Well-treated employees are motivated and committed, Lynn News column

Whenever I hear this expression it is music to my ears as I know that the company needs our help as they think that people are not important to the success of the enterprise.

Organisations often come to us, or are referred to us by local accountants and solicitors, when there is a problem or series of problems related to people management and development – for example someone has gone off sick, or there are some performance issues.

If it’s the chief executive who has gone off sick, we know the problems are serious and deep rooted and it’s going to be expensive for the organisation to put right!

Employment tribunal claims have increased dramatically – up 165% since July 26, 2017, when the Supreme Court held that Employment Tribunal fees were unlawful. The maximum award for unfair dismissal is now £86,444 so there is a big incentive for companies to get this right.

It’s not all bad news. Some businesses locally are doing the right thing. Intuitively we all know that if employees are well looked after and treated well, they are likely to motivated and committed. They will work harder and “go the extra mile”. This translates to improved productivity – increased sales and profits for the business.

We are currently working with a local company in Lynn to put in place a career development process or “career road map”. This will give employees a clear sense of what the expectations are at each level and how they can move up from, for example, trainee to competent to expert in a job area. Improved performance will be linked to improved pay.

We are not the human remains department we are Human Capital Department – “because people make the difference”.