Oven-Ready HR

If you’re a regular listener to Oven-Ready you’ll know that we out together a couple of compilation episodes called Oven-Ready Reheated listening again to some of the key moments from the season’s episodes.

 [00:38] Gethin Nadin is one of the world’s top Employee Experience and Wellbeing Influencers. In the first of two clips, Gethin describes how the events of the past few years have had a profound influence on younger workers.

[02:22] In this second segment, Gethin reveals how the cost of living crisis is changing the relationship between employer and employee.

[03:19] I was discussing hybrid working with HR boardroom veteran, mentor and author Andrew Bartlow and how important it was for HR practitioners to help build a sense of community among disprsed employees.

[05:19] I ask Chris Roebuck the honorary Visiting Professor of Transformational leadership at London’s Cass Business School if as we’re often told, HR should be the guardians of an organisation’s culture?

[08:43] The big experiment in the 4 day week is under way in the UK and I asked Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder of 4 Day Week global if as well as some employers resisting the concept, some employees find it difficult to accept to?

[11:59] Stephen Bevan the head of HR Research Development at the Institute for Employment Studies responds to my question about how poor leadership and toxic work cultures undo wellbeing initiatives

[13:58] For lovers of politics, the political scene in the UK continues to offer plenty of entertainment, but if we do change Government in the not too distant future, what will this mean for the world of work? In this clip, Justin Madders MP Labour's Shadow Minister for Employment Rights and Protections gives us his party’s view on flexible working.

 Resources:
https://ovenreadyhr.com

In this episode, I examine the relationship between ESG – environmental, social and governance considerations and HR.

 Taking note of an organisations ESG factors is now commonplace for the investment community.  Today, it’s not enough just to consider financial returns, investors increasingly are concerned a company’s impact on the environment, the structure and make up of the leadership team and really since the pandemic, how businesses interact with their workers. Simply are organisations doing the right thing and being good ‘corporate’ citizens?

Emma Burrows is a partner and head of the Trowers & Hamlins' Employment department and has specialised in employment law for over 30 years. Headquartered in London, Trowers is an international law firm with 160 partners and more than 950 employees.

What is ESG? [1:46]
ESG is a simple matrix of criteria under 3 broad headings; 1. Environmental, 2. Social and 3. Governance goals, that go beyond the usual financial metrics that investors use when deciding to invest in an organisation. 

Doesn't ESG interfere with making money? [3:17]
Emma admits there can be at times a conflict between an organisations duty to maximise returns for shareholders and their ESG credentials, ESG after all takes investment in terms of time and resources. But she argues, having a happy workforce in itself helps organisations to make better financial returns.

Isn't ESG just fairy dust and 'greenwashing? [4:17]
Emma reveals there is evidence of some organisations 'greenwashing' - e.g spending more resources on marketing themselves as environmentally friendly than they really are, but she argues investors are wising up to this.

So where does HR come in? [5:36]
Employee voice really drives ESG because most employees want to work for organisations who look after their workers, act responsibly and pay taxes whilst minimising their impact on the environment. Therefore, Emma argues that HR has a key role to play from the very start of the ESG journey.

ESG and the link to Talent [9:32]
Emma explains that ESG is a valuable tool in an organisations armoury when it comes to attracting talent. In particular, GenZ and millennial workers will often evaluate an organisation's ethics and values when job hunting.

Leadership should live ESG values [16.16]
It's essential that leaders live their ESG values says Emma.  As she say's there is no point in having statements about diversity if for example the board is entirely male and pale!

ESG and Employment Law [24:26]
Emma believes that legislation to clarify modern employment relationships such as workers in the gig economy is long overdue.  She refers to Lord Hendy's Status of Workers bill (listen to Lord Hendy's Oven Ready episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1545991/9940334)

Resources:
https://www.trowers.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com

Summer internship programmes are common place and done right they provide valuable work experience to students or recent graduates keen to explore their chosen field.  For organisations, such programmes are an ideal source of potential or future talent and help burnish their employer of choice brand in the marketplace.

