If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with

The big ‘return’ to work has thrown up a number of issues for staff and leaders so far. If we put aside what may have happened to people during the pandemic; social isolation, bereavement, financial hardship, relationship breakdown and loss of self worth. Staff returning from furlough faced the daunting prospect of being face to face with colleagues and clients or customers again as well as getting back into the ebb and flow of ‘normal’ work function. We also have a workforce where the furloughed and no furloughed meet again and the tensions that has started to create. 

The pandemic has also forced a huge change in the labour market with there being a growing number of vacancies across many sectors (manufacturing, accommodation and food, scientific and technical) alongside many workers becoming unemployed in other sectors but not having the skill set to match the vacancies. (https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/latest)

What can employers do to keep there workforce well and stable?

The three R’s 

1.     Resilience – A word that can carry some negative, pull yourself up by your boot straps connotations. In this instance however, I want us to consider building the sort of resilience where staff have the time and resources to be able to reflect on their performance at work tasks and with people interactions. If we have staff who are equipped with a tool box of skills around self care and self knowledge they can operate using their initiative and proactively ‘head trouble off at the pass’.  

·      Investment in small group or one to one work, focused on self reflection skills, the plan-do-review cycle, how to prioritise our tasks to save time and focus on what’s important, will ease our staff back into a place where they feel in control of themselves again giving them the confidence to perform with authority. 

·      Staff may also benefit from a skills audit to highlight professional development opportunities in areas for development, or a Myers Briggs type II indicator test and coaching session to interpret the report. The session would provide a range of actions steps for the person as well as shed light on some of their comfortable work patterns, some of which may not be helping their performance. 

·      Small group work focusing on a shared goal or target can have the effect of reuniting a team especially when it is facilitated and some of the issues simmering underneath are brought out into the open and dealt with. Some basic understanding of Eric Burn’s Transactional Analysis often helps here, specifically how we react to different people in different circumstances. 

·      Mental health First aid training for a significant proportion of the staff helps with the general feeling of well being and supportiveness. 

2.     Retention – Given the volatile employment market, low staff turnover and stability would be the best for our business at the minute. Retaining staff can be tricky if they are talented, well qualified and ambitious especially if you have few opportunities for promotion or a short career path. How do we get them to stay? 

·      Using the same processes as with developing resilience, you can include your staff in key decision making processes in your business making them feel like an authentic part of the whole organisation. 

·      Succession planning for roles in an organisation when they do become free is a great way of training staff and giving them new skills, or building on the areas for development ready so that they can take up a new role with confidence as soon as they start

·      Get staff involved in ‘staff voice’ exercises and skills audit which they have control over.

But what about staff who are not performing so well? In teaching there is often a feeling of wanting to push a poorly performing classroom teacher out of the door, and getting someone new in quickly. However, the market is not such that a new high performing member of staff will come to your rescue. The costs of advertising, and resource that goes into selection, admin tasks and interviews alongside the disruption to day to day operations is also a consideration. 

·      How often do we look at our managers, team leaders and ourselves and evaluate how we have supported and developed those we are responsible for? We can run regular sessions on coaching techniques and proactive support.

·      What would be the cost of resourcing a proper training and support programme for staff who are struggling, in comparison to the upheaval of recruitment? This can be bespoke or cover the main areas of need.

·      Would we be a better place for everyone to work in, if we set aside time for a more coaching approach to management? Focusing on a change of culture for some managers is often the best retention tool we have.

3.     Recruitment – How do we respond when we have a vacancy? If we have done a good job in preparing our own people then we may be able to appoint internally and create some movement. 

·      If we need an external person, do we just advertise for an exact replacement or have we looked at our systems and processes and decided on the exact position we need?

·      Recruitment can be an ideal catalyst to look review how we work. Do we look at the JD alone? How real is the person spec? 

·      Do we want someone ready baked or are we open to taking someone who will grow into the role with support?