Corporate Strategy Impeccably Tailored to HR.

Corporate Strategy is basically defined as - the overall scope and direction of a corporation and the way in which its various business operations work together to achieve particular goals.

Corporate strategy determines the direction an organisation will take in order to achieve business success in the long term. You’ll find here information on business strategy and organisation performance, innovation, productivity, mission and values, corporate culture, organisational capability, interim management and knowledge management. In the race to conform to the latest sustainability trend, companies are losing sight of the bigger picture. They need to redefine their strategies to cope with the new realities.
There is a lot of talk these days about issues of corporate sustainability and social responsibility (CSSR, for brevity). At Humba-HR-Consultants we have decided to help assist with the measures you need to implement in order to sustain corporate strategy.

In addition to the endless discussion around environment, social and governance (ESG) data, green "strategies", responsible investments and the latest reporting standards, we are experiencing a shameless propagation of buzzwords, mindless imitation tactics and the proliferation of self-proclaimed sustainability gurus who, based on no rigorous research or data, claim to know how to transform organisations.
It is time we moved away from this confusion about CSSR, returned to the strategic basics, and tried to understand the extent of the challenge CSSR poses for corporations. Many companies have already lost sight of the bigger picture because they face multiple pressures to conform to the latest trend without first reflecting and subsequently developing a cohesive understanding of CSSR issues.

How do we define corporate strategy?  

The consensus that emerged in the early 80s, and is still being taught to first-year MBA students, is that strategy is about "above average (superior) sustainable performance". In other words, it is about the perpetual ability of the corporation to deliver returns to its shareholders and do so in a way that is superior within its industry.
CSSR, which is emerging as a result of increasing social and environmental pressures such as climate change, social inequality, and extreme poverty, is redefining the foundations of corporate strategy.
Corporate performance is no longer defined and perceived exclusively in terms of profitability, it is also measured by environmental and social performance. Although it is important to note that environmental and social performance does not substitute for financial performance as a corporate objective; it exists in addition.

Companies must become more sophisticated to survive within the environmental and social context they operate. For example, Starbucks established a traditional competitive advantage and has been profitable. Yet, if the tax avoidance issue in the UK is any indication, the company is still struggling to sustain this advantage within its social context.

CSSR and strategy constitute two sides of the same coin. Contemporary strategy is about developing and implementing a business model that generates financial as well as environmental and social value. Unfortunately a distorted understanding of what CSSR actually is often leads companies astray in terms of their strategic decision-making. A case in point is the false language, originating from economics that labels social and environmental issues as "externalities". There is nothing "external" about these issues for any company, apart from one with a dangerously unrealistic model of what a corporation's strategy is about.
Many companies proudly present their energy efficiency or water efficiency targets, but an exclusive focus on operational efficiency is for strategy what short-termism is for financial markets. Having such targets may tick several boxes and temporarily satisfy the demands of some stakeholders but it begs the question of whether the bombardment of ESG data requests to companies is actually creating major strategic blind-spots by deteriorating strategy into a mindless and fruitless box-ticking exercise.

Redefining strategy as a mix of environmental and social as well as financial value has massive implications for all stakeholders. To establish a sustainable business model, companies need to engage in and explore a social and environmental domain that is relatively new and unfamiliar. This entails great risks as well as great opportunities and has dramatic implications for human capital recruitment and retention. What is the right set of knowledge and skills that business leaders will have to possess in order to understand these issues and provide solutions? What do we, as business academics, need to teach MBA students to break the rigid mind frames that have traditionally focused on financial issues and metrics alone?
There are important implications in terms of organisational design and structure. How separate should the strategy and sustainability functions be within a corporation? What should the relationship between the CFO and the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) be? Current corporate mindsets consider CSSR issues as peripheral or at best, as separate issues, and therefore there is a clear distinction between strategy and CSSR functions. This is an artificial and dangerous segregation. In fact, for a company that truly understands what strategy will look like in the age of sustainability, the CFO and the CSO should be the best of friends, or even, the same person.
Strategy in the age of sustainability will perhaps challenge the way we understand the role of the corporation in society, and may help reinforce or even accelerate the current social and environmental trends and expectations that we, as a society, place on organisations. Yet, to the extent that such pressures are effective in further pushing the same or other organisations towards fundamentally rethinking what their strategy is all about, and in doing so, addressing the world's biggest social and environmental issues, then in the longer term challenging the current mindsets will almost certainly be beneficial.

**CRRS – Corporate Resources Service.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance.

Corporate responsibility refers to the way an organisation does business to ensure that employers are operating responsibly and in a sustainable, accountable and transparent way.  At Humba-HR-Consultants we believe responsible organisations conduct business ethically and takes account of its economic, social and environmental impact. Governance is about supervising the management of a company and managing risk, so that business is done competently, with integrity and with due regard to the interests of all stakeholders.
   

There are many available definitions of CSR and they are consistently referring to five dimensions. Although they apply different phrases, the definitions are predominantly congruent, making the lack of one universally accepted definition less problematic than it might seem at first glance.
The CSR definitions are describing a phenomenon, but fail to present any guidance on how to manage the challenges within this phenomenon. Therefore, the challenge for business is not so much to define CSR, as it is to understand how CSR is socially constructed in a specific context and how to take this into account when business strategies are developed.
The corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement has been instrumental in raising awareness that firms have responsibilities other than to their owners and 'the bottom line'. Yet despite all the talk about the importance of stakeholders, transparency, corporate citizenship and sustainability, the developmental and regulatory impacts of CSR remain highly questionable. Humba HR Consultants assesses the global rise of private regulation and CSR from the perspective of social and sustainable development. By adopting a multidisciplinary lens, it examines why the experience of CSR pales in comparison with the promise, what needs to be done to address 'the intellectual crisis' of CSR, and forms of corporate accountability and regulation more conducive to inclusive patterns of development.
This timely and important collection addresses many of the critical shortcomings in conventional approaches to CSR by emphasizing issues of power and the role of regulatory governance in promoting corporate responsibility, and restraining acts of corporate irresponsibility. Ongoing and recent crises have raised profound questions about the effectiveness and virtues of corporate social responsibility and deregulation. However, concerns about the difficulties and costs of developing adequate, appropriate and effective regulation continue to command attention. This volume sheds much light on these complex issues. CSR has become the dominant framework within which business and civil society struggle over corporate practices and governance structures.

