Russell HR Consulting

How To Ruin Your Chances Of Getting A Job

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:10:23 +0000

We have been talking to young people in schools and colleges for over a year now, in an employer-lead initiative to help them get and keep work. One of the workshops in the Build and Fly Your Own Rocket programme, focuses on getting and performing in interviews. If you manage to get your foot through the door, you must optimise your chances. You’re up against a lot of competition, so you need to prepare to sell yourself. Forewarned is forearmed. Here are some of the most common ways in which interviewees wreck their chances of getting a job.

Early clangers

Don’t arrive half an hour early or late. It’s discourteous to the interviewer. Five minutes early is perfect.

Be polite to everyone you come across. If you were rude to the receptionist or other members of staff you come across, that’s likely to be a deal-breaker.

Don’t bring a cup of Costa coffee to the interview.

Failing to do your research

This takes a variety of forms. Think about how to travel to the interview, the length of time it takes and parking. Arriving late to a job interview is often an instant deal-breaker.

Find out about the organisation and read through the web site and press materials. What does it do? Where does it operate? What are its successes? If you ask questions or show ignorance about matters which could have been answered with some basic research, you will come across as unfamiliar with the organisation or job description and the interviewer will conclude that you didn’t bother to prepare.

Give some consideration to the job role and think about likely questions. Most interviewers will ask you to provide examples evidencing that you can do or have done aspects of the role. If you say that you are good at problem-solving or that you’re innovative and then you can’t give any specific examples, the interviewer won’t going believe you. Come to the interview able to give with examples that show how you’ve applied your skills.

Be properly dressed

You don’t necessarily have to wear a suit, but tailored separates in neutral colours, clean shoes, washed and brushed hair will show that you want to be taken seriously. One candidate turned up at our office applying for a consultant’s job wearing earrings that brushed her shoulders. Very chav and not at all what our consultants wear, as she would have seen if she had bothered to look at our website and material.

Not showing enthusiasm

Targeted enthusiasm is attractive. A job candidate who talks dully about the prospective job is likely to be an employee who isn’t engaged with the work. Interviewers are looking for people who are interested and committed. Do be sensible about it though. I have had a number of young people sitting in front of me who tell me with absolute sincerity that they want a career in HR and how exciting our opportunity is. When I ask them why they’re attracted to the career, they have no idea and give remarkably ill-informed and silly answers ……

Don’t moan or be self-pitying about how hard you’re finding it to get a job. If you sound negative, potential employers will be turned-off.

Responding to questions inappropriately

If an interviewer asks you about your weaker areas, give a realistic assessment of skills or experience where you could improve. If you don’t admit to any, the interviewer won’t believe you and you’ll appear to lack insight and intellectual self-awareness.

Don’t tell lies. It’s easy to check out the truth. Organisations want to appoint candidates with integrity, not people who show they’re happy to tell lies.

Don’t talk about inappropriate matters, for example, how much you hated your previous employer. Show that you understand professional boundaries and have a sense of discretion.

Don’t ask questions that might be construed negatively, for example, “Do I have to work weekends?” “Can I work from home on Fridays?”

These might be important to you, but it’s better to leave them until the negotiation phase when you have more bargaining power.

If the job requires that you work shifts and you are asked if you can do so but can’t, don’t say “yes” in order to be appointed and then refuse to do so. You will end up being dismissed.

Answering your mobile phone in the middle of the interview

If you forget to turn your phone off and it rings, that’s embarrassing forgivable. Answering it isn’t. If your phone rings mid-interview, apologize profusely; then turn it off.

And afterwards?

If the interviewer is decent enough to give you some feedback, listen, think and learn. One young woman who came in for an interview with us responded to some feedback by saying that she thought it was a “one-size-fits-all” reply and it did not apply to her. She was the worst candidate and it was in fact tailored expressly to her. Her combination of stupidity and arrogance was unappetising and confirmed I had made the right decision not to progress her application. As the inimitable Dorothy Parker put it: “you can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think”. Needless to say, I did not trouble to correspond further.

Russell HR Consulting provides expert knowledge in the practical application of employment law as well as providing employment law training and HR services. For more information, visit our website at www.russellhrconsulting.co.uk or call a member of the team on 0845 644 8955.

