Hr Network Volume 15 Issue 5

Inspiring People Development

FIVE FAB...

BOARD GAMES TO BEAT THE LOCKDOWN

MAY 2020 | VOLUME 15 ISSUE 5 A MEDIA AVENUE PUBLICATION | www.hrnetworkjobs.com

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What Wear

EDITOR AT LARGE:

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HOMEWORKING: Think. Rethink. Revitalise.

Presenting the world’s first collection of 22ct Scottish Gold, hand-crafted by Scotland’s première master jewellers.

HAMILTONANDINCHES.COM

CONTENTS

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COVER STORY Our NHS – Our National Treasure: Andy Moore takes a closer look at the huge outpouring of support for the commitment and bravery of NHS staff and other frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

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CONTENTS

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News

14 Five Fab...

Favourite family board games to beat the boredom of the lockdown

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20 Stats Physical and mental health challenges from remote working

22 Legal Bites The latest updates from the employment law world

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24 Feature Two

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Awards Nominations 2020 – STILL OPEN!

30 The Bookshop Latest bestsellers to be published

32 Feature Three: Homeworking – Think. Rethink. Revitalise.

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36 My LinkedIn Ross Fleming, LHH

38 Editor-At-large What to wear. What not to wear. That’s the question!

42 Extra Crisis Management: Supporting HR Leaders

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46 Event Planner Updates and previews of forthcoming industry events

CONTRIBUTORS

Founder and Publisher:

RUSSELL EADIE

Legal Bites: COVID-19 Update from Navigator Employment Law p. 22

Lee Turner lee@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Senior Associate Editor:

Russell is the Legal Manager at Navigator Employment Law

Andy Moore editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Deputy-Editor: DR. ROBERT COLES

Teresa Flannigan editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Homeworking. Think.

Rethink. Revistalise p. 32

Editor-At-large:

Robert is the CEO of the Roffey Park Institute, which delivers high impact training and development programmes, organisational development, qualifications and research customised to the needs of our clients.

Neil Archibald editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Editor’s Assistant/Admin: Marion Robertson editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

NEIL ARCHIBALD

Editor At Large: What To Wear. What Not To Wear.

That’s the question! p. 38 Neil is a freelance business journalist who has previously held senior HR positions

Advertising/Sponsorship: Donna Turner advertising@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Design: Media Avenue Ltd Hr NETWORK now available on:

LUCY ADAMS

Extra: Crisis Management – Supporting HR Leader p. 42

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hrnetwork1

Lucy is the CEO of London based HR agency Disruptive HR which provides HR consultancy services that can help HR to drive innovation, creativity, collaboration and productivity.

She has held Board level HR roles for over 10 years, most recently at the BBC.

Media Avenue Limited 18 Young Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4JB 0131 625 3267 www.hrnetworkjobs.com www.mediaavenue.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HrNETWORKNews YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/hrnetworkscotland

The views expressed in Hr NETWORK (SCOTLAND) are those of invited contributors and not necessarily those of Media Avenue Ltd. Media Avenue Ltd does not endorse any goods or services advertised, or any claims or representations made in any advertisement in Hr NETWORK (SCOTLAND) magazine and accepts no liability to any person for loss or damage suffered as a consequence of their responding to, or placing reliance upon any claim or representation made in any advertisement appearing in Hr NETWORK (SCOTLAND) magazine. Readers should make appropriate enquiries and satisfy themselves before responding to any such advertisement or placing reliance upon any such claim or representation. By so responding or placing reliance readers accept that they do so at their own risk. © Media Avenue Ltd. 2020

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WELCOME

May 2020 This, I’m afraid, will be the case for the foreseeable future, which I am very sorry to say however in order for Hr NETWORK and our publishing company Media Avenue Ltd to remain in business and be able to continue the great work we have done over the past 15 years, this is our only option at this time.

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irstly I want to offer you my best wishes and I hope you and your family & friends are well and haven’t been too badly affected by the effects of the Coronavirus.

So much has changed since I wrote my Publishers Welcome for the previous issue of the magazine, only 8 weeks ago. We are adapting to a new way of working which has its challenges however we are committed to continuing to support the HR profession and keeping everyone updated on all the industry developments, as best we can.

Despite the lockdown and the unprecedented impact that COVID-19 has had on our business and most likely every other business in Scotland, we are delighted and very relieved to be able to publish the May 2020 edition of the Magazine.

However for the first time in 15 years, I am very sad to announce that we are simply unable to provide Hr NETWORK magazine in it’s usual print format, such is the impact of the effects of COVID-19 on our resources.

It will come as no surprise to you that we were forced to move the ‘Strategic Workforce Planning’ Conference & Exhibition from mid-May to Thursday 27th August 2020. This new date is of course subject to further guidance and instruction from the Scottish Government however as it stands just now, most of our confirmed speakers and thankfully our many booked delegates, along with our hugely supportive and committed sponsors and exhibitors are thankfully able to attend the Conference on the revised date.

We are also very much encouraging the HR profession to submit nominations for this years proposed Hr NETWORK Awards 2020.

Nomination entries will be accepted until Sunday 31st May 2020.

The gala dinner is being planned to take place in Glasgow on Thursday 26th November 2020 and we are very excited about the prospect of welcoming everyone to this event which will have an even greater emphasis for us all coming together in November and share the many stories of our lockdown experience.

We have some exciting news to share with you relating to the Hr MARKET online portal. Due to the COVID-19, we have been able to upgrade the Hr MARKET portal and we are re-launching this in a few weeks on a brand new platform with some incredible new features and we look forward to sharing this with you soon.

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This Issue In this online edition of the magazine, Andy Moore looks at the superhuman role of the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. Described as a national treasure, the NHS has gone above and beyond its remit on so many levels, and we felt it was only right and proper that we take some time to offer our own Hr NETWORK magazine tribute to all those heroes on the ‘front line’.

The Awards Planning Team is working through nominations for the hugely anticipated Hr NETWORK National Awards 2020. Full details for all the categories and their sponsors can be found on page 24.

Editor At Large Neil Archibald looks at the subject of what to wear and what not to wear in the workplace and examines the changing behaviours of how employees dress for work.

The regular sections of the magazine include: Five Fab, Stats and The Bookshop.

I hope you enjoy your online copy of Hr NETWORK Magazine and look forward to welcoming you at one of the forthcoming events, when the lockdown as been lifted and we can all try to get back to our ‘new’ normal.

Stay safe!

Lee Turner Publisher Contributors: Neil Archibald, Lucy Adams, Dr. Robert Coles, Russell Eadie.

Hr NETWORK also available on: LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hrnetwork1 Twitter: www.twitter.com/HrNETWORKNews YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ hrnetworkscotland

NEWS

60% of workers report improved mental health due to working from home

As more companies have taken to remote working, to help keep workers and the wider community safe during the recent outbreak, it’s encouraging to report that 99% of respondents to our survey reported it has had at least one positive impact on their life.

Working remotely from home has become the new norm for many during the COVID-19 outbreak. But, in addition to helping in the fight against the spread of the virus, what other positives does working from home have on remote workers?

Respondents also indicated their physical health had improved as a result of working remotely, with 40% of respondents saying their diet had improved and 44% saying they engaged in more physical exercise when working away from the office, rising to 48% in full-time remote workers.

Our survey found that one of the biggest positives of working remotely is on an employee’s mental health. A total of 60% of respondents said their mental health had improved by being out of the office.

Interestingly, those who work remote full-time were less likely to report an improvement in mental health (56.2%) compared to those who work remotely ‘often’ (64.6%).

To find out, Zen Business surveyed 1,035 remote workers about their experiences to uncover the positives of working remotely and some of the aspects of being remote that don’t often get spoken about.

In response to the findings and the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Melissa Cadwallader, Head of HR from Zen Business said: “Working from home can be extremely rewarding for your mental health and offers freedoms that may not be accessible in the office, like cooking your favourite meals for lunch or taking breaks to spend time with your children.”

“Our data highlights that the majority of people are finding WFH a positive experience for their mental health, but it also shows that 2 in 5 are not. We advise everyone to ensure they exercise, take regular breaks, eat and sleep well, drink plenty of water, and stick to a routine where possible.”

Even if your working from home methodology involves Netflix and pyjamas and candy bars, it’s a personal process that we all must explore and figure out.

Organisations should aim for a ‘phased return’ to normal Whether we use the ‘traffic light’ system suggested by two UCL academics or another method to exit the lockdown, businesses should prepare for a phased return.

“It would be wise to keep those actions in place for at least a month following the end of the official lockdown.

The Government (and all of us) will be keeping a close eye on infection figures when the lockdown ends. If they spike again, the response will be for the lockdown to be reinstated.

Peter Groucutt, managing director of business continuity and disaster recovery firm Databarracks has shared advice on what organisations need to consider when planning their lockdown exit.