General requirements:
The organisation shall establish, document, implement and maintain a CSR/CG management system and continually improve its effectiveness in accordance with the requirements of this publication. The organisation shall:
• identify the processes needed for a CSR/CG management system and their application throughout the organisation;
• determine the sequence and interaction of these processes;
• determine criteria and methods needed to ensure that both the operation and control of these processes are effective;
• ensure the availability of resources and information necessary to support the operation and monitoring of these processes;
• monitor measure and analyse these processes;
• implement the actions necessary to achieve planned results and continual improvement of these processes.
These processes shall be managed by the organisation in accordance with the requirements of this publication.

Corporate Governance principles:
The organisation shall ensure that the CSR/CG management system incorporates the principles of sound corporate governance. The organisation shall demonstrate that:
• it is supervised by an effective Board that balances executive and non-executive directors including independent non-executives or provide adequate evidence showing why it has chosen not to;
• The effectiveness of the Board performance is measured;
• No individual or small group can dominate the Board’s decision;
• There is an established formal and transparent procedure for appointment and re-election of the Board;
• A remuneration policy for directors is in place;
• Levels of remuneration are sufficient to attract and retain directors yet structured to link individual and corporate performance;
• The Board maintains a sound level of internal control;
• The organization’s annual report contains a statement of remuneration policy and details of the remuneration of each director;
• The organisation treats its shareholders equitably and protects their rights;
• The organisation complies with regulatory requirements in countries where it is registered and within which it operates.
• It meets the Corporate Governance requirements and relevant codes of conduct appropriate to the countries in which it operates or has an impact.

Change Management.

Mergers & Acquisitions have brought a lot of changes and job losses that is why when most people fear change because of the stigma it circulates around. At Humba-HR-Consultants we intend to prove that its not always the case. Therefore change needs to be looked at from a different point of view and understood.

 Management of change within organisations needs to be a core part of the role of HR professionals, as many of the issues concern the 'people aspects' of change. You’ll find here information on managing change, organisational change, change strategies, communicating change and resistance to change.

Change management is an approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations to a desired future state. In some project management contexts, change management refers to a project management process wherein changes to a project are formally introduced and approved.

Change management principles:

• At all times involve and agree support from people within system (system = environment, processes, culture, relationships, behaviours, etc., whether personal or organisational.
•  Understand where you/the organisation is at the moment.
• Understand where you want to be, when, why, and what the measures will be for having got there.
• Plan development towards above level in appropriate achievable measurable stages.
• Communicate, involve, enable and facilitate involvement from people, as early and openly and as fully as is possible.

Here are some rules for effective management of change. Managing organizational change will be more successful if you apply these simple principles. Achieving personal change will be more successful too if you use the same approach where relevant. Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes. If you force change on people normally problems arise. Change must be realistic, achievable and measurable. These aspects are especially relevant to managing personal change. Before starting organizational change, ask yourself: What do we want to achieve with this change, why, and how will we know that the change has been achieved? Who is affected by this change, and how will they react to it? How much of this change can we achieve ourselves, and what parts of the change do we need help with? These aspects also relate strongly to the management of personal as well as organizational change.

Do not 'sell' change to people as a way of accelerating 'agreement' and implementation. 'Selling' change to people is not a sustainable strategy for success, unless your aim is to be bitten at the back at some time in the future when you least expect it.

Instead, change needs to be understood and managed in a way that people can cope effectively with it. Change can be unsettling, so the manager logically needs to be a settling influence. Check that people affected by the change agree with, or at least understand, the need for change, and have a chance to decide how the change will be managed, and to be involved in the planning and implementation of the change. Use face-to-face communications to handle sensitive aspects of organisational change management. Encourage your managers to communicate face-to-face with their people too if they are helping you manage an organizational change. Email and written notices are extremely weak at conveying and developing understanding.

For organizational change that entails new actions, objectives and processes for a group or team of people, use workshops to achieve understanding, involvement, plans, measurable aims, actions and commitment. Encourage your management team to use workshops with their people too if they are helping you to manage the change.

You should even apply these principles to very tough change like making people redundant, closures and integrating merged or acquired organizations. Bad news needs even more careful management than routine change. Hiding behind memos and middle managers will make matters worse. Consulting with people, and helping them to understand does not weaken your position - it strengthens it. Leaders who fail to consult and involve their people in managing bad news are perceived as weak and lacking in integrity. Treat people with humanity and respect and they will reciprocate.

Be mindful that the chief insecurity of most staff is change itself. See the process of personal change theory to see how people react to change. Senior managers and directors responsible for managing organizational change do not, as a rule, fear change - they generally thrive on it. So remember that your people do not relish change, they find it deeply disturbing and threatening. Your people's fear of change is as great as your own fear of failure.

Major pointers for managing change:

The employee does not have a responsibility to manage change - the employee's responsibility is no other than to do their best, which is different for every person and depends on a wide variety of factors (health, maturity, stability, experience, personality, motivation, etc). Responsibility for managing change is with management and executives of the organisation - they must manage the change in a way that employees can cope with it. The manager has a responsibility to facilitate and enable change, and all that is implied within that statement, especially to understand the situation from an objective standpoint (to 'step back', and be non-judgemental), and then to help people understand reasons, aims, and ways of responding positively according to employees' own situations and capabilities. Increasingly the manager's role is to interpret, communicate and enable - not to instruct and impose, which nobody really responds to well.