 However, such programmes need to be carefully designed and managed. Organisations must ensure their programmes are diverse and accessible to ensure individuals from less economically privileged backgrounds are given equal opportunities. Interns are also not to be seen as free labour and instead paid appropriately for the contribution they make and given genuine work experience.

Steven Rothberg is the Founder and Chief Visionary officer of College Recruiter. College Recruiter is a global job search site connecting students and recent graduates with internships, part-time jobs, seasonal work and entry-level career opportunities.

The 3Rs of Internships [01.54]
Steven explains what goes into a great internship programme. He explains that employer must see interns as potential hires and failing to hire means the internship has, in his opinion, failed its purpose.

The economically privileged Intern [03:56]
I put it to Steven that internships in certain sectors such as the 3rd sector are really only open to economically-privileged individuals.  Steven argues that if the work has economic-value then the work should be financially rewarded.

How about older grads and interns? [07:26]
Steven explains that there is some evidence that older workers are now being more favourably considered for such programmes but there is still plenty of age-discrimination.

How can new employees be more visible in the age of hybrid working? [15:16]
Steven agreed that concerns around the lack of visibility for new joiners in a hybrid or remote working environment is valid.  However, although difficult it certainly isn't impossible and the measurement of success is outcomes based.

Do graduates have developed soft skills? [23:00]
Steven is very much of the school of thought that technical skills can be taught but soft or power skills such as critical thinking require intention to improve. He particularly sees this with the large global recruiters he works with who recruit a large % of graduates.

The importance of mentors [28:26]
Steven explains the importance of mentors to recent graduates and younger employees joining an organisation and gives his own experience of being mentored.

Resources:
https://www.collegerecruiter.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com

What does feeling safe at work really mean? Being accepted for our ‘whole selves’ is a central theme of ED&I. It’s a given that when, as employees, we are provided the psychological safety to being our whole selves to work we are more productive, more creative and happier.  We can also reveal our vulnerabilities and fears making us more rounded, understood and accessible to our colleagues.

 Sandi Wassmer is the Chief Executive of the Employer's Network for Equality and Inclusion or enei for short.

Enei supports employers of all shapes and sizes from the Bank of England and Balfour Beatty to Primark and Pfizer, as they embark on their DE&I journey. In this interview, Sandi Wassmer  also describes her own experience of surviving discrimination. She lost her sight in 2008 and suddenly the world saw her and treated her less favourably. However, she credits this devastating blow as giving her renewed energy and enthusiasm to campaign with even greater zeal for a fairer more inclusive and equal workplace.

 What is enei? [01:47]
Sandi Wassmer introduces enei explaining that it’s a membership organisation that supports members on their DE&I journey by offering services such as training and consultancy grounded in the Equality Act 2010 and beyond.

 Isn’t DE&I just a box ticking exercise? [02:44]
As Sandi says, organisations have to start somewhere and she’s comfortable with that. Organisations are at different stages in their evolution and if enei can support organisations move from just compliance with the Equality Act to using it creatively to boost their business that’s great.

Is there a link between DE&I and employee wellbeing [07:02]
Sandi states the link is absolute. Being able to bring your ‘whole self’ to work because you are working in a psychologically safe space is critical to emotional wellbeing.

What is psychological safety? [08:19]
An environment without fear or discrimination is how Sandi describes it. Being able to be who you are and being open with your colleagues.

 What can organisations do to foster a sense of psychological safety [09:20]
It’s a leadership thing! Leaders as the top of the business set the culture.  It’s not about having policies and procedures. If DE&I is important to the leadership then it will be part of that organisations’ culture.

 What is culture fit? [17:04]
We discuss ‘culture fit’ during the recruitment process and in particular the rejection of a candidate based upon ‘culture’. Sandi prefers to use the term ‘cultural contribution’ which is grounded in diversity of thought and approach.  She considers the term ‘fit’ as an almost historical term.

