As we enter a new phase of COVID-19, all businesses are wondering what the coming months have in store.
One thing that you, as business owners need to do is ‘Plan’.
In the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak’s mini budget, he announced a Plan for Jobs, a comprehensive package designed to encourage the return of Furloughed workers, whilst also creating new jobs for the unemployed.
Employers who reinstate furloughed workers will be eligible for a Job Retention Bonus of £1,000 for each returning worker, if they are continuously employed until next January.
A Kickstart scheme has also been introduced with the aim of creating jobs for young people. If you create a new job for a 16-24-year-old, the government will pay their wages for the first six months.
Both schemes are subject to complex conditions, so do ask me for guidance.
Don’t forget that HMRC will take back furlough payments if they discover that furloughed employees have been working when they should have been absent.
Remote/homeworking
In a recent survey it was revealed that a large proportion of UK employees believe that a mixture of home and office working is preferable after COVID-19.
While the perfect balance between the two remains to be seen, clear communication between you and your team will be essential to find the best way forward.
Remember, homeworking, adjusting hours etc. is not a given and it is subject to management approval whatever level the request is from.
The easiest way to deal with the request is through the formal process of a ‘flexible working request’.
If you favour a home working approach, care must be taken every step of the way. Some staff may relish it, but some may privately struggle.
While your initial focus may be on productivity and compliance, do also include employee well-being to your home working framework.
A Leadership Programme that makes an impact
If you have Managers in your business that need to develop as ‘Leaders’ you may be interested in the above Course that I run.
They will have experience in a leadership role, leading teams, projects, or businesses.
They may be at a point where the requirement to lead and influence people is becoming increasingly significant in determining your success.
What will they learn; to inspire and lead others by better understanding themselves and they relate to people and situations.
The Leadership Programme will develop their personal leadership skills, helping them to achieve their professional goals and deliver results for your business.
This programme will be a catalyst for change. If you or one of your team would like to reflect on your leadership effectiveness and take steps to develop further as a leader, then this is the programme for you.
The programme runs over a 6 months period with on-going support throughout.
Module 1 of The Leadership Programme they can expect to:
Better understand yourself as a leader (through psychometric profiling, 360’ feedback model and 1:1 coaching).
Review multiple leadership models and explore experiential exercises.
Set leadership development goals.
Module 2: Follow-up for impact
Also encompassing new development content, Module 2 gives the opportunity to review the immediate changes you have made, discuss any obstacles to this and set stretch development goals.
Throughout the programme the emphasis will be on impact and practical application to your own situation and workplace.