Change must involve the people - change must not be imposed upon the people:

Be wary of expressions like 'mindset change', and 'changing people's mindsets' or 'changing attitudes', because this language often indicates a tendency towards imposed or enforced change (theory x), and it implies strongly that the organization believes that its people currently have the 'wrong' mindset, which is never, ever, the case. If people are not approaching their tasks or the organization effectively, then the organization has the wrong mindset, not the people. Change such as new structures, policies, targets, acquisitions, disposals, re-locations, etc., all create new systems and environments, which need to be explained to people as early as possible, so that people's involvement in validating and refining the changes themselves can be obtained.

Vital steps of a changing environment:

•  Increase urgency - inspire people to move, make objectives real and relevant.  
•   Build the guiding team - get the right people in place with the right emotional commitment, and the right mix of skills and levels.
• Get the vision right - get the team to establish a simple vision and strategy focus on emotional and creative aspects necessary to drive service and efficiency.
• Communicate for buy-in - Involve as many people as possible, communicate the essentials, simply, and to appeal and respond to people's needs. 
• Empower action - Remove obstacles, enable constructive feedback and lots of support from leaders - reward and recognise progress and achievements.
• Create short-term wins - Set aims that are easy to achieve - in bite-size chunks. Manageable numbers of initiatives. Finish current stages before starting new ones.

·         Don't let up - Foster and encourage determination and persistence - ongoing change - encourage ongoing progress reporting - highlight achieved and future milestones.

       Make change stick - Reinforce the value of successful change via recruitment, promotion, and new change leaders. Weave change into culture.

·         Whenever an organization imposes new things on people there will be difficulties. Participation, involvement and open, early, full communication are the important factors.

·         Workshops are very useful processes to develop collective understanding, approaches, policies, methods, systems, ideas, etc. See the section on workshops on the website.

Staff surveys are a helpful way to repair damage and mistrust among staff - provided you allow people to complete them anonymously, and provided you publish and act on the findings. Management training, empathy and facilitative capability are priority areas - managers are crucial to the change process - they must enable and facilitate, not merely convey and implement policy from above, which does not work.

 You cannot impose change - people and teams need to be empowered to find their own solutions and responses, with facilitation and support from managers, and tolerance and compassion from the leaders and executives. Management and leadership style and behaviour are more important than clever process and policy. Employees need to be able to trust the organization.

The leader must agree and work with these ideas, or change is likely to be very painful, and the best people will be lost in the process.

Conclusions:

Strong resistance to change is often rooted in deeply conditioned or historically reinforced feelings. Patience and tolerance are required to help people in these situations to see things differently. Bit by bit. There are examples of this sort of gradual staged change everywhere in the living world. Be mindful of people's strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone welcomes change. Take the time to understand the people you are dealing with, and how and why they feel like they do, before you take action. Planning, implementing and managing change in a fast-changing environment is increasingly the situation in which most organisations now work.

Dynamic environments such as these require dynamic processes, people, systems and culture, especially for managing change successfully, notably effectively optimising organisational response to market opportunities and threats.

Key elements for success:

      Plan long-term broadly - a sound strategic vision, not a specific detailed plan (the latter is impossible to predict reliably). Detailed five years plans are out of date two weeks after they are written. Focus on detail for establishing and measuring delivery of immediate actions, not medium-to-long-term plans.

      Establish forums and communicating methods to enable immediate review and decision-making. Participation of interested people is essential. This enables their input to be gained, their approval and commitment to be secured, and automatically takes care of communicating the actions and expectations.

      Empower people to make decisions at a local operating level - delegate responsibility and power as much as possible (or at least encourage people to make recommendations which can be quickly approved).

      Remove (as far as is possible) from strategic change and approval processes and teams (or circumvent) any ultra-cautious, ultra-autocratic or compulsively-interfering executives. Autocracy and interference are the biggest obstacles to establishing a successful and sustainable dynamic culture and capability.

      Encourage, enable and develop capable people to be active in other areas of the organisation via 'virtual teams' and 'matrix management'.

      Scrutinise and optimise ICT (information and communications technology) systems to enable effective information management and key activity team-working.

      Use workshops as a vehicle to review priorities, agree broad medium-to-long-term vision and aims, and to agree short term action plans and implementation method and accountabilities.

      Adjust recruitment, training and development to accelerate the development of people who contribute positively to a culture of empowered dynamism.

At Humba-HR-Consultants we always believe that change should be welcomed no-matter the situation because its the only guaranteed aspect of life and therefore should be instinctively adaptable. 

Term and Conditions Of Employment.

At Humba-HR-Consultants we believe in treating all employees fairly so that we get on with our work and leave other destructive behaviours aside to concerntrate at the real work scenario. Therefore in order to achieve our mandated goals in less time-frames, strict regulatory measures have to be structured, followed religiously and reviewed regularly.

Terms and conditions of employment are the elements of a contract which help to define the relation between an employer and an employee. You’ll find here information on conditions of employment, contracts of employment including fixed term, short term and temporary contracts, contractual change, probationary periods, notice periods and restrictive covenants.

Written statements of terms and conditions of employment:
Most employees are entitled a written statement containing the main terms and conditions of employment, however, anyone who is not an employee, for example an independent contractor or freelancer, plus certain mariners and employees who ordinarily work outside Great Britain are not normally entitled to one.

What should be included in a written statement?

The following information should be included in one single document known as the principle statement:

• Name of employer and employee

• Date employment and continuous employment started

• Job location

• Pay and whether it's weekly, monthly pay etc.

• Working hours

• Holiday entitlement

• Job description/job title

• Details of any collective agreements that directly affect the employee's conditions of employment.

Additional information can be provided in other documents such as staff handbooks, intranet sites on:

• Sick leave and pay entitlements

• Pensions and pension schemes

• Disciplinary and grievance procedures

• Appeals procedure under the Code of Practice 1 - Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.

Although there is no general legal requirement that an employment contract should be in writing, the law requires employees to be issued with a written statement of their main terms and conditions of employment. This statement may be set out in one comprehensive document or it may be provided in instalments. However, the items in the list below marked with an asterisk must be contained in a single document. The complete documentation must be given to the employee within two months from commencement of employment.

