Running a business can be tough. Balancing time restraints alongside company targets and shareholder expectations can be a challenge for any boss. But ensuring your workplace promotes a healthy environment can bring a multitude of benefits.

The recession is no longer in Ireland. The country is experiencing an all-time-low post-crash unemployment rate of 5.3%. A talent war is underway – talent attraction and retention now relies not only on the job itself, but on what your workplace can offer staff.

During our “Fighting Fit” series, employee wellness has been explored, and how you, as an employer, can best support colleagues.

Now it’s time to ask yourself this question: Am I putting workplace health first?
 
Why So Important?
Depending on sector, workplaces can be busy minefields of deadlines, KPIs and office politics. While these are part and parcel of the daily running of a business, the health of the working environment can suffer if these things become a burden.
​

• Performance

Whether your business is a coffee shop, a marketing agency or joinery team, performance is key. An unhealthy work environment can affect the performance of your business; unwell colleagues may take time off, effectively causing a loss of ‘hands’, and working hours.

Staff will grow unsatisfied with their roles when pressured by a negative workplace. Quality and motivation will deteriorate, and so too will your performance as whole.

• Reputation

A business often relies on its reputation as a key influence on sales, talent retention and attraction. As workplace health suffers, so too can your reputation. Staff may begin to resent you as an employer or organisation. Their family and friends will hear their negative views, causing a change in perspective towards your company.

If your performance suffers a result of an unhealthy working environment, your reputation amongst customers and future clients may also breakdown. Unable to attract great talent or great customers, your ability to grow successfully may be hindered.
 
How to Put Your Workplace Health First?
In this series of articles, the best approach to encouraging physical and mental health awareness amongst staff has been explored. Clearly employee wellbeing is key for your business, that’s no secret.

But this can be easier said than done. It’s time to put words into actions.
 

• Employee Wellbeing as Culture

Take a strategic approach to workplace health. While organising lunch time walking clubs and a charity marathon is great, these one-off initiatives will not produce long-term impact on your company culture.

A full employee wellbeing programme placed at the heart of your growth strategy has the potential to transform your business. Providing regular physical and mental health initiatives, such as those discussed in the previous articles, will revolutionise your company culture, get colleagues paying attention, and demonstrate your investment in the health and environment of your workplace.
 

• Employee Involvement in their Wellbeing

As you create this strategic approach, involve your colleagues from the beginning. Whether you lead a 5 person or 50 person team, all employees should have a voice on their own wellbeing.

Including your team will help identify key areas they want to focus on, including how they would like to improve their physical and mental health.

Having staff involved from the beginning will provide them with confidence to voice their concerns and ambitions, and foster a culture of openness towards the health of their working environment.

The number of different work arrangements that are on offer to employers and employees at the moment is striking. Whether it’s to enable flexibility, cut down costs or maximise productivity, companies can choose from a wide range of work arrangements to find the most fitting and effective solution for their organisation. Equally, employees are keener than ever to work under arrangements that best suit their busy, fast-paced, daily lives.
 
In fact, one Fieldglass study on the future of work found that the average company’s workforce in 2015 was made up of merely 54% traditional, full time employees. In other words, almost half of an average organisation’s workforce consisted of employees working under non-traditional work arrangements. Of course that percentage is only set to grow in the future as the very nature of how companies are doing business continues to change.
 
This shift away from traditional work arrangements has significant implications for HR departments, and HR professionals should be well versed in how these changes impact the role of HR within your organisation. In this post, I will shed light on the different kinds of work arrangements becoming increasingly popular among companies, and more importantly look at how and why HR departments should be managing them.

First of all, what are the most common work arrangements?
  
Aside from traditional full time employment, there is a wide range of different work arrangements that HR professionals need to be prepared to deal with. These include, but are by no means limited to:
 

• Contractors/Outsourcing
• Remote Workers
• Freelance Workers
• Temp Staff
• Part Time workers
• Job Sharing

 
These varying work arrangements are changing the way in which HR professionals are operating in an organisation. In light of this, here are a few of the most important points to consider:

1. New roles, responsibilities, and job titles - take note.
 
With new work arrangements come new roles and job titles. As HR professionals are often responsible for hiring and on boarding, it is vitally important that any new or differing roles and responsibilities are fully understood and can be relayed with confidence to any prospective hires. Even HR itself has undergone a rebranding in many organisations, with some companies preferring to call the department ‘People Operations’ or even “Employee Experience.”

In addition, HR professionals can and should have a say in what kinds of work arrangements might be best for their organisation. Hiring contractors may be the best way to tackle a 6 month project, while taking on a freelance worker could be most suitable to fill a maternity leave role – whatever the situation, HR professionals are well placed to advise on work arrangement issues for the benefit of the company as a whole. This further reinforces the need to have HR professionals at a senior management level to help advise and offer suggestions on crucial structural management issues.

