Hybrid working: employer guidance
In this guide:
- Employees working from home
- Advantages and disadvantages of employees working at home
- Types of work and skills suited to home working
- Employment contracts and working from home
- Providing equipment for employees who work at home
- Effectively manage employees who work from home
- Your health and safety obligations towards home workers
- How technology can facilitate working from home
- Responsibilities of home workers
- Hybrid working: employer guidance
- Managing employees working from home: seven top tips
Advantages and disadvantages of employees working at home
Key advantages and disadvantages of home working - from productivity boosts to problems monitoring performance.
Home working opens up a new range of possibilities for the way businesses can work and structure themselves. The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, gave employers and employees a practical insight into home working as commercial premises had to shut down in response to the government's requirements to protect public health.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, working from home was on the increase as many employers identified the benefits that it can bring to their business and the improved work-life balance for their employees. Even if you don't think working from home would be beneficial for your business, employees with 26 weeks of service have a statutory right to request flexible working arrangements such as home working and you, as an employer, have to seriously consider such requests.
Advantages of employees working from home
With increasing numbers of employees working at home - or using home as a working base for at least part of the week - it's clear there are a number of benefits for business, such as:
Flexibility and agility
Home working enables more agility and flexibility in working arrangements. With employees no longer tied to an office, they may be better placed and more willing to work flexible hours such as earlier or later in the day or even at weekends. This may help you meet certain business needs eg if you are trading with customers residing in a different time zone.
Improved employee retention
Home working can help retain employees as the flexibility of home working can help them meet childcare needs, reduce their commute, and enable them to fit their work around their personal lives. Being allowed to work from home, staff will also feel increased levels of trust from their employer, which can contribute greatly to staff loyalty.
Attract new talent
Home working can be offered as an incentive to come and work for you helping you to attract new talent to your business. Even just offering the option to work from home will give you an advantage in the job market over competitors that don't offer home working as an option to their staff.
Increased productivity
Due to fewer interruptions, which would normally occur in an office environment. By contrast, working from home allows for a quieter environment that can facilitate more focused work. You may also find that some employees may wish to increase their paid contractual hours as they save time that was previously spent commuting to and from the workplace.
Increased staff motivation
By working from home staff will feel more trusted by their employer as the working relationship isn't as closely monitored and employees are allowed a degree of autonomy to get on with their work. Staff will also be happier developing a home working routine that suits them better and this can contribute towards them feeling more motivated to give their best.
Improved staff health and wellbeing
Working from home eliminates the need for a commute to work which can be stressful for your employees. Time savings such as this also enable staff to get extra health benefits such as additional sleep, spending more time with family, exercising, or preparing healthier meals.
Financial benefits
Savings on office space, office supplies, utility bills, and other facilities. Staff may also be able to take advantage of the tax relief available from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for working from home - see claim tax relief for your job expenses - working from home.
Convenience
You may have staff that do a lot of visits to customer locations and are therefore not regularly in the office. Allowing them to base themselves from home may be more convenient and leads to further time and cost savings.
Better work/life balance
Working from home can help employees improve their work-life balance eg staff that would have had to commute will now be able to use that time for themselves giving the basis for a better work-life balance. Staff are also able to fit in household chores around their working day giving them more free time in the evenings eg loading or unloading the dishwasher or preparing dinner on their lunch break.
Technology makes it easier
The internet has made it possible for staff to be continually connected to the office. Tools such as Skype have made communication between colleagues and teams much easier and at times can lead to more efficient and effective meetings.
Lower sickness absences
Staff are more likely to feel happier and more energised working from home and therefore less chance of their immune system being negatively impacted by burnout. Also, the fact that employees are working in isolation there is less chance of infections spreading as would be the case within an office environment.
Disadvantages of employees working from home
Though there are some disadvantages to employees working from home, most of these relate to those working from home for all, as opposed to part, of their working week:
Working from home doesn't suit everyone
Working from home might not be suited to everyone's personality or ability. Some employees might prefer the routine and structure that working in an office environment provides them. Some staff may prefer personal interaction with colleagues and also find face-to-face guidance with their manager extremely beneficial in helping them complete tasks and achieve their goals. You also need to be mindful of employees with a disability. Working from home may have a negative impact on the support they need to do their job. Working from home may also not fit in with everyone's home life eg some people may have young children that may be unaware of boundaries and cause interruptions during the working day. Others may not have the physical space required to create a suitable dedicated working area.
Staff feeling isolated
Individuals working from home may feel a disconnect from their colleagues and organisation as a whole that an office environment naturally allows. To address this issue employers could ensure that communication is more regular. So by scheduling quick catch-ups by phone or regular team meetings through other technologies like Teams, Skype, or Zoom, staff are given more opportunities to feel involved and part of the team. More informal and social catch-ups would also help counteract any feelings of isolation.
Difficulty monitoring performance
There could be difficulty managing home workers and monitoring their performance. Different personalities may also respond to monitoring with varying degrees of positivity. You could look at setting goals and targets with workers that are easily measured so that if their targets aren't being met you can identify and remedy any performance issues at an early stage. See managing staff performance and effectively manage employees who work from home.
Home distractions
Although home working removes the distractions that may occur in the office if a worker doesn't have a suitably quiet dedicated working space at home they may get easily distracted by household noises or other members of their household.
Potential burnout
Where an office provides a clear physical distinction between work and home life, working at home can lead to staff struggling to differentiate between work life and home life. This may lead to employees finding it difficult to know how to switch off from work leading to longer hours, increased stress, and inevitable burnout. Employers should encourage their staff to take regular breaks and remind them of the importance of taking their leave.
Cost of working from home
Initial costs of training and providing suitable equipment such as laptops, mobile phones, and other IT equipment. You will also have to consider adaptations to meet health and safety standards.
Problems with staff development
You may find that not having staff in close physical proximity leads to difficulty in maintaining staff development and upgrading skills. However, you could encourage staff to take the opportunity to learn new skills through online events and courses. To get started search for events on our Events Finder.
Information security risk
Information security problems could be more likely to occur when staff are working from home. There is increased risk with laptops being taken home and the need for staff to access servers remotely. Employers should ensure they put measures in place to protect company data by installing encryption software and remote-wipe apps if mobile devices provided by you go missing. Virtual private networks also encrypt your data and provide secure access to a remote computer over the internet. This helps keep your files and data secure yet accessible to your staff. See IT security and risks.
