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Two Ways in which HR can support Men’s Mental Health at Work
Mental health affects us all. It’s easy to assume that the issue only arises in those who are diagnosable. But mental health issues can affect anyone and can be triggered by anything. For some men, a trigger may be work-related. A stressful meeting with a colleague, a difficult encounter with your superior or an unexpected change in your job role can leave you feeling stressed or depressed at work – as well as at home.
Even in traditional where mental health is not usually spoken of in the open, companies have been taking small steps to address it for their employees more proactively than ever before. What can companies do to ensure good mental wellbeing for their employees?
This blog post offers two ways on how HR can help.
Break the Stigma
Stigma is a barrier for men seeking help and being open about their mental health. Stigma can make them feel like they’re not normal. It can also prevent them from getting the help they need because they don’t want to be judged by others who might have preconceived notions about what it means to be “a man.” A stigma-free environment is important for both men and women.
HR can create awareness within the company by simply talking about it to break the stigma. The more it’s spoken of, the more it will be normalized. Organize learning sessions/ webinars by experts on topics such as stress management techniques. Encourage your male employees to schedule therapy sessions by making solutions like oDoc available on PeoplesHR Marketplace accessible to them. It is an app that lets them consult specialists in minutes online.
Encourage your employees to talk about mental health during meetings and to provide feedback to HR or team leaders on ways in which they can improve collective mental health. This can result in a more inclusive company culture in which your team members are more comfortable discussing their own mental health challenges and what has helped them overcome them.
Mental Health & Physical Exercise Go Hand in Hand
As well as being an important factor in physical health, exercise is a great way to help with mental health for anyone. It boosts energy levels and makes employees feel more relaxed and positive about themselves. There are lots of ways to do exercise that can benefit your mental wellbeing: walking or running outside; playing sports like football or basketball with friends; going for a swim at the local leisure center; taking up boxing classes – there are so many options out there!
It’s not always easy to find the motivation to exercise when you are not in the best of spirits but having the support of a workout buddy has been proven to provide an incentive to get involved. HR can partner up with health & fitness experts to provide employees with fitness programs that they can all participate in together. This sense of togetherness will not just make exercise a fun affair but it will contribute to a positive change in mental health.
At PeoplesHR Marketplace, we have extended solutions made available, one of which is Workout.lk which is Sri Lanka’s most comprehensive health and fitness platform that aims to inspire people in their healthy journey, especially geared towards empowering corporate staff engaged in sedentary occupations.
If you’ve read this blog this far, chances are that you care deeply about the well-being of your employees. This is a daunting task, especially when there are many employees who may be suffering in silence. But this journey starts with one person willing to talk about it. As we see more and more men like Prince Harry and Shawn Mendes encouraging society to talk about mental health issues without shame or fear, the day is not far away when we will be able to break this stigma. In the corporate world, of course, it’s important for HR to recognize this if we want to adapt to a modern and inclusive work culture. They will need to play an active role by bringing solutions or partners on board, increasing awareness and reducing stigma around these issues by making them part of our everyday conversations.
Employee Champions & Why you need one
It may be unheard of as a role, but those in HR do carry out tasks similar to that of an employee champion, despite the fact that it is not recognized as a separate role. The role of modern-day HR is very broad, whether it is as a change agent or a strategic business partner; having someone in HR as an employee champion is a thing in modern workplaces where employer branding is very important.
Let's now understand who an Employee Champion is and their role.
Employee champions can be assigned by HR to assess employee morale/motivation and level of satisfaction in the workplace. This person or team is in charge of it and drives these factors through relevant activities and by collecting information to further improve productivity and satisfaction levels. This makes the workplace more appealing to employees. The happier the employees are, the stronger the company’s culture and employer brand will be.
For example, if a department is falling behind in terms of productivity, the employee champion makes a point of approaching and speaking with the employees in that department. When the champion has identified the problem, he or she should report back to the management or the relevant team leader so that appropriate steps can be taken.
Can anyone in the workplace be an Employee Champion?
The beauty of this HR role is that sometimes it necessarily does not have to be someone from HR. Sometimes the team leader may take on this role unofficially. We call them natural employee champions. They do it unknowingly & don’t need to be assigned. They naturally work towards boosting team morale. An employee champion role example is a high-performing employee in a small team or department where they act as an informal leader who guides everyone or inspire the others to be productive as well. Anyone can take on this role.