Russell HR Consulting offers HR support services to businesses nationwide, including Buckinghamshire (covering Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Banbury, Northampton, Towcester and surrounding areas), Nottinghamshire (covering Chesterfield, Mansfield, Nottingham, Sheffield, Worksop and surrounding areas) and Hampshire (covering Aldershot, Basingstoke, Reading, Farnborough, Fareham, Portsmouth, Southampton and surrounding areas).

The Transition From School To Work (Or Leave Mummy And Daddy At Home)

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:38:38 +0000

We have recently been asked to advise on several situations involving young workers who are not meeting their employer’s standards.

In one case, the employee has less than three months’ service and she has taken more than three periods of sick leave following the break up with her boyfriend who has caused her to feel despondent and low. She is now signed off work with depression. It is of course usually very difficult and upsetting when a relationship comes to an end. We have no doubt that she is feeling quite down and finding everyday things much harder than normal. Symptoms such as feeling like she wants to curl up in a ball or wanting to be alone are not unusual in the circumstances. However, they do not justify taking so much time off work causing disruption to the business.

In another situation, we have given advice about an individual who is also taking too much time off sick and is not reporting her absence following the correct procedure. Her father keeps phoning in on her behalf to say she is not going to be at work for several days due to a tummy bug or some other minor issue. It is of course frustrating other employees who still come to work even when they feel slightly less than 100% and are having to cover her work.

It is a concern that young people are entering the world of employment so ill-prepared for the realities of working life. In both situations we have written to the individuals to clarify our reasonable standards and expectations and to see what we can do to help them. Bu there is only so much we can do. Ultimately, they will have to decide if they want to come to work.

Even though the employees are old enough to work, a parent (or two) has leapt into the breach in both cases trying to defend their child’s case. However, there are no underlying medical problems and no exception circumstances which we are aware of to take into account as mitigating factors.

Work is very different to school. It’s tougher and employers make rather fewer allowances. Employees must take responsibility for them (and not expect mummy or daddy to fight their corner). We are doing our part to help prepare young people for the workplace. Fly Your Own Rocket has been running for over a year. We have been visiting schools and colleges to deliver workshops to help prepare young people for the workplace. One of the workshops specifically focuses on how to keep a job.

If you need help managing situations where employees are not meeting your reasonable standards then get in touch!

Recruitment – Is There Anything New Under The Sun?

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:52:24 +0000

Elizabeth Barrett Browning didn’t exactly say “How do I recruit employees? Let me count the ways….” But if she had, she would probably have found that there are as many ways to recruit staff as there are marketing vehicles. After all, recruitment is just another form of marketing. Depending on the business and role being recruited, networking using traditional methods such as ‘bounty hunting’ are still widely used as a cost-effective option. This now increasingly means using social media, which reaches a much wider audience very quickly.

For my money, the creativity is not just attracting more applications from good applicants (though that’s an essential first step). It’s about identifying and keeping the right people. To do this you need to create a process that draws in applicants of the type you want and at every stage gives you objective data to help you decide whether to keep someone in the process or to regret them.

One of my favourite catering companies is Pret A Manger. Their staff and food are consistently excellent (and I have tested the latter to destruction). They do it by setting out what they want with the Pret Behaviours and have a clear culture which is communicated as a requirement before recruitment. This tends to attract like-minded people.

There is no better way to find out how a person will respond to a set of facts do than to put him in it and each prospective recruit spends a day working in different team roles in an Experience Day. Equally importantly, the rest of the Pret team are included in the selection process, providing feedback on the prospective staff member. It provides invaluable insight and in consequence, they make far fewer recruitment mistakes than most organisations.

In a small way, we do something similar. I hate interviewing, so take various steps to find out as much about someone as I can before deciding whether or not to see them. This includes assessing people on work placements, as well as workplace testing. Even the application process is a test. We include a requirement to test detail consciousness and ability to follow instructions, both critically important in our world. Out of 40 applications in the last batch only seven followed the instructions, even though we included a note that said “if you don’t do this, we won’t interview you”. Appalling but true; however, it saved a lot of time and meant that we only progressed really good people who were excited and put on their mettle by the process.

If you think creatively and design a recruitment process to attract and test the right candidates it will save you time and money. There is no one-size-fits-all, so different employers will have to think about what works for them.

