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Bridging the Gender Pay Gap in the UK

March 27, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

Gender Pay Gap could take 170 years to completely close

The latest data by the Office for National Statistics has found that, while the gender gap in the UK has been steadily closing with the gap reported to have reached a record low in 2017, the average woman in the workplace still earns 9.1% less than the average man.

Instant Offices delves deeper into the issue of pay by gender in the UK and the steps that can be taken to bridge the gap.

Data revealed that men working full-time earned an average of £592 a week in April compared to the £494 earned by women during the same period. Additionally, there are certain occupations that have bigger pay gaps than others, with jobs like town planners, musicians, and vehicle and metal goods assemblers with a startling 34% pay gap.

Steps Taken to Bridge the Gap

All UK companies and public sector organisations with 250 or more employees are required to publicly report on their gender pay gap as a result of new government legislation that came into effect in April 2017. At the time of writing, only 3000 of the estimated 9000 companies have come forward and released their numbers, while there have been no reports from the financial services sector.

According to the World Economic Forum, it could take 170 years to completely close the gender pay gap on a global level. The ONS states that in the UK, some of the reasons for the wage disparity include women working in lower-paid jobs as well as being underrepresented in senior roles. Additionally, 41% of women work part-time compared to the 12% of men, which could mean a lower rate of pay.

That said, there are a few things companies could look into to help narrow the gender gap:

Incentivise paternity leave – Businesses can be made more female-friendly by incentivising paternity leave for dads. If fathers have additional paternity leave, mothers can return to work sooner, work more hours and earn more money, while allowing fathers more bonding time with their newborns. Sweden has been a trailblazer since 1974 as there is now a new incentive for dads to spend a full three months at home. Fathers are granted 90 days leave, which is allocated on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, which means that if the father does not take the time off work, then the couple as a whole will lose out on three months paid leave. Shared parental leave was introduced in the UK in 2015, although not all parents qualify.

Subsidise childcare – The cost of childcare can be stressful for many families, with an average cost of part-time childcare being up to £6,000 a year. The UK government covers some of the costs of childcare once the child turns three, but with the nursery fees and travel costs, women on low wages often find going back to work to be a difficult and financially draining decision. That said, some businesses have been stepping in to provide female staff with childcare services. According to research, companies providing childcare services saw reductions in employee turnover, increased productivity, and improved quality in job applicants.

Introduce remote working – In today’s digital world, remote working is becoming more acceptable and accessible to millennial workers, although parents can also enjoy the benefits of working from home. The Fawcett Society, an organisation dedicated to gender equality, has called on employers to provide roles that are flexible, part-time or a job share. According to the TUC, flexible working has real benefits for businesses, with employees proving to be more dedicated and productive.

There is a common misconception that mothers working from home are less ambitious than their colleagues are. On the contrary, according to a survey by Ernst and Young, 64% of working women who enjoyed flexible working hours claimed to have a clear career path compared to 10% of women who worked fixed hours. While flexible working conditions enable mothers to juggle work, childcare, and family commitments, it also allows more time for essential tasks.

Be transparent about pay – Being open and transparent about how much you pay your staff, whether listed in the initial job description or the interview, is a good starting point. Businesses should research market rates for a role and offer a fair salary for the job they are hiring for. It is also a good idea to explain how your business determines salaries and pay increases up front so that the candidate can make an informed decision about joining your company or not.

Ensure that promotions and rewards are fair – Disparity in pay can easily occur when employees are offered promotions, pay raises or bonuses. As a business owner, you must ensure that these are not in favour of male employees and that everyone has a fair chance of receiving a promotion, reward, or salary increase. Whether it is an outright or subconscious bias towards male employees, this can easily get out of hand, therefore putting in place clear and concise criteria for promotions, pay raises and bonuses will help keep things fair.

Give female employees a raise – Giving female employees a raise can eliminate the gender pay gap in the most pain-free way. Not only are employees enjoying equal pay, but, as more companies are being scrutinised and being forced to publish their gender pay gap reports, it provides the best strategy for businesses to continue operations with minimal disruptions and additional pressure.