What drives Sandi's zeal for equality? [20:40]
In 2008, Sandi Wassmer lost her sight and suddenly the world was a very different place. With such a major change, came a period of grief and anger that slowly moved to acceptance.  This acceptance has led Sandi to discover as she describes the ‘person I always was inside’.  She describes this as her ‘integrated self’ – the same person inside and out.

Resources:
https://www.enei.org.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com
https://buddyboost.co.uk

 A high-level of emotional intelligence (EQ) is increasingly being considered as a 'super power' by organisations. Technical or 'hard skills' are of course important, but if you're  managing others, having the ability to relate, empathise, communicate and understand the impact of your own behaviour on others is what will set you apart.

Like technical skills, EQ or 'soft skills' can be developed and improved through learning.  But the problem has always been how do you get that learning to stick? 

Meet Dr Alex Young. Dr. Alex Young is a former trauma and orthopaedic surgeon and the founder of Virti. Virti is a cutting edge technology learning business that uses tech like augmented reality to greatly improve employee engagement and EQ by focusing on human skills, such as empathy.

What was the problem you were trying to fix? [01:52]
Dr Alex reveals that during his time as an NHS surgeon he observed many colleagues who were technically very gifted but lacked what he describes as soft skills including leadership, decision making and communication abilities.  It was this lack of embedded soft skills training that often led to conflict or complaints affecting both the wellbeing of the individual and those around them.

The explosion in wellbeing apps [06:10]
Dr Alex argues that organisations that select off-the-shelf wellbeing apps for employees are probably wasting their money. He encourages leaders and HR managers to get to know their colleagues better and help design wellbeing interventions best tailored to that individual.

Does the corporate wellbeing market need regulation? [08:03]
Some national healthcare systems such as the NHS in the UK do have their own recommended ‘app store’ whereby some wellbeing apps have been reviewed by medial professionals.  However, the situation is patchy and therefore the corporate wellbeing market does probably need regulation.

 The line manager / worker relationship [09.34]
The thread that runs through much of how we feel about work is the relationship we have with our line manager. Dr Alex agrees and suggests that the pandemic has really had a negative effect on this relationship given many of the interactions have been remote.

 The advantages of using augmented reality in learning [14:15]
Dr Alex explains why technology such as augmented reality is so effective in delivering soft skills training when compared to more traditional methods of learning. 

 Why do we have such an issue with soft skills in the UK? [15:57]
According to Dr Alex, the UK is not alone with having a workforce lacking soft sills such as empathy, communication and leadership.  He suggests that part of this lack of skill can be attributed to the education system that is generally focused on exam results and the social class in which you are born.

 Are soft skills power skills or something else? [19:36]
Dr Alex gives an amusing response to this question and laughs at some of the PR fluff attached to the descriptions.

 Should leaders reveal vulnerability? [21:50]
Yes is the simple answer. Dr Alex argues that the paternalistic and militaristic view of leadership whereby leaders and managers didn’t share their vulnerabilities is drawing to a close and there is a strength in sharing problems with your team.

Resources:
https://www.virti.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-f-young/https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com
https://buddyboost.co.uk

The world of work has never been so volatile, uncertain and complex.  Seismic changes and trends that would normally take decades to emerge have followed one after the other!

To make sense of where we find ourselves I'm joined by  world’s preeminent authority on organisational culture and employee wellbeing.

 Professor Sir Cary Cooper CBE is the 50th Anniversary Professor of Psychology at Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester.  He is a founding President of the British Academy of Management and Immediate Past President of the CIPD. Among his many achievements, Professor Cooper is currently the Chair of the National Forum for Health & Wellbeing at Work.  In 2014 he was awarded a Knighthood by the Queen for his contribution to the social sciences. 

 I don’t like my boss [04:17]
Professor Cooper remarks that a significant driver of the so called ‘great resignation’ was in part employee’s dissatisfaction with their boss.  He think this has led some in HR about whether they have right managers or managers with the right skills in place. Sadly he feels too many organisations recruit solely on technical skills and not soft skills or EQ.