“We also still need to maintain flexible working practices.

Self-isolation for those infected or potentially infected will continue. That extends beyond just your staff to families and housemates. Parents and carers will still have additional demands put on them.

“When we come out of lockdown, we won’t go back to normal immediately. Most businesses had a phased response before the lockdown and when we exit lockdown, we should work through those phases in reverse. The first stage was stopping external meetings or staff attending large events and scaling up cleaning practices. Next, organisations split their operations across multiple locations.

Businesses with only a single office could divide their staff with some working in the office and others from home.

“Organisations should also make sure they keep doing the things they have now become good at. The positive we can take from this crisis is that it has forced a lot of organisations to embrace remote working practices. Organisations rushed through migrations to the cloud, rolled out video conferencing and are now seeing those benefits.”

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NEWS

Over a third of Brits admit to working longer hours whilst working from home Due to the Coronavirus lockdown, for many, working from home has become the new norm. But how is the UK coping and adapting to the change in lifestyle and how are they managing their work-life balance? Liberty Games has conducted a survey to reveal how the UK workforce is coping with working from home.

Despite the luxuries of being able to eat when you want, wear what you want and not having to tackle that dreaded commute, working from home, for some can be very stressful.

With almost all communications done through instant messaging and a 1900% in daily users on Zoom since lockdown began, instructions and tasks can be miscommunicated and end up taking longer than expected.

When at home, it’s almost too easy to forget your regular work schedule and work longer hours where work and life seem to merge into one. In fact, 41% of Brits said they often work through their lunch break when working from home. What’s more, 38% said they are more likely to work longer hours.

But it’s not just the workload that is hindering Brits from adapting to the working from home status, Liberty Games’ research found that almost a third (31%) of people are struggling to concentrate, more than 1 in 3 (35%) feel bored and one

in 5 (20%) even admitted they are less productive.

These results suggest that whilst people may be working more hours, at home, they’re not necessarily delivering better work and may feel less efficient.

Significant increase in pension scams during Coronavirus Coronavirus is creating favourable conditions for scammers who prey on the vulnerable people and take advantage of panic, uncertainty and financial strain with pension scams soaring by 400% last month

protect from future economic depression, employer insolvency or to be able to access them earlier. Scammers often charge extremely high transfer fees, leaving retirement prospects of victims in ruins.

The latest report from Action Fraud documents a 400% increase in scams relating to Coronavirus in March with total losses reaching £970,000. In addition to online shopping fraud, romance fraud, charity and lender fraud, some phishing emails contained investment schemes and pensions advice.

The UK Pension Regulator has released a special Covid-19 Update for pension fund trustees. The update urges trustees to be more vigilant about pension scams.

The Pensions Regulator is also launching new guidance to help employers freeze their defined benefit obligations for three months to ease their financial burden in response to the economic fallout from COVID-19.

Fraudsters are pressuring people to transfer their entire pension savings into ‘safer’ financial options in order to

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NEWS

New support for Scottish businesses managing remote workers during COVID-19 pandemic Scottish businesses struggling with how to manage teams of remote workers because of the coronavirus outbreak can now get extra support thanks to a new organisation called Flexibility Works.

The social business went live on 14th April helps organisations improve all aspects of flexible working – supporting employers of all sizes and in all sectors to reap the benefits that flexible working brings for businesses as well as individuals. However, due to the current situation, its first major project is specifically supporting businesses coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nikki Slowey, Director and Co-Founder at Flexibility Works, said: “The demand for flexible working is growing rapidly and organisations that have created a flexible working culture are seeing the benefits.

Flexible working also has a key role to play in tackling a number of societal issues such as poverty, wellbeing and inequality.

“Yet we know some organisations struggle to put great flexible working into practice. That’s why we’ve launched Flexibility Works so more people and more employers in Scotland can benefit from flexible working.

“The coronavirus pandemic has created enforced home-working for many organisations that weren’t anticipating, or ready for such a shift.

Home working is only one aspect of flexible working, and our current situation is not what flexible working normally looks like. It’s not something you switch to overnight without being prepared and it’s certainly not something you’re expected do while also looking after your children. It’s no surprise that businesses and employees are struggling to adapt quickly to this changing environment.

“Our first task is to support employers, giving practical advice for the unique situation we’re in right now, and helping share best practice from other organisations on how they’re coping. That way, more employers will be able to support their workers, as well as their businesses.”

Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills Jamie Hepburn said: “Flexible working is vital to the Scottish Government’s ambition to encourage agile and inclusive workplaces which benefit all employees. It helps tackle the gender pay gap and ultimately benefits our economy and society as a whole.

“The ability to work flexibly is more important than ever as working practices change to tackle coronavirus. That’s why we, together with the Hunter Foundation through our Social Innovation Partnership, are supporting Flexibility Works with £175,000 to offer vital advice and support to businesses in this time of crisis.

“This new initiative will support organisations to continue to operate and adapt to the changed circumstances. Not only will this help them face up to the challenges of the pandemic, it will also create lasting benefits for employers and their staff.”

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Nominations for Hr NETWORK AWARDS 2020 STILL OPEN! The Hr NETWORK National Awards 2020 in partnership with Roffey Park Institute will RECOGNISE, ACKNOWLEDGE and REWARD the true champions of the Scottish HR profession for special recognition for their amazing work during these extremely difficult times and ensure that their support, expertise and commitment does not go unnoticed.

Nominations for this years awards are very much OPEN and this is your chance, especially during an enforced lock-down, to RECOGNISE, ACKNOWLEDGE and REWARD your HR champions in 2020.

Established in 2007 by Hr NETWORK magazine, the Awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious people awards in the UK attracting a sell-out of 800 top HR and ‘people’ industry professionals.

With eighteen categories, which will determine the top performing HR people, teams, projects and organisations for their efforts in the Scottish people development and management arena, nominations are being sought from across all sectors in Scotland.

NEWS

Study on closing the gender entrepreneurship gap’ helping to shape UK policy A study, which reveals that men are twice as likely to start a new business in the UK as women, has been used to shape UK government policy.

The research, carried out by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) experts in the UK for over 20 years, based at Aston Business School in Birmingham, consistently shows that for every 10 male UK entrepreneurs, there are fewer than five female entrepreneurs.

expand networking and membership opportunities and create new banking products.

Alison Rose, Deputy CEO of NatWest, said: “I firmly believe that the disparity that exists between female and male entrepreneurs is unacceptable and holding the UK back.

The unrealised potential for the UK economy is enormous.”

The GEM findings have helped inform a UK government review in 2019, titled ‘The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship’, which predicts that the entrepreneurial gender gap equates to over one million missing businesses.

The report recommends that increased funding be directed toward female entrepreneurs, greater family and care support as well making entrepreneurship more accessible for women through local mentors and networks.

Mark Hart, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Aston Business School, said: “A year ago, on International Women’s Day, the Rose Review was published and signalled a step change in strategic and practical thinking on how the gender pay gap, identified by the annual GEM findings, can be addressed in the UK. “Since then, great progress has been made, not least

by NatWest themselves, as they meet head on some of the issues that women face in raising finance to start and grow their businesses.”

In response to the review, the UK government has backed a new code, titled “Investing in Women”, which comprises a number of initiatives which encourage institutional and private investors to further support female entrepreneurs,

A quarter of childminders able to work received a reduced rate or worked for free Leading Childcare platform, Yoopies has published a Childcare During COVID-19 Report, outlining the impact of the virus on 425 childcare providers including Ofstedregistered childminders, nannies (Ofsted and Non-Ofsted Registered) and self-employed babysitters.

The study sheds light on the alarming reality for the many forgotten heroes of the childcare industry, the acts

of solidarity that childcare providers continue to show, and the financial turmoil experienced by workers in the childcare sector.

Since lockdown began, 50% of childcare providers have had the opportunity to work. 89% of these childcare provides have worked for families in which either one or both parents were key-worker.

Childminders emerged as the only childcare subcategory in which over half of staff continued to work, and of those able to work, a quarter received a partial salary or worked on a voluntary basis.

Childminders were the least likely group to be paid their full rate and are the only group to evidence working on a free basis for families. In comparison, all Ofsted Registered Nannies that

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were able to work were paid at their full rate and 94% of Non-Ofsted Registered Nannies worked at their full rate or at a higher fee. Childminders who do not look after keyworker children or have closed due to safety risks do not fair better off. They are less likely to be supported by the families they work for than nannies.

For one childminder, the hourly rate looking after a key-worker child barely covers a bus ticket: “On some days my net earnings are less than £1.70 per hour.

This includes the early starts and late finishes that a nurse would work, however, we remain the forgotten workforce.”

She is not the only one, with around 57% of childcare providers unable to access Government support.

NEWS

New research highlights how to help young people into work What works when it comes to getting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into employment?

