Managing Difficult Conversations with Coaching

How you manage a difficult conversation at work can have a lasting impact beyond the immediate conclusion of that conversation; a shift in working relationships, a reputation built on how you deal with these things and the motivation and engagement of the employee thereafter.

In my coaching and development work I focus on the need to better understand ourselves in order to understand others and manage the situations we find ourselves in, enabling us to:

• Handle ourselves differently during these tense times
• Read the signs of developing situations, intervene and diffuse early
• Remove the emotion by focussing on the factual, and
• Ask inquisitive questions to better understand the situation from the other’s perspective.

A key thing to remember in these situations is that opinion is not fact, opinion is owned by that individual and opinion is absolutely right for that individual at that time.  Why is this important to appreciate?  Because during times of conflict we can become preoccupied with disagreeing with someone who has a different opinion to ours to the point that we can miss the underlying messages driving the conflict in the first place.

If you are involved in the conflict yourself, stop, take a breath and ask yourself these questions, be honest with yourself in your answers:

• Is this having an impact on the team, the company, an individual’s  effectiveness and productivity? If yes, then it needs dealing with.
• What is your role in this situation? Are you creating the conflict or keeping it going?
• In resolving the conflict, you may need to change your perspective, are you prepared to do this?
• What is the true, factual, element to this conflict, or is there a personal aspect?
• What might the situation look like from the other person’s point of view?

Choose your battles, what will you hope to gain by pursuing this? What could you lose?

If you are the manager intervening in a conflict between others, here are some of the most useful questions you can use to coach those involved and help drive an objective conversation about it:

• “Tell me how this has affected you.” Encourage everyone involved to share this, it moves a focus onto the working relationship and helps to identify what the triggers were in the first place, which in turn helps to avoid these in to the future.
• “What would you like to have happen?” and “what does this look like?”  This shifts thinking and behaviour to the positive, focussing on what they do want instead of what they don’t.
• “What would it take for us to move on? How do we do that?” Bringing the ‘we’ into finding a solution is moving forward, reassuring that you will all work on a resolution together.  Also, when ideas for a resolution are drawn from individuals, and these are then implemented, there is a greater sense of commitment and involvement, rather than having a way forward imposed upon them.
•  “What is most important to you?”  Enabling you to get to the bottom of the real issues behind the conflict.
• “What else?” Always good questions to ask until you feel they have shared everything they need or want to.

This is a Guest Blog by Natalie Watkins of NJW Coaching & Development who partners individuals and groups, empowering them to become the professionals they aspire to be through coaching, bespoke designed and delivered training solutions and Insights Discovery Personal Profiling.  Get in touch by calling 07798 932571 or emailing info@nataliejwatkins.co.uk

Expensive nicknames

We've all heard colleagues being referred to by amusing nicknames at work - maybe even to their face! - and it might seem like light-hearted banter that keeps the wheels oiled.

But if the nickname refer to any of the legally protected characteristics (like age, race, sex or disability) and if things turn sour with a problem dismissal or redundancy, then the nickname can turn out to be very expensive indeed for you as an employer.  It can be quoted at the employment tribunal as evidence of illegal discrimination and will increase the amount you have to pay out quite significantly.

In March "Gramps" joined "Yoda", "Borat" and "Sooty & Sweep" in the range of workplace nicknames quoted by claimants to employment tribunals as evidence of illegal discrimination – contributing to large payouts when their claims were upheld.  The Bristol employment tribunal has awarded more than £63,000 for age discrimination to a salesperson nicknamed “Gramps” by his younger colleagues and later, after ageist customer complaints, dismissed.

The “Gramps” nickname was given to Mr Dove by the Head of Sales.  He referred to Mr Dove as “Gramps” both in person, in front of others and by email. After a customer suggested that Mr Dove was “old fashioned”, “long in the tooth” and had a “traditional” approach out of step with their business needs, some of his accounts were given to the Head of Sales.  Mr Dove was then dismissed. 

 

In his claim for unfair dismissal to the employment tribunal, Mr Dove put the nickname forward as strong evidence that the company had ageist attitudes and claimed age discrimination too.  In upholding the claim, the employment tribunal took into account the “Gramps” nickname, saying it suggested that ageist attitudes were tolerated in this workplace.  The tribunal found that Mr Dove’s dismissal was influenced by the customer’s "discriminatory and stereotypical attitudes" that the employer had adopted without further enquiry: it should have investigated what Mr Dove was actually doing rather than dismiss him based on the customer’s attitude.

The outcome was that the employment tribunal found Mr Dove suffered discrimination in the workplace and was ultimately dismissed because of his age. He was awarded a total of £63,391.