About the Author

Established in 1999, The Instant Group is a global flexible workspace specialist. Underpinned by unrivalled expertise, Instant tailors unique solutions to help businesses of all sizes to grow, drive savings or gain invaluable insight. With offices in London, Berlin, Dallas, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney, The Instant Group employs more than 100 experts and has clients in 113 countries. For more information, visit www.theinstantgroup.com.

Filling the Value Void – Create Real Business Value a Virtual Office Solution

March 21, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

Just a few short years ago, the concept of doing business in the virtual realm was unthinkable. Running your business from a remote location, communicating with staff who you had never met, based all around the world was about as foreign a concept in business as was thinkable.

Nowadays, with advancements in technology, better connections and more ways than ever to stay connected, running, not just a business, but a successful business, is entirely feasible. Savvy entrepreneurs and business owners are realising the benefits that a virtual set up can provide and are capitalising on the added value that doing business this way can bring. From huge savings to easier access to global markets, it seems that ‘going virtual’ is far from a trend, but is the smart move for those in-the-know.

Continue reading below to learn more about the value a virtual office solution can bring to your business and how you can take advantage of this emerging trend.

Operate from an Ideal Location

Locating your business in the heart of the local business market has always been important to success in business. You need to be right in the heart of the action to meet the right people, to be exposed to opportunities and to be able to give the right impression of your company.

With a virtual office, like those at this link: www.servcorp.com.my/en/virtual-offices/, you can operate your business from a sought-after, prestigious location that will impress your clients. Being in a location like this gives you instant credibility with the local and international business community and shows that you’re a major player who should be taken seriously. When you share an office building with well-established, successful companies, this speaks directly to how your business will be perceived.

Cost Savings

To grab a spot in a premium office building, normally occupied by major corporations, successful law firms and financial institutions would, traditionally, cost a small fortune. And for small businesses, it would simply be out of the question.

However, by utilising a virtual office solution, business owners can have an address at one of these prime locations without having to enter into long-term, expensive and inflexible leases. Instead, you can save money with a flat-rate month-to-month lease while still being able to position your business in one of these sought-after office buildings and putting yourself in the heart of the action.

Larger Talent Pool

Operating in the virtual realm, you have the ability to reach out to a global pool of talent to build a team that will help your business succeed. You can have a graphic designer from America, a web designer in Australia and a marketing whizz in Malaysia, all communicating together and working seamlessly towards the same goals.

The ability to build a remote dream team is something only major international corporations were able to take advantage of, until the dawn of virtual solutions. What’s more, is you can hire remote workers on an as-needed-basis. If you’re working on a new project that you need a particular skill for, you can seek out freelancers from all over the world to bring what you need to the table and get your project over the line.

Global Markets

Going virtual breaks down all sorts of international walls and opens up the global marketplace in a way never experienced before. You can open a virtual office in a country where there is a new opportunity and communicate with the local business community via your local address and dedicated phone number.

This gives the impression of you being on the ground and is a great way to test the waters with new markets and new opportunities, no matter where in the world they might be. Local businesses will be more likely to engage with you if they are contacting you on a local number or sending documents to a local prestigious office location than if they were dealing with someone operating from overseas.

A Virtual Office Creates Value in Business

Having the ability to operate a successful business from anywhere in the world and build a team from all over the world to help you reach your goals is an exciting prospect. With a virtual office solution, this is no longer just an idea but a very real opportunity for business owners to capitalise on.

A virtual office adds value to your business operations as you can enter foreign markets with ease, work with a remote dream team and save money on expensive rents while still locating your business where you need to be. Consider taking your business into the virtual realm and take advantage of the flexibility and opportunity that this office solution can offer.

Article by Caitlyn Bell

Image source: Northeastern University

5 Exciting Team Building Ideas

March 21, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

It may sometimes seem like team building is just something HR’s feel obligated to do without too much actual real value. That’s usually due to the fact that most companies try out the same and played out team building events.

In fact, team building could be rather useful especially for companies in which the employees don’t really know each other or socialize outside of the office. The goal is to find the right events that are engaging and suited to the needs of your employees in particular. It’s also important to create exercises that are suited to the culture you’re working in – for instance, Australian team building should be outdoorsy and competitive because that relates to the culture that the employees come from.

