Insights

The MAGIC FORMULA for a great place to work

What makes somewhere a great place to work? Often, when you ask people about what they look for in an employer, the initial focus is on the benefits and perks that make a workplace more flexible, convenient or fun – but this is only part of the picture. Here, Chris Webb, HR Director, Domino Printing Sciences explains why the foundations of any great workplace lie within a company’s culture, and outlines what he believes to be the magic formula for making somewhere a great place to work.

A substantial salary, generous employee benefits scheme, subsidised gym membership, and free onsite canteen might be enough to convince someone to join a company – but is it enough to get someone to stay? It’s important to make sure that employees are well looked after and rewarded for their service; this is something that all companies should be able to achieve. But to create a great workplace – the kind of place that attracts, retains, and inspires the very best talent – requires more than just the fulfilment of basic, intrinsic human needs.

The purpose of a purpose

Developing a coherent purpose helps to motivate and inspire employees, and, as such, is an essential part of any successful organisation. As human beings, we are inherently social, and so having a unifying belief that aligns us with our colleagues, and with a business as a whole, is crucial to feeling valued. One of the biggest pitfalls in drafting a company purpose retrospectively is creating something, which isn’t true to the business. A purpose needs to be honest and believable to be effective.

Living by company values

Company values are the principles that drive a business – those underlying philosophies that support the purpose by emphasising what a business and its employees stand for. Values also provide insight into what each member of an organisation can expect from their colleagues and the business as a whole. When developed carefully, and truthfully, company values should act as a mirror for individuals, to assess how their actions echo those of the company that they work for. In this way, company values should resonate individually with each member of an organisation, providing an opportunity for self-reflection and learning. A culture of collaboration ensures that everyone has an opportunity to express their ideas and to help improve the business. Collaboration helps to broaden perspectives and challenge conventional wisdom so that we can reach better outcomes, together. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is in the value of listening to the thoughts, ideas, and concerns of our colleagues and customers. This focus on building employees’ expertise represents an opportunity for everyone, as we embark on a journey of learning and development and invest in the experts of the future. Employees need to be free to challenge the normal way of doing things, to share ideas, put forward suggestions, and not be afraid of making mistakes. We recognise the value to be found within a fresh perspective. An open mindset culture and setting challenging goals for continuous improvement allow us to keep evolving our business for growth.

The magic formula

An honest purpose and a set of clear values together provide a shared framework and mindset for employees, a magic formula which, when done right, positively impact the employee experience and provide the building blocks of a truly great workplace. Of course, competitive salaries and a generous employee benefits scheme are important – but they are just one small part of what makes a company a great a place to work. A much bigger part of this is having something that everyone shares, everyone can believe in, and everyone can all work together to achieve.

Spotting RED FLAGS

in your colleagues

The coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions to stop its spread have impacted almost every aspect of our lives, in a way that we would have never imagined back in early 2020. Here, Kelly Feehan, Services Director at CABA provides some tips on how we you can spot the signs of poor mental health within our colleagues.

For many of us, working from home has become the new normal, and whilst we have come to terms with the initial teething problems of these makeshift offices, there are now bigger issues facing our teams. Now more than ever, it’s easier for those who are suffering with poor mental health to go un-noticed. If you notice that a colleague is often tired, or complaining of lack of energy, this could be a sign that they are struggling with their mental health. Lack of sleep or exhaustion are classic signs of burnout and shouldn’t be ignored, but as many of us are still working from home, this sign might be more difficult to spot. Be sure to check in regularly with your colleagues and take time out to ask how they are feeling. Another indicator is if a colleague is appearing overwhelmed by their workload. Often, if people have these feelings, they are likely to look stressed or concerned as they’re being given actions or tasks. If you feel as though you’ve noticed this in anyone, check in and see if you can give them a hand or help them manage their to-do list and support them in identifying their key priorities. Covid-19 has made it harder than ever to spot changes in our colleagues, especially if they are withdrawing from conversation and the workplace culture. This used to be easy to notice; for example, they might eat their lunch alone, not engage with those around them or choose to go on solo walks in their lunch break. Likewise, it used to be obvious if someone was having a bad day, but it can be harder to spot that virtually. If you spot a colleague lacking concentration, failing to focus on simple tasks or even struggling with memory, these could be signs that they are struggling with poor mental health. Other signs might include difficulty in problem solving, and increased frustration. All of these feelings can lead to people believing they need to double down, and work harder than ever. If you feel as though this is the case for a colleague, check the standard of their work. If you feel as though a colleague is experiencing any of the above, it’s really important that you engage with them, and ensure they’re aware of the help that’s available. If you feel uncomfortable doing so, or as though you aren’t the right person for this conversation, share it with a line manager, who should be able to assist them and provide further support. When a team member’s mental health is flagged as a concern it is the role of a manager to have the courage to start a conversation. Try an exploratory approach that invites the team member to open up. Questions like ‘How have you been feeling?’ and ‘Are you OK, I’ve noticed you don’t seem yourself?’ are more effective than simply telling a team member that you’d like them to tell you what’s wrong. The most important thing though, is to ensure that your colleagues feel as though they have a safe environment where they can share these feelings.