Other examples where workplace nicknames have been used as evidence to bring successful discrimination claims include:

• “Yoda” as evidence of age bias as part an age discrimination claim that the employer had made the claimant redundant because he was close to retirement.  
• “Borat”, as evidence in a Polish welder’s race discrimination claim on the basis that the name evoked stereotypes about eastern Europeans. 
• “typical Irish” used repeatedly by colleagues to refer to an Irishman working in England.  When he made a mistake he was nicknamed “thick Paddy”. He was dismissed after complaining to his employer.  The tribunal concluded that he was dismissed “principally because he was an Irishman who would not take Irish jokes lying down”, and a race discrimination claim was found in his favour.
• calling an older worker the “old fogey” or calling a younger worker the “stroppy teenager”.

The cases show how important it is for managers to put a stop to employee nicknames whenever they run the risk of referring to any of the protected characteristics under The Equality Act 2010.  It doesn't matter if the employee doesn't complain at the time about the nickname, as Mr Dove didn't.  He was even known to refer to himself as Gramps.  The intention - such as teasing or joking – is irrelevant too.  

The defending employer said in the "Yoda" case said he could see no problem with age-related banter "if everyone is getting on".  Wrong.  Nip it in the bud and make sure people know why.

Is It Legal To Force Women To Wear High Heels?

A 27-year old woman has recently claimed that she turned up for work wearing flat shoes on her first day as a corporate receptionist for a City accountancy firm, only to be told that she had two choices – be sent home without pay, or go buy a pair of heels between two and four inches high.

Nicola Thorp says that she was laughed at by bosses, and has since set up an online petition which has attracted over 100,000 signatures. This means that the issue will be considered in Parliament for debate.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about these events isn’t that they happened (because let’s face it, sexism is often still a very real issue in workplaces), but that the business in question wasn’t actually breaking the law.

Employers in the UK are within their rights to dismiss a member of staff if they fail to adhere to ‘reasonable’ dress code standards, and different codes of dress for men and women are still permitted. Though the legislation doesn’t explicitly address high heels, and is open to interpretation, it’s not possible to say that the accountancy firm was flouting their legal responsibilities.

But let’s forget about the law for a second, and apply a little bit of common sense. High heels can be uncomfortable, even painful, and have zero impact on anyone’s ability to do their job. If you’re asking your female staff to turn up to work wearing anything other than a formal shoe, or if necessary, safety footwear, then now’s the time to seriously rethink your practices.

Ditch the outdated requirements, and bring your business into the 21^st century. Not because they might soon become illegal, but because it’s the right thing to do.

If you’re concerned about the impact that old people policies and practices could have on your business, now’s the time to take action. We can review your full HR agenda, identify any potential issues, and make sure that you’re firmly on the right track. Get in touch today with TheHuman Resource, the small business HR consultancy, on 07884 475303 or email enquiries@thehr.co.uk for a no-obligation chat. 

Brexit uncertainty and recruitment

Is the possibility of a Brexit vote on 23rd June making you uneasy about greater risks if you recruit into your business right now?

You aren’t alone.  There are signs that uncertainty about whether or not Britain will stay in the EU is dampening down recruitment levels.  “City hiring grinds to a halt as Brexit poll looms” screamed a recent Financial Times headline.  With opinion polls tight, surveys suggest that companies are delaying making hiring and investment decisions until after the 23rd June vote on Britain’s membership of the EU.

At the same time, you still have a successful business to run.  There may be threats just around the corner, but you still need to retain the ability to react quickly to them, and to be geared up to meet increasing demand without running your existing staff into the ground.  

What are your alternatives to hiring more permanent staff? 

• Hire a temp through a recruitment agency instead. This person would be the agency’s employee not yours and this can be a flexible, obligation-free way of covering the work without making a long term commitment.  

• Take on a fixed term contract employee for a finite length of time until the impact of the referendum on jobs in your company becomes clearer, to work on a particular project.

• Find a self-employed freelancer with specialist skills and experience to enhance the know-how in your company over a finite period of time, invoicing you on a day rate basis. 

Now would be a good time to think through your just-in-case strategies, especially if your business has a presence in other EU countries.  One of the basic principles of the EU is freedom of movement and at the moment there are no real restrictions.  Depending on the terms of the Brexit, in the medium term it’s likely to be harder to hire EU workers.

If demand for your company's goods and services is affected by the stock market and overall business confidence in the economy, a Brexit vote is likely to have a negative impact, as the IMF has warned today.  Financial modellers in investment companies anticipate a fall in stock market values if Britain leaves the EU, and a small bounce up with a remain vote.