What do we do about Millennials and GenZ workers? [06:03]
Professor Cooper believes this generation of workers have a very different value set to their parents. Mis-characterised as ‘Snow Flakes’ Professor Cooper argues that this ‘generation’ don’t feel entitled.  They’re just not prepared to tolerate what their parents did.

 Is Jacob Rees-Mogg right about flexible working? [07:53]
Not according to Professor Cooper. He goes onto give a withering assessment of the UK’s perennial issue with productivity despite working some of the longest hours. 

 Hybrid working another way [9:20]
What is HR’s obsession with numbers of days at home or spent in the office? Professor Cooper takes us back to the psychological contract and tells us to look at this in a different way.  He says this isn’t a big conversation, so why have we made it one?

A new deal for blue-collar workers? [11:18]
Many of those in the ‘professional classes’ have enjoyed the ability to work flexibly but what about those jobs that cannot be done from home? Professor Cooper recommends that a new deal such as a 4 day week or a variation of created to allow these workers some time off.

 Employee wellbeing is not about bean bags [15:33]
Bean bags, sushi and ping pong is not employee wellbeing. Employee wellbeing is a major strategic shift. Professor Cooper highlights the NHS where every trust now has an non-executive director responsible for health and wellbeing. At [14:25], Professor Cooper argues for an NED responsible for health and wellbeing appointed to the board of every UK company whatever their size.

 Why don’t business schools teach soft skills? [26:26]
Business schools contrate far too much on teaching technical skills such as the key theories in HR, marketing and accountancy but in the main ignore more experiential leaning that gets individuals to understand their personality and the effect they have on others.

 Recruiting on the wrong skills [29:04]
Attending a top business school or university isn’t a guarantee an individual is going to be any good at managing others. Organisations need to look beyond the technical skills and assess instead an individual’s interpersonal or soft skills. Professor Cooper believes the majority of managers/leaders can develop these skills and the ones that can’t should not be allowed to manage anyone.

Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-sir-cary-cooper-4213909/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com
https://buddyboost.co.uk

We’ve had a white-hot recruitment market for some time now and I thought it was right to take the temperature again and see if it’s still as hot as we’re led to believe  - given the multiple issues we’re facing not least the cost of living crisis.

 William Tincup is the President & Editor at large of Recruiting Daily the world’s number 1 online site for recruitment content.  William is at the intersection of work and technology. He's a writer, speaker, advisor, consultant, investor, podcaster & storyteller. William serves on the board of 20+ HR technology startups and he's been writing about HR and Recruiting related issues for longer than he cares to disclose!

Do technological innovations in recruitment benefit the candidate? [01:41]
On the whole, no they don't says William.  He cites the number of 'chefs' in the recruitment 'kitchen' such as sourcers, hiring managers, employee branding, recruitment marketing etc. all of whom have influence in the hiring process and of course pay the cost of the tech so by and large the candidates are the 'ignored' constituency.

The great resignation - lipstick on a pig? [04:10]
Is the great resignation all that is seems to be?  William argues that as a society we haven't really understood the reasons why someone chooses now not to work - it needs as he says greater archeology and anthropology to get to real reasons.

Are organisations using the cost of living crisis to exploit consumers? [08:56]
William isn't convinced that cost of living crisis has been inflated by organisations seeking to recoup losses incurred during the pandemic.  He cites the oil industry who he believes are cynically using the conflict in Ukraine to drive prices up.

Will the recruitment market stay white hot? [11:39]
Depends entirely on the sector according to William. There are some inherent structural shortages such as there are not enough software developers to handle the software needs of today let alone tomorrow.

Should employers help workers with the cost of living crisis? [16.35]
Yes is the simple answer.  This is an opportunity for HR to engage on a deeper level with employees and provide solutions to help employees thrive in and out of work.  He reveals the movement towards 'daily pay' and innovative solutions that allows employees to trade holiday days for other benefits such as paying down student debt.