Negative impact on mental health
The switch to working from home may have a negative impact on your worker’s mental health if they are unable to find a routine that works for them, are struggling to separate work and home life, or are feeling isolated. To help you can encourage your employees to develop a working routine, set up a dedicated work space, and set boundaries for other household members. Create more opportunities for staff to stay connected by communicating through regular chats and team catch-ups. Eating healthily and taking regular exercise can also help improve mental health especially when woven into a regular routine. See simple tips to tackle working from home from the NHS.
Decreased staff morale
It can be harder to maintain team spirit when employees are working at home on their own.
Not all jobs suit home working
Working from home suits some jobs better than others. Equally, working from home suits some personality types but not others. Some people may prefer colleague contact by face-to-face communication.
Poor broadband speeds
You should be mindful that depending on where your staff live they may not be able to access broadband speeds that enable them to do their job effectively eg rural broadband is often very slow.
The coronavirus pandemic gave some employers, who may not have otherwise considered working from home an option for staff, a practical insight into how it affects their business and employees. It has enabled employers to have first-hand experience of the advantages and disadvantages of home working. This experience can be very beneficial in helping employers determine the future direction of working practices that will benefit their business.
For further information see the Labour Relation Agency's (LRA) practical guide to working from home: COVID-19 and beyond.
Hybrid working approach
A shift towards home working doesn't mean employees have to work only at home. Often splitting time between home, or other remote locations and the workplace is the most productive solution. You may want your staff to provide feedback on their working from home experience to get them involved in the process of developing a hybrid working policy.
For further guidance see hybrid working: employer guidance and the LRA's practical guide to hybrid working.
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Types of work and skills suited to home working
Types of job that are well-matched for home working and the skills employees will need.
When weighing up whether to let an employee work from home, you should consider the nature of their job.
Jobs suited to home working
Some types of work are particularly suited to home working. For example:
- telesales and marketing
- customer service
- consultancy and professional services, such as accountancy or HR administration
- writing, editing, research and translation
- some types of administrative work
Skills employees need to work at home
You also need to consider whether employees themselves are suited to working away from your base. They're likely to need skills in a number of key areas:
- time management and self-discipline
- motivation
- self-sufficiency
- communication
- technology
Home working isn't for everyone. Bear in mind that if you allow one person to do it, you may be setting a precedent that others will want to follow, so it's best to have a clear idea from the start of how home working could fit the needs of your business. You should establish fair criteria for home working as this will minimise any discrimination risk.
Remember, too, that in some cases you're legally obliged to seriously consider requests for working from home. Employees with 26 weeks' service can request a range of flexible working patterns from their employers - including the right to work from home.
Read more on flexible working: the law and best practice.
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Employment contracts and working from home
How the written statement of terms and conditions may need to be amended when implementing homeworking.
An employee's place of work is stated in the written statement of their terms and conditions of employment.
When an employee starts working from or at home, it may be necessary to amend the written statement as a result.
You must follow set procedures when changing an employment contract.
See how to change an employee's terms of employment.
Working from home arrangements during the coronavirus pandemic
The working from home arrangements that were in place during the COVID-19 pandemic were not normally considered to be permanent variations to the contract but post pandemic it may be mutually beneficial for it to become the new normal working arrangement and so it may suit both employer and employee for it to remain in place. See the Labour Relations Agency's (LRA) guide on flexible working.
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Providing equipment for employees who work at home
Your responsibilities for the equipment and furniture home workers use in carrying out their work.
As an employer you're likely to be responsible for providing, installing, and maintaining all equipment unless the employee uses their own.
Equipment you need to provide may include:
- workstation, including a suitable desk and chair
- filing cabinet, drawers, and shelving
- computer, laptop, or tablet with office software, anti-virus software, email, and broadband internet connection
- printer
- stationery and office supplies
Advances in technology allow you to create virtual teams where employees work together despite working from home.
IT equipment can be expensive, so make sure it is compatible with your existing systems and meets a genuine business need.
Read more on how technology can facilitate working from home.
Remember that you still have health and safety responsibilities for people who work at or from home. Read about your health and safety obligations towards home workers.
Insurance and rates
You'll probably need to extend your business insurance to cover equipment used by employees in their homes. The employee's home insurance policy is unlikely to cover this. They should check with their insurer to make sure they're covered for working at home.
It's also worth mentioning to potential home workers that if they use part of their home exclusively for work, they may have to pay business rates for that portion of their home. It's a good idea to get them to check the position with Land & Property Services. See how to use your home as a workplace.
You also need to ensure that employees take care of business equipment and information in their possession. Employers must ensure that data protection principles are adhered to eg establish procedures to be followed in terms of the storage and security of information and what to do if any item is damaged or lost.
Taxation
This can be complicated and worth getting specific guidance from HM Revenue & Customs in respect of liabilities and set-offs. See expenses and benefits: homeworking.
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Effectively manage employees who work from home
What you can do to make home working a success - performance monitoring, training, communication, and feedback.
Working from home can bring a wide range of benefits for both businesses and employees, but it needs to be properly managed to be successful.
Monitoring performance
Monitoring and assessing the performance of people who work at home is perhaps the most significant managerial challenge. It can be helpful to measure their effectiveness in terms of their output rather than the hours they work.
Agree on set goals and deadlines for particular tasks. Keep a close eye on how well the targets are being met and give feedback promptly and sensitively if things go wrong.
Staff training
Training can prepare employees and help them develop the skills they need. This might include:
- self-management skills, eg in time management
- general skills, eg in using IT more effectively or writing reports
- job-specific skills
Encouraging communication
For staff who work alone, a sense of isolation is one of the factors most likely to make home working fail. As a result, it's important to put formal systems in place to ensure people feel part of the team. For example:
- frequent two-way feedback sessions about work and work-related issues
- regular scheduled visits to the workplace
- inclusion in social activities
- clear procedures to follow and people to contact if things go wrong
If an employee's job is home-based from the start, it's a good idea to carry out their induction at your premises. Home workers are more likely to be focused and productive if they have a chance to establish a clear idea of the people and company they're working for.
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Your health and safety obligations towards home workers
Key health and safety duties towards home workers - from risk assessments to ensuring equipment is suitable.