The Youth Futures Foundation has commissioned IES research to help inform practice and policy making at this crucial time for young people.

The report, Supporting disadvantaged young people into meaningful work written by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), examines what we know about “what works”.

Based on a rapid evidence assessment of evaluations that measured job outcomes for disadvantaged groups, it found that more evidence is needed that accurately estimates the additional impact of youth employment programmes. Despite limited robust research, it draws out

some useful findings for practitioners including the importance of: 1. Effective engagement using activities like music and sport to attract participants 2. Accurately understanding individual needs in order to personalise support packages 3. A trusted, consistent advisor to help young people overcome barriers and achieve their personal goals 4. Delivery of personalised help with vocational, academic and employability skills, job search, and work experience 5. Addressing barriers to employment such as mental and physical health problems, and housing issues

6. Wage subsidies and intermediate labour markets (i.e. creating short term, paid jobs where individuals receive support to help them transition to permanent roles) It also highlights some promising national policies that have been designed to deal with past downturns with promising evaluations – such as the New Deal for Young People and the Future Jobs Fund.

An impact assessment estimated that NDYP achieved a reduction in the order of around 30,000 of long-term unemployed young people (40 per cent).

These insights should inform Government planning as we begin to understand the likely economic impact of COVID-19.

Gendered financial inequality in light of COVID-19 Gender pay gap reporting enforcement has been suspended this year, but that doesn’t mean the core issue of gendered financial inequality has been too.

Jeanette Makings at Close Brothers offers key stats and commentary on the impact of Covid-19 on women’s financial wellbeing.

roles to work around childcare or having taken career gaps to raise a family, so they are paid less and have lower savings, all to the detriment of their financial wellbeing. Our findings also show that women are significantly less confident about the savings options available and how to choose what’s best for them.”

Jeanette Makings, Head of Financial Education at Close Brothers said: “The coronavirus crisis will heighten anxieties for those with existing money worries and will inevitably bring others into a period of money difficulty. With the existing gender pay and savings imbalances, it is an inescapable fact that women are entering the current period of financial uncertainty in a less financially robust state than their male co-workers.

Women’s financial health may well be different to that of their male counterparts. However, Covid-19 will inevitably cause more employees, both male and female, to worry about money, so it’s important to tackle this head on. With an increased focus on communications and as people have to find new ways to occupy their time whilst at home, now is a good time to reach out and help employees to improve their financial health and confidence for the immediate, short, medium, and long-term.

“The gender pay gap is not a result of lack of parity of pay.

There are more women in lower paid roles or in part-time

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NEWS

Interviews cause real life stage fright for workers In response to Covid-19, the swift adaptation by many companies from office to remote working, in most cases overnight, has been admirable. Yet pursuing a new role can be a stressful time for many people, even without the added components of a global pandemic and economic uncertainty. The pressure of interviews, whether face-to-face or remote, is causing workers to freeze, which could hinder their confidence and career progression – according to new research.

A study of 1,000 workers published in Thinking On Your Feet, a report by RADA Business, the commercial arm of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, has found that 27% of professionals find it difficult to relax during an interview.

Interviews can be hugely stressful, regardless of whether they take place in person or remotely. When asked about the effects of interview stress, 1 in 3 business professionals say they find it hard to think clearly – a crucial ability for someone in an interview setting who needs to respond in the moment.

When under pressure, 19% of professionals say that they find it difficult to pause for breath, or to enable a message to land, when speaking.

With the number of phone and video interviews set to rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, this skill is hugely important to allow the interviewee to think and communicate effectively.

The data also found that more than 1 in 4 (26%) find it hard to speak slowly while being interviewed and a similar number (25%) say they struggle to maintain eye contact during face-to-face interviews.

According to the data, a further 23% of workers find it hard not to panic when they feel tense and 17% say they struggle not to shake – a common physical side effect of nerves, which may appear during interview.

Many interviews and meetings now need to take place remotely to conform with self-isolation and social distancing guidelines. The pressure is on for business professionals to make the best impression on potential employers over video conferencing platforms.

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New date announced for Hr NETWORK ‘Strategic Workforce Planning’ Conference & Exhibition 2020 Following the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown and the inevitable postponement of all business events across Scotland, the Hr NETWORK ‘Strategic Workforce Planning’ Conference & Exhibition 2020 will now take place in Edinburgh on Thursday 27th August 2020 at the Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh’s West End. Speakers from a wide range of awardwinning organisations who have created and implemented a sustainable workforce plan and have since had to adapt to exceptional circumstances in the most difficult economic circumstances following the outbreak of the Coronavirus and the far reaching impact the pandemic has had on the worldwide economy.

It is hoped that all lockdown restrictions will have been removed long before the Conference & Exhibition takes place in late August and the organisers will be keeping Delegates, Speakers Sponsors and Exhibitors updated with on-going developments and announcements ahead of the event.

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ive Fab’ showcases five fab things that our readers can enjoy including, city breaks, eating out, entertainment, useful gadgets, employee benefits, business services and much more.

In this issue, we showcase five fab great board games to play during the COVID-19 lockdown.

CLUEDO One murder...6 suspec ts. In this suspenseful Cluedo ga me, players have to find out who’s respo nsible for murdering Dr. Black of Tudor Mansion in his own home. Get the scoop on the mansion’s rooms, weap ons and guests and start detecting. Was it Plum with the wrench in the library?

Or Green with the candlestick in the study? Eliminate information throughou t the game in this classic whodunit. The player who correctly accuses Who, What, and Where wins!

CONNECT 4 Challenge a friend to disc-dropping fun with the simple game of connect four. Drop your red or yellow discs in the grid and be the first to get four in a row to win. If your opponent is getting too close to four in a row, block them with your own disc. Whoever wins can pull out the slider bar to release all the discs and start the fun all over again.

FIVE FAB‌

MONOPOLY Monopoly is the world ’s favourite family brand. The classic, fas t-dealing property trading game welcome s the Cat into its family of tokens. After an online vote, fans around the globe decid ed the Cat would be the purr-fect addit ion to the Monopoly game. Put your token on the Go space and roll the dice to ow n it all in the fast-paced world of rea l estate. Make a move, make a deal and make a fortune to win it all. There can be only one winner in the Monopoly game ; will it be you?

SCRABBLE rds battle of wits and wo Scrabble is a classic o tw r unts. Designed fo where every word co e rabble you must mak to four players, in Sc n ve se ur yo ing any of the word you can us random. Your word letter tiles drawn at e already in play on th must use a letter tile lues e given for letter va board and scores ar ium squares on the and boosted by prem ed connections and grid. Create enhanc ople together bring letters and pe

RESILIENCE Even in these challen ging times, organisations are still thinking about long term support for their people.

You can commit to su pporting your people in 2020 to deve lop their resilience capability and improv e their mental health by investing in the Re silience Game

by Robertson Training .

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NHS frontline staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to rise to the UK’s greatest peace time challenge in recent history.

Andy Moore pays tribute to these incredibly courageous people professionals, revealing their true dedication

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hey are the UK superheroes. Ever since the dark shadow of the coronavirus fell upon our shores, our National Health Service has transformed into an even-greater national treasure.

Made up of over 2 million frontline staff, they have delivered outstanding devotion through grit, stoicism and hard work by caring throughout a crisis that has claimed thousands of lives, with thousands more suffering symptoms.

Former British Army Officer Captain Tom Moore, at the age of 99, began to walk around his garden in aid of NHS Charities Together during the current lockdown with the goal of raising £1,000 by his hundredth birthday. By the day he turned 100 on Thursday 30th April, he had raised over £30m.

They provide shoulders to cry on. They have become cleaners and counsellors, not to mention rocks to their families after emotionally draining shifts.

It seems only fitting that Hr NETWORK magazine pays tribute to these people who have worked tirelessly and sleeplessly to fight this biological battle – with many themselves paying the ultimate price for doing so.

Such is the feeling of gratitude and pride in our national health service, people across the UK have taken part in a weekly “Clap for Carers” tribute, which has taken place every Thursday evening at 8pm, saluting NHS staff and other key workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

One professional being kept on his toes is Dr Paul Tanto, an Emergency Medicine Doctor and a Scot who has been practising at a London hospital during the pandemic, alternating 9 and 10 hour shifts from 8am to 5pm or from 10pm to 8am.

The NHS is a shining example of people professionalism, transforming rapidly, expertly and adeptly to deal with one of the UK’s largest epidemics under a global pandemic.

Hospitals have delivered a step-change in resources, knowledge and practices – all against the backdrop of stretched budgets and limited equipment supply.

He says: “We’ve seen emergency attendances reduce dramatically since the start of the virus and have had to deal mainly with COVID-19 and the influx of patients

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FEATURE

with Coronavirus symptoms. With a change in attendance, other colleagues have gone to a three-shift pattern working morning, backshift and night shifts.”