 Section 1 Employment Rights Act 1996 in the UK requires that the written statement must set out the following terms:

·         the names of the employer and employee*

·         the date on which the employment began*

·         the date on which the employee's period of continuous employment began*

·         Terms and conditions relating to remuneration (i.e. scale, rate or method of calculating, and intervals at which paid and any provisions relating to overtime)*.

·         terms and conditions relating to hours of work, including normal working hours*

·         Entitlement to holidays, including public holidays and holiday pay and the way holiday entitlement is calculated on termination of employment*.

·         Terms and conditions relating to incapacity for work due to sickness or injury, including any provision for sick pay.

·         Terms and conditions relating to pensions and pension schemes including whether a contracting out certificate is in force.

·         The length of notice which the employee is obliged to give and entitled to receive to terminate the contract of employment.

·         the employee's job title or, alternatively, a brief description of the work he/she is employed to do (the latter being required if the job title is not accurate or does not reflect the duties to be performed)*

·        where the employment is not intended to be permanent, the period for which it is expected to continue or, if it is for a fixed term, the date when it is to end

·         the place of work or, if the employee is required to or permitted to work at various places, an indication of that and the employer's address*

·         particulars of any collective agreements which directly affect the employee's terms and conditions (and where the employer is not a party, the persons who are)

·         information relating to overseas employment, including, where the employee is to work outside of the UK for more than a month:

− The period for which he/she will work outside of the UK.

− The currency in which he/she will be paid.

− Details of any additional remuneration or benefits to be paid whilst outside the UK.

− terms and conditions relating to his/her return to the UK).

·        Certain details relating to disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Where there are no provisions relating to any of the matters listed above, that fact must be stated.

The written statement must contain all the terms in full with the exception of terms relating to absence through sickness or injury, pension schemes, notice or disciplinary procedures, as long as the employee is referred to some other document. However, in relation to disciplinary or grievance procedures, the written statement itself must state the person to whom the employee may apply if dissatisfied with any disciplinary decision or decision to dismiss, or when seeking redress of any work related grievance. In addition the written statement must specify the manner in which any application to that person must be made (e.g. in writing). All other details specifying disciplinary rules, procedures, and explanations of further steps when applying to such a person may be in another document, such as a disciplinary policy.

   

All employers are required to provide information about disciplinary rules and procedures and there is no exemption for small employers. In particular, employers are required to provide information about any procedure applicable to the taking of disciplinary decisions or a decision to dismiss, although this can be contained in another document as indicated above. This should reflect as a minimum the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures that was revised in April 2009. An unreasonable failure to comply with the Code of Practice could not only result in an unfair dismissal but in an uplift of any compensation awarded to an employee of up to 25%. Please see our Guide to Disciplinary Procedures for more details.

If other documents are referred to in the written statement the employer must ensure that they are reasonably accessible to the employee, who knows where they are located and has a reasonable opportunity to read them in the course of his/her employment.

If an existing employee requests a new full written statement one must be provided no later than two months after the request is made.

Over time, there will inevitably be changes in the particulars. When this happens, the employee must be given a written statement of the change. This has to be given at the earliest opportunity, and in any event not later than one month after the change. This would cover such changes as pay rises or other matters which are either agreed or improve the terms and conditions of the employee. However, this does not mean that the employer has the unilateral right to change employees' terms and conditions of employment by giving one month's notice. Changing terms and conditions of employment is a complex area and can easily lead to conflict or even constructive dismissal; legal advice should be taken before making any significant changes.

The statutory written statement of terms and conditions is not in itself a contract of employment. It is issued by the employer and will not become a contract of employment unless this is the clear intention of both parties e.g. where it includes a statement signed by both parties that this forms the employee’s contract of employment. If the employee has a separate written contract of employment, this will override the written particulars in the event of any conflict between them. A contract of employment or a letter of engagement containing the required information will satisfy the employer’s statutory obligation to provide a written statement.

If an employer fails to provide written particulars, or these are incomplete or inaccurate, an employee can refer the matter to a tribunal which has the power to determine what the particulars ought to have been so as to comply with the statutory requirements. In this regard, the tribunal should first look for an express agreement on the missing term (e.g. oral or contained in another document). Where no express agreement can be found, a tribunal should imply a term that all the facts and circumstances show must have been agreed, and finally, it should look at the way the contract has been performed since it began. Employers should beware, therefore, that failure to provide a full written statement of terms may lead to a tribunal declaring that it is bound by a term which it does not regard itself as having agreed to. Additionally, a tribunal has the power to award two or four weeks’ pay to an employee where the employer has failed to provide a written statement of particulars or written statement of changes to those particulars. Any dismissal of an employee for requesting a written statement, or bringing tribunal proceedings to enforce this right will be automatically unfair.

Essentials Of Employee Branding.

Employer brand denotes an organisation's reputation as an employer. The term was first used in the early 1990s, and has since become widely adopted by the global management community. Minchington (2005) defines employer brand as "the image of your organisation as a 'great place to work'". Employer branding is concerned with enhancing your company's employer brand.

Just as a customer brand proposition is used to define a product or service offer, an employee value proposition is used to define an organisation's employment offer. Likewise the marketing disciplines associated with branding and brand management have been increasingly applied by the human resources and talent management community to attract, engage and retain talented candidates and employees, in the same way that marketing applies such tools to attracting and retaining clients, customers and consumers.

Employer branding promotes the attributes and qualities, often intangible that make an organisation distinctive, promise a particular kind of employment experience and appeal to those who will thrive and perform best in its culture. You’ll find here information on defining and establishing an employer brand and becoming an employer of choice.

What is employer branding?

Your employer brand is the image of your organisation as an employer and place to work as perceived internally and externally.

Your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) communicates that image to your target audience(s) and reinforces why talented people would want to join (and stay with) your organisation.

Why is it so important?

Despite the uncertain economy the war for talent continues to intensify. Thus the need to attract and retain top performers remains key to business success. By distinguishing oneself from the competition, by promoting strengths and confirming values ensures that a company stays ahead of the pack and becomes an employer of choice during both recession and boom times.

