Dear Ted Series 90 to 99

Dear Ted 90: Any ideas about how to keep close to my team of 110 people during Lockdown 2?

For businesses closing their offices again, it's tough to keep close to everyone, to keep team spirit and motivation.

Large scale Town Hall video conference meetings don't work for many, they sit and listen, mostly, but don't interact.

An idea that has worked in some places is to break bigger groups down, so how about holding smaller Zoom meetings with 8 to 10 people in them? Maybe offer them on a first come first served basis, so that people select times that suit their personal needs and that creates a spread of people from different teams at each one.

Start by giving them a personal update, the things that you are working on, your vision for the future, and then turn to them for either comments or questions. Make sure you have at least one person in each group that can start this up. Maybe ask them what would be a good idea for the team to do at Christmas to replace the usual meals and parties?

Too few and people might feel intimidated, over 10 and it becomes less valuable and people can hide too easily.

Once done, email everyone to thank them for their thoughts and ideas, and later let them know if you make changes as a consequence, so they feel it was worthwhile.

Dear Ted 91: I’m an imposter, get me out of here!

When I was elected as Student Union President, when I landed my first job as a trainee in HR, when I became an HRD for the first time, when I sat at my first MRC Council meeting alongside people called Dame, Sir and Lord, and most recently when I was introduced as a published author ….. each time I have had self-doubt, wondered what on earth I was doing in that role and suffered from imposter syndrome.

These days I meet it all the time with the people I mentor. I give the examples above and go back to the appointments to understand: I was elected by a majority of students, I was selected as a trainee following an intensive day of tasks and interviews, I was promoted because I had proven myself, I was at the Council meeting because I had specific skills in engagement, organisation design and culture.

Always remember, that people chose you to take on the role that you are in. They believe in you and want you to succeed. Stick it out, eat the grubs and defeat the syndrome!

Dear Ted 92: Should I take a drop in salary for a bigger job?

This was one of my longest mentoring chats for a long time, there are so many issues to consider!

Job Security – leaving a secure role with full employment rights in the middle of a recession has potential downsides

Development – little to learn from keep on doing the old job, lots to learn in the new role

CV – will show upward progression, more responsibility, continuing growth

Happiness – you spend 8 or more hours a day at work, why not enjoy it, will this be more enjoyable?

Finances – what will have to be dropped to afford the reduced pay?       

Location – less relevant with home working, but reducing a commute can be liberating!

Team – a feeling of loyalty to the team and not want to let them down by leaving, but would the company really be that loyal to you in return?

She (I’m not giving too much away here, since 43 of the 53 people I currently mentor are female!) has gone back to see if they will match her salary now, but freeze her pay at the first review, she wants the role, but wants them to really want her ??

‘Human Resources A to Z, a Practical Field Guide for People Managers’ is available in bookshops and getting some lovely reviews

Dear Ted 93: How can I avoid a Tribunal (ET1 received)?

When an employee or a candidate feels that they have been unfairly treated, paid, dismissed or discriminated against they can make a claim to an Employment Tribunal. The employer has the opportunity to respond and then the case is heard in front of a panel, who decide in favour of one party or the other, and either dismiss the claim or make an award. Of course, it is not that simple, enjoy reading the details of eligibility, timeframes, etc!

Often the whole process can be curtailed by the use of mediation, conciliation or arbitration. Each is different, but in essence an independent person plays the role of broker between the two parties and helps them see each other’s perspective, finds a compromise and avoids all the heartache of the tribunal being held in public, with all the dirty linen on full display (and these days after waiting many months due to backlogs in the courts).

ACAS has a strong online presence, as does the Citizens Advice Bureaux. A great alternative is to speak directly to a mediator, such as @PeteColby . They can give you an indication about their charges, but they will always work out a lot less than the cost of solicitors and barristers if it goes to tribunal!

Dear Ted 94: I want to introduce Mental Health First Aiders at work

I’ve introduced MHFAs at Medical Research Council Wellcome Trust and some smaller companies. #MFHAs are volunteers who are trained by organisations such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England to be a first point of contact for anyone who has an issue.

Sometimes just being there as a listener is all that’s required, other times the role is to encourage the person to go to their GP or seek specialist help. Confidentiality is a given and the best are often not working in #humanresources to avoid any conflict of interest.

The simple act of setting up a network helps all employees know that you are taking mental health seriously. It can also help reduce the amount of lost time, and increase productivity as a consequence, all for a relatively low outlay (the training costs).

The network will give each other support, and most volunteers either have a close friend or family member who has #mhealth issues, so their empathy comes naturally.

