefits of rehiring past employees far outweigh the drawbacks for most businesses:

1. Often when an employee re-joins a company, there is no need to train them like one would with a brand new employee. It may be necessary to give some training on new policies or projects, however in general re-hiring turns out to be less expensive and time consuming than hiring a new individual.
   
2. During a boomerang’s absence, there is also a good chance that they may have learnt new skills and strategies, achieving success in a different situation. They will have likely made new connections and expanded their network which in turn is a bonus to your company.
   
3. There are no recruiting costs with a boomerang employee which means employers know their skill set and have no need to hire an agency to recruit on their behalf. This also saves on time, as it is often the case that companies hire new employees only to find out they are just not what they seemed.
   
4. Boomerang employees can be valuable to an organization because they already understand procedures and the culture within the business. They also know the habits of other employees and structures which have been put in place. The procedures are familiar and so it becomes a benefit to the business, whilst also potentially bringing a fresh perspective from the outside.
   
5. Generally when a company rehires a previous employee, loyalty from that employee increases. This may be because they have seen other business practices and realised they weren't all they seemed. The boomerang employee finds that they want to come back where they prefer it, and in turn becomes more loyal to the company and the employers that they work for.
   

Hiring boomerang employees shouldn't be the chosen strategy due to it being cheap and easy - the decision to re-hire an employee should be based on a good role fit and that the employee has the right skills for the right job. Not every employee who voluntarily left is a positive candidate for bringing back into the company.

Consider the below if deciding to hire boomerang employees:


Stay in Touch

It can sometimes be tough to accept that a top employee has decided to move on, and often personal feelings can get in the way of professional decisions. If the employee has a good track record then an employer should offer to be a reference for any future opportunities they may have. Employers should keep in touch with past employees and make sure to catch up a couple of times a year. It is important to keep their contact details on file and keep them in the loop with company announcements via email. Even if the employee isn't re-hired, they could potentially be a new client or refer someone to the business due to positive relationships with the company.


Be Thorough when Rehiring

Boomerang employees that only left the company a few months prior don’t necessarily have to be re-interviewed and quite often, simply having a conversation with the leadership team will suffice. However, for those that have been gone for more than a year, a formal interview process is beneficial, as company factors may have changed after a year — staff, culture, processes, etc.

Within any company, employers aim to ensure they are hiring the most qualified people and so it is important to approach potential rehires in the same way as unknown candidates. Focusing on positive performance records, in any company they have been hired with, as well as professional references, along with skills tests if needed, ensures their knowledge and abilities are up to standard.

The formal interview also enables a company to revisit the employee’s exit interview and look at their reasons for leaving in the first place. Any previous issues mustn't be overlooked, because chances are if they felt it once, they can feel it again. Asking questions such as "What do you think you can offer our company now that some of our priorities and service goals have changed?" confirms that the employer is not taking the re-hiring process lightly.


Debrief Returning Staff

As touched on in the previous point, if a boomerang employee has been out of the returning work place for a considerable amount of time, they may need to be brought up to speed on new structures within the company. The person who they report to may have changed, or if they are being hired for the position they held before, certain responsibilities may have changed. Employers must encourage a returning employee to ask questions and provide them with a go to person in their department who can offer assistance if need be.

Boomerang employees may need to be retrained. At this stage of re-employment, managers should be over communicating with the employee as well as ensuring that they know there won’t be any special treatment.


Prepare Current Staff

As soon as the decision is made to rehire an employee, team members must be told immediately to avoid upsetting existing, loyal staff as well as allowing an employer to be notified of any potential hesitations or concerns. Managers should work especially closely with the group of employees to which the boomerang employee is returning and ensure that there is open and honest communication within the workplace.


Monitor Progress

Often, boomerang employees are reluctant to ask for assistance when they need it, for fear their employer will question the decision to bring them back. To ensure the employee is happy, managers must check in regularly to show interest in their progress and ask of any concerns they may have.