As an employer you have the same responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of home workers as you would for staff based at your premises. Your duties are likely to include:
- carrying out a health and safety risk assessment - see managing the risks in your business
- purchasing compulsory employers' liability insurance if you don't already have it - see liability insurance
- ensuring equipment is fit for its purpose
- testing, certifying and maintaining electrical equipment provided by the business
- ensuring computers can be used comfortably and without disturbing glare, see computer health and safety at work
- making sure lighting levels are appropriate
- avoiding trailing cables to reduce the risks of trips and falls
- ensuring staff are suitably trained to work safely
- keeping records of, and if necessary reporting, any serious accidents, illnesses, or injuries experienced by home workers
Remember, too, that employees who use computers regularly - including home workers - are entitled to an eye test paid for by their employer.
Home workers must take reasonable care of their health and safety, as well as that of other people such as family members, neighbours, and visitors. They must also ensure they use work equipment correctly.
During the coronavirus pandemic, it was unlikely that the employer would have been able to carry out the usual health and safety risk assessments at the employee's home. However, the employer should ensure that:
- the employee feels the work they're being asked to do at home can be done safely
- the employee has the right equipment to work safely
- the line manager maintains regular contact with the employee, including making sure they don't feel isolated
- reasonable adjustments are made for an employee who has a disability
The employee should also keep in regular contact with their line manager about health and safety risks and homeworking arrangements that need to change.
For information on your business's health and safety duties, see health and safety basics for business.
See the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on managing home workers' health and safety.
If you have employees who use their home as a base and generally don't work from your premises, you may have additional health and safety responsibilities to them. See ensure lone workers' safety.
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How technology can facilitate working from home
Using IT to facilitate homeworking - phones, broadband, extranets, virtual private networks, and security issues.
You'll need to keep in touch with employees who work at home. At the very least, you should consider installing a dedicated work phone at the employee's home or provide them with a mobile phone.
This makes it easier to work out billing arrangements and, as you won't need to see the employee's phone bill, preserves their privacy.
Broadband internet connections have made emailing colleagues and business contacts and sharing documents quick and easy.
Virtual teamwork
With virtual teamworking, your employees do not need to be working in the same place, or even at the same time, in order to work together. Consider the following options:
Different time, different place
Employees work separately and keep in touch with you and each other via email.
Same time, different place
Employees can communicate with each other in real-time through telephone conference calls, video-conferencing, or using instant messaging.
Different time, same place
Employees can access your business network or databases by connecting to an intranet or extranet. A virtual private network is a more secure, but expensive, way of doing this.
Same time, same place
Even working from home, your employees will still need to meet face-to-face occasionally. Email and electronic diaries allow you to arrange meetings and transfer documents, while wireless technology allows you to meet anywhere.
Any time, any place
Mobile phones and laptop computers with wireless internet access mean that your employees are always accessible and can work wherever they are. Read more on mobile technology.
Data security
There are important security issues. For example, data security could be compromised if employees working from home use their work computers for personal purposes. It's best to provide staff with a computer and make it clear that it's for business use only.
Install anti-virus and firewall software on users' PCs and use passwords to control access to their computers and to your network. Make sure home workers have read and understood your IT policies and know their information security responsibilities.
Employees who deal with sensitive information should be particularly careful about:
- Keeping equipment at home - they should make sure that their premises are properly secured.
- Transporting equipment from one place to another - items should never be left unattended in a public place.
- Using public internet access - public computers can store information that has been entered.
- Working in a public place such as a train - information on a laptop screen could be seen by others.
- Destroying data that is no longer required - eg a cross-cut shredder should be used to dispose of sensitive papers.
Read the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance on home working: preparing your organisation and staff.
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Responsibilities of home workers
Ensuring staff understand their duties to keep homeworking legal and safe.
Employees who work from home have a number of key responsibilities.
They should:
- check whether there are any restrictions on home working within the terms of their lease, mortgage, or tenancy agreement for the property
- keep their insurance company informed about the new use of their home
- check if planning permission will be required and apply for it if necessary, though this is unlikely to be the case for a home office
- check if business rates are payable on the part of the property used for work
- ensure their own health and safety and the safety of anyone visiting or living in their home who could be affected by their work
- ensure that they keep sensitive information safe and secure, eg by destroying data securely when they have finished with it
Employees should also be aware that if they set aside a room to work in that has no domestic purpose, they may be liable for business rates on that part of the property or capital gains tax if the property is sold.
Read more on how to use your home as a workplace.
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Hybrid working: employer guidance
How employers can get the most of staff using a mix of working at home or remotely and also in the workplace.
Hybrid working is a form of flexible working where staff spend part of their week working from home or remotely with the rest of their working time spent based in the workplace.
Employers can implement hybrid working for their organisation in different ways. For example, some employers might suggest that all staff come into the workplace two or three days a week and spend the other days working from home. These specific days could be set by the employer or left to individuals to determine themselves.
Benefits of hybrid working
Hybrid working can bring together the benefits that staff experience when working from home, such as fewer distractions and increased productivity, and combine these with the advantages of working in a shared location, such as feeling part of a team and collaborating with greater ease.
Advantages that hybrid working can bring include:
- more flexibility as you can develop hybrid working patterns that suit the needs of the business
- increased staff productivity and motivation
- higher levels of trust and engagement, especially if staff are involved in determining their own hybrid working patterns
- increased job satisfaction means you are more likely to retain staff
- attract new talent – many recruits now expect to be offered the opportunity to work from home in some capacity
- more opportunities for collaboration between teams on the days people are in the office together
- helps support inclusion and diversity
- better staff wellbeing with decreased feelings of isolation and improved mental health for staff with more opportunities for social interaction
- better connection between managers and staff as days in the office offer opportunities for face-to-face engagement
- improved work-life balance for staff
- savings on office space and facilities costs
- improved team availability with staff given the flexibility to connect remotely if they can't make a physical meeting
What to consider when introducing hybrid working
To get the maximum benefit from hybrid working, you should examine:
Organisation goals
Consider what your organisation’s objectives are and how hybrid working could support you in achieving your targets.
Customer needs
How are your customers’ needs met? Can their requirements be delivered online, or is there a need for physical interaction with customers?
Getting the best out of your staff
Determine the type of hybrid working model that will support staff wellbeing and give them the platform to be motivated and productive in their job. The use of SMART targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound will give your staff a clear understanding of what is required of them. In addition, SMART targets enable managers to identify if employees are meeting their targets, and if not, identifying issues at an early stage to provide support staff may need to meet their targets including adjusting the number of days they work in the office, for example, if they need face-to-face support and encouragement. see set business performance targets.
Attracting and retaining staff
You should consider the type of hybrid working that can help you to attract new talent and retain existing staff. Most job applicants like the opportunity to choose to work from home, so offering this as a benefit can give you a competitive advantage in the job market.