You may now wonder why the company needs a separate individual for this role when we have team leaders who act as the employee champions. The simple answer is that not all team leaders will be this way. Not all leaders can take on the role of employee champions. In addition to that, there can be instances where the team members in a department may be reluctant to talk openly about factors influencing their work motivation. Having an unbiased person whose only focus is to be there for the employees helps during such circumstances.
Benefits of having an Employee Champion
If a business is overly committed to delivering and making its products or services top-notch or expanding, it risks losing sight of its employees. This may happen during a stressful business quarter as well. Employees are more likely to experience anxiety and feel burnt out during this time. If no one steps in at the right time to check on them, they might gradually lose confidence in the company. A team leader or someone may not always be able to dedicate time amidst situations as such to the team members. Having an employee champion can solve this problem by focusing on the internal issues faced by employees and giving them tips on how to stay sane during stressful times.
The editor-in-chief of EmexMag describes employee champions as catalysts. When policy shifts or any major changes are bought about in the workplace in an attempt to increase efficiency and productivity, they are often met with a grudging acceptance. It takes a while for most people to accept or absorb any change that takes place. An employee champion can help the other employees transition to or adopt the new policy faster.
Every workplace is different and the way they are structured will be distinct as well. It is unlikely that all leaders in the organisation will be able to take on the role of an employee champion and be able to effect the change necessary to improve organizational capabilities and possibly even analyse the potential of a workforce. Therefore, it is a good option to have an employee champion from HR who will be able to provide undivided attention to the employees.
Everything You Need to Know About WFA
With what the world has gone through in the past few years, work from home became the norm for a significant period. However, now people and businesses are moving into what is known as work from anywhere. Given how dynamic the world is now, it is not surprising to see more and more workplaces introducing HR policies allowing their employees to work from any part of the world.
This blog will take you through the WFA concept along with the advantages and disadvantages associated with it for HR.
What Is Work From Anywhere (WFA)?
The working from anywhere concept, more popularly known as the WFA, is an option provided by employers to allow employees to work from quite literally anywhere they like. All you need is a laptop and a solid internet connection to stay productive. You can imagine WFA to be the next-gen version of WFH.
The difference is that those who work from home now may be required to attend the office once in a while for a meeting, etc., whereas working from anywhere has no such obligations. With the pandemic, employees have become accustomed to working from home and are now ready to switch to working from anywhere.
Is Working From Anywhere Feasible?
There are many companies out there that allow their employees to work from anywhere to increase productivity and reduce overhead costs. But this may not be the right case for all. There are different factors that affect the way the work of these companies are done. For instance, one of the many factors would be the size of the company. A smaller company may not be able to handle the logistics like that of a larger company. Therefore, before implementing WFA, HR will have to consider these factors that affect their company and the issues that might arise as a result and make plans on how to tackle them.
Benefits of Work From Anywhere
Increased Productivity and Saving of Time
Having a WFA workforce helps increase productivity in the workplace. Employees are no longer wasting time commuting back and forth to work, chatting at the coffee table, or being distracted by others. This time saved can be invested back into increasing overall productivity levels.
Absences and employee turnover have been reduced.
Employees who work from anywhere are often more efficient, have fewer absence from work, and have a lower turnover rate than employees who work in traditional business settings.
Lower Facility Costs
A WFA arrangement can save you money by reducing costs on electricity usage for air conditioning or heating during the winter months when your employees might not want to come into the office due to weather conditions like snowfall or ice storms!
Employee Retention
If WFA works well within an organization’s culture they may find their employee retention rates rise as talented workers will be drawn to opportunities where they can feel empowered rather than restricted in pursuing their personal goals.
Instantly Diversified Workforce
Hiring from anywhere in the world will allow you to instantly diversify your talent pool. With an ever-expanding contingent, it becomes easier for companies trying to create cultures of diversity and inclusion by hiring people who represent different backgrounds instead of being confined within smaller geographical regions where there may only be one or two potential candidates available at any given time.
Disadvantages of Work From Anywhere
Employee Management
The primary downside of WFA is that managing remote employees on a large scale may be challenging. You may find it difficult to keep everyone responsible and on line with their job as they won’t necessarily be in close proximity. Without the typical clock in and clock out mechanism in place, ensuring that work begins on time and concludes on time is not totally viable.
Productivity Management
The organization’s productivity expectations are controlled on a local scale, which is the second drawback. Employees who work from home may feel less compelled to complete tasks or meet deadlines. If there is no framework to how work is done, this may quickly become an issue. The first downside is that when you don’t have the capacity to meet remote workers on a regular basis, managing them becomes a challenge. This could result in a waste of time and resources for your business, as well as missed opportunities.