The big picture

This is a simple team building activity that’s especially suited to a small business. The exercise consists of the whole company working together to create a mosaic or a painting that can hang in the company lobby.

It’s obviously a relatively inexpensive exercise, but it also allows the employees to showcase their creative side. Working together on a project will help newly established businesses promote and improve communication between the employees. In the end, there’s also a physical product of such an exercise you can be proud of.

Escape rooms

Escape rooms have become increasingly popular in Australia recently and there are good reasons for it. It’s a fun and engaging activity that also allows you to get out of the office and actually let your employees work together on solving a task.

Games usually include employees being trapped in a room and having to find ways to get out using the clues scattered around the room. This is the basic concept, but you can also go the extra mile and pick themes and even costumes in order to make the experience more interesting.

Orienteering

In a way, orienteering is similar to escape rooms, but it happens outdoors which makes it more challenging and represents a change of scenery for those staying in an office for hours at a time. The goal is for a team to find the way from one spot to another using a map, a compass, and the surroundings.

It takes a bit of organizing – for instance, you should get a coach for hire in Sydney in order to get the employees to the sport and to prepare the equipment that you need. It works great for teams of all sizes, but it is an activity that depends a lot on the weather so you need to keep that in mind.

Team movie making

Movie making is another creative team building exercise that’s easy to organize and that brings out the best in your team and allows it to showcase its talents. The concept is simple: the teams should make a short film and the best one gets some sort of prize. It’s doesn’t need to including writing a script – it’s enough to recreate a scene from a famous movie.

It’s a fun and exciting activity. The movies don’t really have to be that good as it’s mostly about enjoying the process itself and having fun with coworkers.

Charity work

In the end, there’s an activity that’s not usually thought of as a team building activity that can mean a lot to both your company and your community. Local charity organizations can help the people in your community and allow you to bring your team closer together because it’s a unique experience that can have such an effect.

This work shouldn’t be mandatory and it’s also a good idea to talk with the employees about what charities and what kind of work to include.

Team building could be very useful for the company because it brings the employees closer together and makes them more productive. However, you need to choose fun and engaging team building activities in order to get the most out of them.

About the Author

Carolin Petterson is a businesswoman and content marketer with years of experience under her belt. She has had the opportunity to contribute to a number of popular business and marketing websites.

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1 out of 3 Employees taking time out due to Mental Health

March 21, 2018 by Guest Post 2 Comments

Within every business, there will be those who suffer in silence to the point that control is lost and the very act of getting out of bed becomes utterly overwhelming. Employees are still reluctant to share mental health information with their managers or bosses, seemingly for good reason. The stigma associated with mental health, being treated unfairly, becoming the subject of office gossip or compromising their employment terms are all legitimate fears.

To tackle this global workforce issue, Instant Offices encourage businesses to support their teams to speak about and prioritise mental health, promote a healthy work-life balance, reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues and introduce initiatives to support and encourage staff who choose to speak up.

Mental Health and Work in the UK

Studies suggest that millennials display the highest levels of anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide of any generation, considering they are also simultaneously on the cusp of becoming the largest global workforce by 2020.

According to Deloitte, the average person spends 90,000 hours of their life working, and poor employee mental health can be due to factors internal or external to the workplace. Without effective management, this can have a serious impact on physical health, productivity and more.

In the modern workplace, smart employers are placing workplace wellness at the core of their business by recognising the importance of their staff. They are going beyond protocol, processes and profits to ensure individuals feel valued and supported. Wellness and workplace health initiatives are varied but include everything from serious interventions and counselling services to mindfulness training, flexible working and even options like yoga, time off and massages at work.

That said, an alarming number of companies are still avoiding the topic of mental health in the workplace. A report by the Centre for Mental Health revealed that absence due to mental health cost the UK economy £34.9 billion last year. Additionally, the economy lost:

£21.2 billion in reduced productivity
£10.6 billion in sick leave
£3.1 billion in staff turnover

It’s Time to Prioritise Wellbeing at Work

Of the 5 million people being signed off from work every year, data from NHS showed an alarming 31% are taking time out due to mental health, with a shocking 14% rise in doctor’s notes relating to anxiety and stress in one year. This is why the NHS has called on businesses to wake up to the reality of mental health and its dire effects on the wellbeing of its employees and on overall workplace success.