The sheer innovation and hard-working ethos have really shone through in the NHS. It has had to become inventive, agile and reactive to deal with the unknown impacts of the virus.

Paul stresses that the shift pattern has worked well, with his hospital becoming more nimble to meet unprecedented demands, while he still manages to work regular hours, his colleagues alternate in intensive care around the clock.

Fellow NHS professional, Kerry Courtney, an Edinburghbased nurse, has nothing but high praise for her colleagues: “There are healthcare workers who are actually moving out of their homes in order to protect their families, which I think is amazing. I take my hat off, particularly to ITU staff who have been run ragged. Mentally and emotionally, it’s these people who are really worthy of recognition.”

“We were originally under capacity for the number of cases we were seeing – for example in bed numbers – but now we’re up to speed.” he explains. “The halving of non-virus emergency cases has had a dramatic change in what we can do, with nurses having more time to spend on those suffering from the virus.”

Kerry delivers so-called Priority One visits, which involves ‘checking in’ with vulnerable people and families. She has also taken on a volunteer role with the Chest, Heart and Stroke Charity.

How has Paul’s colleagues stepped up to the daunting challenge of COVID-19?

Ultimately, her role reflects the supreme dedication and tolerance to adversity, as mirrored by Doctor Paul Tanto.

Instantly, he lists their three commendable virtues: “Inter-personal relationships, supreme professionalism and organisation psychology,” he praises. “We all recognise that departmental rivalries just have to stop, and they have. We are worth much more as one unit than as many different teams.”

How has he coped emotionally? “Our team are all brilliant at mentoring each other by providing pastoral support.

My homelife and my partner are also very chilled, which makes for a very supportive environment,” he sums up.

“De-stressing for me is quite easy. I come home after a shift, have a nice long hug and just stare into space.

I have a safe space at home and this is reinforced by the very caring ethos of my colleagues. All of them demonstrate the true people professionalism of the NHS.”

Across the UK, make-shift hospitals have been set up in cities, including Manchester, Glasgow and London – the latter containing the 4,000 capacity Nightingale Hospital, while some permanent hospitals have doubled their ICU capacity to 1,555 beds, despite rising levels of infections.

NHS Heroes:

The construction of Glasgow’s NHS Louisa Jordan hospital at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) was completed on Monday 20th April.

• Outstanding devotion through grit, stoicism and hard work

The hospital is fully equipped and clinically ready to treat patients during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, if required. It is hoped the hospital will not be needed thanks to the public’s continued efforts to stay at home and the other measures that are being taken to increase the number of NHS Scotland beds.

• They are shoulders to cry on, cleaners, counsellors and also rocks to their families • They’ve delivered a step-change in resources, knowledge and practices

The hospital has the capacity for an initial 300 patients and this can be expanded to more than 1,000 beds.

1036 bed bays have been built at the hospital.

• Commendable virtues: inter-personal relationships, supreme professionalism and organisation psychology

Such is the level of NHS dedication, Labour’s new leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has made a case for NHS staff pay rises.

He said: “There are so many people who should be given an honour in this. What about those on the frontline?

They need recognition at the end of this, because they are literally going out and keeping our country going. We all clap our key workers on a Thursday. And it’s an emotional moment for the nation.”

• Make-shift hospitals have been set up in cities, including Manchester, Glasgow and London • Sheer innovation and hard-working ethos have shone through in the NHS

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STATS

Wellbeing Survey presents evidence of significant physical and mental challenges for the UK’s new army of homeworkers The Institute for Employment Studies (IES has announced the launch of interim findings from the first COVID-19 homeworker wellbeing study, looking at how working from home for an extended period is affecting the UK workforce.

The interim survey findings captured during the first two weeks of the ‘lockdown’ have been analysed to produce a preliminary picture of how homeworking is affecting both the physical and mental wellbeing of a new army of UK homeworkers.

Initial findings depict a worrying snapshot of the declining mental and physical health of many homeworkers.

Within the first two weeks of the mandated lockdown there has been a significant increase in musculoskeletal complaints. More than half of the survey respondents reported new aches and pains, especially in the neck (58 per cent),

shoulder (56 per cent) and back (55 per cent), compared to their normal physical condition.

Diet and exercise are on the wane with one fifth (20 per cent) of respondents admitting to an increase in alcohol consumption, while a third (33 per cent) are eating a less healthy diet, and over half (60 per cent) acknowledging that they are exercising less.

Poor sleep and increased risk of exhaustion are also cause for concern.

The majority of respondents reported a loss of sleep due to worry (64 per cent); and corresponding increased symptoms of fatigue (60 per cent), possibly as a consequence of nearly half (48 per cent) reporting working patterns that include long and irregular hours.

The mental health of survey respondents depicts a workforce with a lot on its mind. Half of all respondents (50 per cent) reported not being happy

with their current work-life balance; a third (33 per cent) frequently feel isolated; over a fifth (21 per cent) are worried about job security, while just under half (41 per cent) harbour health concerns for family members.

Survey architect and IES Head of HR Research Development, Stephen Bevan said: “These interim findings paint a picture of a new homeworking workforce that faces significant physical and mental wellbeing challenges.

“Employers need to recognise they are still responsible for the wellbeing of their staff, even when working from home, and there are a number of steps they can take to improve employee wellbeing.”

Based on initial survey findings, IES recommends that employers: • Make sure the home ‘office’ set-up is safe and ergonomic and that employees are mobile and take exercise.

• Provide mental health support via informal messaging groups, virtual coffee mornings, access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and regular contact with management and colleagues.

• Focus on ‘high risk’ groups by identifying employees with financial concerns, eldercare, those struggling to adjust, those prone to feelings of isolation and those at risk of domestic abuse.

• Rethink performance targets and monitoring, involve employees in decisions about reorganising work and reallocating tasks and priorities.

The interim findings have been drawn from the initial 500 respondents to the survey. The IES Working at Home Wellbeing Survey remained open for the duration of April with further updates to follow. IES researchers will frequently monitor the results to track changes in working patterns.

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International Enterprising Impactful Leading Strathclyde The final word in business education

Our Masters programmes are consistently ranked among the best in the UK – and around the world. Our department of Work, Employment and Organisation is Scotland’s leading centre for research, knowledge exchange and professional education in human resource management and employment studies. As HRM experts, we understand the importance of providing high quality education that fits around your career: We offer: • A part time MSc/PGDip Human Resource Management programme which is completed in two years with classes from 1–7pm once a week.

• CIPD* approved postgraduate qualifications leading to Associate Membership.

• Constructive external engagement with policy makers and practitioners.

Make Strathclyde your destination.

www.strath.ac.uk/business

* CIPD is the professional body for HR and people development.

SBS are proud to be offering programmes in conjunction with CIPD (previously IPD and IPM) for almost 70 years.

LEGAL BITES

Holidays during furlough leave – although the timing of the release was interesting (late Friday afternoon when many people were switching off for the weekend), HMRC finally confirmed at the end of last week that employees can now take holidays when on furlough leave and doing that will not interrupt the period of furlough leave or jeopardise the grant. On a related note, it was also confirmed that employees on holiday during furlough leave are entitled to normal pay (i.e. 100%) rather than furlough leave pay (i.e. 80%).

Legal Bites is the regular employment law feature with bite size legal updates from our employment law partners.

Although that is clearly a challenge for processing payroll, it is good news for employees and should help employers in any discussions with employees about taking holidays now to avoid any backlog later in the year.

Furlough Leave Agreement – after much confusion about agreeing furlough leave with employees, matters have finally been clarified. Initial confusion arose because of the conflict between the advice set out in the Government guidance (i.e. written response not required) and the terms of the Treasury Direction (this being the only view with a formal legal status), which suggested the opposite.

While many of the basic principles of furlough are now known to most employers, several issues have been changed or clarified over the last week or so. To try and assist, Navigator Employment Law Ltd has provided some helpful advice and information to set things out in general terms and have them in one place for ease of reference.

For the benefit of all employers, the good news is that while employers must still confirm to employees in writing that they are on furlough leave and the terms of that leave (and retain that record for a period of 5 years), it is now clear that there is no need for employees to respond in writing confirming that they accept that position and agree to being on furlough leave.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Helpfully we now have a clear and unequivocal statement from HMRC that they will not deny an employer the ability to reclaim funds simply on the basis the employer had not obtained written agreement from the employee to cease all work for the employer.

In the unusual world we are all now operating in, dealing with coronavirus, changes are happening on an almost daily basis and that only adds to the difficulty of managing the challenges faced by employers.

Statutory Sick Pay – two changes have been announced recently: 1. HMRC has updated its statutory payments guidance manual to make it clear that employees do not qualify for SSP if they are on furlough; and

HMRC Portal – from Monday (April 20th April ), the HMRC portal for making applications for grants to cover furlough pay for employees was successfully launched. Despite concerns about how it would operate and one or two stories of some teething problems, we are delighted to confirm that the launch went smoothly and lots of employers have been able to apply.