Work-life balance is a con! [20:30]
Tincup argues that work-life balance does not exist and never has.  He says it's work-life integration.  We discuss at length organisational culture and how some 'cultures' fit or don't fit but there are no bad cultures except those that are illegal.

Gen zZ & millennials ask the right questions [24:11]
We discuss why Gen Z and millennials are better as asking questions about work-life integration and what has given them the confidence to challenge the norms.

The end of working from home? [26:39]
The tech giants of Silicon Valley still operate a command and control culture where you have to be seen to be believed to be working. Tincup believes these firms are on the wrong side of history.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable [28:42]
Radical Flexibility is going to be the default position and to attract talent and organisations are going to need to raise their game.

Resources
https://recruitingdaily.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com

There are so many big employment and workplace stories at the moment.  From chaos at UK airports due to staff shortages and the raging work from home debate to planned strikes on the rail network and of course the fallout from 'partygate' at 10 Downing St! Added to that this week's narrowly  won vote of no confidence in the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson all adds to a sense of upheaval and uncertainty - hardly a welcome backdrop for any organisation.

The political uncertainty is a timely prompt to start looking at what the world of work would be like under a Labour administration.  Justin Madders MP is Labour's Shadow Minister for Employment Rights and Protections. Justin is a former solicitor who specialised in employment law before being elected as the member of parliament for Ellesmere Port and Neston in 2015. 

I start by asking the Shadow Minister his view on the impending National Rail strike.

Who's to blame for the chaos at UK airports? [02:30]
Justin Madders believes it's very convenient for the UK government to blame airlines and other travel providers for the chaos at UK airports. He believes government support was lifted far too quickly before the sector was back on its feet.

Is Boris Johnson's unpopularity a gift to Labour? [04:10]
Justin Madders accepts that whilst Boris Johnson's unpopularity is a gift for any opposition party, the national interest will be affected by paralysis and in-fighting amongst Conservative members of parliament, therefore the sooner the Prime Minister is removed the better.

What will the Downing St culture be like under Sir Keir Starmer? [05:39]
'Partygate' has highlighted the dysfunctional culture at the heart of government.  I ask Justin Madders what sort of workplace culture Sir Keir Starmer would instigate if he were the Prime Minister?

What are the key elements of Labour's Future of Work plan? [06:39]
Justin Madders explains the key pillars than underpin Labour's future of work plan.  The plan is designed end the precarious nature of employment that many workers face and provide well-paid jobs and a level-playing field for all employers.

What's happened to Lord Hendy's Status of Workers bill? [08:35]
Justin Madders explains why he isn't confident that the Government will support Lord Hendy's bill.

Do we need more collective bargaining in the UK? [11.57]
Yes is the simple answer and in Labour's plan there is a desire to move towards more sectorial collective bargaining / fair pay agreements.

What's happening with the P&O dismissals? [15:40]
Justin Madders is keen that the Government maintains pressure on P&O in light of their sacking of hundreds of workers without consultation and notice.

The working from home debate [20:13]
I ask Justin Madders for his view on the working from home debate.  Is WFH just a blip?

Resources

https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com
https://labour.org.uk/people/shadow-cabinet/
https://www.justinmadders.com

In this episode of Oven-Ready HR I talk to Stephen Bevan who is head of HR Research Development at the Institute for Employment Studies about why many employee wellbeing initiatives on their own fail to have the required impact.
 
Stephen has almost 40 years of experience in the field of HR research with highly sought-after expertise in workforce wellbeing, performance, and productivity. Stephen has numerous publications on health at work to his name. And he was an expert witness to a review of NICE guidance on workplace mental health, which was published in March of this year. He has recently published a book with Professor Sir Cary Cooper, entitled The Healthy Workforce, Enhancing Wellbeing and Productivity In The Workers Of The Future.

We’re measuring the wrong wellbeing outputs [03.20]

Although lots of organisations have created a suite of wellbeing benefits such as healthy meals and subsidised gym memberships, most employers measure the wrong output.  Instead of measuring how many workers take-up the benefits, organisations instead to measure the impact these wellbeing interventions have on issues such as sickness and recovery time from illness.

