Last year businesses had to deal with workplace absence that cost a staggering £17 billion and £2.7 billion of this was thanks to employees pulling ‘sickies’. This year, employers will get a double helping of problems as a result of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the unusual sporting season. Sickies are expected to rise by up to 20%. The focus will be on the Olympics, however, major football events such as the European Championships being held from 8th June to 1st July, tend to cause more headache induced sickies and issues around people wanting to watch, celebrate or commiserate their country’s participation. Belinda comments “where there have been major football finals in the past, we have tended to see more calls to our advice line about employees not showing up to work the next day after a particularly good or bad result. The rise of video streaming and social media also mean that there are more opportunities for workers to sneak a look at games or results when they should be working. Communicating your expectations to all staff straight away is really important”.

Employers need to get to grips with managing holiday requests, setting out how unauthorised absences and misusing the internet at work to live stream the games will be dealt with. So employees are not left snowed under, consider how many employees can have time off at the same time. Employers are likely to have an abundance of requests for particular days so considering how these will be managed is crucial.

No one can ignore the widespread interest in the impending events.

Here are some tips for employers dealing with absence problems during this period:

• Use your normal holiday procedures when dealing with requests for time off.
• Be fair and consistent to everyone.
• Make clear the consequences if someone does pull a sickie.
• Have a clear IT policy which covers all aspects of internet usage during working hours.
• Respect that not everyone is interested in football.
• Respect not everyone will support the same team.

Interview dress-code

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, how often have we all heard that? When you walk into an interview for an office based position, rightly or wrongly, the interviewers will make many judgements based on your appearance. Make sure your appearance says the right things about you and your fit for the job and the company….

Check List.

Clothes

Clean and pressed/ironed. You can’t beat a matching, dark, tailored, suit to give a good impression – failing that ensure you are as smart as possible.

Make sure you will be comfortable in whatever you are wearing as you are likely to be sitting for a while in the interview.

Shoes

Clean and professional.  Black or brown. No trainers, sandals etc

Smell

Keep perfume or aftershave subtle. Remember to put on some deodorant! Make sure your breath is fresh!

Finger nails

Clean. If you wear nail varnish make sure it’s perfect and a sensible colour.

Jewellery

Keep jewellery to a minimum. Remove piercings.

Tattoos

Cover them up.

Ladies

Keep make-up to a minimum

Please don’t wear anything too tight, too low, too revealing or too short.

Heels are fine, make sure you can walk in them.

Sheer tights often look better than bare legs

Gents

Wear a tie and do up your top shirt button.

Have a shave

Remove earrings

Other

Phone in your pocket? Make sure it’s turned off.

Don’t forget to smile…

There have been several cases reported in the US of people being asked for their Facebook passwords during an interview.

Full Telegraph article here

Business owners are being warned to perform checks on who their employees connect with on social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, as asking an employee to delete or hand over their connections upon termination of employment is a very under represented area of employment law. If an employee connects with potential clients and contacts as part of their role through LinkedIn or Twitter, logic would say that data belongs to the business. Belinda Newton, of The HR Dept,  states “It turns out it really isn’t that simple and that there aren’t many precedents set or actual laws to cover LinkedIn ownership once someone has left your business.” During a period of post employment restriction, if an ex-employee tries to solicit or tout potential or actual clients they dealt with during employment, businesses can apply for an injunction to stop them. Albeit expensive, this is perhaps a necessary step to protect a business’ interest. When someone leaves a business, updating their profile will alert all of their connections to their change in employment. If the ex-employee were approached by one, they should decline any opportunity under their post employment restrictions.

Though potentially confidential information, it is difficult to ask a leaving employee to either delete or handover their social media account because that information has been made public. The HR Dept  is recommending that until further rules are drawn up or there are significant developments in cases currently at court that they monitor who their employees connect with through social media. Businesses should also ensure that it isn’t damaging their future business interest if employees are advertising your connections or clients, which businesses perhaps would like to remain confidential. Each individual case will be different, but it is an area which business owners should be aware of.

A well drafted contract of employment will help in taking preventive measures, but we advise businesses to review any policies with regards to contacting key contacts and clients using social media for their own protection.

You can find out more about The HR Department here

Sadly, when recession takes a grip on the country, statistics show that employers opt for experience over qualifications as training and budgets are cut and companies focus on costs and profits. The young are often passed over for applicants that can already demonstrate the desirable skills required. With the cost of pursuing a degree at university rising dramatically higher education is not an option for some – leaving us with a growing problem of helping the young people of the UK start meaningful careers and what to do with this increasing number of unemployed young people.

We all hear regularly about the increase in youth unemployment and how millions of 16-24 year olds are currently out of work. Alarmingly an item on the news last night was about the rise of young male suicides, a direct result of the rise of youth unemployment. Scary stuff.