2. The Government has released Regulations (effective from 16th April 2020) clarifying that a person is deemed to be incapable of work if they are unable to work because they fall within the extremely vulnerable category and have been advised to shield.

As an indication of the scale of the operation (and huge credit is due to HMRC for pulling this together so quickly), on the first Monday of being opened, 185,000 businesses submitted claims involving 1.3m employees reported as being on furlough leave and with a total value of claims in excess of £1.5bn.

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NAVIGATOR™ is designed to work alongside the complexity you are juggling right now.

Sessions explore organisational resilience, virtual management and leadership, virtual coaching and more.

• It is a step-by-step process • It is a carousel design, you can come and go as you need to • You can book individuals or entire teams • You only buy what you use • You only use what you need • You NAVIGATE your way

To find out more contact Alison MacDonald E: alison.macdonald@roffeypark.ac.uk T: +44 (0)7801 616123

www.roffeypark.com/navigator

AWARDS

RECOGNISING, ACKNOWLEDGING, and REWARDING Now, more than ever, the HR profession in Scotland is required to support, develop and manage people practice in organisations across the country and in ways they have never done before and in the most challenging circumstances that we have ever known.

Now, more than ever, the HR profession in Scotland is required to support, develop and manage people practice in organisations across the country and in ways they have never done before and in the most challenging circumstances that we have ever known.

for their amazing work during these extremely difficult times and ensure that their support, expertise and commitment does not go unnoticed.

Nominations for this year’s awards are very much OPEN and this is your chance, especially during an enforced lock-down, to RECOGNISE, ACKNOWLEDGE and REWARD your HR champions in 2020.

There is no denying that we are experiencing an unprecedented impact on our daily lives with the effects of COVID-19 and HR leaders and their teams MUST be creative, innovative, agile and remain completely focussed on implementing and managing the most efficient and cost effective ways to continue to deliver their objectives against the backdrop of an incredible period of uncertainty for us all.

Established in 2007 by Hr NETWORK magazine, the Awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious people awards in the UK attracting a sell-out of 800 top HR and ‘people’ industry professionals.

With eighteen categories, which will determine the top performing HR people, teams, projects and organisations for their efforts in the Scottish people development and management arena, nominations are being sought from across all sectors in Scotland.

However, there is also no denying the prospect that we will come through these challenging times, hopefully in the not too distant future and there may be no better way to celebrate the achievements of all those wonderful HR people that are helping to get us to the other side, than by nominating them in the Hr NETWORK National Awards 2020.

Following the initial online nominations, which includes an interview process for all shortlisted finalists, the winners of the Hr NETWORK Awards 2020 will be announced at the annual glittering Gala Dinner being held once again at the hugely impressive Glasgow Hilton on Thursday 26th November 2020.

The Hr NETWORK National Awards 2020 in partnership with Roffey Park Institute will RECOGNISE, ACKNOWLEDGE and REWARD the true champions of the Scottish HR profession for special recognition

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AWARDS

NATIONAL AWARDS 2020 in partnership with

...your HR

champions

By Teresa Flannigan

The Awards categories are judged in two sections, People categories and Project categories:

Projects

People

The ‘Nominations Intention’ scheme captures early interest from those intending to nominate and provides details on the criteria, rules and an insight into what the judges are looking for and on going updates on all the categories during the nominations process, running from 1st March to 31st May 2020.

These categories focus on projects/specific initiatives that have had a measurable impact in the organisation.

These categories focus on individuals (except for the HR Team category). Judges are looking for exceptional individuals who MUST demonstrate that they are at the top in their respective role.

When the current enforced lock-down restrictions have been removed, the HR industry in Scotland will want to party like they’ve never partied before, therefore Table sales for this year’s awards will be in extremely high demand as anticipated and organisations wishing to host a table of 10, are strongly advised to secure their table as soon as possible. There are also a number of sponsorship opportunities for this years’ Awards and for further details, contact the Awards Planning Team.

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AWARDS

Award categories and typical nomination summary: Learning & Development Award of the Year

HR Graduate of the Year Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

Typical Nominees: Nominations will either be on behalf of the whole organisation or can be Trainers/Training Managers. Nominees will be nominated by their HR Directors or Senior Manager who has responsibility for training/organisation development within the organisation.

Typical Nominees: Nominees will typically be early career graduates who graduated in a CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development) recognised HRM qualification, on or after the 1st September 2019.

Nominees in this category will be nominated by their lecturers or course tutors rather than their employers.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/ learning-and-development-award-of-the-year/

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/HR-Graduate-of-the-year/

HR Specialist of the Year

Corporate Responsibility Award of the Year

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by: Typical Nominees: Nominees in this category provide leadership and expert advice on discreet areas of HR. The types of role are likely to be middle to senior level HR practitioners that may be, for example, responsible for Equality and Diversity, Health and Safety, Wellbeing, Resourcing, Reward, HR Systems. Nominees will be nominated by their HR Directors or Senior Managers who has responsibility for HR within the organisation.

SOR AVAILABLE TO SPON

Typical Nominees: The nomination will normally be the whole organisation. The goal of Corporate Responsibility is to embrace responsibility for a company’s actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees and communities within which they operate or have an impact. The Corporate Responsibility Award recognises those organisations and their associated partners who have implemented a highly successful and impactful CR campaign to date. The award also recognises the effective communication surrounding the CR approach and what employee engagement benefits have been realised by the organisation through its CR policy. Judges will be looking for organisations to match the rhetoric with real world practice that makes a positive impact. The Judges would expect to see evidence of commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals or Scotland’s Fair Work agenda or as an accredited Living Wage Employer.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/HR-Specialist-of-the-year/

HR Project of the Year Sponsored by: SOR AVAILABLE TO SPON

Typical Nominees: Nominations in this category will either be on behalf of the whole organisation or be individuals or teams who have successfully delivered a significant people focused project with a sustained high level of excellence throughout the projects lifetime. Nominees will be nominated by the Chief Executive or Senior Manager responsible for commissioning the project.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/corporate-responsibilityaward-of-the-year/

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/hr-project-of-the-year/

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AWARDS

Attraction and Resourcing Award of the Year

Employee Engagement Award of the Year

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

SOR AVAILABLE TO SPON

Typical Nominees: Nominations will either be on behalf of the whole organisation or senior managers, in-house resourcing/recruitment specialists or teams responsible for key talent attraction and recruitment initiatives. Such individuals may be part of the HR/OD function or may be part of an in-house recruitment function. Nominees will be nominated by the Head of HR, Executive Director or CEO.

Typical Nominees: Nominations will either be on behalf of the whole organisation or can typically be senior managers/ specialists or teams responsible for the overall planning and implementation of key employee engagement and development initiatives and strategies. Such individuals may not necessarily be members of the HR/OD function Read more:

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/attraction-resourcing-awardof-the-year/

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/ employee-engagement-award-of-the-year/

HR Business Partner of the Year

HR Assistant/HR Officer of the Year

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

SOR AVAILABLE TO SPON

Typical Nominees: Nominees will be senior HR professionals within an organisation who work in partnership with the business to provide specialist strategic, support and influence that enable key clients to effectively deliver their people plans. Provide a service that delivers best practice and commercially focused HR solutions that support the business area in conjunction with specialist HR functions, bringing people management expertise to business decisions and strategies and secures and/or delivers HR interventions and programmes to achieve business needs. Nominees will be nominated by their HR Directors or Senior Managers who has responsibility for HR within the organisation.

Typical Nominees: Nominees will be entry-level HR practitioners whose role generally involves providing administrative support within the HR function. They may work in a general administration support function within HR or within a specific HR discipline such as recruitment, learning and development or reward, for example.

Nominees at this level may also include HR practitioners who provide advice and guidance to staff and managers within the organisation. Nominees will be nominated

by Head of HR or Manager responsible for HR within the organisation – Read more:

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/HR-business-partner-of-the-year/

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/hr-assistantofficer-of-the-year/

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AWARDS

Organisational Development Award of the Year

Health & Wellbeing Award of the Year

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by: SOR AVAILABLE TO SPON

Typical Nominees: Nominations will be for the whole organisation. This award will take in to consideration the positive culture and health and wellbeing practices being encouraged in the workplace by one of Scotland’s many positive organisations. The category acknowledge will reward organisations that can demonstrate their commitment to the health and wellbeing of their people through the application of a range of health and wellbeing programmes, which meet the needs of all staff.

