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Dealing with employee absence – both frequent short-term absence and longer-term absence - is a regular feature of managing people but you may not be aware that, as an employer, you have rights as well as a variety of legal responsibilities - primarily under the Equality Act, the Employment Rights Act and the Health and Safety at Work Act.  We also know that employees are much more likely to return to work safely and productively following long-term sickness absence if they are well supported by their employer both during their absence and on their return. So, what do you need…

As a Practice Manager you are typically juggling many tasks and there are many demands on your time. In order to thrive in this role a critical skill to have is the ability to say ‘no’. Yet saying ‘no’ can be one of the most difficult skills to master in business. Whether it's declining a request from a colleague, a boss, or a client, we often feel guilty, rude, or unprofessional when we say ‘no’. However, saying ‘yes’ to everything can also have negative consequences, such as overcommitting, underdelivering, or compromising your values. So, how can you say ‘no’ in…

When have you last done nothing? Truly nothing! With the main holiday season over, have you taken advantage of your time off? In the fast-paced world we live in today many people feel guilty or anxious about taking time off. Some people, particularly in small businesses, think that they are indispensable, that the business can’t function without them, or that they will miss out on something important if they aren’t at work. Yet, a holiday is not a luxury, it is a necessity, which is why every worker in the UK has a legal right to paid holidays. It could…

We are part of the problem While most clients we speak to don’t enjoy conflict (let’s face it who does?!) and want to avoid it at all costs, the reality is that at least at some point in their careers they will find themselves in a difficult situation. Managing conflict and difficult situations in the workplace can be messy and generally gets in the way of getting work done, leaving everyone feeling deflated and frustrated. The fallout tends to linger and affect future work and relations. So, it’s important to know what to do and how to approach such events,…

“Nine Lies about Work: a Free Thinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World” by M. Buckingham and A. Goodall, which demystifies lies that are commonly-believed in the workplace, continues to inspire my thinking. This month, I want to focus on lie number 2: “the best plan always wins”. Plans can be beautiful - especially if things go according to the said plan. They provide comfort and a sense of mission. You start off with a plan at the beginning of the year and once that is shared with the company, it's split into departmental goals that then trickle down to…

Is your organisation a spider or a starfish? In other words, does your business structure allow for continuity, flexibility and agility? In today's rapidly changing business landscape, traditional organisational structures are often too rigid to keep pace with the demands of the market. Companies that rely on a centralised, top-down approach are vulnerable to disruptions and may struggle to adapt to new challenges. Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom’s book, "The Starfish and the Spider," presents a compelling case for re-imagining organisational structures as "starfish" to ensure continuity and resilience. The metaphor of the starfish is used to describe a decentralised…

I was recently a guest speaker at a virtual event co-hosted by Women in Banking & Finance (WIBF) and Isio, where I was asked to deliver a session on the topic of effective leadership. As part of my research, I revisited “Nine Lies about Work: a Free Thinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World”, an excellent book co-written by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall. On this occasion, it was lie number 8 that deeply resonated with me and struck me as a point for further investigation: “work-life balance matters most”. Have you, like myself, found yourself struggling to achieve the…

Cyber attacks are becoming more common and sophisticated in today's digital world. While you may be thinking that you are unlikely to become a target, unfortunately we are aware of small Financial Advisory firms that have been through this already, so don’t fall for the false sense of security and take preventative action. A cyber attack is a malicious attempt to steal, expose, or destroy data, disable systems and networks, or breach a system to launch additional attacks. According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2022,  cyber threat is now seen as the dominant risk to business in seven out…

Saying goodbye tends to be a bittersweet experience for all involved. How have you communicated to your team and clients about your last leaver? Did you do this in the way that created a positive impact or were you trying to pretend that nothing happened and carry on? Recently, I received this email from my daughter’s swimming school and found it noteworthy of sharing: “It is with great sadness that we are saying goodbye to Amy at the end of the year. Amy has been amazing, teaching swimming to hundreds of little ones for over 6 years and we are…

From Aristotle to Lionel Messi, great leaders have proven time and time again that teamwork makes the dream work. According to Aristotle “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. While conceptually this is true, in practice many firms that we speak to have a completely different experience, with teams pulling in different directions, making work and life harder rather than easier. So, let’s look at the success of football teams, whether it be on or off the field, to glean powerful insights into what’s needed to turn teamwork into dreamwork and how this manifests in practice. Power…