The working from anywhere model is here to stay and it is up to companies to decide if they want to adopt it. Clearly the benefits listed above are more than the drawbacks explained. The companies that create their technological infrastructure to support this way of working will be well positioned to fully realize the model’s huge potential as explained above. With the right strategy, organizational procedures, technologies, and most importantly leadership transitioning to working from anywhere can become a reality.
HR’s Role in Making the Workplace a Bully-Free Zone
Bullying. A term you might have come across often when you were in school. If you did not, then probably you were the bully. It’s wrong to assume that bullies are limited to your school that you left long ago. No, you’ll also find bullies at your workplace. It is quite unfortunate to see that some people have not been able to grow up.
The most obvious effect will be that it will lower the spirits of the employees. Maybe you were looking forward to working for a certain company, but now you won’t be able to enjoy your experience because of that one person in your office.
Bullying that takes place in the workplace is more serious than you’d actually imagine. This could be a toxic boss giving you an earful and singling out the blame on you for a mistake or a bunch of office clowns repeatedly targeting the same person for their pathetic pranks.
Here are some common examples of workplace bullying that takes place
- Make a sneering gesture at someone
- Ignore someone or their viewpoints
- Blaming someone repeatedly
- Isolating someone on a social level and treat them indifferent
- Making someone a target for their unnecessary jokes.
- Disseminating incorrect information about someone, basically spreading rumours
- Yelling at someone
- Telling someone they need to quit
- Embarrassing someone in front of their peers
How this Impacts Employee
The most obvious effect will be that it will lower the spirits of the employees. Maybe you were looking forward to working for a certain company, but now you won’t be able to enjoy your experience because of that one person in your office.
An unpleasant environment as such will affect employees mentally and, in most cases, also their work. According to research, people who are bullied experience stress, low self-esteem, poor physical and emotional health, and impaired cognitive functioning.
Some employees do not raise their voice in fear or for other reasons and are left unheard. This way some really good employees may leave the company with an overall negative perspective.
Ways in which HR can curb bullying
By establishing a clear code of behaviour
To be able to avoid workplace bullying, HR must set clear expectations on how employees need to behave with one another. This is one simple way. If a strong set of values are set for the company, these values will permeate through and influence how employees treat one another. Senior employees should also set example by strongly holding these values and by maintaining good, healthy and professional relations with their coworkers
By addressing the root of the problem
And if the above code is broken, HR must take care of it seriously and reach to the depth of it. It is important to understand why the bully is behaving as such in order to prevent bullying from taking place and to also help the bully face his/her own demons. It is explained by psychologists that the behavior of a bully is a reaction to their own levels of low self-esteem. They attack other people to feel better and outset their own struggles with life. Sometimes, talking to this people to open up about their vulnerabilities can help change their toxic behavior.
By acting fast
The most effective way to avoid bullying in the workplace is to address it when you see even a hint of it. Employees need to be encouraged to report if they see someone behaving inappropriately or any other first-hand signs of bullying. This should be enough evidence for them to address the situation immediately. If HR can stop this during its initial stage, they can resolve the issue from going out of control and save any potential victims.
Up Your Start-Up with HR
Up Your Start-Up with HR
With the global pandemic, some people had a lot of free time, many were laid off or ran into financial difficulties over the past two years. This was a time when people were inspired to start what they had always wanted to do. Some started for passion while some purely out of financial necessity.
Either way, the pandemic generated a boom in start-ups. However not all of these survived. According to an infographic shared by Entrepreneur.com on start-up failures, half of them failed by the fifth year. This is a very significant proportion while considering the amount of money, time and energy people have invested into them.
Addressing the HR Stereotype
There is a wrong perception of HR amongst some start-ups. Some small tech companies do not believe in recruiters unless they can code. They see HR as a barrier to running their “fun” and “flexible” work environment. One of the many reasons as to why these start-ups fail is because of poor or no human resources management in place.
Here’s how HR will help your start-up?
Creating a great company culture
The presence of a human resources team will enable the cultivation of amazing start-up culture. Another common stereotype is that if a start-up has bean bags and pool tables, they have a “fun “work environment which is not the case at all. These are just physical elements that add to culture, HR is the one who brings in the real essence.
The first person a new recruit would interact with straightaway on his/her first day would be someone from HR not the ping-pong table. They are the ones who take the employee’s experience into consideration, communicate with them and keep in touch with them throughout. This is what builds culture in an organisation. As entrepreneurs you can choose to have any type of culture but ultimately it is fostered by HR and maintained by all within the company.
