Take our Quiz to find out
Managing people and managing a business at the same time is far from easy. We’re frequently faced with new challenges and decisions to make. And then there are the complexities of human nature!
Keeping on top of HR regulation is a job in itself and it takes both skill and experience to manage a team while staying on the right side of the law. Are you equipped to deal with the many scenarios that could come or your way, or are you simply winging it? Find out if you’re putting your business at serious risk?
1) A member of staff is frequently 10 – 15 minutes late. It’s been going on for a number of weeks and affecting the rest of the team. What do you do?
A. You let sleeping dogs lie
B. Ask if something is wrong and if there is anything you can do to help
C. Call a meeting and state your expectations around timekeeping
D. Repeatedly ask yourself if you’re overreacting
2) A project manager has just announced she’s pregnant and she’s going to be on maternity leave when a big piece of work goes live, how do you react?
A. Start Googling ‘maternity rights’
B. Draft an email outlining what project milestones you need completed before she goes on leave.
C. Check the job description is up to date and start the recruitment ball rolling for maternity cover
D. Refer to the Company Maternity policy to refresh your knowledge and set up a meeting.
3) It’s the Tuesday after the bank holiday weekend and the phones are going crazy. A few people don’t seem to be in the office today, what do you do?
A. Check the Breathe HR system for an overview of staff’s annual leave records
B. Jump in and start answering the phones
C. Check your phone and emails for clues
D. Ask the office manager if they can pick up a few extra tasks
4) A team member who’s been with the company for 6 months can be short tempered when speaking to customers and another complaint has just come in. How do you tackle it?
A. Check the Company disciplinary procedure and launch an investigation.
B. Arrange customer service training for the whole team
C. Talk to them about their conduct and arrange some follow up meetings to assess their performance
D. Call a meeting that day to dismiss them, it’s just not working out.
5) You’ve suddenly lost one of your biggest contracts and you’ve got no choice but to make someone redundant. What steps do you take?
A. Terminate anyone who is within their six-month probationary period
B. Use it as an opportunity to dismiss your worst performer
C. Activate your redundancy procedure using a scoring and selection criteria
D. Calculate the savings you need to make and consider which roles might be impacted
Score | A | B | C | D |
Question 1 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
Question 2 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
Question 3 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 5 |
Question 4 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
Question 5 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 10 |
You Scored
0- 25
You’re taking shortcuts that could lead to serious consequences for you and the company.
We recommend a thorough health check of your HR policies and procedures to identify the key areas of risks and what immediate steps to protect your business.
Asking an HR expert will help you to put in place some firm foundations to manage your staff more effectively and be better equipped should problems arise. This is too important to leave to chance.
26 – 50
You’re aware that there are issues that need to be addressed but you’re unsure on the right course of action. Kicking the can down the road is more than likely your default approach. Being proactive, rather than reactive will avoid you taking the wrong decision or simply sticking a plaster on until the next time.
We recommend some key HR Overload services that are ideal for this situation, our compliance package includes an advice line and email support plus dedicated specialist support to ensure you’re complying with your employer obligations. Breathe HR software can also save time and reduce unnecessary HR admin such as filling in leave forms or sickness absence documentation. Designed with SMEs in mind Breathe manages employee data, payroll, expenses, benefits, absence, workloads and performance all from one dashboard.
Exclusive offer: Receive a free one-hour HR health check, demo and trial of breatheHR in February.
51 – 100
Well done, you are taking a solid approach to staff management and understand the importance of keeping your house in order. By building strong relationships with your team, and encouraging two-way communication you are well on your way to building a positive working culture.
We would recommend our performance excellence package to keep you on the right track and provide specialist support with more complex needs such as redundancy, managing long term leave or talent acquisition. With quarterly HR planning meetings we will work with you to understand your goals and action and develop a proactive support programme for the 3 months ahead.
To book a meeting please call 020 8588 9494.