The start of the new decade has been a rollercoaster ride for everyone, HR included. 2020 has posed several challenges to us as businesses and as individuals: ongoing mental health issues and diversity and inclusion concerns, companies seeking more agile frameworks, fast digital transformations and more flexible working strategies to cope with COVID-19, and much more. Unsurprisingly, the most popular blogs this year revolved around performance, remote working, wellness and how to take advantage of digital tools.
1. Five steps to an effective Performance Improvement Plan
With many companies having to quickly adapt to new ways of working this year, it’s no surprise that – for better or worse – employee performance has been impacted. When it comes to poor performance, it might be easier to put off difficult conversations at the beginning, but this will inevitably make things more complicated later on. It’s best to tackle any issues early on, and one of the best ways to do this is by putting together a clear Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with your employee.
2. Five HR-related shows to watch on Netflix
Being in and out of lockdowns and enduring social distancing restrictions for the majority of the year, many people have turned to streaming platforms like Netflix to fill the increased downtime. We shared our favourite Netflix films and shows that use the workplace as the main setting, highlighting HR issues in either humorous or uncomfortable ways.
3. Six things people miss about the office and four things they don’t!
For those who were able to, a big portion of the year was spent homeworking, with many employees doing so for the first time. We asked people about their working-from-home experience, what they missed about working in the office, and what they’re happy to be without. If you’re interested in the full report, you can find it here.
4. What you and your HR system can do to make December easier for your business
Anything that HR can do to make the end of this very difficult year easier for the workforce is a tremendous help. We suggested three ways you can use your HR software to minimise stress from key admin tasks and tie up those few loose ends before the next year comes.
5. Support workforce wellness this Christmas
After a tumultuous year, the doom and gloom seen on the news in the lead up to Christmas is the last thing everyone needs. Employees may require extra support to help them get through the holidays. Here are three ways you can promote health and wellness this season.
6. Five reasons managers need to lighten up at Christmas
In many organisations, Christmas is a busy period, but with employees getting into the festive spirit and feeling distracted, it can be challenging to keep productivity high. While managers may feel the need to put the pressure on, this might only disengage staff. Here are five reasons why actually encouraging some fun and joining in the jolly atmosphere can help your team’s work progress.
7. Tackling poor performance when working remotely
When managing an employee’s poor performance, a face-to-face conversation is often in the cards. But what happens when you’re all working remotely? While it’s easy to think ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this will only get more difficult – not just for you and the employee, but also for the rest of the team – the longer the issue drags on. We shared some ideas on what HR and line managers can do when dealing with poor performance remotely.
8. How HR can support remote working
To continue business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, many organisations implemented company-wide work-from-home policies almost overnight. Naturally, this did not come without its challenges as employees had to adjust to what turned into long-term homeworking arrangements. We shared five tips on how HR can support their workforce to transition well into remote working.
9. What are performance check-ins, and what questions should you ask?
In our latest survey, we found that annual performance reviews are still alive and well with 51% of respondents saying they have their performance reviews once a year. But how do you determine performance in between? Incorporating frequent performance check-ins into performance management processes seems to be the way to go for many high-performing companies. We break down what performance check-ins are, and some suggestions on what questions you can ask employees to make the most of these sessions.
10. Remote onboarding: providing a warm welcome using online tools
While talk of furlough and redundancies flooded our newsfeed throughout the year, recruitment and employee onboarding was and is still essential for some businesses. And a big part of making a new employee feel welcome is getting them set up right from the start with multiple touchpoints. In pre-COVID-19 times, this usually meant setting up their on-site workspace, showing them around and building connections through face-to-face meetings. But when having to onboard a new starter remotely, effective use of online tools is crucial to ensure the key administrative and psychological elements of employee onboarding aren’t missed out.
Which article did you enjoy reading the most this year?
Hannah Mandapat
Marketing Executive
Hannah has over five years of experience in the technology space, having worked in various marketing roles involving copywriting, social media management, and email marketing.