Jersey Evening Post feature - 25 Jan 2023

It is time to put the human back into human resources

Melanie Grandfield, founder of High Tide HR Consultancy and freelance HR consultant, says that developing policies with people at their heart can help to create a great workplace.

When I look back on 2022, several prominent stories from the workplace have hit the headlines. 

In March P&O Ferries found themselves front page news after they made 800 employees redundant with immediate effect, via a video call and without consultation. 

Then there was the memo, left on the desks of civil servants in April by Jacob Rees-Mogg, which simply read “sorry you were out when I visited, I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon”. This was his attempt to direct employees back into the workplace, rather than work from home after COVID restrictions started to lift. 

Throughout the year we heard much talk of ‘quiet quitting’ a trend whereby some employees have decided to work to rule after discovering the benefits of having a greater work-life balance during the pandemic, and the not-too-dissimilar ‘great resignation’, again linked to learnings from the pandemic as employees ask themselves whether they can find a better place to work.

And there are plenty of other stories, most recently Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and his approach to restructuring but also - managing absence attributed to Long-Covid, hybrid working and working from home, employee wellbeing including a spotlight on menopause, a worldwide skills shortage and a job market that is still heavily tilted in the employee’s favour.

When you see these headlines listed together, you cannot help but notice that the majority are post-pandemic legacy issues – either from the economic fallout or a surge in new working practices and employee desires.  But regardless of their origin, behind the strategic solutions to all of these stories is a HR policy, more recently called a people policy. 

According to the Fawcett Society (April 2022) for example, 1 in ten women are leaving the workplace as a result of menopause symptoms.  A Menopause policy would not only support the retention of valuable knowledge and skills in the workplace but would reduce absence and raise awareness. 

As another example, the Office for National Statistics (May 2022) reports that 78% of those who worked from home in some capacity said it gave them an improved work-life balance.  So rather than take Jacob Rees-Moggs’s approach, the introduction of a Flexible Working policy would ensure employees don’t move on because their employer refuses to move with the times.

You may be thinking but aren’t people policies rigid and bureaucratic? The simple answer is they don’t have to be. Creative, easy to understand, and inclusive people policies that put the employee at the heart can help resolve many workplace challenges and contribute significantly to a positive, values-driven culture and a great place to work.  Even more so when implemented with several key elements that, include: 

Conversations -  regular, meaningful conversations between line managers and their individual team members are a must, as they are the key to everything.  They help build good, empathic working relationships with each team member ensuring line managers are best placed to proactively provide support before issues arise.

Discretion – providing a framework to allow line managers to use discretion, empowering them to respond to the individual needs of team members because one size does not fit all.  Life reliably throws curve balls from time to time and if an employer can flex to accommodate that curve ball and make things just that little bit easier for an individual it can pay huge dividends for both employee and employee. 

Culture and values - each policy, particularly the statement of principles, should reflect the culture and values of the organisation, this ensures they are authentic and more than just a tick-box exercise. 

Implementation – thought needs to be given to how a policy will be launched and communicated to employees, it should not just go live on the intranet ready to gather virtual dust.  Training for line managers is vital with supporting toolkits to help bring the policy alive and work successfully in practice. 

Legal and regulatory – each people policy must be drafted with regard to legal and regulatory requirements, most notably employment, discrimination, and health and safety laws.  With the spotlight very much on supporting health and well-being in the workplace, there is particular importance in understanding responsibilities around reasonable adjustments in respect of the protected characteristic of disability and where appropriate, the need to carry out risk assessments.

Predictions are being made for the key challenges for HR in 2023.  There is no doubt that well-being will feature heavily, including financial well-being as the rising cost of living continues to impact many. 

There will be continued debate about hybrid working and how to alleviate the skills shortage will surely feature.  But whatever the challenge, there will be a need for a people policy to underpin the solution with a focus on putting the human back into human resources.