For creative HR solutions come and talk to us!

Transport Worker Olympic Bonuses

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:24:49 +0000

It’s not long to go before the London Olympics get started. Last week Olympic bonuses were confirmed for transport staff.

Following lengthy negotiations, the tube engineers have agreed a £850 bonus for working during the London Olympics. Tube drivers will receive a £500 bonus plus increased overtime. Network Rail employees will take home an extra £500, Docklands Light Railway £900 plus guaranteed overtime, Virgin Rail £500, and London Overground employees will receive at least £600. The payments are to recognise the additional work that transport employees will be expected to do during the Olympic period. However, bus drivers have been left out of payment talks and are preparing a strike ballot.

Unite regional secretary, Peter Kavanagh, has accused Boris Johnson of “turning his back on over 20,000 bus workers”. Now there are threats of a London wide bus strike.

If the bus driver strike goes ahead, this will cause great disruption to many people. Let’s hope this situation can be resolved in a sensible way.

Have you started preparing for the Olympics? You can download two free resources to help you get ready: Volunteer Policy Olympics 2012 and Time Off for Sporting Events Policy. It is anticipated that during the Olympics employers will face challenges of managing absence and motivation. Why not take a proactive approach and start planning now to avoid or minimise these issues.

Lunchtime Clubbing

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:43:40 +0000

Employers are always looking for new ways to increase productivity. In Sweden, employees are hitting the dance floor at lunchtime in a new phase of lunchtime clubbing. Some people say that dancing in the middle of a working day increases productivity in the afternoon because employees return to work feeling happy and relaxed.

In UK, it is still popular for employees to visit the gym or attend a fitness class during lunchtime. Physical exercise can help to relieve tension and group exercise can improve mood and increase energy levels.

It is so easy to spend an entire working day sitting at a desk busy making calls or responding to emails. However, taking even just ten minutes out of a working day to go for walk to stretch your legs can make all the difference to what you are able to achieve for the remainder of the day.

If you are looking for new ways to increase productivity then why not consider practical ways of encouraging your employees to take part in some sort of physical exercise or activity during lunchtime. This may even help to reduce sickness absence as their health and wellbeing is improved. Now that we are heading towards warmer months why not consider setting up lunchtime volley ball or tennis or setting up a walking club.

What Are You Doing To Develop Your Managers?

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:35:51 +0000

Having a good manager can make work life much happier. The worrying news is that a recent report has revealed one in four managers in the UK have an inflated opinion of their ability to lead teams. People are not normally born as excellent managers; this is a skill which needs to be developed. However, if managers do not recognise their need to learn how to manage effectively and improve their management style then it is less likely they will change their behaviour. According to the report, this failure to recognise weak management ability is an obstacle for organisations seeking to boost productivity and growth.

Research by the CIPD shows that workers are becoming increasingly stressed because of bad management. The CIPD has advised poor managers to “look in the mirror” if they want to get the best out of their people.

One common cause of poor management is where employees who are very competent technically are promoted into people management roles and do not receive adequate training and have little idea of how their behaviour impacts on others. Another issue contributing to poor management is the lack of, or perceived lack of management time to give proper and regular feedback to employees to guide and develop them.

We believe that successful managers should have a basic knowledge and understanding of employment law. Poor managers not only damage morale and cause good employees to leave, but they also increase the risk of receiving a costly and stressful employment tribunal claim. Not only do new managers need to be trained to understand employment rights, but existing managers need to be kept up to date as things change so quickly. So often we come across situations where companies have received discrimination claims because managers ignorantly made jokes which can constitute harassment. We also manage claims where managers have not managed an individual properly and have handled situations in an unfortunate way which the employee claims has destroyed trust and confidence allowing him to claim constructive unfair dismissal.

For the last 14 years we have been delivering employment law training to managers. If you want to develop your managers to help contribute to the success of your organisation then get in touch!

Not Just For Families

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:12:04 +0000

In the Queen’s speech later today we are expecting family friendly rights to be on the agenda. In particular, we will find out if the Government is going to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. The CIPD believes that this would be a good move as research shows that flexible working supports employee retention, motivation and engagement.