Recently Sarah West Recruitment had 2 vacancies, with different companies, actively looking to employ someone recently out of education and looking for their first step into a new career. We were thrilled to be in a position to help a number of ‘lucky’ youths secure a meaningful role with a good local employer and convinced that this would be a relatively easy task. What happened, or rather, didn’t happen amazed us.

The role was advertised through our normal channels. There were no applications in the first week.

In a bid to drum up some interest we got in touch with Connexions – a Government department set up to support young people in finding apprenticeships, training and careers. They have a job board and also print out a list of opportunities, in the area, to hand out to young people that they support from their local office. Connexions also have a website where they can advertise. It took 3 days for the right person to call me back to discuss the role and a week later they advertised the position. They wouldn’t proactively contact people on their register to talk to them about the opportunities, a lack of manpower and too many meetings in the diary. A big fail for an organisation tasked with getting young people into work?

Using our initiative, we contacted Exeter College on the presumption that they must have a way of contacting students about to finish courses, or who have finished courses, and are looking for work. Not so, apparently, they do not offer a service to talk to current or previous students about jobs in the area.

The local paper in Exmouth, it seems, are not interested in running a story about business success and the resulting job opportunities in the area. The MP’s I contacted that cover the local area seem uninterested in a conversation about how we, as a community, can address the issues.

The result? The roles were filled by candidates that had more experience than the client was initially looking for, as opposed to those that had recently left education. Great for the successful candidates but a sad read for anyone that has left education and is looking for work.

So what is the issue?

There is poor communication between agencies, employers and young people in the area?

The lack of an organisation that is genuinely and proactively supporting young people and helping them find work, one that works at a pace in line with businesses in the area and is building relationships with the business community?

Issues within the education system?

The attitude of the youth of today?

We don’t pretend to fully understand the problem, nor profess to have the answer. Surely ‘we’ – the business community – should be pulling together to ensure that the local youth have every possible opportunity to get ahead?

What can we do? Got any ideas? The Sarah West Recruitment team are genuinely interested in having a conversation around how we can pull together to make a difference.

When I headed a team many years ago, I noticed that my mood had a direct impact on those around me. If I wasn’t feeling happy, then neither were my team. On the flip side, if I was happy it had an uplifting effect on everyone. Have you noticed how you affect your team? And if you have, are you having a positive effect on them?!

My team made me more conscious of my behaviour. At the time it was annoying because I couldn’t be moody without infecting everyone else which didn’t seem fair! But they did me a favour as I started to really become aware of how impacted not only my team, but everyone around me. I had to get my house in order before I could expect anyone else to.

Key stressor/energy drainer

One of the main factors I’ve noticed is not dealing promptly with issues that arise. Hoping things will resolve themselves or will go away on their own accord is not a good strategy! Not only does it allow unacceptable situations/behaviour to continue unchecked, it will also fester resulting in a build up of negative emotion within you.

Things that aren’t dealt with are a drain on your energy. Most people don’t notice the direct impact this has, they tend to just feel tired or run down. But ignored issues are like a car boot light that never turns off. You don’t notice it being on most of the time, and slowly but surely it drains the main battery – you.

Are there things you’re not dealing with? Make a list and create an action plan to get this stuff sorted. You might need to involve others and you might need to put some new procedures in place. Whatever needs doing, DO IT! Or at least make a start.

Key enhancer

Acknowledgement and praise is one of the best ways to motivate others. It won’t cost you a penny and research has shown it has a greater impact than any monetary bonus. I’ve come across some people who think they praise others, but it’s more in their mind than spoken to the individual. And then there are those people who combine praise with criticism which generally negates any good feeling they could have created.

You may need to dig deep to find something positive either because it doesn’t come naturally to you, or the individual isn’t a great performer. Either way, recognition can change someone overnight. If they feel noticed and valued, you’re much more likely to see something better from them. Be sincere about what you say – people can generally sense when you’re not.

It’s not just about work

What I’ve said above not only applies to work, it also applies to your family and social life as well. You impact others by just being there. Do you find people want your company? And do you find that when you’re with others, you come away feeling uplifted or happy? If not, do you know what needs to change there too?

Are you ready to create something better for yourself and others? You can find out more by following this link

If you’re feeling stuck or unsure what to do next, there’s a 30-day Small Steps, BIG CHANGES programme I invite you to investigate at http://www.clarewhiston.com/sarah-west-special-offer.php. The regular price is £30 and is currently available for £20 as a special offer for Sarah West clients through this link.

Belinda Newton, Director of The HR Dept in Exeter, has passed on this press release which is essential reading for anyone that owns/runs a business….

