News
How employers can reduce workplace procrastination
It’s ‘National Procrastination Week’ so there is no better time to examine the effect’s procrastination can have on your organisation - and how to best manage it. A recent study discovered workers are spending more than two hours per day procrastinating. Statistically it found employees are only working 73 percent of the hours that they are employed to do. And the study found chronic procrastinators make up approximately 20 percent of the workforce. HR Team Director, Martina McAuley, says: “Procrastination can negatively affect the productivity of an organisation and reduce employee morale if it is not managed effectively.” Potential reasons [...]
Employee Appreciation Day – The benefits of appreciating your employees
The first Friday in March is officially ‘Employee Appreciation Day’. This has been devised as an opportunity for business owners to show their appreciation for their employees. Unemployment in Ireland is at its lowest level since 2007 with turnover increasing to 11% in 2019. As the Labour Market is currently the tightest it has been in many years, Irish employers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain talent. HR Team Director, Martina McAuley, says: “Expressing employee appreciation can increase engagement, improve job satisfaction, workplace happiness, and employee morale - all of which are desirable for any business. “In [...]
Should you ban workplace relationships?
To mark Valentine’s Day, we take a look at the taboo topic of workplace relationships and how employers navigate the legalities of imposing restrictions on them. A recent survey revealed an incredible 58% of employees have engaged in a romantic relationship with a colleague. This should be a wake-up call for employers to manage workplace attraction and ensure an acceptable policy is in place. “A policy on workplace relationships which is clearly communicated to staff could save an employer a lot of stress and financial risk in the long run” says HR Team Director, Breda Cullen. Almost half (41%) of [...]
How employers can avoid summer holiday headache
Summer has arrived and with it comes the balancing act for employers of addressing a mountain of employee requests for annual leave. In a perfect world everyone could be granted annual leave to soak up the only few days of summer sunshine we’re likely to get. However, in most cases those summer periods when the kids are off school and sun has got its hat on, it’s business as usual for employers. That means that unless there is a mid-summer forced closure period of the organisation, there’s no way that every staff member can take annual leave at [...]
Jose Mourinho’s seasonus horribilis management style to be avoided
It may make for riveting viewing but when it comes to managing poor staff performance employers should steer clear of the soap opera style of leadership employed by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. The fiery Portuguese’s most recent public lambasting of Chelsea’s under performing playing staff ticks all the wrong boxes when it comes to good performance management. I’m not for one minute suggesting that the ‘Special One’ isn’t a great football manager – his silverware haul over the last decade has certainly cemented his place among the world’s best. I’m also aware that this is not the first occasion that [...]
KPIs matter when running a business or a race
HR Team was out in force to cheer on Managing Partner Breda Cullen as she took on the Waterside Half Marathon, posting an impressive personal best. Not only did Breda eat up the scenic Derry-Londonderry run course much quicker than last year, she completed the 13.2 mile run almost 13 minutes faster than she did in 2014. It will come as no surprise that Breda didn’t simply turn up on the day to see what happens. Unfortunately for everyone who strives to achieve personal bests in sport that’s not the way it works. To achieve such improvements in performance - [...]