Even if the UK does break away from Europe, the process won’t happen overnight. There would be a two-year period to negotiate the mechanics of the withdrawal, and the exit itself is likely to take even longer.  For now, there are so many unknowns that there’s very little planning employers can do to mitigate the risks associated with the referendum and a possible Brexit. But a prudent employer will be cautious about entering into lengthy commercial agreements - in employment or otherwise.  Staying agile is key.

Newish to recruitment? - there’s more advice with the practical steps to consider here.  And to explore how to make the best recruitment decisions for your business, contact The Human Resource on 07884 475303 or email enquiries@thehr.co.uk.

  

Recruitment interviewers: top 10 tips for success

If you have a job to fill, the way to go about it is to interview at least one person and ideally several.

Right?

Maybe not.  It depends on the interview.  Because research has shown that unstructured interviewing has as much chance of selecting the right person for the job as tossing a coin. 

If you select the wrong person, you’ve lost a significant sum in advertising costs, agency fees, interview time, training time and costs, internal disruption and lowered morale. Plenty of research has shown that the cost of getting it wrong is two or three times the annual salary of the individual.  

If the interview process casts you or your business in an unfavourable light as an employer, it’s likely the applicant you want for the role will turn you down.  And the others you interviewed will pass on their negative impressions to their friends and family.  You may even lose customers and local reputation.

Here are our top tips for identifying the right person for the job  - so that you have a significantly better chance of selecting the right person than tossing that coin!  While protecting your company's reputation too.

1     Analyse what you’re looking for and how you’ll recognise it.

2   Screen out the no-hopers before interview so you use your interview time effectively

3   Plan beforehand which parts of the individual’s CV you’ll focus on and core questions for all applicants. Structuring the interview does improve its ability to predict performance in the job.

4   Bring out the best in each applicant with good listening and questioning

5   Make sure you don’t ask illegal questions but face up to sensitive ones

6   Assess what you hear objectively and analytically against what's required to do the job. Gathering information systematically helps to predict how the applicant would be likely to perform in the job. 

7   Screen out any personal, irrational biases from your judgements: 

• The self-fulfilling prophecy effect – if you make up your mind about an applicant in the first few minutes, it's likely you'll spend the rest of the interview proving to yourself that you were right, in the sort of questions you ask and the non-verbal feedback you give the applicant.  So the first impression becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• The stereotyping effect - assuming that particular characteristics are typical of members of a particular group. Some people even make stereotyped assumptions about people with red hair.
• The halo and horns effect. Once interviewers rate candidates as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in some aspects, they often replicate this judgement across the board, reaching unbalanced decisions.
• The similar-to-me effect – some interviewers unconsciously give preference to candidates they perceive as having a similar background, career history, personality or attitudes to themselves.  The result is a team of clones of the manager.
• The personal liking effect – making decisions on the basis of whether they personally like or dislike the candidate. 

8     Let applicants demonstrate to you what they’ve found out about the company and what they want to know about the job.

9     Use ability tests and personality profiles to supplement your judgement at interview.

10    Communicate the decision within the timeframe you gave the applicant.

Recruiting doesn’t have to give you a headache or damage your company’s image, but you do need to be prepared, in control and know what you’re looking for. 

Need help with an upcoming recruitment exercise? – defining what you’re looking for and how you’ll recognize it, wording the advert, questions to ask at interview, coaching in interview skills, decision making? 

Email The Human Resource on enquiries@thehr.co.uk to arrange a no-obligation chat and download our free Expert Interviewer's Guide.

Naff interview questions

Some interviewers adopt favourite questions that - while not actually illegal and discriminatory - are cringe-inducingly naff and corny.  The applicant’s response (perhaps after an inward snigger) will contribute nothing to the task of identifying whether the person can do the job.  Not only can a bad interview question take your interview wildly off course, it may also put you in a negative light in the mind of the interviewee.

Here are a few to avoid:

• Tell me about yourself —it’s far too broad.  What you need to know about someone relates to work so provide a clear starting point: then the response might tell you what you were hoping to find out. Try an alternative such as “What led you to choose this career path?”
• What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?  This is such a common question that applicants have either answered it multiple times before or have read articles on the best way to answer it. Either way, it will give you absolutely useless answers. So what if a person says they can deliver on time or is a perfectionist? You’ll never really know whether it has any basis in fact or whether the applicant has just listed points Googled from a “best answers” cribsheet.       Instead you could ask about a story of failure which will more genuinely tell you the person’s weaknesses rather than simply asking about them:  “Tell me about a time you failed at a goal you needed to achieve.”  A good interview question extracts information indirectly. 