Here’s what employers can do:

Minimise the stigma: A study from Business in the Community shows, only 53% of employees feel comfortable talking about mental health issues like depression and anxiety at work. Instead of making employees feel like liabilities or burdens, employers need to take active steps to encourage conversations around these issues. Taking a mental health day or asking for support around mental health issues should not impact an employee’s reputation and how they are treated at work.

Pay attention: Around 91% of managers agree that their actions affect their staff’s wellbeing, however, only 24% of managers have received any training in mental health. This lack of training and sensitivity only works to perpetuate the culture of silence around mental health and wellbeing at work. Companies should be working to combat this by monitoring employee stress, encouraging communication and taking active steps to increase knowledge around the issue.
Be more flexible: There are several ways to boost employee engagement and happiness in the modern workplace. Around 70% of employees want a say in when and how they work, and a growth in flexible working shows more businesses are responding. Introducing a flexible working option is one of the ways businesses can prioritise their employees’ personal needs while benefitting from their productivity boost, too. Nearly half of employees advocate for flexible working hours as a way to reduce workplace stress and anxiety, increase productivity, and to improve morale and engagement.

Introduce mental health initiatives: It is crucial to increase employee awareness of mental health at work, support employees at risk and take steps to support those suffering from mental health problems. Education is key, and strategies need to be tailor-made to suit each business and its needs. Aside from increasing workplace happiness with perks, time off and better communication, businesses need to look at long-term policies which advocate for better treatment for at-risk employees from every tier of the organisation.
Manage via a coaching approach: Historically, tyrannical managers focused on ‘the numbers’ or ‘getting the job done’ have been the norm, but fortunately, the modern workplace has changed. Today, the manager who adopts a more holistic approach by focusing on the growth and development of their team, personally and professionally, will see greater results and engagement. Investing in a coaching approach has shown clear improvements across all areas and improved trust between managers and employees. Getting this balance right enables employees to speak about their levels of stress, their worries about their role and more.

Placing health and wellbeing at the heart of business can help employers attract and retain talent, improve productivity and happiness, and positively impact the bottom line.

Educating the workforce on the availability of such programmes where they can find support in a confidential and respectful manner, will help to address personal challenges before they become overwhelming.

About the Author

The Instant Group is the global flexible workspace specialist. Underpinned by unrivalled expertise, Instant tailors unique solutions to help businesses of all sizes to grow, drive savings or gain invaluable insight. Established in 1999, The Instant Group has achieved 23% compound growth over the past four years and continues to expand with private equity funding secured from MML Capital in 2012. With offices in London, Berlin, Dallas, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney, The Instant Group employs more than 100 experts and has clients in 113 countries. For more information, visit www.theinstantgroup.com.

A Simplified Guide To Coaching Your Employees – 5 Rules To Always Remember

March 19, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

Coaching can transform average basketball players, musicians, and employees into superstars – people who are the best at what they do. For a small company, having a team of high-performing individuals is a competitive advantage.

However, not every organization has the time nor the money to hire change management experts and employ a full-fledged coaching program.

But no worries.

The following rules will get you started on the right track and build the coaching culture your business needs.

**1. Know This: An Annual Performance Review Is Not Coaching**

Perhaps you’re wondering:

“Isn’t employee coaching the same as yearly performance appraisals?”

While both strategies aim to improve employee performance and productivity, how they go about it make a night-and-day contrast.

Performance reviews are a carrot-or-stick strategy. If things turn out positively, the worker under scrutiny gets a sizeable boost to their salary. If not, however, they stay on the same pay grade.

This emphasis on financial compensation makes the yearly review tricky.

Managers may shy away from giving a low (but well-deserved) score knowing that the person getting it may not get a raise. Moreover, the employee on the receiving of a bad score may get all riled up, making a two-way discussion on how to improve performance impossible.

Coaching, as you will see, moves the conversation away from pay appraisals and into training and developing your workforce’s skills.

2. Informal And Frequent Coaching Works Best

Adobe, GE, and Microsoft have nixed annual performance reviews altogether in favor of regular and informal coaching. And it’s easy to see why.