Typical Nominees: Nominations may either be on behalf of the whole organisation or may be hired by organisations to undertake this specialist work such as Consultant/ Manager/Specialist etc. Nominees in this category can be senior HR leaders or client organisations with regular contact with the individual who have supported the implementation of a programme to improve the organisation’s effectiveness and viability through the introduction of a revised organisational culture allowing the organisation to adapt to new technologies, competition, regulation or other commercial demands.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/ new-health-and-wellbeing-of-the-year-award/

HR Team of the Year

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/organisational-developmentaward-of-the-year/

Sponsored by:

HR Manager/Advisor of the Year

Typical Nominees: Nominees in this category may be an established HR Team, or alternatively may have come together to form a team to complete a specific project. Nominees will be nominated by their HR Directors or senior Managers who has responsibility for HR within the organisation. Please note that when nominating in this category, a nomination in one of the other categories is also required – Read more:

Sponsored by:

Typical Nominees: Nominees in this category run or assist in running the people management functions that support the business. HR Manager/Advisor nominees must demonstrate leadership and direction to enable them to deliver a comprehensive HR service, be that through the HR Team or the Company as a whole. The role may be concerned with the provision of advice, guidance and support to managers in employee relations, discipline, grievance and absence management. Project management may also likely be a feature of the role and may include advice, support and guidance in organisational redesign, redundancy and restructuring programmes. Nominees will be nominated by their HR Directors or Senior Manager who has responsibility for HR within the organisation – Read more:

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/hr-team-of-the-year/

Diversity & Inclusion Award of the Year Sponsored by: Typical Nominees: Nominations will either be on behalf of the whole organisation or will typically be senior managers or specialists responsible for the overall planning and implementation of a key diversity & inclusion strategy.

Such individuals may not necessarily be members of the HR/OD function. Nominees will be nominated by the Chief Executive or Executive Director.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/hr-manageradvisor-of-the-year/

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/ diversity-and-inclusion-of-the-year/

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AWARDS

Outstanding Contribution to Scottish HR or Lifetime Achievement Award of the Year

Best Employer/Workplace of the Year Sponsored by: SOR AVAILABLE TO SPON

The Outstanding Contribution to Scottish HR or The Lifetime Achievement Award is Scottish HR’s most prestigious award specifically given by the Judges to an individual who has an established history of distinguished service to the HR profession either as a practitioner, academic or someone who has successfully transcended different areas of the HR profession.

Typical Nominees: Nominations will be for the whole organisation. This award will take in to consideration the positive culture and health and wellbeing practices being encouraged in the workplace by one of Scotland’s many positive organisations. Judges will be looking for empirical evidence such as external accreditations, for example, Living Wage, IIP, BITC, Healthy Working Lives and the like, but also by experiencing the culture and ‘feel’ of the organisation through a site visit.

The individual will have made a lasting contribution to HR practice and has demonstrated excellent leadership qualities and provided inspiration to others in the sector.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/best-workplace-of-the-year/

The Award may be presented to an individual in recognition of their contribution to a new innovation, new knowledge, or ways to improve professional practice.

Importantly, the contributions should be above and beyond the everyday and have had a long lasting impact in the HR sector.

Chief Executive of the Year Sponsored by:

Please note that nominations for this award are not requested, as the recipient of this award, will be determined by the Judging Panel.

Typical Nominees: Nominees will be Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director, General Manager or someone similar who has overall control of the business and to which the HR Director or Head of HR directly reports. Nominees will be nominated by the Chairman of the Board or an Executive Board Member.

Nominations To see the full criteria and to make your nomination, please log on to: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/events/awards – and select the Awards Nominations Form

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/chief-executive-of-the-year/

If you have any enquiries in relation to nominations, sponsorship or becoming a table host at the Gala Dinner at the Glasgow Hilton on Thursday 26th November 2020, please contact: Tel: 0131 625 3267 or email: awards@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

HR Director of the Year Sponsored by:

Typical Nominees: Nominees will be the most senior HR professional within the organisation operating at or near Board level. They will be responsible for design and execution of an integrated HR strategy or plan. Roles at this level may typically be entitled Head of HR of Head of Human Capital or similar. Nominees will be nominated by their Chief Executive or Chairman of the Board.

For further information visit: www.hrnetworkjobs.com/HR-Director-of-the-year/

29

THE BOOKSHOP

BETWEEN the LINES The Engagement Revolution: Using emotional intelligence to drive better business performance

Life is a Four-Letter Word: A Mental Health Survival Guide for Professionals

By Matt Stephens

By Andy Salkeld

With 61% of employees saying their most common feelings amidst the coronavirus pandemic are anxiety, stress or distraction, HR may well have their biggest challenge yet. COVID-19 has meant that many companies have rapidly shifted to remote working, leaving HR with its biggest challenge yet – how to manage and maintain employees’ mental and emotional health remotely through such uncertainty. This book makes it possible for employers to pulse check employees’ emotional wellbeing on a weekly basis to track, measure and help any that are feeling distress through these difficult days. Through a wellbeing framework, employers will be able to understand early warning alerts, spotting issues of emotional distress like isolation, fear, anxiety, workload and ultimately, loss of productivity wherever employees are based.

Bank of Me: Remote Working Edition

By Jane Sparrow, Chris Preston & Owen Cook

This practical book is all about the things that we need to do long-term to ensure that you, and the people you manage, are remaining healthy, happy and focused when not working in a traditional office environment.

It’s aimed at people who want to work virtually, who are always on the road, who need a more flexible life and routine that isn’t the traditional 9-5 approach. It’s also for people who manage others that need this type of work environment.

Do you ever feel you’re a fraud and about to be found out?

Do you feel an expectation to keep going and to be strong?

Do you ever think what it would be like to just…‘STOP’?

You’re not alone. Mental ill health impacts one in four people every year, and professionals in high-pressure jobs are especially vulnerable. Life is a Four-Letter Word is a mental health survival guide for professionals, from a high-flying Big 4 accountant who’s struggled with depression, anxiety, stress and suicidal thoughts and learned a lot along the way. Andy now advocates positive action around mental health, working closely with business leaders across the UK to help them build mentally healthy cultures. He is a renowned speaker and writer on mental health, entrepreneurship and finance.

Mrs Hinch: The Little Book of Lists

The Flatshare: The bestselling romantic comedy of 2020

By Mrs Hinch

By Beth O’Leary

Intimate and Welcome to your Little Book of Lists! A whole book filled with just lists! Notebook goals! My idea of absolute heaven! As readers know, nothing helps me feel more organised than putting pen to paper and getting everything that’s buzzing around my head down on to the page. Inside you’ll find loads of Hinch Lists and Fresh’n Up Fridays to help you plan your hinching, as well as Tadaa Lists which I love to look back on and feel proud of. Nothing feels better than ticking off those boxes and putting down my crystal pen at the end of a productive day.

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Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window...

XXXXX

31

FEATURE 3

HOMEWORKING:

THINK, RETHINK, REVITALISE.

By Dr. Robert Coles

I once read an article, ‘Virtual working: What a breeze’. Combine home with work, make your own schedule – it’s all about the individual choice. Are you feeling it?

32

FEATURE 3

33

FEATURE 3

H

ere in the real world of lockdown, we’re attempting to reconnect, deepen collaboration, reach the people that give us meaning, and the joy of ‘coffee and chat’!

Virtual? Great as a choice, we’re not so keen on it as the primary way of being.

How does a disregarded group get reintegrated?

How can non-core staff find value later? You know the people at work you nod to as you pass by? Well, you may not even do that anymore. But you’ll be on nodding terms with them again sooner or later.

Do you wonder what they think as they nod back?

For me, the biggest change facing us relates to our understanding of competence. What virtual working clearly demonstrates is the critical value of social connection, of sharing, listening and generating know-how. The dangerous myth of individual competence is going to be the biggest victim of the lockdown. And, not before time!

We are social animals. We speak, listen, observe and touch as we work. We hand things over, receive things and share things together. We lean over shoulders, huddle around desks, we touch, observe, listen, speak.

This is life. We are formed, identified by these routines.

Right now everything is shattered. Where do I stand?

Where do I sit? How does this stuff work? And, when it’s all over, where will I fit? Will I fit? Our people are stressed to the max, and many are fearful of where this all leads.

What is the ‘new normal’ anyway? How do we navigate to wherever this leads?

In our business within the field of executive education, we are talking to many organisations, across civil administration, public sector, professions and commerce.

There are variations in their blend of experiences, but there are similarities.

Many organisations see an in-group developing, those for whom this virtual phase is a dynamic opportunity.

Conversely, there are those for whom this is a kind of horror show.

The issue isn’t necessarily generational but in fact it is unlikely to be this, once we get past the clichés.

It is more likely to be an issue of whether what we do is relevant to the virtual work priorities. If your people are at the margins of what is now key to survival, then it is no wonder that they fear being peripheral to the future.

Equally, home working is an environmental issue.

If you’re lucky enough to live in a house with spare rooms or office space, fine. However, we’ve seen into each other’s houses recently.