Days in the office
Establish why staff are required in the office on certain days and think about what you hope to achieve then. Is it to increase teamwork or collaboration on projects? Is it to maximise staff wellbeing and morale?
Working hours
Can your business’s operating hours be more flexible? For example, if you have customers in global locations, the remote working element of hybrid working enables you to adapt working hours to benefit customers in different time zones. Being flexible also offers staff the opportunity to determine working hours that best fit their work-life balance.
Flexible working requests
Address your legal requirements, including managing formal requests from staff for hybrid working through a flexible working policy. Employees could also request hybrid working as a reasonable adjustment under disability discrimination legislation.
Data protection duties
Securing sensitive data can be more challenging when employees divide their work time between home and the office. Create a policy outlining how to manage data in the workplace, at home, and when commuting between the two. Provide training to all staff on their data protection responsibilities. Read the Information Commissioner’s Office guidance on data protection and working from home.
Health and safety responsibilities
Employers must ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of their staff when working from home and in the workplace. Employers have a duty of care and must carry out a health and safety risk assessment for all staff.
IT requirements
You will need to ensure staff can access the technology required to work at home, remotely, and in the workplace with minimal technical issues. IT security will also be a priority, as staff will be connecting to your organisation’s systems remotely.
Tax issues
Make your staff aware that they may be able to claim relief for additional household costs if they have to work at home for all or part of the week. See claim tax relief for your job expenses if working from home.
How to introduce hybrid working
When introducing hybrid working, you should take on board the needs of your staff. Take time to engage with staff and their representatives to get their input and effectively communicate your plans with them at each step of the process. This approach will maximise staff buy-in and develop high levels of trust when introducing hybrid working.
Requiring all staff to come into the workplace on set days each week could be counterproductive if staff resent employers stipulating which days they have to be in the workplace. A fixed-day approach also restricts the flexibility that hybrid working offers employers and their workforce. Giving staff the autonomy to select how many days and on which days they come into the office passes responsibility to your workforce. This approach can gain employee buy-in and establish a platform for building trust. It also sets a better work-life balance that could help maximise staff motivation, loyalty, and productivity.
Hybrid working policy
Whichever way you introduce hybrid working, you should communicate your decision clearly to all staff with details on how it works from a practical point of view. For example, you may want to outline scenarios that may impact the hybrid working approach such as when leave such as holidays or sick leave is taken. Ensure you treat all staff fairly when implementing hybrid working. It is good practice to develop a hybrid working policy.
It is a good idea to trial hybrid working; review its progress after a certain period, and then, if required, make changes that will help you maximise the benefits it can bring to your organisation and your staff. Ensure you consult with your employees and their representatives if you make any changes.
Further guidance including a sample policy on hybrid working
You can read further guidance on introducing hybrid working and access a sample hybrid working policy in the Labour Relation Agency’s practical guide to hybrid working.
Read the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development guidance on planning for hybrid working.
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Managing employees working from home: seven top tips
The following top tips highlight key issues you should be aware of if you are considering home working as a possibility for your business.
Allowing staff to work from home on either a full or part-time basis can bring a range of business benefits, including greater staff motivation and increased productivity.
Tips for employers on home working
The following top tips highlight key issues you should be aware of if you are considering home working as a possibility for your business.
1. Consider an employee's job and skills
When deciding whether to let an employee work from home, you should consider if the job is suited to home working. For example, telemarketing and writing could be particularly suited to home working. The employee is also likely to need skills in a number of key areas including communication and time management. See types of work and skills suited to home working.
2. Be aware of legal requirements
When an employee starts working from home, it may be necessary to amend their written statement of their terms and conditions of employment. See employment contracts and working from home. You will probably need to extend your business insurance to cover equipment used by employees in their homes. See providing equipment for employees who work at home.
3. Provide appropriate equipment
As an employer, you're likely to be responsible for providing, installing, and maintaining all equipment unless the employee uses their own. Equipment you need to provide may include a desk and chair, PC or laptop, and printer. See providing equipment for employees who work at home.
4. Encourage communication
For staff who work from home, a sense of isolation is one of the reasons that home working may fail. It's therefore important to put formal systems in place to ensure people feel part of the team. See effectively manage employees who work from home.
5. Train and monitor employees
Training can help employees working from home to develop the skills they need, for example, time management or writing reports. Monitoring employees' performance is also important to ensure targets are being met. See effectively manage employees who work from home.
6. Be aware of health and safety responsibilities
You have the same responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of home workers as you would for staff based at your premises. Your duties are likely to include ensuring equipment is fit for purpose and that lighting levels are appropriate. See your health and safety obligations towards home workers.
7. Consider information security
You should ensure that employees adhere to data protection principles. For example, data security could be compromised if employees working from home use their work computers for personal purposes. You should make clear that the computer you provide is for business use only. You should also install anti-virus and firewall software, use passwords to control access to your network, and ensure workers have read your IT policies. See how technology can facilitate working from home.
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Creating and updating workplace policies to focus on diversity and inclusion - Greiner Packaging Ltd
In this guide:
- Implement an equality plan
- What is an equality plan?
- Advantages of workplace equality plans
- How to develop an equality plan
- Equality monitoring and review of your business
- Get help to review your equality-related workplace policies
- Creating and updating workplace policies to focus on diversity and inclusion - Greiner Packaging Ltd
What is an equality plan?
Your equality plan allows you to integrate equality into your performance management system and corporate planning processes.
An equality plan outlines how your company's equality and diversity policy will be implemented.
Your equality and diversity policy should explain your business' stance on diversity and set out the legal rights and obligations of your staff. It is your promise to treat all employees, and potential employees, fairly and considerately.
See equality and diversity workplace policies.
Your equality plan allows you to integrate equality into your performance management system, quality initiatives, and corporate planning processes.
You may draft an equality plan that focuses on one particular protected equality ground (such as racial group, sex, or disability) or, alternatively, on two or more grounds, or, to take a fully integrated approach, on all of the protected equality grounds.
Equality plan templates
The Equality Commission has published two template equality plans that may assist you in drafting your own:
- racial equality plan template (DOC, 50K)
- an integrated equality plan template (DOC, 151K) for all protected equality grounds
The Equality Commission can provide further assistance on request, such as where you may wish to develop an equality plan that focuses on any other specific equality ground (such as sex or disability).
Equality plans can also be used to develop plans to promote affirmative and positive action where this is deemed appropriate.
Equality plan sample template
The Equality Commission supports businesses to promote good equality practice and can help you to develop an equality plan for your business.