SUPPORTING people living with DEMENTIA

The pandemic has been devastating for people living with dementia. Social isolation during lockdown has increased the progression of dementia far more quickly with countless stories of people feeling their loved ones’ condition has deteriorated significantly during the past year. Here, Caroline Miller, Stakeholder Engagement Lead at Alzheimer Scotland offers an insight into what support is available for people in the workplace coping with their own symptoms or caring for a loved one with dementia.

Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland’s leading dementia charity. We offer a wide range of vital support services, information and emotional care to people living with dementia, their families and carers across Scotland. Our aim is to ensure that nobody faces dementia alone. We achieve this through a portfolio of person-centred support services, including our 24-hour Freephone Dementia Helpline, a network of local Dementia Resource Centres, specialist Dementia Advisors and Link Workers, dementia research programmes and NHS Dementia Nurse Consultants. People living with dementia often experience discrimination, isolation and stigma. Alzheimer Scotland works to confront and eliminate these negative associations, to ensure people with dementia remain active, respected and valued members of their communities. To that end, our policy and campaigning work aims to make our voice heard, fight for the rights of those living with dementia and influence positive, lasting change. We have also seen a 30% increase in calls to our Helpline and calls taking around 30% longer due to the stress and distress people are in. Our focus over the past year has rightly been on re-directing our services to offer personal support where we can through online groups to deliver some of our therapeutic exercises to help people stay connected. As we move out of the crisis we will be re-focusing on dementia in the wider community and this includes business. Dementia does not discriminate and it is present in all walks of life. It doesn’t affect just older people – and therefore it is helpful for business leaders and colleagues to have an understanding of the condition. With many of us working from home, wellbeing at work is even more important. Over 90,000 people in Scotland are currently living with a dementia diagnosis. There may well be a colleague whose life is being impacted by dementia. They could be trying to balance caring responsibilities for someone with dementia with their work or worried about someone they love. Perhaps they are concerned about their own cognitive function. From a business perspective, understanding the needs of people living with dementia can help you to make your business as welcoming as possible. Research shows that 83% of people surveyed with dementia, had changed their shopping habits to somewhere more accessible.* Alzheimer Scotland works with organisations to help them make simple changes that will make the business accessible for people with dementia. We can also help organisations develop their own knowledge of the condition and offer advice on supporting colleagues with dementia or people with caring responsibilities. A great starting point for this work is our Dementia Friends programme. Dementia Friends is a social action movement to increase knowledge of dementia and decrease the stigma around the disease. We offer interactive workshops to businesses where your colleagues can gain an understanding of how to interact with people with dementia. For more information, please visit: https://www.alzscot. org/ or https://www.alzscot.org/our-work/dementiafriendly-communities/dementia-friends-scotland

RACISM AT WORK: Be an active bystander

For many, the conversation around racism that arose following the death of George Floyd last year has faded away. But it’s no longer enough to be ‘not racist’. Here, Nic Hammarling, Head of Diversity at business psychology firm Pearn Kandola, is all about challenging racist behaviour in the workplace and discusses why it’s important to challenge racist behaviour, the power of social norms, and how to be an active bystander.

It’s more important than ever that we challenge racist behaviour when we see it, and that applies to workplaces too. Over half of Brits have observed racism at work but sadly most of them do nothing about it. When was the last time you heard someone say or do something racist at work? Perhaps it was a derogatory comment made based on a racial stereotype, or something as subtle as watching a colleague be ignored or talked over. Did you think it was acceptable? Did you challenge that inappropriate behaviour? Did you even identify it as racism?

In a study carried out by my fellow psychologists at Pearn Kandola, it was found that over half (52%) of Brits have observed racist behaviour at work. Although we’ve recently seen an increase in reported levels of inappropriate behaviours, sadly, most people who do witness racist behaviour do nothing about it. All of us who witness inappropriate behaviour are bystanders. But it’s your choice as to whether you’re a passive bystander or an active bystander. A passive bystander is someone who witnesses a behaviour but does nothing about it. An active bystander is someone who chooses to act when they witness a behaviour, challenging it in an attempt to prevent it from happening again. So, to those of you who claim not to be racist or claim to be actively anti-racist, I ask: Are you an active bystander? When do we need to challenge inappropriate behaviour?

The answer to this question is simple: always. Inappropriate racist behaviour happens often, and whether you’re in a work setting, public setting, or personal setting, it needs to be challenged. The most obvious examples that might spring to mind are more overt acts of racism. For example, making jokes about someone’s nationality or using racial stereotypes. But racism can also manifest itself in more subtle ways that are less blatantly inappropriate, but still have a corrosive impact. In these situations, the behaviour is likely to go unchallenged.

Saying that an organisation is meritocratic when there is diversity at one level but not another, for example, is an act of racism itself. This is because it suggests that the issue of a lack of diversity isn’t an issue caused by the organisation, but that the issue instead sits with the diverse group of individuals. So, now, think back again to the last time you saw or heard someone say or do something racist at work. How would you now go about challenging that behaviour? Make sure that you are comfortable and confident in challenging behaviour, perhaps practicing what you might say if you find yourself in that very situation again. Being an active bystander takes conscious effort, and it may feel unnatural at first. But, with a little conscious effort, we can all start to help mould more positive social norms.