Under current legislation, employees have a statutory right to request a flexible working pattern if they have at least 26 weeks’ continuous service and have or expect to have parental responsibility for a child aged under 17 (or 18 if the child is disabled). The right also applies to employees who care for adults, for example, an elderly parent.

There are many different types of flexible working including working part time, flexitime, home working, mobile working, term-time working, job share, and compressed hours.

When an employee with a statutory right requests flexible working, the employer has to follow a certain process and can only refuse the request under certain circumstances. At the moment any employee can request flexible working but if there is no statutory right to request it then the employer does not have to follow the statutory process of holding a formal meeting and responding within certain timeframes. If the right is extended to all employees then it is likely that employers will have to spend a lot more time managing requests to cope with a potentially increased number of requests which need to be managed in a particular way. Employers who are ignorant of the statutory process may find they are more exposed to claims from employees who feel their request has not been properly dealt with.

Research shows that offering flexible working can help organisations to attract talent when recruiting. Some people believe it can reduce absenteeism. People without children or dependants may have other responsibilities or interests which mean that flexible working is attractive to them. It is worth considering if flexible working could benefit your organisation and if so how this would work and what sort of flexibility you can offer.

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If you need any help managing flexible working then get in touch.

Boots Removal of Premium Payments Ruled Unlawful

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:01:16 +0000

Historically, employees working at the retailer Boots were paid double time for working on Sundays. In October 2000, this was amended to time and a half for new starters. Since May 2009, new starters have been paid at a single hourly rate only for working on Sundays.

In June 2011, Boots sought to harmonise these differences by reducing Sunday pay from double time to time and a half for employees hired before October 2000. Employees submitted claims for unlawful deduction of wages. Boots argued that these premium payments were discretionary only and they reserved the right to amend them.

The Employment Tribunal ruled that Boots had unlawfully deducted wages without their permission. The Tribunal found that the premium payments for Sunday work were not discretionary and the Company had no right to vary this entitlement without agreement. This means that Boots could be liable for compensation or backdated bill of thousands of pounds. It is unclear if Boots intends to appeal the decision.

A spokesperson for Boots said that the changes to premium pay rates had been accepted by 99.4% of affected staff and was to bring pay in line with the market place. At the same time as reducing premium pay, base pay was increased across the Company and a new bonus scheme was introduced for employees offering exemplary customer care.

This case highlights the importance of following a proper process. When seeking to amend terms and conditions, even if you don’t think the amendments are less favourable to the employee, it is important to seek agreement. Even if employees don’t initially agree, there are usually options available to still allow you to achieve the change you want to make lawfully.

Requirement For Christian Employee To Work On Sundays Was Not Religious Discrimination

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:30:43 +0000

The case of Mba v The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Merton gives employers some useful guidance as to how they should deal with an employee whose religious beliefs conflict with the requirements of the workplace.

Celestina Mba is a practising Christian who believes that Sunday is a holy day on which engaging in rest and religious observance is required. In 2007, she began work as a residential care officer at a children’s home run by LB Merton. The home was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and operated a rota system to meet operational requirements, as well as those set out in the national minimum standards for care homes. The national standards require that staff in day-to-day contact with children in the home should include staff of both genders where possible. Continuity of care for children is also an important aim. The home tried to work on a rota system which was fair to all staff. No one had to do an excessive amount of weekend work, as this was unpopular.

At the recruitment stage, the manager, Mr Deegan, explained to Ms Mba that all staff had to work a shift rota that included weekends. Ms Mba replied that she would have “difficulties” working on Sundays due to her religious activities, but did not say that her beliefs meant that she could never work on Sundays. Mr Deegan thought that it would be possible to accommodate her commitments. Later there was a dispute about whether Mr Deegan did or did not say that the accommodation would be temporary, though that was what he meant. He did not say anything about being able to support a permanent arrangement. Ms Mba genuinely believed at the time that her religious beliefs would be permanently accommodated.

For a period of time the Home accommodated her and she was not rostered to work on Sundays. Then in early 2008, Ms Mba was rostered for Sundays, but was allowed to take them as annual leave. She objected to this. The Home tried to recruit additional staff to take on more of the Sunday work, but was unsuccessful. By September 2008, Mr Deegan offered Ms Mba the choice of working either morning or night shifts when she was rostered on a Sunday, so that she could carry out her religious commitments. Ms Mba rejected the proposal. The Home continued to accommodate her, but she was advised that because the cost of providing agency cover was unsustainable, she was expected to work in the same manner as the rest of the team from January 2009.