2. Developing your organisation’s culture just got harder.
 
With a vast array of work arrangements available to employees and employers, HR has a tougher job than ever to harness a strong, uniform company culture throughout an organisation. Tough as it is, a company culture that respects and recognises the differences in employee work arrangements across the board is vital to the smooth running of a business, and for attracting top talent. Integrating traditional and non-traditional work arrangements into one clear, strong and fair company culture is a central, albeit new, role of HR professionals nowadays – failure to do so may damage company reputation and decrease employee satisfaction.
 
3. Increase in trust needed – especially with remote workers.
 
While building trust among employees and HR professionals has always been at the forefront of HR responsibility, it is even more crucial when companies offer a mixed bag of work arrangements. For example, many companies, especially start-ups, benefit from hiring both freelance and remote workers. This arrangement calls for clear and precise delegation of tasks, a high level of communication between employee and employer (often facilitated by HR) and of course, huge amounts of trust in your employee that the work will be done, and done to a high standard. HR must focus on developing and building that trust, while also acting as an intermediary for employers and employees, wherever they may be working from.

4. Teamwork has never been more important

Finally, it goes without saying that teamwork is key when it comes to ensuring that all types of traditional and non-traditional work positions meld together effectively. Businesses may want to consider implementing cross-functional teams that can act as go-betweens for employees working under different arrangements. These cross functional teams may be included as part of the HR department or managed by HR professionals – as always, it’s about finding what works for your organisation.
 
The role of HR professionals is constantly changing – but one role that will never change is the need to keep on top of changes in industry and react accordingly, for the benefit of employers and employees alike.

For more helpful HR tips and advice, CLICK HERE to sign up to our newsletter.

It’s that time of year again, the day that people either love or hate: St Valentine’s Day. You may think that your employees should be kept busy with work, but apparently nothing stands in the way of potential love.  While they can't be prevented, office liaisons are not always a joy for business owners, so keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs that an office love affair is brewing and manage it before it gets out of hand.

Six Signs that John and Mary have become star crossed lovers:

They Avoid Eye Contact
When John was first hired and met Mary from the office, there was a bit of competition between them, which at times led to team tension. It was only natural as an employer to be relieved when they became cordial with each other and finally clicked as colleagues.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until suddenly they became extremely formal with each other. Now they barely make eye contact in public any more. In fact, when found in a room together, Mary blushes, John looks pale, and they both suddenly leave.

They Never Leave the Office Together 
“OK, I'm out of here,” Mary announces loudly, making sure everyone in the office can hear.

“Lucky you! It will be a late one for me.” John answers just as loudly. “See you tomorrow”.

Regardless of office size, most employees tend to leave work around the same time. However lately, for some odd reason, John and Mary make a point of letting everyone know they are leaving individually.

They're Both Putting in an Awful Lot of Overtime 
John and Mary have always been good employees, but they used to have lives outside of work. Now (when they aren't making sure everyone knows they are leaving separately) they are both the first into work in the morning and the last to leave, and when someone is needed to put in some overtime, John and Mary will be the first to volunteer.

Their Annual Leave and Sick Days Keep Matching Up 
The first time John and Mary took time off at the same time it seemed to just be a coincidence, however when they also began calling in sick on the same days, office gossip started. In fact, it has become more surprising to see one of them in the office on a day when the other is out, even more intriguing, if either one of them is asked what they did on their time off, they reply with a vague answer. 

They Start Fiercely Defending Each Other
Your business may be known for imaginative, brainstorming sessions, with no hard feelings and employees being able to enjoy the freedom of engaging in lively debate and witty banter. They are confident and skilled, and everyone knows it's nothing personal if an idea doesn't get backed.

At the last development meeting, Mary offered an idea that was immediately shot down by other team members, however when John adamantly defended her position beyond any logic, it created a strange tension amongst the group.

They Both Look Great 
Mary was always pretty, but there were days when it looked like she had just rolled out of bed and wasn't too put together. Now her make-up is always perfect, she's sporting a new hairstyle and she wears stylish new outfits. 

John was a good-looking guy, but a bit of a couch-potato outside of work. Then he started jogging at lunch time, and instead of eating his usual crisp sandwich he was suddenly discussing benefits of protein and eating lean chicken and salad. Soon Mary started going for a lunch time run too and they both joined the same local gym which they now attend regularly after work.


FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Before potentially facing sticky situations like above, it’s important to consider factors that come into play when co-workers begin to mix their personal lives with professional responsibilities on the job.

In addition to the legal consequences that could arise, more often than not, office relationships have an overall negative impact on the workplace, as workplace relationships may spur gossip, rumours and innuendo, which can be disruptive to the office and can negatively impact the reputation of the company if customers or clients are exposed to it. The same activity can make the affected couple feel bullied, which can lead to harassment charges from them.