• Where do you want to be in five years? — The truthful answer might be on a beach in The Bahamas after winning the lottery. The answer you’ll be given will probably be a platitude like “to have progressed within your company into a management position” or an equally ‘interviewer pleasing' answer.  Or even “I want your job.”  Instead, ask “Which of your skills do you hope to develop over the next few years to help you take a step up in your career?”
• What can you do for us that others can't? — Isn't that your job as the interviewer to figure out?   The candidate won’t know about the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors, so will generally resort to an answer related to their work ethic.  Instead, “What makes you the ideal applicant for this role?” will give you much more useful answers.
• If you were an animal, which one would you be? — This used to surprise candidates, but many will now be prepared for this amateur attempt at psychological analysis as it’s been widely communicated as laughable on social media. If you're looking for a lion (or someone who shows leadership) then ask a more direct question about their leadership skills.
• What salary are you hoping for? — This is something that can be discussed before or after a job interview, but not during as it's not right to put your interviewee under pressure to commit to a figure on the spot.  You could however check what the applicant is earning currently or how much they earned in their last job, to give you a point of reference if you decide to make an offer.

Another type of question to avoid is the Leading question where you imply the answer you want in the question, e.g. “Can you cope?  Are you a good teamplayer?  Leading questions inspire meaninglesss answers.  If you ask a question where the answer you want is obvious, you will hear what you expect.  It will add little to your understanding of the candidate - so why waste your time?

The Human Resource helps managers to find the right new recruit – sorting out exactly what you’re looking for and how you’ll recognize it, wording the advert, questions to ask at interview, decision making. Download your free Expert Interviewer's Guide and contact us on enquiries@thehr.co.uk. 

Why engaged employees are good for your business

What does it take to be a really great employer, like the ones who feature in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list?  Is it something to aspire to with very real business benefits?   Or is it just soft and fluffy stuff?  What’s the point in encouraging happy employees? If they’re all sitting around laughing they won’t get much work done, you might think.  Or ”I don’t want this to be a nice place to work, I want us to succeed”.

Certainly winning awards like The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For is about a lot more than happy and satisfied employees, or providing a nice place to work. Companies are assessed for their leadership, employee wellbeing, giving something back to society, personal growth for staff, how they feel about their manager, company and immediate colleagues, and how far staff feel they get a fair deal for pay and benefits.

Being able to do all these things well isn't just for large corporates able to afford costly company benefits and perks: the winner of this year's 100 Best Small Companies was an interior design company in Nottingham with 102 staff and a turnover of £48M.  

People who work for these great companies go the extra mile to deliver and are truly engaged with work. Their enthusiasm rubs off on other employees and on customers. They provide better experiences for customers, approach the job with energy – which enhances productivity – and come up with creative product, process and service improvements. They remain with their employer for longer, which reduces turnover and its related costs. In turn, they create happier customers who buy more, stay longer and tell their friends – generating sustainable growth.

Research over a 7 year period has shown that firms with highly engaged employees grew revenues two and a half times more than those with low engagement levels. Organisations with the most engaged employees are, on average, 22% more profitable.  Highly engaged employees perform 20% better than the most disengaged. 

What do these benefits look like in practice? 

• Personal investment: Research indicates that if employees are engaged with the company, their job satisfaction levels increase. They’re invested in the success of the business and committed to it. They’re ambassadors for the company and will promote and support the company’s mission, strategy and brand.
• Productivity: Engaged employees are committed to going the extra mile to achieve success in their job.  They take less time off work sick and they’re more motivated, leading to increased productivity. Research indicates that offices with engaged employees are as much as 43% more productive.
• Retention & Recruitment:  Engaged employees are more far more likely to stay, so that recruitment costs are minimised. The business with a highly engaged workforce builds a reputation as an employer that increases their ability to attract the best applicants.
• Innovation: Because engaged employees perform at a higher level and bring passion and interest to their job, this often leads to innovation in the workplace. These employees feel they have a real stake in the organisation, and will often strive to create new products, services and processes.
• Profitability: Companies with more engaged employees tend to be more profitable. Their employees become more productive and efficient, so operating costs are lower and the profit margin increases.  A recent study has shown that highly engaged employees produce 26% more revenue per employee.

Not so soft and fluffy then! Employee engagement is a strong force that will deliver a genuine, hardnosed business benefit for you.  People deliver profits - so it's worth looking after them.

There’s more about how to grow levels of employee engagement in your company here and for more help contact The HumanResource on 07884 475303 or enquiries@thehr.co.uk.  If you're ready to make strategic changes so your company can feature in a Best Employer list next year, we do that too.