Many are perched in kitchens. I’ve seen one person in a hallway, many in spare bedrooms, sat on the edge of their bed. Modern houses and apartments, the latter already the smallest on average in Western Europe, don’t have designed space for home working. In fact, many don’t have designed space for wardrobes! If we’re going to rethink work patterns, we need to build home environments capable of sustaining work.

Many organisations see an in-group developing, those for whom this virtual phase is a dynamic opportunity.

Conversely, there are those for whom this is a kind of horror show.

And then, of course, there is time. My average working day has increased by 50%. How’s yours? For the in-groups in our organisations this is going to be normal. For the peripheral or excluded functions, hours will reduce and time will drag. Leave aside the obvious ‘fixes’ and furlough’s, this is a future cohesion issue.

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FEATURE 3

We have the opportunity to think about work environments and how we encourage innovation, dialogue and generation. Many people in our organisations will have found new, inclusive and clever ways of working together. Let’s collate this and turn our organisations into a collage of collaboration and cohesion.

Ask your IT people to calculate how much time is being spent by your workforce in Zoom or Teams (other platforms are available). It will be massive and this time will be increasing. When we achieve, we do so with and through each other, combining, integrating, exploring.

We might measure by individual, but we perform socially, in groups, teams, communities, families.

The individual competent is dead. Long live generative teams! Perhaps, at long last, we will get into the 21st century in terms of performance management and development and abandon individual measurement.

It’s a 19th century anachronism, born out of deeply non-diverse and divisive attitudes to others by those

We can revitalise the meaning of what we do.

We have the opportunity to align purpose to human health, social sustainability and environmental respect.

And by respect I mean we should question every input in order to eliminate every single thing that is unnecessary in what we do.

We have the opportunity to create resilient organisations, generating leadership as its people work, enhancing and holding each other as we go through our day.

We have the opportunity to connect people and technology. Not in the fearful dystopia of humans falling uselessly by the kerbside as our shiny avatar strides by, having assumed our identity. But humans enhanced through tools designed to enhance our uniquely human advantages of imagination, collaboration, love, friendship, humour and respect. In this collective economic pause we have a unique opportunity to think, rethink and revitalise.

So, let’s do it.

Dr. Robe

in authority. Those of you who have heard me speak will know this is one of my themes. Let’s bin this nonsense and rethink.

We’ve taken a walk through the fractured landscape that is the world of work that our colleagues now occupy.

Perhaps we should now look forward to some of the opportunities that we could take advantage of.

Incredibly, we pay most of our key workers appallingly low salaries. We pay people who invent financial instruments to rip people off, a fortune. It is time to re-evaluate how and why we reward people.

It is time to put human social value at the heart of reward.

35

rt Coles

MYLINKEDIN

Ross Fleming

Senior Client Partner Current: LHH Education: University of the West of Scotland, UCL Connections: 500+ Location: Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire

Summary

Core Expertise

An analytical, business-savvy and performance global sales and marketing expert with 19 years + of sales, marketing, strategic account management, business development, customer management and team development. A proactive and passionate leader with the ability to build a pipeline of relevant opportunities, I have always delivered on sales targets while ensuring KPI’s are met. Throughout my career, I have been instrumental in creating a competitive edge, generating diverse revenue streams, establishing strong partnerships that has resulted in maximising organisational profits. I am referred to as a motivating coach who invests in building lasting organisational and people capability; widely recognised for a proven record of transforming cultures.

With a track record of establishing business process and procedures from scratch and leading large Global groups across continents, I have continually developed talent and created the right environment that brings the best out of all.

Business Development, Account Management, Client Relationship Management, Pipeline Management, CRM, Forecasting, Consultative Sales, Team Development, Stakeholder Management.

Experience: LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison) Senior Client Partner January 2020 – present Monster Sales Manager/Head of Sales April 2007 – January 2020 British Gas Sales May 2001 – March 2007

Education: University of the West of Scotland HNC, Gas Engineer 2018

Competency Highlights • Develop plans and strategies for developing business and achieving company sales goals • Utilise market and customer insights to formulate innovative sales plans • Manage customer expectations and contribute to a high level of customer satisfaction • Provide detailed and accurate sales forecasting • Proactive in instigating, building and maintaining relationships with key stake holders at a senior level

Recommendations: “I supported Ross during his recent career transition.

He was a pleasure to work with; personable yet driven and focused on securing his next role.

This plus his organised approach to the process ensured that he was able to land the ideal role for him. I wish him luck in his new position and I am sure he will be a great success.”

Sarah Pumfrey

• Inspire the Sales teams to achieve and exceed business KPI’s, create a high-performance climate in which the Sales teams and focused on results, motivated to deliver, and empowered to demonstrate their entrepreneurial and innovative flair

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RECOGNISE

ACKNOWLEDGE

REWARD

SAVE THE DATE! NATIONAL AWARDS 2020 in partnership with

Gala Dinner, Glasgow Hilton, Thursday 26th November 2020 For further details contact the Awards Planning Team on Tel: 0131 625 3267 or email: awards@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk www.hrnetworkjobs.com 37

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

wear WHAT TO

38

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

wear WHAT NOT TO

THAT’S THE QUESTION!

By Neil Archibald

I

t can be a touchy subject. What suits one organisation will not do for another when it comes to what staff can and can’t wear to work.

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EDITOR-AT-LARGE

T

he US TV programme ‘Suits’ had the beautiful people turned out in their best bib and tucker with not a crease to be seen. Maybe the fact that this formal, workwear culture not being synonymous with the majority of modern workplaces affected Meghan Markle, one of the show’s former stars.

After eschewing her acting career, it’s now a well-documented fact she has gone on to reject more formality by embracing a much less formal life with Harry and Archie!

So, formality aside, what of the casual, dress-down ethos that seems to pervade most workplaces?

Is it a widespread phenomenon, a flash in the pan or a concept of the workplace which is here to stay?

Are there any legal pitfalls?

Brodies is a progressive, 3-office, 700+ employee strong Scottish law firm. The partners and HR have worked hard to bring about cultural change to the firm in order “to recognise and celebrate our firm’s heritage but not be shackled by tradition” and “to encourage colleagues to work in a more agile way, to recognise their authenticity and to encourage them to bring themselves to work.”

The words of Tony Hadden, Head of Employment and Immigration at the firm, who reports that a strand of this work has been the recent introduction of a new dresscode practice called ‘dress for your day’.

He said: “We realised that various parts of the business were doing different things in relation to what was expected of our colleagues in terms of work attire so this initiative was designed, in part, to provide clarity on the subject.”

The firm’s employee forum had already tabled a request to relax the dress code which coincided with various cultured-focused initiatives across the business so the issue was already high up on the agenda. The firm’s management team ensured collaboration was the order

40

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

of the day from the very beginning while recognising some people may not want to move to a casual dress code.

When it comes to Hadden providing advice and guidance to clients on the legal angles to having a workplace dress-code, he advises caution: “Adopting a common sense approach to such an issue is paramount with a particular focus on ensuring no aspects of the practice can be interpreted as discriminatory.”

Another tactic to develop and underpin these changes was ensuring consistency of message so that one office didn’t interpret the policy differently from another.

So, for example, if there is a requirement to attend court, colleagues are expected to wear formal business dress to reflect the environment they’re operating in.

This aspect is often a reason workplace dress-codes fail at the first hurdle. This can happen when statements made are seen as being unfair to one particular group such as saying men must be smartly dressed but with no reference to the female workforce. Conversely, mentioning that women must wear make-up, high heels or dictating what length a skirt must be could be viewed as discriminatory.

In Hadden’s case he has encouraged his team to reflect the dress code of their clients for some time now. He added: “I have never had a negative comment from a client about not wearing a tie. My team and I interface mainly with HR professionals who have, for a long time, adopted a business casual approach so it seemed fitting that we, as their legal advisers, reflect this and do likewise.”

Given these potential issues, as part of his team’s advice, Hadden advocates against any policy or practice being too prescriptive and suggests: “The secret to ensuring the success of a workplace dress-code and associated policy is having a clear understanding of what it is trying to achieve and writing the text around that.”

This though can depend on a multitude of factors.

The industry an organisation works in, whether a certain kind of image is trying to be projected, whether uniforms are mandatory or not as well as taking account of whether staff’s religious beliefs affect what they can wear to work.

All of these must factor into the thinking and planning of workwear practices and policies. In such instances, advises Hadden: “It is important to be aware of the subtleties of policy wording so no-one can take offence or more seriously instigate legal action.”

“The secret to ensuring the success of a workplace dress-code and associated policy is having a clear understanding of what it is trying to achieve and writing the text around that.”

Other issues to be cognisant of are the implications of implementing elements of a code that go further than saying what workers can and can’t wear. This could, for example, refer to staff not being allowed to display tattoos. This may exclude an important demographic of the population to be recruited from such as younger people not being keen to work in, for example, a call centre that insists on such rules.