It has developed a sample equality plan document that you can download and customise for your own needs.
Download the Equality Commission's sample employment equality plan (DOC, 151K).
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Advantages of workplace equality plans
Developing a workplace equality plan can bring a number of benefits to your business.
Having an effective equality plan in place will enable you to coordinate all equality-related work throughout your business. In addition, it will allow you to prepare for upcoming developments in legislation and best practice.
Advantages of having an equality plan
Developing a workplace equality plan can produce a number of business benefits.
It can help you:
- identify gaps and potential problem areas in your business
- raise awareness of your business's commitment to equality
- demonstrate actions undertaken to avoid discrimination in case of tribunal proceedings
- carry out equality training and awareness with employees
- access private investment, public procurement, and funding where commitment to equality of opportunity may be an eligibility factor
Your equality plan will also ensure that you revise your other employment policies eg bullying and harassment and redundancy policies, to ensure they also comply with equality standards.
Developing an equality plan with the Equality Commission
You can receive support from the Equality Commission to develop an equality plan for your business.
By accessing this support, you will also avail of their full range of speciality knowledge, training, guidance, and support and you will be able to work with Equality Commission staff to develop examples of good practice which could be promoted on the Equality Commission website. See equality plans.
Business benefits of an equality plan
Watch the video below of Paul Oakes, Manager of the Advisory Services Team at the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, who explains how a business can benefit from developing an equality plan.
Paul also details the four steps a business should take when implementing an equality plan and explains how the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland can provide various means of support to businesses.
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How to develop an equality plan
Practical steps to develop a workplace equality plan tailored to the specific needs of your business.
The Equality Commission can help you develop a workplace equality plan that will be tailored to the specific needs of your business.
Your equality plan should provide you with a practical and manageable framework for undertaking all equality work within your business.
Equality planning will also help you to assess what further work you need to undertake to promote good practice and it may also show areas where you need to ensure you meet legal requirements.
Step 1: Review your existing equality practices
When starting to develop your equality plan, you should first review your current employment practices against the Equality Commission's equality indicators. You can find these in the Equality Commission's template equality plan (DOC, 151K).
Reviewing your employment practices will help you determine the extent to which your workplace policies meet current equality legislation requirements and best practices.
You can then develop an equality plan outlining the actions you intend to take to remedy any areas of non-compliance.
Step 2: Draw up an equality plan
Your workplace equality plan should include:
- an outline of how your equality and diversity policy will be implemented - including set dates, how these will be implemented, and by whom
- a flexible structure that can be tailored to your specific needs
- a review of your other employment policies eg recruitment and selection, redundancy, bullying, and harassment
- a way of integrating equality into performance management systems, quality initiatives, and corporate planning processes
- how you will evaluate your success and how and when you will review the overall working of your equality policy
- an ongoing equality training plan for all staff
Step 3: Train staff and promote equality across the workplace
You should establish equality awareness training within your business to support your workplace equality plan. Staff at all levels should be involved in this training.
New employees should receive equal opportunity awareness training as part of their induction process. See preparing for an induction.
The training should show your commitment to the promotion of equality of opportunity and the effective implementation of your equality plan.
Equality training should be ongoing, with an annual update for all employees. See staff training.
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Equality monitoring and review of your business
Monitoring can help you to identify equality issues or problems that affect your employees.
A critical stage in delivering equality in the workplace is to monitor the effectiveness of your equality policy and plan to ensure they are both working in practice.
Monitoring demonstrates your commitment to promoting equality within your business. It can also help you identify equality issues or problems that affect your employees and can help you implement solutions such as alternative policies or practices.
What does equality monitoring involve?
Equality monitoring involves gathering individual information from potential and existing employees at certain times and then comparing and analysing this against other groups of employees in your business or the broader workforce.
You should only collect information that you are going to use.
Ask job applicants for monitoring data on a sheet that can be detached from their application form so that the information can be kept separate from the selection process. It should be made clear that this information will only be used for equality monitoring and not in the short-listing process.
Download a sample monitoring questionnaire for job applicants (DOC, 13K).
To obtain an accurate view of your business you will also need to monitor the existing workforce. Explain your reasons for equality monitoring and make it clear you are only trying to ensure that every employee has the same access to training, promotion, and other opportunities.
Take action on equality processes
If you find some of your equality processes aren't working, you should find out why and take action.
For example, if you find your business is not attracting the number of jobseekers you might expect, you should look at your recruitment and selection procedures. Is one group benefiting at the expense of another?
If it is shown that this is the case, you should take affirmative or positive action, such as:
- encourage more people to apply for posts by considering job-sharing and part-time working
- advertise widely to attract a diverse workforce
- offer work experience opportunities or mentoring for students
For more information on the equality monitoring process, see the Equality Commission guidance on monitoring.
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Get help to review your equality-related workplace policies
How to access help and advice from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to develop and improve workplace equality policies.
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland offers employers free and confidential help to review and get the most from their workplace equality policies.
With many employees taking steps to return to the workplace after months spent working from home, now may be the time to think about reviewing your workplace policies such as those relating to:
- equal opportunities
- harassment
- recruitment and selection
- pregnancy and maternity
- menopause
- flexible working and others
You may even be considering introducing a customer service policy, particularly taking into account those customers and clients with disabilities.
If you’ve made a commitment to equality and diversity in your business, the Equality Commission may be able to help you review your equality policies and provide a free and confidential service to businesses. Many businesses have already made use of this service and some have also availed of free training from the Equality Commission.
How do I make use of the Equality Commission service?
If your business is interested in reviewing its equality-related workplace policies you can contact Paul Oakes, Equality Commission's Advisory Services Team Manager, by emailing poakes@equalityni.org.
Find out about the support available for employers and service providers from the Equality Commission.
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Implement an equality plan
Creating and updating workplace policies to focus on diversity and inclusion - Greiner Packaging Ltd
Maeve Turbitt, People & Culture Generalist, explains how Greiner Packaging has reviewed existing workplace policies and developed new ones focusing on equality and diversity with the help of the Equality Commission.
Greiner Packaging Limited is a plastic packaging manufacturer and provider of customised packaging solutions specialising in technologies such as thermoforming, injection moulding, and extrusion. Their customer portfolio includes Nestle, Premier Foods, Yeo Valley, and Dale Farm. Based in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, the organisation is one of four divisions of the Greiner Group, with headquarters in Austria.