Ms Mba remained unhappy with the requirement to work Sundays. The Home treated her concerns as an informal grievance and after an investigation found she would have to work some Sundays. She failed to attend for work on the Sundays she had been rostered and was told she would face disciplinary action if she did not comply. She still did not attend for work and the Home held a disciplinary hearing, concluding that the appropriate sanction was a six-month written warning. After an unsuccessful appeal, Ms Mba resigned, stating that there was a “direct conflict between [her] faith…and Sunday work at Brightwell”. She complained of indirect discrimination on the ground of religion or belief, and constructive dismissal.

The Home agreed that it had applied a provision, criterion or practice (PCP) to Ms Mba, which was that staffs were required to work Sunday shifts in accordance with the rota. It also agreed that this PCP would put persons of the same religion as Ms Mba at a particular disadvantage when compared with others, and that Ms Mba was put at such a disadvantage. However, it argued that the requirement was reasonable and proportionate.

Rejecting Ms Mba’s argument that requiring her to work on Sundays was in itself an unlawful instruction that constituted a direct breach of art.9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the tribunal found that an interference with religious observation that constitutes a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim is likely to be lawful under both art.9 and in terms of indirect discrimination on the ground of religion or belief. The Home had tried very hard to accommodate her beliefs. However, in addition to Ms Mba’s requirements it had a number of other items to consider, including ensuring:

• an appropriate gender balance on each shift;
• an appropriate seniority mix on each shift;
• a cost-effective structure in the face of budgetary constraints;
• fair treatment of all staff;
• compliance with legal limits on working time;
• continuity of care for children; and
• limited use of agency and bank workers.

The tribunal also concluded that Ms Mba’s belief about Sunday work was not a “core component” of the Christian faith. This was supported by Bishop Nazir Ali’s witness statement in support of Ms Mba, which stated that “some” Christians will not work on the Sabbath.

The tribunal rejected Ms Mba’s discrimination claim. There were no viable or practical alternatives to requiring her to work shifts in the same manner as the other staff. The Home’s requirements outweighed Ms Mba’s Christian desire not to work on Sundays because she believes that it is a day of worship and rest. Following on from this the tribunal found that the Home had not breached the implied term of trust and confidence, and thus there was no constructive unfair dismissal.

So the conclusion is that while behaving reasonably, employers do not have to do absolutely everything possible to accommodate an employee’s wishes on religious grounds. If they cannot accommodate the employee in full, they should consider and offer alternatives.

We Want To Help Bridge The Gap Between Education And Work

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:15:30 +0000

According to a new City & Guilds report nine in ten young people want better access to employers in order to bridge the gap between education and work. It was found that 88% of 16-18 year olds thought that it would be extremely useful for them to visit an employer but only 26% had been given this opportunity. The results of the research showed that 23% of 16-18 year olds worried about not being able to find a job when they left education or training.

We believe that it is very important for young people to be prepared for the workplace and agree that employers need to play a bigger role in this. A year ago, we introduced the project Fly Your Own Rocket. We have been visiting schools and colleges in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire to deliver workshops about choosing an area of work, how to get a job, and how to keep a job. We are offering to deliver these workshops for free. We have received excellent feedback from the schools who say that the workshops are practical, informative and extremely useful.

In our growing business we wish to recruit trainees. We are looking for raw material and for individuals who want a successful career in HR. We believe this is an excellent opportunity for the right individuals and may appeal to school leavers. We also offer work experience placements.

We are also providing free HR briefings worth £350 + VAT to school governors. The briefings are tailored to the specific needs of the school. For example, we recently talked to a group of governors about a new performance management system they were implementing. This opportunity helps schools to build a relationship with a business which their students can benefit from.

Even though many schools recognise the importance of building relationships with local businesses we have been surprised that some schools have been reluctant to take up our offer of free support for students, teachers, careers advisors and governors. Perhaps this is because schools are very busy and so this becomes a low priority. However, we want to help and the many schools which we have already helped have told us how much they have benefitted from our support. If you are interested in the support we are giving schools or know someone who may be interested then please get in touch, we would love to help!