Whilst office romances are not ideal, the most potential to cause problems are those that involve a supervisor and one of their subordinates. Often, fellow team members believe favouritism is occurring between the two, and that the supervisor is not being fair and objective when delegating responsibilities in the work place. It could be questioned that the lower level employee is being given special consideration by their partner when it comes to handling tasks or completing job requirements.

Another matter to take into consideration would be that other employees may believe they can’t discuss or complain about their team member to the supervisor involved in the relationship. If this is the case, issues that would generally be discussed will remain unspoken and un-addressed, which could lead to a decline in moral, and quite possibly filing of a discrimination suit.

Issues can become even more complex when you consider the likelihood of the supervisee having a certain influence over the supervisor that other employees wouldn't have. In addition to this, potentially due to the relationship, employees could accidentally disclose information to their partner, which could easily happen when sharing events of the day with one another.

Perhaps two of the most important factors to consider are when the couple has an argument or splits up. It would take a very professional employee to be able to keep their personal life separate from business matters and it could be possible that the couple may act out their feud on an employer’s time. Potentially, co-workers may be pulled into the argument and feel they need to take sides. This in turn may detract from the team’s productivity as a whole.

As office romances that end badly can roll into the daily work environment, employers may find themselves dealing with concerns such as diminished productivity or mediating between employees who are no longer co-operating with each other. This may also affect other employees, who could potentially feel hostility towards one of the team members in the former relationship, creating a negative tension in the workplace environment.

Additionally, there is the potential for employees to seek out employment elsewhere when relationships come to an end, which means employers risk losing strong employees who feel that they can no longer work at the company because of the breakup.

Finally, the most harming factor to consider as a result of an office romance breakup, especially if there is a difference in rank between the two individuals involved, is a sexual harassment claim. There could come a point where one person wants the relationship to continue and the other person doesn't, which in turn may lead to an employee seriously considering filing a sexual harassment lawsuit.


TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS

Simply speaking, the best way to avoid negative repercussions on office romances is to forbid employees from dating and never hire married couples, however in today’s world, the is unrealistic and would prove very difficult to sustain.

It is critical to work closely with an HR professional to anticipate problems and set solutions. All employers, regardless of company size, should have formal policies on office relationships in place, which should include what is allowed and what the consequences are if rules are broken. In every policy, it should be stated that any office relationship, regardless of rank, should be disclosed to the employer.

The employer should also reserve the right to decide on which type of employment action, if any, needs to be taken due the relationship, whether it is transferring an employee to another department or termination of employment.

However, just having a company policy in place isn't enough; companies need to ensure there is regular training available, particularly on the topic of sexual harassment. Often employees don’t know the extent of liability that could potentially arise from office romances, and how disruptive they could be in the workplace.

It is also imperative that the policy needs to be consistently enforced at every level of the organisation. Whether it is a CEO or an Assistant Executive that violates the policy, the same rules should apply. If not, team morale will be dampened and no one will follow the policy. Employers may even open themselves up to potential lawsuits from employees who believe they have been discriminated against.

At the end of the day, the goal of an employer is to provide a professional atmosphere where company targets can be achieved. Ideally, the working environment should be pleasant enough that your staff can enjoy themselves while being as productive as possible.

Interpersonal relationships between employees are unavoidable, so being aware of the potential downsides and types of relationships that are developing will go a long way to sustaining as much of a "hazard free" environment as possible.



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.

A negative employee can negatively influence a work place faster than you would believe, and as a manager, it’s imperative to resolve negativity in the workplace because it will affect the morale of your employees on a daily basis, which in turn impacts the level of output from your staff. 

Negativity comes in many different forms; however there are five general characteristics of negative thinking:

 
Focusing on the Negative - This occurs when individuals focus entirely on a single negative aspect of an experience, from either the same day or within the past weeks. A variation of this thinking can be dismissing and devaluing positive experiences.

All or Nothing Thinking - All or nothing thinking looks at things in a black and white perspective. Commonly this involves sensitivity about an event or person's reaction that has no factual basis. If someone thinks only in extremes, they will often feel bad for no real reason.

Overgeneralization and Labelling - Individuals who engage in this thought process may see a single negative event as a constant pattern of defeat. In its most extreme form, this thinking attaches a negative label to oneself or others.

Jumping to Conclusions - This comprises of imagining negative reactions from others and imagining negative outcomes with no basis in fact.

Personalization and Blame - Most common in the workplace, this happens when a person holds oneself, someone else, or something else entirely accountable for an event. This often leads to making heavy or unrealistic demands on oneself and others.

Unfortunately, negativity is a hard cycle to break, and whilst the best option is to not let negativity begin in the first place, more often than not, something has happened, either at home or in the workplace that you as a manager may not have been made aware of. As you can see in the cycle below, Negative Behaviour is included, and this is where you come in. Through assessment and managing the behaviour hopefully the employee will turn their negativity around.


NEGATIVITY CYCLE