Maeve Turbitt, People & Culture Generalist, explains how Greiner Packaging has reviewed existing workplace policies and developed new ones focusing on equality and diversity with the help of the Equality Commission.
“Greiner Packaging has a wide range of workplace policies currently in place that help colleagues understand what is expected of them when working for and representing Greiner. We have over 30 workplace policies that all colleagues are aware of and can consult at any time through the company handbook. We also have policies that relate specifically to equality and diversity in the workplace including our equal opportunities policy and positive work environment policy.”
“We have developed our workplace policies so that colleagues know how they are expected to behave whilst working for and representing Greiner. These policies also ensure we as employers are fair and consistent in our approach to all our people. This process delivers an open and transparent atmosphere, helps us retain staff, and attract the right people to come to work for us.”
Delivering diversity and inclusion through our workplace policies
“We have previously worked with the Equality Commission after attending a number of their employer training events and so became aware of the service they offer to Northern Ireland employers in helping them to review their workplace policies from an equality point of view.”
“We then worked with the Equality Commission to review our equal opportunities policy and positive working environment policy. The Equality Commission helped us to rewrite our policies to ensure that as an organisation, we are committed to creating a friendly and harmonious working environment - free from harassment and bullying and treating every colleague with respect and dignity.”
“After reviewing and rewriting our policies, we reissued them to all our people along with a new code of conduct. This commitment clearly outlines to our workforce our dedication to diversity and inclusion right across the organisation.”
“In conjunction with the Equality Commission, we also delivered training sessions to all our colleagues on diversity and inclusion. We hosted these training sessions both virtually and face-to-face to enable us to reach and educate our entire workforce of over 300 people.”
“By reviewing our workplace policies and having a commitment to delivering diversity and inclusion, it ensures that we provide equal opportunities to all job applicants and helps us to promote a respectful and harmonious working environment for everyone. We have also identified the need to provide a mechanism for workers who believe they have been discriminated against to enable them to raise any matters sensitively through the appropriate procedure.”
Our plans to introduce new workplace policies
“We plan to take a look at introducing a number of new workplace policies that will help support colleagues that are affected by symptoms of menopause. We have just begun this process by looking at the guidance available from the Equality Commission and the Labour Relations Agency. We have also attended one of their joint webinars on the subject of menopause in the workplace. This engagement will help give us the foundation we need to take the steps required to introduce a menopause policy to our organisation.”
“Greiner Packaging has also identified the heartache and stress that miscarriage can bring. We also plan to introduce a workplace policy on miscarriage that will help give any colleague affected by miscarriage the time, space, and support they need during such a traumatic time.”
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How to make online recruitment work for your business
What is online recruitment?
Recruiting staff using online processes and how this differs from more traditional face-to-face recruitment practices.
Traditionally, the recruitment process involves meeting potential new employees in a physical space. These meetings are usually at job fairs or when candidates come to a workplace for a job interview. Social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic restricted traditional face-to-face recruitment. Businesses have had to adapt by exploring other options to recruit new staff.
Recruiting staff using online processes
Virtual recruitment or online recruitment relies on a host of different technologies to help businesses find the most suitable person for a job role while also helping employers to recruit more efficiently and effectively. Employers can now easily use these online tools without ever meeting a candidate in person to:
- attract talent
- connect with and screen candidates
- conduct in-depth interviews
- introduce candidates to managers and colleagues
- give virtual workplace tours
Streamlining the recruitment process
During the coronavirus pandemic, virtual recruitment provided a hiring solution to employers. It enabled the recruitment process to take place from start to finish exclusively online. However, virtual recruitment is not just a temporary solution. Employers have become more comfortable using various technologies for virtual interaction.
Many employers have also sampled the benefits in efficiency and effectiveness that virtual recruitment can bring, saving time by making the recruitment process more streamlined. A hybrid recruitment process using online and physical methods may be the best option for employers moving forward. Find out about the other business benefits of online recruitment.
Online recruitment can also work harmoniously with employees working from home, removing geographical barriers for employers and enabling businesses to recruit the best talent from across the world.
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Advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment
The many business benefits that virtual recruitment processes can bring for employers hiring new staff and some potential drawbacks.
Recruiting new employees using an online recruitment process can bring many advantages to employers and their businesses. Many employers were forced to use virtual recruitment to take on new staff due to public health restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. These employers experienced in practice some of the advantages that virtual recruitment can bring for businesses.
Advantages of online recruitment
Breaks geographical barriers
Virtual recruitment enables employers to extend their reach for talent wider than traditional methods would. In practice, employers can now attract international talent, but you must ensure your workers are eligible to work in the UK.
Saves time
Online recruitment enables employers to screen more candidates in a shorter space of time. You can build automation into some of the recruitment stages, for example, online competency tests can automatically rank candidates based on their performance. Online video interviews can be scheduled more flexibly than traditional face-to-face interviews so that they fit around your schedule and not the other way round.
Saves money
Virtual recruitment can bring a number of financial savings for employers. Recruitment events held online are much less expensive than hosting or attending physical job fairs. Online recruitment also requires no travel or accommodation costs. If you are hiring new staff on a regular basis, these cost savings will add up. The technology required to deliver virtual recruitment is often inexpensive and offers a good return on investment.
Reduces the time to hire
When recruiting staff, your main aim is to get the best possible candidate started in their new role as soon as possible. Online recruitment can help this by speeding up the recruitment process as a whole. It enables employers to vet and shortlist a larger volume of candidates in a shorter space of time. There is also no need to set aside a significant amount of time to facilitate candidates and an interview panel to fulfil face-to-face interviews.
Gain competitive advantage in the jobs market
Virtual recruitment shows potential candidates that your organisation is progressive and innovative, potentially making you a more attractive employment option over competitors. The majority of job seekers today are comfortable with interacting online and are likely to expect that at least some of your recruitment process would be online too.
Hire the right candidate
By saving you time and money, online recruitment also enables employers to focus on recruiting the best possible person to employ. You can streamline your recruitment process to help you connect more easily with candidates to identify their strengths, skills and suitability to a job role.
Better experience for candidates
Online recruitment makes it much easier for communication between the employer and potential candidates. Virtual job fairs, for example, enable employers to connect directly with a larger talent pool. A common complaint from candidates using traditional recruitment is that their queries go unanswered. Tools like virtual chat assistants answer any questions or queries that candidates may have about a job role in real time.