Managing administrative tasks
There is a lot of administrative work involved in businesses including start-ups. There is a lot of paperwork e.g., employee records, timesheets, legal documents. In a nutshell, you will be handling a lot of files and documents and these will need to be organised and updated regularly. Someone would definitely have to maintain this area and that definitely would not be the start-up’s CEO or software developer or marketing executive. Who do we call for help? THE HR. If there is anyone who can have the willpower to go over this multitude of paper it is HR and this process can be made easier, economical and more effective with the help of HRM software like Peoples HR Cloud. It would help you get rid of using all that paper for documentation and help your start-up become environmentally friendly as well.
Recruiting and retaining the top talent
Recruitment is a prolonged process and start-ups do not have huge hiring requirements but what is important is that they get the perfect person for the job from the start. The HR function would help you here as well. They have the expertise to find the best talent who is suitable to be fit for the position. Processes like screening, contacting candidates, setting interviews and all these related activities are looked at by them. As entrepreneurs you can rely on them and save a lot of precious time and money.
Once your start-up grows, you will have a set of experienced individuals working for you who know the ins and outs of your start-up. The next challenge you most likely will deal with is to retain these experienced employees who are like valuable assets to your business. Unlike big companies’ start-ups simply cannot afford to have frequent employee turnover and allocate more time on training new recruits and getting them accustomed. After a certain period, employees are motivated by meaningful aspects like future growth opportunities. Having a good HR team would help set necessary systems in place for employee growth, performance management, training and development etc. Employees will feel empowered and looked after which will encourage them to stay in the organisation thereby helping the organisation retain talent.
Legal Compliance
The work load within a new start-up can be a lot and entrepreneurs tend to be fully invested. At a point as such no entrepreneur would want to be troubled by representative of a government body and use their time into solving legal matters. They would most likely not have the experience to handle such situations as well. Compliance requirements may change from time to time. This is where HR comes and saves the day. They are the go-to folks for legal issues like state and labour laws.HR would educate you in these areas, ensure that work is carried out lawfully and that the company does not have to face any issues.
Start-ups do not need to have a huge HR department. A couple of dedicated HR professionals along with some good HR Tech would make this so much convenient. Using customisable DIY HR software like Peoples HR Turbo would be a good choice for start-ups.
Some start-ups still may choose not to have a HR function in house and may just outsource this completely and that’s still fine as long as you have HR somewhere. Solutions like HRO are suitable and an economic option for businesses who wish to outsource and meet their HR needs. The only downside being the lack of personnel within the organisation who would know the ins and outs of the function and the resulting lack of control. Therefore, do not give into stereotypes and get onboard the right mix of an HR Team along with the right HR Tech to run your businesses smoothly.
What is the Role of HR in Customer Experience?
In some ways, today’s focus on the customer experience (CX) echoes the same sentiments of the saying “the customer is always right.” Everything revolves around providing potential and existing customers with a valuable experience from start to finish. It is so important that 58% of global businesses participating in a survey perceived it to be their main competitive differentiator.
But how does a company drive strategies that result in better customer experiences? Technology and marketing are certainly involved, but one often overlooked contributor is Human Resources (HR). Experience delivery boils down to having a customer-oriented culture, and it can only be successful if everybody in the organization has a customer-first mindset. As HR professionals work to develop this culture, there are several important roles that they play.
Driving Customer-centered Culture Through HR Processes
More than just a support function, the fundamental work of HR involves driving employee behaviors to achieve business outcomes, and this includes shaping organizational culture. In this respect, HR can help transform an organization by developing focused programs to align business objectives with CX-oriented goals. This cultivates a common understanding of CX to develop a customer-first mindset and behaviors in employees across the organization.
Apart from culture, HR processes like recruitment and training are also essential when implementing a CX program. Streamlined hiring processes should identify the right candidates who can deliver outcomes according to your company’s definition of CX. Onboarding and training these employees should also focus on customer-related skills. By focusing the processes and culture to achieve CX outcomes, HR can ensure that employees themselves drive actions that prioritize the customer’s experience.