Indeed, data from the corporate executive board quoted in the Economist suggest that effective EVP management can bring tangible benefits, including a 20% increase in the pool of potential workers, a four-fold increase in commitment among employees and a 10% decrease in payroll costs.

Employer brand is defined in exactly the same way; it’s the intangible sum of thoughts and feelings about a particular company as a place to work. Some of the specific features of a workplace might be remuneration, benefits, structure, culture, management, advancement prospects, location and product portfolio.

Employer brand management

Just like in the field of brand management where the perception of a brand is based on not only communications and advertising, but also the products themselves, (how they’re made, what they’re made of etc.) as well as the perception of the company (ethics etc.), an employer brand must be seen as the total sum of the employment experience.  This includes people management, management practices and processes.

It therefore follows that the majority of the work should focus on creating a place of work that in the minds of prospective employees is attractive and offers them what they are looking for.

The presentation of the company and its features and benefits, and external communications are an important part of the employer brand management, but is only the ‘surface gloss’ on the product.  Focussing on the employment experience will support not only the attraction and recruiting of the best talent in the marketplace, but also improve employee engagement and retention.

Employee value proposition

In a similar way to consumer brands, it’s recommended that you spend time to develop an employer brand proposition.  In doing this you will develop an understanding of your organisation’s culture, attributes and drivers as well as formulate how it differs from your competitors (USP) and how you would like it to be perceived.  The document should also look to clarify the employment deal in terms of what the employees can expect from the employer and vice versa.

We’ve put together a list of pointers on things that are worth keeping in mind when you’re looking at the employer branding aspects of your organisation. 

• Attract people by offering great career prospects

The relationship is straight forward.  You want driven people to work for you – it’s good for your business, morale, productivity and ultimately profitability.  It is generally considered that driven people are motivated more by opportunities in the workplace and praise than by money, so by offering great prospects, you will be able to attract the right kind of people whilst potentially shifting focus away from high levels of compensation.

One way of ensuring that the best employees don’t pass you by is to integrate a clearly defined career plans as early as the recruitment stage, mapping out expectations of the individual as well as what they can expect from the organisation throughout their career.

•  We advice candidates to tailor their CV to the employer – you should do the same with the value proposition.

Knowing your audience is key to effective communication – and your organisation consists of many different types of people. You will have pharmaceutical sales professionals who respond to extrinsic rewards (e.g. salary) much more readily than, say, for example a research scientist.  Therefore taking into account differing values, ambitions and needs when finalising the employee value proposition may well pay dividends further down the line.

• Align your employer brand with the wider brand

I mentioned this in the introduction; since there is an intrinsic link between the employer brand and the wider brand, it would make sense to align the two.  By doing this, you will make sure that there is consistency in the message, that the values are seen to match up and the external communications will produce mutual benefits.

• First impression counts, but so do every subsequent impression

When considering your employer brand you need to look at the bigger picture and work at maintaining a consistent message and experience.  It is true that first impression counts, but if subsequent interactions (such as a poor recruitment experience) let you down, that may be the lasting impression.

Make a list of every touch points an individual may have with your organisation to form a picture, and then try to introduce a system of evaluating all of these encounters. Building up a detailed information database in this way will be crucial in identifying weaknesses in people’s experiences with you and allow you to address them. You can also divide these touch points into a timeline, to further increase your understanding any potential issues.

Finally, when looking to address shortcomings, don’t forget to take a joined up approach where you make use of your internal marketing capabilities (after all, this is about marketing) as well as maximise the use of any external staffing and recruiting partners you work with.  They often sit on significant knowledge about the target audience, your firm’s market reputation, what the experience working for you is as well as how to best go about creating the right experience at every encounter.

• Your recruitment process needs to reflect your brand

The recruitment process needs to be reflective of your brand and the values you want to convey to the candidate and to the wider market.  To work together with a recruitment partner that you trust and that will represent you in a professional and correct way is an important part of it, but so is the way you manage the process.

Ensure that you take the time to brief the recruitment partner fully on the organisation and the role, as well as make sure that the lines of communication are open. Be transparent and honest with feedback and if there’s anything you’re not happy with – the sooner they are informed the sooner they will be able to address the problem. Good communications and relations are crucial in order to enable the partner to act as an extension of your brand as every step of the process will shape the impression a prospective employee has of your organisation, and indirectly influence their decision.

Things to consider are for example where you advertise your roles, how easy it is for people to apply, how swiftly they get a response and how it’s handled, how many steps the recruitment process involve and how the rejection and offer process works.

One of the most important things, which is a bug bear for many candidates, is the feedback from the interview process. This single piece of information has the power to turn people off a company for life, so should not be taken likely.

• Get existing employees on side 
  

By ensuring that you’ve taken a global approach to your employer brand and addressed any shortcomings within the organisation, you should have a bunch of happy employees.  Happy employees tend to act as (employer brand) ambassadors and/or evangelists and are instrumental in creating a positive image of your organisation.

To get the best effect we would advise to join forces with other parts of the business, from sales to marketing and PR and devise an internal communication plan for how best achieve the desired outcome.  It would also be a good idea to involve key individuals from all areas in creating the value proposition as well, ensuring that nothing is missed out and that the key messages are aligned to the company brand strategy.

Focus in the first instance on building the employer brand internally before taking it to the wider world. If not, it risks backfiring when you start getting people through the recruitment process that will not recognise the image that is conveyed to them at the interview stage. Inconsistencies like these will cause external and internal disconnect and will only serve to turn people away.

• Don’t lose focus in choppy waters

Always ensure that the message and the delivery of this message remain consistent.  To lose focus and ‘drop the ball’ in a slowing economic climate leave your organisation wide open to threat by other firms.  The theory behind this is identical to general brand marketing and it’s been proven in several studies that it is the organisations that invest in marketing through downturns are the ones who come out on top.

You should already have an employer brand strategy in place and it’s important that you stick with it.  A well thought out strategy looks to the long-term objectives and helps you keep focus on hitting those goals, so unless the goals have changed, don’t deviate from the plan.