Reduces paperwork
Through virtual recruitment all candidate records, such as application forms or competency tests, are hosted in a digital format so this reduces the paperwork burden that traditional recruitment usually has. Employers can easily access information about a candidate in real time when presents. Employers, if given consent by the candidate, can also record interviews. This makes it easier for employers to go back and review what a candidate said, so there is less reliance capturing a full record through written notes during the interview.
A fairer recruitment process
Online recruitment can also support diversity and inclusion when you are hiring new staff. You can use artificial intelligence hiring tools to ignore demographic information such as race, gender and age. Such technology, also available for CV screening, may reduce the risk of conscious and unconscious biases that can infringe traditional recruitment practices.
Disadvantages of virtual recruitment
Technology issues
Virtual recruitment relies heavily on technology, so you are dependent on systems working smoothly for you. Extensive system testing and having a back-up plan can help you counteract this.
A high volume of applications
As online recruitment removes geographical barriers, you might attract a large volume of job applications. However, clearly describing job specifications and distinctly outlining required experience and qualifications will help to ensure you only invite responses from suitable candidates.
Too impersonal
Candidates may find the recruitment process is too detached as there is no face-to-face physical interaction with virtual recruitment. By ensuring there are options for communication throughout the recruitment process, employers may find that they have the opportunity to interact more effectively with candidates in a virtual environment than they may have when recruiting traditionally.
Hybrid approach to recruitment
Although there are many advantages to virtual recruitment, it does not mean you should completely discount physical recruitment practices. There are still benefits for businesses using traditional processes for some of their recruitment stages. A hybrid approach may work best for you and your business.
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How to make online recruitment work for your business
How to ensure virtual recruitment processes fit with your business strategy and deliver the best possible candidates.
To help you get the most from online recruitment, take a look at your current recruitment process and map out the different stages. These stages may include writing the job description, deciding on the salary range, advertising the job, pooling candidates, shortlisting candidates, arranging interviews, contacting applicants, and sending the job offer.
You can then determine what you want from your recruitment process. Is your goal to reach a higher volume of potential candidates? Do you want to reduce the time it takes from the initial job advert to getting a new employee started? Or do you want to reduce recruitment costs?
Online recruitment tools
Once you have identified what you want to get from virtual recruitment processes, you can explore the right technology and software tools to help you achieve this. Types of online recruitment tools include:
Virtual recruitment fairs
Host online events to showcase your organisation as a great place to work. Virtual recruitment fairs are easy for people to attend, which may give you access to a larger talent pool.
Social media
You can use various social media channels to put out engaging content to build your employer brand. You can also encourage employees to share their experiences and share current vacancies with their online connections.
Video interview tools
Online recruitment tools allow you to host online interviews to streamline the process for both interviewers and candidates.
Collaboration tools
This can help speed up the process for the recruitment panel enabling them to work together in real-time and remain in sync when reviewing and shortlisting candidates.
Applicant tracking systems
Applicant tracking systems allow you to set up a fair and equitable hiring process by deciding on a scorecard of primary attributes for a candidate’s success at the beginning to evaluate candidates more efficiently and consistently.
Recruiting chatbots
Chatbots can collect candidate information, ask screening questions, rank candidates on metrics, answer FAQs, and schedule an interview.
Candidate satisfaction surveys
You can survey candidates who have gone through your recruitment process, receive feedback, and find ways to improve or streamline the process.
Skills testing tools
These tools allow you to assess the hard skills of candidates before interviews by setting technical skill tests to ensure you hire candidates with the required skills.
Psychometric tools
These help you to identify traits in candidates that are essential for high-performance roles.
Background check tools
Pre-employment background screening can check a candidate’s experience and qualifications without taking up valuable HR time.
Recruitment team
You will also need to select your online recruitment team - the staff that will help deliver your virtual recruitment strategy. Ensure your recruitment team receives the necessary training to be able to use any new online recruitment tools. You may also want to get other areas of your organisation involved. For example, having senior management record short video messages for online job fairs.
Promote your organisation as a great place to work
Recruiting using online practices gives you the platform to think creatively about promoting your organisation as an attractive place to work. For example, you could create short videos that show your workplace, the varied tasks and jobs that staff perform, and social or team-building activities. You could also encourage some staff to talk briefly about why they enjoy working for you. This approach can be effective in bringing to life for candidates what it would be like to work for your organisation compared to a text description of the company. It can also help set you apart from your competition when trying to attract top talent.
Know what you are looking for in a candidate
Recruiting online opens up a wider pool of talent. To help ensure you find suitable applicants, clearly define what you are looking for in a candidate, including qualifications, abilities, traits, and experiences. Your job description should explain the essential and desirable criteria to ensure that the expectations of applicants are clear from the start. This clarity will limit applications from unqualified applicants. Precisely defining what you are looking for in a candidate will also make evaluating their suitability easier.
Communication with candidates
Virtual recruitment makes it much easier for employers to communicate with candidates at various stages of the recruitment process. Good communication does not necessarily mean an extra burden on recruiters’ time. You can use automated candidate messaging tools to schedule emails or text or use chatbots to answer frequently asked questions in real time.
Automation of recruitment stages
Streamlining and automating parts of your hiring process through virtual recruitment can facilitate less expensive, faster, and more efficient hiring procedures. This approach can lead to broadening your applicant pool and getting access to top-level talent, For example, you could automate the screening of candidates through online skills testing that automatically scores and ranks candidates based on their performance.
Skills testing can also be an effective way to reduce bias in the recruitment process. It can allow candidate ranking by the skills required and ignore information contributing to unconscious bias such as name, gender, age, address, and school attended. However, be sure to prioritise the candidate experience when automating recruitment processes. Don’t implement efficiency improvements that benefit the hiring team at the expense of the candidate.
Understanding your current recruitment processes including, its weaknesses and identifying potential improvements, will help you plan your strategy for online recruitment. You may not get it right the first time around, so be sure to invite feedback from candidates, both successful and unsuccessful, and make improvements to ensure you get the most from your recruitment process.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-make-online-recruitment-work-your-business
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Advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment
What is online recruitment?
Recruiting staff using online processes and how this differs from more traditional face-to-face recruitment practices.
Traditionally, the recruitment process involves meeting potential new employees in a physical space. These meetings are usually at job fairs or when candidates come to a workplace for a job interview. Social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic restricted traditional face-to-face recruitment. Businesses have had to adapt by exploring other options to recruit new staff.