A study by Adobe found that managers can spend up to 17 hours per employee preparing for the review. The result? More than half of the workforce don’t feel the impact of the review, while many of the workers feel stressed.

Moreover, an annual review cannot keep up with the ever-changing priorities and responsibilities in the workplace.

Frequent coaching, on the other hand, doesn’t suffer from the problems that annual performance reviews do.

Research shows that immediately sharing positive or negative feedback with the person involved works best for skills development. With regular coaching replacing performance reviews, you won’t have to wait for that time of the year.

And thanks to the informal nature of the sessions, you give feedback in the office, while grabbing a bite from a snack vending machine, making a coffee, or any place that can help the coachee relax and be more receptive.

3. Stay Objective When Giving Feedback

Things can get tense and emotional when giving feedback. As the coach, however, you want to keep a level head and stay objective. Focusing on the specifics below will help keep the session free from personal opinions and biases:

The scenario the employee was in
The action or behavior they exhibited
The impact of the above

Of course, you will want to tweak how you frame your message depending on the action of the team member.

If the employee went above the call of duty and performed better than expected, start by thanking them. Discuss the positive result brought by their effort. And lastly, compel them to maintain (or even level up) their standards by stating how everyone benefits from the work they do.

If the feedback is negative, however, you should point out the poor behavior the coachee is exhibiting and its impact. But more importantly, you should outline the steps necessary to stop the same unacceptable behavior or performance from becoming a problem again (more on this later).

Again…

Leaving unnecessary adjectives out of the conversation and staying as factual as possible is critical. Even more so if you’re delivering negative feedback.

Note, too:

Sandwiching negative feedback with positive ones doesn’t work and may even undermine your relationship with your workers.

The sandwich strategy isn’t genuine. It’s manipulative and will alienate your direct report.

People can see that the real reason for the coaching session is to point out concerns about their recent performance or actions. The positive comments are given only to soften the blow and prevent heated reactions.

4. Let The Other Person Have Their Say

Coaching sessions at work don’t end after giving your feedback.

Chances are, the employee on the receiving end has a thing or two to say about the matter. What you do next will decide whether ensuing coaching sessions with the team member will be effective or not.

Bobbing your head as you pretend to listen and find a quick way to exit the conversation won’t do you any favors. It will turn off your employees and future feedback will fall on deaf ears.

Instead, you will want to zip those lips and listen closely.

Silence is a powerful tool. One that can uncover elephants in the room – serious workplace problems no one openly talks about. You may not have the solution ready. But allowing employees to voice their concerns or vent out is sometimes enough to make them feel better and boost their performance.

**5. Always End With An Action Plan**

For the most part of the coaching, your employees’ actions and behaviors took the spotlight. And since both parties have had their say, it’s time to end the conversation (for now) and get back to work.

But how do you end the session effectively?

Simple:

Move forward!

You already talked about what they did, so you should now shift the spotlight to what they should do in the future. Encourage team members to map out the necessary steps for improvement. Even better, sit down and help them create goals if they’re having a hard time coming up with their own.

Just remember to stay SMART. Make sure the goals you set with employees are:

Specific: Pinpoint the behavior to keep up or change, the reason/s why, and how exactly to go about it. The next point will help make your goal even more specific.
Measurable: Whether you’re looking to boost customer satisfaction levels or email marketing open rate, write down by how much (in percentage points, for example) the employee should improve.
Achievable: We want to push our team to do their best work all the time. But setting overly optimistic targets is more likely to frustrate and stress out employees rather than inspire them.
Relevant: Make sure the goals are relevant to the employee’s work and aligns with their personal and professional motivations.
Time-bound: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion,” states the Parkinson’s Law. So unless you want coaching goals to take forever to achieve, agree on a deadline with your coachee.

With your SMART goals laid down, you should finish the discussion by arranging a follow-up session to keep track of their progress. Mind your body language, too, while you’re at it. You want your actions, not just your words, to tell your employees that they can do it.

Displaying confidence in their abilities can very well to turn your employees into workplace superheroes!

About the Author

Nathan Sharpe is the entrepreneur behind Biznas, a blog where he serves practical business advice and tips to readers. Learning and helping others learn is his passion.