For more information see the link to my book in comments, which features a whole chapter by guest author Natasha Gordon MHRM CIPD 7

Dear Ted 95: Help, I need to write an HR Strategy for my new company!

I recently mentored a newly appointed HRM who had found an HR Strategy on the web, copied it word for word and her Exec team had approved it. I do wonder if anyone ever actually reads them?

Best approach that I have found is to talk to representative groups of employees and managers. Ask them what a great workplace would look like, then ask them to describe the current state. You now have a gap and can ask their proposals to bridge the gap, and vote on which are the most important. 

Now use this to build a People Plan for the next few years, and socialise it with your Exec before getting them to approve it, and to approve some changes (asking for a budget always engages them!) that you propose to make. 

Once published keep it alive: change it as needed (eg to reflect Brexit, trends, IR35 etc) and keep referring to it.

I give some other examples in my book ‘Human Resources A to Z, a Practical Field Guide for People Managers’, available at all bookshops!

Dear Ted 96: Should psychometric tests be used to select candidates for interview?

I would advise against rejecting a candidate purely on the grounds of their psychometric test. There are concerns that that some tests can be biased in favour of white males, since the origin of so many of them is that their norms were first set against white male army officer recruits in the US! 

Instead, I would suggest interviewing all four of your shortlisted candidates and use the test data to drive some of the questions that you want to ask: e.g. "your psychometric test data suggests xxxxxx, how do you feel about that/how would you respond to that suggestion/perception?".

After the interview you then need to provide feedback and resolve any issues thrown up by the tests, especially for those candidates you are now rejecting, it is your responsibility.

Where I have found psychometric tests to be most useful is in personal development. They can unlock ideas and show potential new routes forwards or help unlock issues. But again, never on their own, always with someone trained in their interpretation.

Dear Ted 97: Two offers, which to choose?

It’s a great dilemma to be in, many would love to be in your place right now! But the good news is that more vacancies are starting to emerge as businesses factor in the positive effects of the vaccination programme and begin to plan for success.

You have two contracts to choose between. One is for a lot more money, but in a sector that you’re not keen on, and you have a hunch based on your interview that they are quite backward in their style, culture and thinking. At the other company you know and like your line manager, you know that you’ll enjoy the challenge, but the pay is low and the role title isn’t ideal (albeit the HR world has real issues with titles, one company’s HR Manager is another’s Director is another’s Head of HR).

I’m not good at non directional advice: I’d suggest that you go with your instinct, but see if you can use the better offer to convince the other place to change the role title and offer you more base pay. They won’t want to lose you after all the interviews so it is worth a try, and it shows that you are capable of negotiating!

Dear Ted 98: Can my employer impose 3 months notice on me?

A change of terms and conditions like this needs to be approved by both sides. This legislation was introduced to stop employers randomly changing or reducing pay, holidays and other benefits, especially after a transfer of ownership (TUPE).

Some employers ask an employee promoted to accept new conditions, but this is a part of the promotion package, which includes other benefits, such as a pay rise.

In your case there is no benefit, so you can politely decline. Explain that you enjoy the freedom that a months’ notice gives you, but that you have no immediate intention of leaving. You could ask if they will increase their notice to you in return for your acceptance, which would give you added security.

I've said to managers in the past that it is futile trying to enforce a change like this. Do they really want them there for three months, demotivated and upsetting others? Chances are they will want them to leave earlier than that.

When the manager argues that they will need three months to recruit and train a replacement, I ask them what happens if that person is sick or goes on maternity leave, or why they have got themselves into the position where only one person knows how to operate or work a system?!

Dear Ted 99: What is HR Ninjas?

It's an amazing space where HR people chat about ideas and thoughts, raise concerns and issues, and share best practice. It’s a Facebook group, which meant that I initially held back, not wanting to mix business and pleasure … but once I realised that it didn’t mean that everyone could access all my photos, I happily joined in!

It was created by Liz Henson, HR Ninjas and it has really taken off during the pandemic with more than 10k members supporting each other. Many Ninjas are standalone HR people who want to sanity-check their ideas, others are part of bigger companies.

There is a spotlight on HR jobs on a Wednesday and free coaching/mentoring for people looking for a new role. It’s moderated to remove any adverts for agencies, software etc (something other groups have failed to do) and is a joy to be a part of as I try to give something back.

Dear Ted is a series of posts in LinkedIn that feature questions asked of me by my mentees, or others who ask me for advice. Please add your comments below, especially where you have an alternative answer or an additional tip :-)

The original series of 'Dear Ted' formed the basis for 'Human Resources A to Z; a Practical Field Guide for People Managers' (all proceeds now going to Macmillan Cancer Support)

More information can be found at www.ukhr.com