Performance management in a time of redundancies  - Melissa Ritchie In the last edition of the HOT Tap News we had an article on motivating the survivors of redundancy.  However, there is a second aspect to being a smaller organisation after a redundancy program and that is that those you have retained need to perform! While we have covered getting your ‘survivors’ to settle into the new look of your business it is an important message to get across that you will all need to pull together and focus on the tasks in hand.  The customer is going to be king for a while longer and it is therefore important that mistakes are minimised and expectations met or exceeded.  Some of your employees will get the message and you will see the effect, others however will not.  In times like these it is important that you are seen to do your job too, to manage your people and ensure that they all contribute the best way that they can.  If you are seen to carry non-performers the ones who have kicked up a gear will look elsewhere for an organisation that appreciates effort.   Performance management does not have to be a ‘sledgehammer to crack a nut’ but it does need to follow a fair process where poor performance is noted and discussed, expectations explained, support given as necessary and feedback (both bad and good) supplied.  Often a quiet word will be all that is needed but ensuring that you have a disciplinary procedure to follow up with where necessary is vital.   There are many managers who have never used a disciplinary process because they have never felt the need, they either have amazing staff or they have accepted poor performance or behaviour from time to time.  Like any formal process it can be nerve-wracking on the first couple of occasions.  That is why the HR Tap will attend a disciplinary held on your premises to ensure that you follow the procedure you should and learn along the way.  Alternatively we can offer courses to you and your line managers to train you in the skills and process you will need.   So don’t become an ‘ostrich’ manager but tackle problems head on and reap the benefits.

 

Lessons from the wise - John Bartlett Well the Cutting Edge program ‘The Fun Police’ was broadcast and I confess to being bitterly disappointed that a great opportunity to put some sense into health and safety was missed. Of course what we will never know is how much of the program ended up on the cutting room floor but a health and safety consultant demonstrating how to wipe up some water and discussing that knives in the drawer should all be pointing the same way did the profession and the individual no favours. What was even more of disappointment was the local authority enforcement officer who clearly did not know the law with regard to the sole trader running a garage. Apologies for my rant, if you didn’t watch it you will have no idea what I am on about.  Moving swiftly on it now seems that its all hands to the pumps, batten down the hatches and stand by for an extremely bumpy ride because of events in the banking world.  The president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has warned: "Companies that play at health and safety will find it tough to survive the current economic climate."  Natasha Freeman said that with the new Health and Safety (Offences) Act that came into force on 16 January, it is imperative that firms take their health and safety responsibilities seriously. "Those firms with poor health and safety practices, or firms that fail to provide a safe environment for their employees, could face the prospect of incurring increased financial penalties at a time when they really cannot afford it. We’ve already seen many well-known high street firms collapse under the financial pressure of the economic climate. One needless accident during such challenging times could also spell the end for your company.  She explained that "The Health and Safety (Offences) Act is not coming into law to cripple businesses. It’s not been created to 'get at' business. It's there to provide a strong deterrent for those tempted to cut corners on health and safety, and to provide more appropriate punishments for those organisations that do put their workers lives at risks. This legislation also follows in the wake of the Corporate Manslaughter Act".  Natasha added: "Doing health and safety properly is not something that costs a fortune. There are many events that provide excellent opportunities for businesses to find out more about the latest products and services and to meet health and safety professionals who can advise them on cost-effective measures to help keep workers safe." and that "Investing in health and safety might not be your top priority at the moment, but it should be. It’s vital in ensuring the well-being of your business and your staff and underlining the importance of worker involvement." Words from the wise! Be safe      John