Bridging Customer and Employee Engagement
HR also plays an important role in facilitating data and feedback systems between employees who deliver the customer experiences and the consumers themselves. A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing and Science found that employee satisfaction had an impact on customer outcomes, leading to a higher likelihood of re-patronage and increased customer loyalty resulting in revenue increase. By understanding their strengths and areas for improvement in the context of how CX is evaluated, employees become engaged and are able to meet goals more effectively. Furthermore, employees that are highly satisfied in their roles form more positive relationships with customers. These employees are able to have better interactions with customers and are able to put more effort into understanding them. Verizon Connect highlights the importance of understanding your customers, and one way to do so is to treat them as your partners, similar to how you relate with your employees. They will feel more like valued individuals with needs rather than mere numbers that add up to profit.
A great example of HR strategy that highlights how crucial employee engagement is to CX was demonstrated by Sephora. Stores in the APAC region and Australia used data collection methods to gain insights into the relationship between employee and customer experience. They found five key elements that determined the needs and motivations of both employee and customer: personalization, ease, appreciation and recognition, good relationships, and purpose. When using a people-centered approach like this to identify and articulate those needs, it then becomes much easier to connect employees back to the brand. It also becomes possible to measure the impact of employee actions on customer experience.
Performance Management
Business landscapes are shifting all the time, so the way HR manages performance in the workplace must also evolve into agile practices. And when it comes to ensuring CX, HR plays a crucial role in helping employees develop the skills necessary to respond effectively while ensuring the delivery of current goals.
As organizations move from traditional performance management methods to agile techniques, employees delivering customer experiences need to be more capable in order to boost company performance. This can only be done with regular feedback, communication, and constant coaching, especially in high-pressure and highly competitive environments. HR and People teams can work with management to boost enthusiasm and engagement with the right coaching methods to clarify objectives, continuously upskill talent, and provide a work environment based on end-to-end accountability. By doing so, employees will be more capable of providing customers with their changing needs, even with the pressure of fast-paced industries.
It’s no surprise that customer experience is directly linked with the employee experience. By understanding HR’s role in aligning developing processes, increasing employee engagement, and adjusting performance management systems to customer needs, businesses will learn how to succeed by putting people first.
Written by Rae Jolene
Exclusively for peopleshr.com
The horrors of payroll
As we step into the month of Halloween, we address the biggest nightmare of any organisation: Payroll! With the world more connected and impatient than ever before, it is critical for successful organizations to pay people accurately and on time. In the digital age, issues that previously stayed behind closed doors are visible for the entire world to read about, which can result in serious ramifications.
For many organizations, payroll is one of those back-office functions that largely goes unrecognized. A series of systematic processes – managed by a few ghostly, yet diligent payroll administrators – which results in a 100% accurate paycheck deposited into our bank account not one minute later than anticipated.
What could possibly go wrong? The answer: A lot.
For every single step in the payroll process there’s a possible misstep. Someone can enter data incorrectly – it might even be done by an employee processing their own changes through self-service. Maybe time entry is missing. An employee’s address could be wrong, affecting taxation. Or perhaps the taxes built into your system aren’t quite up to date or a compensation change was entered incorrectly.
The fact of the matter is that payroll relies upon the inputs of individuals across the organization who report to different departments with different key objectives.
Add to that the underlying effort required to maintain the system. Such as lifecycle management, security roles, governance, risk management, ongoing legislative updates, and the continuing education of payroll administrators to remain up to date on local, regional and national regulations. It becomes quite evident that payroll can no longer remain siloed or be considered a one-person job.
The scary thing about payroll is that getting it wrong can be devastating not only for your employees who were counting on that paycheck, but also for your brand.
We believe there’s a better way...
To look at payroll not as a standalone process, but as the output of a successfully integrated and orchestrated set of processes that run the business. And, that it may be time for your organization to rethink how payroll is done.
The main aim of the Payroll module is to bring structure into the compensation process, where all necessary functions are conducted with higher efficiency and reliability. This means functions such as generating payroll reports, pay slips, increments, processing loans and reimbursements to multi-currency transactions are dealt within a single platform. The organisation also has the capability to define specifications with regard to transactions to fit their policies with the configurable features available within the HR solution. The payments are simply made based on the employee information such as overtime, no pay and other attendance incentives captured through the absence and attendance modules in the system.
And here’s how it’s done through PeoplesHR Payroll…
- Configure earnings and deductions according to business requirements and policies.
- Remove uncertainties with segregated security associated with information sharing or third party involvements.
- Speeds up the stages in the process through automated and predefined logics, calculations and features.
- Comprehensive validation procedures to avoid human errors on data insertions from occurring.
- Built – in expertise within the system reduces the need of specialised professionals to handle the processes involved.
- Accurate, efficient and reliable payroll calculations that abide with the organisation’s policies and statutory fulfilment frameworks.