Transitioning back into an organisation may be slightly uncomfortable at first for boomerang employees, especially if there's been a lot of restructuring or staff changes since they left. Being considerate to returning employees’ needs can lead to them adapting more quickly and feeling positive about starting with the company again.

In an age where specific skills are increasingly limited, it is irrational to believe that departure from a company has anything to do with lack of loyalty. Individuals with the most valuable skills are always offered new opportunities, and if a valued employee accepts another position, due to flexible work arrangements, higher pay or growth opportunities, it could be seen as the employer’s fault for failing to retain the employee, and not the employee’s fault for taking advantage of market conditions. Rehiring former employees who have the skills a company needs is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for business.



The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.

Cultivating employee relationships is a skill that needs to be practiced and perfected on a continual basis. If I were to liken it to anything it would be like gardening. Plants need the sun, the right amount of attention and room to grow if they are to thrive. Keep them in the dark, fuss over them too much or neglect them and they’ll wither. In much the same way, providing staff with praise for their achievements, support without micromanagement and providing a platform for them to develop their talents and career are key to developing long-lasting, successful relationships with your employees.



Here are eight steps to help you build better relationships with your employees:

Step 1 – Be Accessible

This doesn’t mean giving your personal number out to everyone so they can call you at any time. By  operating an effective open door policy, where employees can come to you with new ideas, concerns and, heaven forbid, complaints, makes it easier to establish a give and take relationship with your staff.

Step 2 – Be Visible

Advances in technology, from video conferencing to instant messaging, have certainly made keeping up with the affairs of your business easier. However, nothing can replace your physical presence in the office or on the production floor. Make sure you don’t become so busy that you neglect to be visible to your employees.

Douglas Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup Company, credited a lot of his success and the revitalisation of the company, to walking around a different part of the company headquarters every day and engaging with the staff.

Step 3 – Get Involved

Following directly on from step 2, if you want to develop real relationships with your employees, then you need to spend quality time with them. It's not enough just to be present for meetings and other essential tasks, you have to be there for the ups and downs. Offer your help on a difficult project, ask them about their work, hobbies and family and take them out for lunch after a particularly busy period.

Step 4 – Be Fair

Few things breed discontent and ill-will in the workplace faster than obvious favouritism toward certain employees. You're not going to like everyone equally, of course, but the important thing is to treat all employees equally. Enforce rules uniformly, reward hard work and exceeded expectations the same way for every employee. A well thought out staff handbook is a must if you wish to achieve this.

Step 5 – Be Reasonable

No matter how personable you are, or how well your employees like you personally, you're pushing for disgruntled employees if you ask for the impossible. Make sure you set reasonable goals and achievable expectations.

Step 6 – Involve Your Employees

When possible include employees in important decisions. The benefits of this are twofold. Firstly, listening to the needs and challenges of your staff can highlight issues and opportunities that might have otherwise been overlooked. Secondly, when employees work together to create policy, set goals, choose the tools they need to work and make other decisions integral to the organisation, they feel valued and important to the business and to you.

Step 7 – Be Honest

We all heard it as children and it holds true today: Honesty is the best policy. When you lie to employees, you erode their trust, and that erosion of trust results in a damaged relationship. Even when telling the truth is difficult, bite the bullet. Studies have shown that business environments with high levels of trust foster significantly more creative and more productive employees.

Step 8 – Be Appreciative

When employees do something well or beyond expectation, acknowledge it and show your appreciation. It costs nothing but can mean a lot. According to the Harvard Business Review, research shows that the ratio of positive to negative interactions is 5:1 in a successful relationship. ‘You don’t need to pay someone five compliments before offering criticism, but do be mindful of the ratio’.

Step 9 – Create Opportunities to Grow

In order to keep your employees interested and engaged they must see themselves advancing within the business, both in terms of their skills and their position within the business. Encouraging them to continue their education or professional development – and paying for it - shows your support. Your employees will work harder and more effectively with this level of support.