 Interventions in isolation don’t work [07:08]

Stephen argues that interventions such as mental health first aid whilst useful are often used in isolation and therefore have limited overall impact. Instead, employers need to look at more complex issues such as job design, the quality of line management and employee workload.  Without looking at these issues, you’ll end up back at square one!

Isn’t a bit of stress good for performance? [09:11]

Well up to a point. Stephen argues that those employees who have a certain amount of control and autonomy over their work will tend to cope better with stressful situations than those who have little or no control and essentially at the mercy of their line manager.

How to create high-performance work practices [10:36]

Research has shown that managers who trust employees and assist them by securing more people or other resources and provide clarity for the employee together with plenty of autonomy are more likely to create a happy and fulfilled workforce who will perform better. Stephen argues that stress is a very poor motivator of performance despite what some managers believe. 

So where should you start if you want to create a wellbeing culture? [15:23]

Stephen starts by saying don’t rely on eye-catching interventions and instead look at systemic changes such overall culture, the quality of line management, job design and the demands placed upon people.  Stephen argues there is a golden triangle of wellbeing, performance and employee retention.

 Should HR be in charge of employee wellbeing? [20:42]

To a point. The biggest influence is the line manager and therefore HR need to be supporting the line manager which in a hybrid working world is a challenge. Additionally Stephen cites Occupational Health professionals. However, Occupational Health is more than simply patching people up and sending them back to work, but instead looking at the ‘preventative’ measures such as alleviating workload pressures so that employees aren’t overwhelmed in the first instance.

Resources

https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://ovenreadyhr.com
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/staff/stephen-bevan

In this episode of Oven-Ready HR I take a closer look at an innovative employment model that’s growing in popularity around the world.  The 4 Day Week is a reduced-hour working model, which seeks to prioritise working smarter to produce better business productivity and positive employee outcomes such as employee retention, engagement and reduced absence levels.

Joining me to discuss this growing work-trend is Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder of 4 Day Week Global – a not-for-profit community for those individuals and organisations keen to explore new ways of working.

 Charlotte herself is a business advocate, investor and philanthropist. She’s on the board of the  Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University and the advisory boards of the US and Irish campaigns for the 4 Day Week.

 How does the 4 Day Week Work? [01:15]

Charlotte explains the principle behind the 4 Day Week. Workers are paid 100% of their wages for only working 80% of the time whilst providing 100% productivity. The idea is to reduce the amount of work time by focusing on productivity. After all if productivity is maintained why should pay be reduced?

 How do businesses boost productivity? [02:11]

Boosting productivity is notoriously difficult. Charlotte explains that within a business environment, the answers are found in the micro-environment; for example how many widgets are produced, how many meetings are called but most importantly work with your employees as they will help you identify time-saving efficiencies.

 Are some employees resistant to change? [07:11]

Charlotte explains that there are always employees who confuse productivity with being ‘busy’ but as she says “busy is not productive” and working 80 hours a week is not a badge of honour. She goes on to explain that millennials and the generations that follow view work in a different way and don’t want to work the hours their parents did.

 Can the 4 Day Week work across all sectors? [20:00]

Yes is the simple answer.  Charlotte gives an example of a bus company in New Zealand where one of the routes operated attracts very few passengers but is convenient for the company to use.  Her argument is that if you talk to your workers and your customers efficiencies can be found that won’t affect the level of service. At [23:01], Charlotte further explains that it’s dangerous to assume that no sector couldn’t benefit from revieing the way work is structured or organised.

 Meetings are the enemy of productivity [24:21]

‘No Agenda No Attender’ is the mantra Charlotte quotes when it comes to meetings.  She explains the changes she made at her own firm to reduce time spent on these fruitless interactions. She further illustrates how people eating lunch at their desk and the use of open plan offices has a detrimental effect on individual productivity.

Resources
https://www.4dayweek.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottelockhartnz/
https://ovenreadyhr.com