As the end of the year approaches, there are a few things that might slip through the net. Here’s a handy list of people management essentials to bear in mind before signing off for your Christmas break. It’s time to focus on wrapping up 2020….
Holidays
If your holiday year ends on 31st December, don’t forget that balances can be carried over where people have been unable to take holiday due to the pandemic. Alternatively, you might need to give your team notice that you will be setting holiday dates for them, in which case you will need to give twice as much notice of the dates, as the length of the holiday itself. For example you need to give 2 weeks notice when setting a week’s holiday.
Pay and bonuses
As there are bank holidays coming up, does this affect the date people will be paid? If so, don’t forget to let people know.
As there are specific deadlines on the furlough grant claims, have you planned to manage the calculations and claims around leave dates of your team?
Bonuses are often paid at this time of year. If this has been standard practice for you in previous years, don’t forget to manage your team’s expectations early if you are not in a position to continue the tradition.
Christmas presents and parties
Without being a party pooper, it is worth considering a reminder on party etiquette.
It’s likely you won’t be seeing each other in person this year, but expectations over behaviour are still worth sharing to be sure that virtual events are not recorded, and that screen shots aren’t shared without explicit permission.
If you are doing a ‘secret santa’ you might want to consider the article we wrote last year.
Planning for 2021
After wrapping up 2020, how about planning for 2021 to get ahead of the curve? Have you considered the following?
Legislative changes
Brexit !!! Make sure you are ready.
You’ll need to budget for the National Minimum Wage increases from April 2021:
- Voluntary living wage £9.50 per hour
- Workers aged 25 and over (National Living Wage) £8.91 per hour
- Workers aged 21–24 £8.36 per hour
- Development rates for workers aged 18–20 £6.56 per hour
- Young workers rate for workers aged 16–17 £4.62 per hour
- Apprentices under 19, or over 19 and in first year of the apprenticeship £4.30 per hour
Have you diarised the forthcoming legal changes:
- 1st January 2021 New immigration scheme comes into force for all applicants regardless of nationality
- 1st February 2021 Employer contributions to the Job Retention Scheme may change.
- 31st March 2021 The Job Retention Scheme will close.
- April 2021 IR35 update: large and medium sized organisations in the private sector who engage contractors through intermediary companies will be responsible for assessing the employment status of those contractors.
- June 2021 EU Settlement Scheme closes to applicants.
Your agenda
Its time to review your people plan! Your business model is likely to have changed over the past few months. Are your people, the roles they play and the way they approach their work aligned with your business goals?
Ask yourself what you, and your teams will stop, start and continue doing to deliver the vision.
Well being and engagement
With the shift to new ways of working and the levels of isolation experienced by many, wellbeing and engagement are high on the the list of priorities for many employers. If you are shifting to working remotely on a permanent basis then making sure your team have appropriate equipment is your responsibility under your duty of care to your team. There are risk assessments to be carried out and work station assessments too.
Mental health is a key consideration, and shouldn’t be disregarded. Do your line managers know how to approach the subject with their team members? Have you considered Mental Health First Aiders? This isn’t a problem which is going away, being prevalent before the pandemic, so finding ways to support your team through difficult times will have a beneficial impact on your employee retention and productivity rate, and therefore your bottom line.
And don’t forget to take care of your own wellbeing. Check yourself for unhealthy habits you may have fallen into over the past few months. Are you eating properly, taking a break, exercising? What changes do you need to make to be on top form at home and at work?
If you need help with any of these people management essentials, just get in touch. We are here to help.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from all the team at Redway HR.