To maintain focus and not be seen to flinch also helps current employees feel more confident and secure, which in turn should help retention levels. As soon as people start suspecting that rough times are afoot, they tend to start heading for the door.

• Engage management at all levels

The strongest, most well thought-out employer brand identity will be rendered worthless unless you have the right people in place to drive it, buy-in from senior management and a successful strategy for embedding it in the workplace culture.

Some commonly used tactics in rolling out and garnering support for an employer brand are internal workshops and staff tool-kits.  Moreover, all levels of management need to lead by example, and keeping employer brand and values high on the agenda.  By being clear about the direction of the organisation and allowing for constructive feedback (e.g. having the infrastructure in place), staff across the company will be much better equipped to connect with the core message and align themselves with the company’s values.

• Consistency

It’s been mentioned several times before but I think it merits its own bullet point. Consistency in communication, experience, and delivery is paramount in order to maintain value in the marketplace.   The tone of voice and the visuals are expected to be the same at all times, delivering the same or similar messages.

In practical terms this means that all touch points need to be ‘on brand; the visuals on all documents, the tone of voice, the experiences throughout the recruitment process, the behaviour and professionalism of the recruiter and so on.  It’s also important that everyone involved in the hiring process is fully briefed on the employer brand identity and values so the right message is communicated to the prospective employee.

•  Monitor progress

Another key concept in marketing is the monitoring and tracking of progress.  It is only by collecting this data that you will know where you’re performing and where you‘re failing.  Conduct surveys across your business, both anonymous as well as informal conversations. Conduct exit interviews when people leave (but don’t necessarily trust them – people are rarely truthful as it may come back and bite them afterwards) as well as contact people after they have left.

Some questions that could be asked would include whether they would recommend working there to a friend; whether they sing your praises as an employer; how long do they plan on staying within the company or whether they are prepared to go over and above to ensure company success. If they are ex-employees, explore why they left and what would perhaps make them return.

Remember, the most important thing is to regularly carry out the research and be committed to taking action on the results.

Managing Stress Policies in a Workplace.

Stress is something that affect a lot of people and often enough causes health problems if not dealt with professionally. Well-designed, organised and managed work is good for us but when insufficient attention to job design, work organisation and management has taken place, it can result in Work related stress. Work related stress develops because a person is unable to cope with the demands being placed on them. Stress, including work related stress, can be a significant cause of illness and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and other issues such as more errors.

Stress can hit anyone at any level of the business and recent research shows that work related stress is widespread and is not confined to particular sectors, jobs or industries. That is why a population-wide approach is necessary to tackle it.

While some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and impact your physical and emotional health. And your ability to deal with it can mean the difference between success and or failure. You can’t control everything in your work environment, but that does not mean you’re powerless—even when you’re stuck in a difficult situation. Finding ways to manage workplace stress is not about making huge changes or rethinking career ambitions, but rather about focusing on the one thing that’s always within your control: you.

For workers everywhere, the troubled economy may feel like an emotional roller coaster. "Layoffs" and "budget cuts" have become bywords in the workplace, and the result is increased fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress. Since job and workplace stress increase in times of economic crisis, it’s important to learn new and better ways of coping with the pressure.

Your emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of your interactions with others. The better you are at managing your own stress, the more you'll positively affect those around you, and the less other people's stress will negatively affect you.

Introduction

We are committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of our employees. We recognise that workplace stress is a health and safety issue and acknowledge the importance of identifying and reducing workplace stressors.

This policy will apply to everyone in the company. Managers are responsible for implementation and the company is responsible for providing the necessary resources.

http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/l/m/B18_1.pdf

Definition of stress

The Health and Safety Executive define stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. This makes an important distinction between pressure, which can be a positive state if managed correctly, and stress which can be detrimental to health.

Policy

• The company will identify all workplace stressors and conduct risk assessments to eliminate stress or control the risks from stress. These risk assessments will be regularly reviewed.

• The company will consult with Trade Union Safety Representatives on all proposed action relating to the prevention of workplace stress.

• The company will provide training for all managers and supervisory staff in good management practices.

• The company will provide confidential counselling for staff affected by stress caused by either work or external factors.

• The company will provide adequate resources to enable managers to implement the company’s agreed stress management strategy.

Responsibilities

Managers

• Conduct and implement recommendations of risks assessments within their jurisdiction.

• Ensure good communication between management and staff, particularly where there are organisational and procedural changes.

• Ensure staff are fully trained to discharge their duties.

• Ensure staff are provided with meaningful developmental opportunities.

• Monitor workloads to ensure that people are not overloaded.

      • Monitor working hours and overtime to ensure that staff are not overworking.

• Attend training as requested in good management practice and health and safety.

• Ensure that bullying and harassment is not tolerated within their jurisdiction.

• Be vigilant and offer additional support to a member of staff who is experiencing stress outside work e.g. bereavement or separation.

Occupational health and safety staff

• Provide specialist advice and awareness training on stress.

• Train and support managers in implementing stress risk assessments.

• Support individuals who have been off sick with stress and advise them and their management on a planned return to work.

• Refer to workplace counsellors or specialist agencies as required.

• Monitor and review the effectiveness of measures to reduce stress.

• Inform the employer and the health and safety committee of any changes and developments in the field of stress at work.

Human resources

• Give guidance to managers on the stress policy.

• Help monitor the effectiveness of measures to address stress by collating sickness absence statistics.

• Advise managers and individuals on training requirements.

• Provide continuing support to managers and individuals in a changing environment and encourage referral to occupational workplace counsellors where appropriate.

Employees

• Raise issues of concern with your Safety Representative, line manager or occupational health.

• Accept opportunities for counselling when recommended.

Safety representatives

• Safety Representatives must be meaningfully consulted on any changes to work practices or work design that could precipitate stress.

• Safety Representatives must be able to consult with members on the issue of stress including conducting any workplace surveys.

