The Four-day Week – Key Considerations for Employers

Posted in: HR Updates on 08/11/2021 It has now become a little trite to say the Pandemic has changed us all. Many of us have realised that there are more important things than work. However, work is still essential as it usually funds our lifestyles and, in many ways, keeps us included in broader societal experiences which comes fro...

Grief – How to Support Grieving Employees

Posted in: HR Updates on 03/11/2021 I wrote an article back in June 2020 on the importance of kindness shown to employees in the wake of a bereavement. My inspiration stemmed from the loss of my own mother the previous month during the first Covid-19 lockdown and now, almost 18 months later, I wanted to reflect back on that time in m...

Measuring Employee Engagement

Posted in: HR Updates on 18/10/2021 Research indicates that highly engaged workforces significantly outperform their peers, yet worryingly most are not engaged. If this is the case, how do we know whether or not this applies to our own organisation? Whether you’re at the start of your employee engagement journey or have a robust enga...

World Menopause Day: Guidance for Employers

Posted in: HR Updates on 18/10/2021 World Menopause Day is held every year on the 18th of October, led by the International Menopause Society. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness on the menopause and support options for improving health and wellbeing. Think People Consulting want to help increase the level of awareness in th...

Pregnancy & Infant Loss: How Can Employers Support Their Staff?

Posted in: HR Updates on 14/10/2021 As October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we felt it was important to acknowledge this to help raise awareness and also offer some guidance on how managers and business owners can support employees who have lost their baby. According to Tommy’s (the largest UK charity carrying out re...

The Menopause and Mental Health at Work

Posted in: HR Updates on 21/09/2021 It is fantastic to see the increased attention and discussion that the menopause is getting at the moment. Open discussion and the sharing of knowledge and resources will help to remove the stigma around the menopause and help to build more supportive and open workplaces. In Northern Ireland, hig...

Avoiding and Resolving Workplace Conflict & Disputes

Posted in: HR Updates on 14/09/2021 All employers have to deal with conflict and disputes within the workplace at some point and every employer has the same end goal – to resolve the conflict and dispute as quickly as possible with the least amount of risk to the business. In May 2021 ACAS published a report estimating the costs of w...

Overcoming Recruitment Difficulties

Posted in: HR Updates on 06/09/2021 According to the latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook survey by The British Chambers of Commerce (for Q2 2021) 70% of firms are currently facing recruitment difficulties, up from 63% in Q1, itself a steep rise from 53% in Q4 2020. So how do we overcome this or at least position our organisations ef...

Getting the Most Out of Online Interviews

Posted in: HR Updates on 31/08/2021 Even before the current wave of remote interviewing, some people enjoyed interviews, and some did not. Over the last eighteen months, the increasing use of ZOOM (other brands are available) has probably exacerbated that Marmite divide. As an interviewer, I have found the Zoom experience less prefer...

Understanding Criminal Record Checks

Posted in: HR Updates on 18/08/2021 Access NI is the system used in Northern Ireland to carry out criminal record checks. The system is complex and includes three different levels of checks: Basic, Standard and Enhanced. It is a criminal offense to require candidates and staff to undergo a criminal record check in which they are not ...