In such instances, suggests Hadden: “It is important to take account of the fact that dress-codes should be representative of the society we are working in”.

Involving workers and, if necessary, unions in such decisions is important to ensure the success or otherwise of such projects. The questions are endless in terms of introducing a dress-code policy. However, turning to the likes of ACAS for guidance might leave organisations with an even bigger headache when faced with such guidelines as ‘dress-code standards should be equivalent to all, should be non-discriminatory but equivalent for men and women”. Undress that if you will to make sense of it!

An accompanying policy has been developed to provide guidance on the subject but everyone is expected to ‘dress for their day taking account of individual circumstances.’ This has been supported by colleagues appearing in videos to help understand what is acceptable or not to wear to work such as no football tops or flip-flops.

Hadden comments: “The new policy is permissive rather than prescriptive” which he feels is why the change has been universally embraced by colleagues.

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INSIGHT EXTRA: CRISIS MANAGEMENT

CRISIS MANAGEMENT: Supporting HR Leaders

By Lucy Adams

A

s an HRD of some fairly big organisations, I would have said I was well use to leading HR through crises, whether it was the fall out of the global recession or something a bit more isolated such as the Savile crisis whilst at the BBC. But clearly nothing has prepared HR for what we’re going through now.

Now, more than ever, HR can help leaders more by NOT providing detailed prescribed rules and instead treating them as adults who are more than capable of using their judgement wisely and effectively.

Moreover, we are currently witnessing how people at all levels of the organisation are capable of amazing things when freed from traditional constraints; their creativity, their energy, the things they can achieve with very little, how they can adapt to change really fast.

We can support our leaders by helping them recognise that the way to get through this crisis is not necessarily through traditional command and control approaches.

They can’t possibly have all the answers right now and need to trust their people to do the right thing, to know more about what might be needed on the ground and to have the ideas to help the business get through its darkest period.

Many of you are under huge strain as you attempt to support your organisation and lead through the current crisis. The HR people in my network are up to their necks in furloughing staff, coping with the challenges of remote working or handling the personal crises of their leaders and employees – all whilst worrying about the looming cloud of recession and balancing their own personal needs of parents, children and friends.

In a great recent article by McKinsey, a number of leaders talked about what had worked for them during previous crises and one thing that all agreed on was the need for leaders to empower and trust – often at the very moment when our inclination is hold on tight and impose even greater control. For example, Manley Hopkinson, who served as an officer in the Royal Navy during the first Gulf War says, ‘It is vital that a leader resists centralising control. The temptation in a time of crisis is for leaders to put themselves at the centre of all activity… even though precisely the opposite is needed.’

It can be tricky to transfer the tactics we deployed in previous difficult periods when there are so many aspects to this that are different or further reaching but there are some that we can re-use and adapt.

Throughout, HR is going to be asked to provide absolute certainty and clarity – to provide rules and process – and of course, in some instances this can be useful. But during a crisis it is more important than ever to avoid the temptation to position HR as the panacea to all leaders’ dilemmas.

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INSIGHT EXTRA: CRISIS MANAGEMENT

In a similar vein, Hugo Bague, who headed up organisational resources at Rio Tinto during the Ebola crisis said ‘Not every decision should be made by the central office headquarters.

Local teams are often the best positioned to judge the situation on the ground and their decisions should not be second-guessed. We said, “You are the best to make that assessment (to leave Guinea or stay), because we can’t judge the health risk on the ground for you.”’

We’re seeing smart leaders using this empowering, adult to adult approach right now, for example CEO Dan Price of tech company Gravity is choosing to meet virtually with 10 employees at a time across the whole company to get their views on how they can get through losing half their revenue overnight without layoffs rather than consulting just with his senior team and communicating their decision.

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INSIGHT EXTRA: CRISIS MANAGEMENT

The last few years has seen a gradual and welcome dismantling of our bulky HR processes in favour of more human approaches. For example, many of us have dropped our annual appraisals in favour of frequent check-ins and heavy, formal training programmes have been replaced with self-managed, bite-sized, nudge-based learning.

Moreover, we are currently witnessing how people at all levels of the organisation are capable of amazing things when freed from traditional constraints; their creativity, their energy, the things they can achieve with very little, how they can adapt to change really fast.

This trend from process to human, is set to be accelerated through the crisis. If we have learned anything through this desperate period is that what matters most is human connections. And many of our leaders, instead of lamenting the loss of HR processes, have readily adopted a more human approach with their people.

They are asking about their families (and genuinely want to know the answer!), they’re being more informal as they webcam from their lounge and try to stop the cat from walking past the screen, they’re showing greater vulnerability and humility as they admit they can’t predict what’s going to happen. And their team enjoy this new side of their boss. Their humanity goes down well.

HR’s crisis management support for leaders needs a blend of clear guidance, used sparingly when it’s helpful, and an encouragement for local leaders and employees to trust their instincts and their judgement, rather than looking to their HR business partner for a set of rules on how to deal with this situation.

This is a time when great leaders are setting a broad direction, asking the right questions and trusting their people to deliver, rather than micro-managing tasks or implementing pre-defined rules. This is a time when great HR supports leaders to frame that direction, gives them examples of the questions they might ask and gives them the confidence to take a step back.

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INSIGHT EXTRA: CRISIS MANAGEMENT

They are showing compassion, demonstrating empathy, doing the right thing without waiting to be told, keeping it simple and showing a pragmatic optimism and, all the while, are building trust with their people.

rather than as part of the inevitable ‘lessons learned’ wash up when it’s all over. HR can help them to reflect on what they have learned about their individual team members – who surprised them, what new talents have they uncovered, etc?

We can support our leaders by giving them practical tools to help with the new informal style of conversations we’d like them to adopt. Whilst some leaders will not have any difficulty with them, we can replace our processes that we forced them to follow, with hints and tips, to help the ones that struggle a bit more.

And we can help them understand more about themselves – how they respond to stress, how have they grown as a result of the crisis and what has worked better than they thought?

When we take stock after the crisis it will be those leaders who showed their human side who we need to thank and celebrate, not the ones who complied with HR process and got their forms in on time.

We have a Box of Conversations and a Box of Meetings that help, by providing prompts and conversation or meeting starters that might be useful – or you can devise your own. Now is a good time to acknowledge that we need to show them what ‘good looks like’ without the formal training programmes or lengthy manuals.

HR can play a huge role to help give leaders the confidence to show this human side and to see it not as a weakness, but a key leadership strength.

We can support our leaders by encouraging them to reflect on their learning’s from this crisis in real time

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EVENT PLANNER

Welcome to our Events Planner Page. Due to COVID-19, most of the events we have featured previously in 2020 are now postponed or cancelled. However, Hr NETWORK is pleased to announce that in line with government advice and guidance, we have been able to move the dates of our Hr NETWORK forthcoming events.

Forthcoming events: Hr NETWORK Leaders Dinner 2020 Hr NETWORK will once again host the annual Leaders Dinner in Edinburgh at the Grosvenor Hotel on Wednesday 26th August 2020.

Details regarding the after dinner speaker will be announced in due course however if you would like to attend the Leaders Dinner, please contact the Conference Planning Team – details below.

If you would like details about sponsoring the Leaders Dinner or hosting a Table of 10, please contact the contact the Conference Planning Team on Tel: 0131 625 3267 or email: subscriptions@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Hr NETWORK Conference & Exhibition 2020 Hr NETWORK will once again host the annual The Hr NETWORK ‘Strategic Workforce Planning Conference & Exhibition 2020 will now take place at the Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh’s West End on Thursday 27th August 2020.

Details relating to the speaker programme including the keynote speakers will be announced soon!

If you would like further information on exhibiting or sponsoring at the Conference, please contact the Conference Planning Team on Tel: 0131 625 3267 or Email: subscriptions@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Hr NETWORK Awards Gala Dinner 2020 The Hr NETWORK National Awards & Gala Dinner 2020 in partnership with Roffey Park Institute will take place once again at the hugely impressive Hilton Glasgow on Thursday 26th November 2020.

If you would like further information on sponsorship or hosting a table of 10 at the 14th Gala Dinner, please contact the Awards Planning Team on Tel: 0131 625 3267 or email: awards@hrnetworrkscotland.co.uk

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THURSDAY 14TH MAY 2020

ENGAGE, CONNECT AND PREPARE YOUR PEOPLE FOR THE NEW WORLD OF WORK In unpredictable, complex and evolving markets, your workforce is key. Whether it’s upskilling your people to align with new objectives, supporting individuals through organisational transformation or developing a new leadership pipeline that’s prepared for anything, our talent strategies are here to help.

BUSINESS AND TALENT ALIGNED www.rightmanagement.co.uk © 2020 ManpowerGroup. All rights reserved.