• Safety Representatives must be meaningfully involved in the risk assessment process.

• Safety Representatives should be allowed access to collective and anonymous data from HR.

• Safety Representatives should be provided with paid time away from normal duties to attend any Trade Union training relating to workplace stress.

• Safety Representatives should conduct joint inspections of the workplace at least every 3 months to ensure that environmental stressors are properly controlled.

Safety Committee

• The joint Safety Committee will perform a pivotal role in ensuring that this policy is implemented.

• The Safety Committee will oversee monitoring of the efficacy of the policy and other measures to reduce stress and promote workplace health and safety.

Safety Committee

• The joint Safety Committee will perform a pivotal role in ensuring that this policy is implemented.

• The Safety Committee will oversee monitoring of the efficacy of the policy and other measures to reduce stress and promote workplace health and safety. 

However there are ways to actually evade stressful situations and some are listed as follows:

You can learn how to manage job stress

There are a variety of steps you can take to reduce both your overall stress levels and the stress you find on the job and in the workplace. These include:

• Taking responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being.
• Avoiding pitfalls by identifying knee jerk habits and negative attitudes that add to the stress you experience at work.
• Learning better communication skills to ease and improve your relationships with management and coworkers.

Tip 1: Recognize warning signs of excessive stress at work

 

When you feel overwhelmed at work, you lose confidence and may become irritable or withdrawn. This can make you less productive and less effective in your job, and make the work seem less rewarding. If you ignore the warning signs of work stress, they can lead to bigger problems. Beyond interfering with job performance and satisfaction, chronic or intense stress can also lead to physical and emotional health problems.


 

Signs and symptoms of excessive job and workplace stress

§    Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed §    Apathy, loss of interest in work §    Problems sleeping §    Fatigue Trouble concentrating

Muscle tension or headaches §    Stomach problems   §    Social withdrawal   Loss of sex drive Using alcohol or drugs to cope

Common causes of excessive workplace stress

§  Fear of being laid off

§  More overtime due to staff cutbacks

§  Pressure to perform to meet rising expectations but with no increase in job satisfaction

§  Pressure to work at optimum levels – all the time!


 

Tip 2: Reduce job stress by taking care of yourself 
 

When stress at work interferes with your ability to perform in your job, manage your personal life, or adversely impacts your health, it’s time to take action. Start by paying attention to your physical and emotional health. When your own needs are taken care of, you’re stronger and more resilient to stress. The better you feel, the better equipped you’ll be to manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed.

Taking care of yourself doesn’t require a total lifestyle overhaul. Even small things can lift your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you’re back in the driver’s seat. Take things one step at a time, and as you make more positive lifestyle choices, you’ll soon notice a reduction in your stress levels, both at home and at work.

Get moving

Regular exercise is a powerful stress reliever—even though it may be the last thing you feel like doing. Aerobic exercise—activity that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat—is a hugely effective way to lift your mood, increase energy, sharpen focus, and relax both the mind and body. For maximum stress relief, try to get at least 30 minutes of heart-pounding activity on most days. If it’s easier to fit into your schedule, break up the activity into two or three shorter segments.

Make food choices that keep you going

Low blood sugar can make you feel anxious and irritable, while eating too much can make you lethargic.Healthy eating can help you get through stressful work days. By eating small but frequent meals, you can help your body maintain an even level of blood sugar, keep your energy up, stay focused, and avoid mood swings.

Drink alcohol in moderation and avoid nicotine

Alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and worry, but too much can cause anxiety as it wears off. Drinking to relieve job stress may also eventually lead to alcohol abuse and dependence. Similarly, smoking when you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed may seem calming, but nicotine is a powerful stimulant – leading to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety.

Get enough sleep

Not only can stress and worry can cause insomnia, but a lack of sleep can leave you vulnerable to even more stress. When you're well-rested, it's much easier to keep your emotional balance, a key factor in coping with job and workplace stress. Try to improve the quality of your sleep by keeping a sleep schedule and aiming for 8 hours a night.

Tip 3: Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing

When job and workplace stress threatens to overwhelm you, there are simple steps you can take to regain control over yourself and the situation. Your newfound ability to maintain a sense of self-control in stressful situations will often be well-received by coworkers, managers, and subordinates alike, which can lead to better relationships at work. Here are some suggestions for reducing job stress by prioritizing and organizing your responsibilities.

Time management tips for reducing job stress

§  Create a balanced schedule. Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout. Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime.

§  Don’t over-commit yourself. Avoid scheduling things back-to-back or trying to fit too much into one day. All too often, we underestimate how long things will take. If you've got too much on your plate, distinguish between the "shoulds" and the "musts." Drop tasks that aren't truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

§  Try to leave earlier in the morning. Even 10-15 minutes can make the difference between frantically rushing to your desk and having time to ease into your day. Don’t add to your stress levels by running late.

§  Plan regular breaks. Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day to take a walk or sit back and clear your mind. Also try to get away from your desk or work station for lunch. Stepping away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more, not less, productive.

Task management tips for reducing job stress

§  Prioritize tasks. Make a list of tasks you have to do, and tackle them in order of importance. Do the high-priority items first. If you have something particularly unpleasant to do, get it over with early. The rest of your day will be more pleasant as a result.

§  Break projects into small steps. If a large project seems overwhelming, make a step-by-step plan. Focus on one manageable step at a time, rather than taking on everything at once.

§  Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do it all yourself. If other people can take care of the task, why not let them? Let go of the desire to control or oversee every little step. You’ll be letting go of unnecessary stress in the process.

§  Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to contribute differently to a task, revise a deadline, or change their behavior at work, be willing to do the same. Sometimes, if you can both bend a little, you’ll be able to find a happy middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone concerned.

Tip 4: Reduce job stress by improving emotional intelligence

Learn to Recognize Hidden Stress

Even if you’re in a job where the environment has grown increasingly stressful, you can retain a large measure of self-control and self-confidence by understanding and practicing emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and use your emotions in positive and constructive ways. When it comes to satisfaction and success at work, emotional intelligence matters just as much as intellectual ability. Emotional intelligence is about communicating with others in ways that draw people to you, overcome differences, repair wounded feelings, and defuse tension and stress.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace:

Emotional intelligence in the workplace has four major components:

§  Self-awareness – The ability to recognize your emotions and their impact while using gut feelings to guide your decisions.