The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.

If Government reports are anything to go by, it appears that the worst is behind us; unemployment levels are dropping, businesses are growing and people are looking for new job opportunities. As any good business owner will know, quality employees will always be in demand and retaining quality retaining them is essential to the development of their business. But what if you find yourself losing your top talent? What has motivated them to search for pastures greener and how can you stop the outflow? Funnily enough, it usually has very little to do with money. Here are five of the top reasons quality employees quit.

1.       They Don’t Feel There Are Growth Opportunities

Whether it is in terms of promotion or learning new skills, employees may feel that they are not advancing in their career. Personal growth can be a strong driver, especially for younger employees who are looking for training opportunities and ways to differentiate themselves from the larger pool of fresh executives.

Other times, employees may feel frustrated in their current role and feel that they have reached a ceiling on how far they can advance within a company. In such situations they will seek out opportunities at other companies where a more senior role is available.

The Fix: Establish a clear learning and development programme for your staff that provides opportunities to enhance and expand their skillset. A more qualified, satisfied employee can only be considered a more valuable asset to your company.

Equally, detailing a career path for your employees by identifying the skills and qualities necessary to advance to a higher level will motivate to work towards a promotion. Regular appraisals paired with effective communication will help them identify the areas that need to be improved if they are to achieve their goals.

2.       They’re Not Feeding Their Passion

Employee satisfaction is about much more than their salary. They need to be passionate, or at least actively interested, about the job they do. Nobody wants to be bored at work. Too often employees are assigned to tasks and positions that they have no interest in. Your employee applied for a job because what was outlined in the job spec appealed to them. If it turns out that the job they’re doing doesn’t relate to what they thought it would be, you wind up with a frustrated employee that eventually burns out or leaves.

The Fix: Set clearly defined roles for your staff and ensure that the role is suited to their individual strengths, where they will be challenged, engaged and excited about what they do. If a situation does arise where they must take on some extra responsibilities that are completely different to their area of expertise – be it due to understaffing or a lack of budget to invest in more people – be sure to communicate the issue to them, expressing your appreciation for their flexibility and providing an end date that they can work towards.

3.       They Fee Unappreciated

Unlike you, your employees do not come into work with the company’s balance sheets in mind. Most of them do not see themselves as being there to increase revenues and profits. They are there to work for you, their employer, and to carry out their role in making the business work. If they feel that they are not being recognised for the hard work they do for you then they will eventually stop doing it or move onto another company where such effort is acknowledged and rewarded

The Fix: Develop effective employee relationship strategies. Communicate with your staff regularly and find out how they are doing both in- and outside their job. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to praise good work and acknowledge when someone exceeds expectations.

4.       Lack of Autonomy

Trust is a huge factor for any employee. They want to know that they can trust you to manage the business that pays them but the best employees also want to know that you trust them to carry out their job professionally and autonomously.  You’re worst people are probably happy to have you standing over their shoulder, checking everything is done correctly. However, this will drive you’re most talented employees to madness. If your employees feel that you don’t trust their work, it will not be long before your proofing their letter of notice.

The Fix Autonomy and independence are traits and characteristics that you must encourage in the work place. As an employer you can only provide an environment that encourages such things but it is up to each member of staff to embrace it. One way to help create such an environment is to develop a culture of accountability, where employees own and execute their duties and thus are more empowered within their roles.

5.       They Feel Redundant

As I mentioned before, employees need to be passionate about the work they do. They also need to believe that there is a value in the work that they do and that their role is important to the functioning of the company. Failure to fulfil this need results in a sense of disillusionment that quickly turns into disengagement and poor performance.

The Fix: It is important to sit with each reporting employee and the value of their job and contribution to achieving the business’s overall strategy, showing them the relevance of what they do beyond their role and department.


The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.