The changes are part of the Coalition’s Red Tape Challenge, intended to trim back employment law that businesses are often burdened with. The changes mean that employees will have to have been in continued employment with a company for at least two years to be able to make an unfair dismissal claim. However the new rule will apply only to new employees starting employment on or after 6th April 2012. Therefore any employees that were employed before this date will still be able to claim for unfair dismissal with a qualifying period of one year.

The HR Dept reminds employers not to get their hopes up too high as the earliest this could have any effect is April 2014 and there could well be a hike in discrimination claims then as those claims do not require any minimum length of service. Disgruntled dismissed employees, unable to make an unfair dismissal claim could well bring a claim based on discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, religion or belief, pregnancy or maternity, age, disability or a whistle blowing claim. These claims are by their very nature more complex and therefore more expensive.

Belinda comments: “Though headline grabbing, it is unlikely this will make a difference in average awards (£9,120). Employees who want their day in court will find alternative ways to make a claim, especially since ‘tag on’ claims are becoming increasingly popular. It often is the SME business owner who has to fork out more legal expense/cost to defend against a claim whether vexatious or not”.

Statutory Pay – New rates for April 2012

Maternity/Adoption pay – SMP/SAP is paid for 39 weeks.

Pay rate for first 6 weeks of SMP: 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings. SMP remaining weeks/SAP: £135.45 (1st April) or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is less.

Sick pay – £85.85 (6th April) a week.

For further information you can contact Belinda here

Click here to watch the report from ITV about recruitment, jobs and growth in Exeter, Devon and the South West! The businesses in the article all say, despite the economic gloom, business for them is booming.

I think it’s safe to assume that most people these days use social media as a way of catching up with friends and relatives, letting people know what you’re up to and having a distraction from ‘normal life’….but have you thought about how social media could enhance or possibly negatively affect your search for work?

Many employers now use social media as a cost effective way to promote their brand. You should also be aware that employers, in addition to taking references, could run an internet search and quickly have access to your online profiles.

Used correctly social media can be a great way to enhance your job applications, increase your chances of being approached for your dream job and add another dimension to your CV.

Used incorrectly your application could be rejected for a position without you even having had the chance to attend interview – or worse still, an offer being withdrawn.

Sarah West Recruitments top tips on using social media effectively whilst you’re job hunting:-

• Look at a company’s online presence as you prepare to send them an application, or are gearing up for an interview. What information can you find out about the company and the culture which might help you? Have they got a Twitter stream or a Facebook Fan Page? What are they saying about themselves and their business?
• Profile picture:- This is the first thing any visitor to any of your profiles will see. Make sure your profile picture portrays you in a good light – so avoid pictures of you on a night out, scantily clad or in fancy dress .
• Profiles:- Make these are professional and portray you in a good light.
• Facebook:- If you don’t want people outside of your inner circle to have access to the private information and photographs held within your Facebook profile go into your settings and make sure that everything is ‘locked down’ so that its inaccessible to people other than your close friends.
• Twitter: – Be mindful that anyone can read your twitter stream and that people don’t need to be following you to do so. Just make sure that whatever you put on Twitter you would be happy to write on a bill board for the world to see.
• LinkedIn – Just as prospective employers and agencies can find your profile on here, so can your current boss! Anyone can view your profile, just be mindful of the information you put in there and the status updates you create. Ensure your profile is fully complete and if possible get some recommendations from previous colleagues, which is like having a list of references available for a prospective employer to view.

Want some ideas on how your profile’s should look and how to behave online? Look at ours, get some ideas and let’s connect!

Linked In: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sarknight

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahwestrec / @sarahwestrec

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahWestRecruitment

If an employee’s contract specifies that they are entitled to take 20 days as annual leave ‘plus [all] bank holidays’, the employee has a contractual entitlement to take the special bank holiday as an extra day of paid annual leave. If the contract states holiday entitlement is ‘20 days of annual leave plus eight bank holidays’ then the employee does not have a contractual right to the day off. A more complicated scenario would involve the contract stating that an employee is entitled to ‘28 days paid annual leave including [all] bank holidays’. If this were the case, an employee would be entitled to the day off, but an employer is within their rights to deduct the day from the employee’s statutory minimum holiday entitlement of 28 days. Conversely, some trades such as leisure, tourism and retail may need additional staff to cover what could be a busy period. Needless to say, whether business owners will be recruiting and/or managing existing staff, they still need to prepare for the additional bank holiday.

The advice from  Belinda Newton, Director of The HR Dept in Exeter is to plan for your business needs now and if you need more staff at that time think about restricting holidays during the period, but above all ensure employees know exactly what their entitlements are so there are no surprises.

Want some more advice on this or other HR matters? Contact Belinda on 0845 863 0653