§  Self-management – The ability to control your emotions and behavior and adapt to changing circumstances.

§  Social awareness – The ability to sense, understand, and react to other's emotions and feel comfortable socially.

§  Relationship management – The ability to inspire, influence, and connect to others and manage conflict.

The five key skills of emotional intelligence

There are five key skills that you need to master in order to raise your emotional intelligence and manage stress at work.

§  Realize when you’re stressed, recognize your particular stress response, and become familiar with sensual cues that can rapidly calm and energize you. The best way to reduce stress quickly is through the senses: through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But each person responds differently to sensory input, so you need to find things that are soothing to you.

Stay connected to your internal emotional experience so you can appropriately manage your own emotions. Your moment-to-moment emotions influence your thoughts and actions, so pay attention to your feelings and factor them into your decision making at work. If you ignore your emotions you won’t be able to fully understand your own motivations and needs, or to communicate effectively with others.

§  Recognize and effectively use nonverbal cues and body language. In many cases, what we say is less important than how we say it or the other nonverbal signals we send out, such as eye contact, facial expression, tone of voice, posture, gesture and touch. Your nonverbal messages can either produce a sense of interest, trust, and desire for connection–or they can generate confusion, distrust, and stress. You also need to be able to accurately read and respond to the nonverbal cues that other people send you at work.§  Develop the capacity to meet challenges with humor. There is no better stress buster than a hearty laugh and nothing reduces stress quicker in the workplace than mutually shared humor. But, if the laugh is at someone else’s expense, you may end up with more rather than less stress.

§  Resolve conflict positively. Resolving conflict in healthy, constructive ways can strengthen trust between people and relieve workplace stress and tension. When handling emotionally-charged situations, stay focused in the present by disregarding old hurts and resentments, connect with your emotions, and hear both the words and the nonverbal cues being used. If a conflict can’t be resolved, choose to end the argument, even if you still disagree.

Tip 5: Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits 

As you learn to manage your job stress and improve your work relationships, you’ll have more control over your ability to think clearly and act appropriately. You will be able to break habits that add to your stress at work – and you’ll even be able to change negative ways of thinking about things that only add to your stress.

Eliminate self-defeating behaviors

Many of us make job stress worse with negative thoughts and behavior. If you can turn around these self-defeating habits, you’ll find employer-imposed stress easier to handle.

§  Resist perfectionism. No project, situation, or decision is ever perfect, so trying to attain perfection on everything will simply add unnecessary stress to your day. When you set unrealistic goals for yourself or try to do too much, you’re setting yourself up to fall short. Aim to do your best, no one can ask for more than that.

§  Clean up your act. If you’re always running late, set your clocks and watches fast and give yourself extra time. If your desk is a mess, file and throw away the clutter; just knowing where everything is saves time and cuts stress. Make to-do lists and cross off items as you accomplish them. Plan your day and stick to the schedule — you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

Flip your negative thinking. If you see the downside of every situation and interaction, you’ll find yourself drained of energy and motivation. Try to think positively about your work, avoid negative-thinking co-workers, and pat yourself on the back about small accomplishments, even if no one else does.

Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things at work are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.

Five Ways to Dispel Stress

Take time away. When stress is mounting at work, try to take a quick break and move away from the stressful situation. Take a stroll outside the workplace if possible, or spend a few minutes meditating in the break room. Physical movement or finding a quiet place to regain your balance can quickly reduce stress.

Talk it over with someone. In some situations, simply sharing your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust can help reduce stress. Talking over a problem with someone who is both supportive and empathetic can be a great way to let off steam and relieve stress.

Connect with others at work. Developing friendships with some of your co-workers can help buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Remember to listen to them and offer support when they are in need as well.

Look for humor in the situation. When used appropriately, humor is a great way to relieve stress in the workplace. When you or those around you start taking things too seriously, find a way to lighten the mood by sharing a joke or funny story.

Tip 6: Learn how managers or employers can reduce job stress

It's in a manager's best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. Managers can act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress, by following the tips outlined in this article. If a respected manager can remain calm in stressful work situations, it is much easier for his or her employees to also remain calm.

Additionally, there are a number of organizational changes that managers and employers can make to reduce workplace stress. These include:

Improve communication

Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures.

Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities.

Make communication friendly and efficient, not mean-spirited or petty.

Consult your employees

Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs.

Consult employees about scheduling and work rules.

Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines.

Show that individual workers are valued.

Offer rewards and incentives.

Praise good work performance, both verbally and officially, through schemes such as Employee of the Month.

Provide opportunities for career development.

Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their work.

Cultivate a friendly social climate

Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees.

Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment.

Make management actions consistent with organizational values.

Sources of Stress

Preventing Burnout – When you’re burned out problems often seem insurmountable, but these tips and coping strategies can help you recover.

Stress Management – Manage stress by learning how to take charge of your thoughts, emotions, environment, and the way you deal with problems.

Stress Relief in the Moment – Identify your own stress responses and learn how to quickly and effectively reduce stress in the middle of any challenging situation.

Job Loss and Unemployment Stress – Find tips for staying positive during your job search and maintaining your spirits in tough times.

Career Help

Finding the Right Career – Discover how to find a career that fits your skills and interests, find the courage to make a change, and overcome obstacles to career happiness.

Effective Communication – Learn communication skills that will help improve teamwork, promote creativity and problem solving, and resolve conflicts at work.

Job Networking Tips – Networking is the best way to find a job and get career advice. While it may sound intimidating, it can actually be enjoyable—even if you’re shy or feel like you don’t know many people.

Interviewing Techniques and Tips – Do you feel uncomfortable selling yourself or fielding unexpected questions? Learn how to present yourself effectively to potential employers.