Recruiting staff using online processes
Virtual recruitment or online recruitment relies on a host of different technologies to help businesses find the most suitable person for a job role while also helping employers to recruit more efficiently and effectively. Employers can now easily use these online tools without ever meeting a candidate in person to:
- attract talent
- connect with and screen candidates
- conduct in-depth interviews
- introduce candidates to managers and colleagues
- give virtual workplace tours
Streamlining the recruitment process
During the coronavirus pandemic, virtual recruitment provided a hiring solution to employers. It enabled the recruitment process to take place from start to finish exclusively online. However, virtual recruitment is not just a temporary solution. Employers have become more comfortable using various technologies for virtual interaction.
Many employers have also sampled the benefits in efficiency and effectiveness that virtual recruitment can bring, saving time by making the recruitment process more streamlined. A hybrid recruitment process using online and physical methods may be the best option for employers moving forward. Find out about the other business benefits of online recruitment.
Online recruitment can also work harmoniously with employees working from home, removing geographical barriers for employers and enabling businesses to recruit the best talent from across the world.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-online-recruitment
Links
Advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment
The many business benefits that virtual recruitment processes can bring for employers hiring new staff and some potential drawbacks.
Recruiting new employees using an online recruitment process can bring many advantages to employers and their businesses. Many employers were forced to use virtual recruitment to take on new staff due to public health restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. These employers experienced in practice some of the advantages that virtual recruitment can bring for businesses.
Advantages of online recruitment
Breaks geographical barriers
Virtual recruitment enables employers to extend their reach for talent wider than traditional methods would. In practice, employers can now attract international talent, but you must ensure your workers are eligible to work in the UK.
Saves time
Online recruitment enables employers to screen more candidates in a shorter space of time. You can build automation into some of the recruitment stages, for example, online competency tests can automatically rank candidates based on their performance. Online video interviews can be scheduled more flexibly than traditional face-to-face interviews so that they fit around your schedule and not the other way round.
Saves money
Virtual recruitment can bring a number of financial savings for employers. Recruitment events held online are much less expensive than hosting or attending physical job fairs. Online recruitment also requires no travel or accommodation costs. If you are hiring new staff on a regular basis, these cost savings will add up. The technology required to deliver virtual recruitment is often inexpensive and offers a good return on investment.
Reduces the time to hire
When recruiting staff, your main aim is to get the best possible candidate started in their new role as soon as possible. Online recruitment can help this by speeding up the recruitment process as a whole. It enables employers to vet and shortlist a larger volume of candidates in a shorter space of time. There is also no need to set aside a significant amount of time to facilitate candidates and an interview panel to fulfil face-to-face interviews.
Gain competitive advantage in the jobs market
Virtual recruitment shows potential candidates that your organisation is progressive and innovative, potentially making you a more attractive employment option over competitors. The majority of job seekers today are comfortable with interacting online and are likely to expect that at least some of your recruitment process would be online too.
Hire the right candidate
By saving you time and money, online recruitment also enables employers to focus on recruiting the best possible person to employ. You can streamline your recruitment process to help you connect more easily with candidates to identify their strengths, skills and suitability to a job role.
Better experience for candidates
Online recruitment makes it much easier for communication between the employer and potential candidates. Virtual job fairs, for example, enable employers to connect directly with a larger talent pool. A common complaint from candidates using traditional recruitment is that their queries go unanswered. Tools like virtual chat assistants answer any questions or queries that candidates may have about a job role in real time.
Reduces paperwork
Through virtual recruitment all candidate records, such as application forms or competency tests, are hosted in a digital format so this reduces the paperwork burden that traditional recruitment usually has. Employers can easily access information about a candidate in real time when presents. Employers, if given consent by the candidate, can also record interviews. This makes it easier for employers to go back and review what a candidate said, so there is less reliance capturing a full record through written notes during the interview.
A fairer recruitment process
Online recruitment can also support diversity and inclusion when you are hiring new staff. You can use artificial intelligence hiring tools to ignore demographic information such as race, gender and age. Such technology, also available for CV screening, may reduce the risk of conscious and unconscious biases that can infringe traditional recruitment practices.
Disadvantages of virtual recruitment
Technology issues
Virtual recruitment relies heavily on technology, so you are dependent on systems working smoothly for you. Extensive system testing and having a back-up plan can help you counteract this.
A high volume of applications
As online recruitment removes geographical barriers, you might attract a large volume of job applications. However, clearly describing job specifications and distinctly outlining required experience and qualifications will help to ensure you only invite responses from suitable candidates.
Too impersonal
Candidates may find the recruitment process is too detached as there is no face-to-face physical interaction with virtual recruitment. By ensuring there are options for communication throughout the recruitment process, employers may find that they have the opportunity to interact more effectively with candidates in a virtual environment than they may have when recruiting traditionally.
Hybrid approach to recruitment
Although there are many advantages to virtual recruitment, it does not mean you should completely discount physical recruitment practices. There are still benefits for businesses using traditional processes for some of their recruitment stages. A hybrid approach may work best for you and your business.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-online-recruitment
Links
How to make online recruitment work for your business
How to ensure virtual recruitment processes fit with your business strategy and deliver the best possible candidates.
To help you get the most from online recruitment, take a look at your current recruitment process and map out the different stages. These stages may include writing the job description, deciding on the salary range, advertising the job, pooling candidates, shortlisting candidates, arranging interviews, contacting applicants, and sending the job offer.
You can then determine what you want from your recruitment process. Is your goal to reach a higher volume of potential candidates? Do you want to reduce the time it takes from the initial job advert to getting a new employee started? Or do you want to reduce recruitment costs?
Online recruitment tools
Once you have identified what you want to get from virtual recruitment processes, you can explore the right technology and software tools to help you achieve this. Types of online recruitment tools include:
Virtual recruitment fairs
Host online events to showcase your organisation as a great place to work. Virtual recruitment fairs are easy for people to attend, which may give you access to a larger talent pool.
Social media
You can use various social media channels to put out engaging content to build your employer brand. You can also encourage employees to share their experiences and share current vacancies with their online connections.
Video interview tools
Online recruitment tools allow you to host online interviews to streamline the process for both interviewers and candidates.
Collaboration tools
This can help speed up the process for the recruitment panel enabling them to work together in real-time and remain in sync when reviewing and shortlisting candidates.
Applicant tracking systems
Applicant tracking systems allow you to set up a fair and equitable hiring process by deciding on a scorecard of primary attributes for a candidate’s success at the beginning to evaluate candidates more efficiently and consistently.
Recruiting chatbots
Chatbots can collect candidate information, ask screening questions, rank candidates on metrics, answer FAQs, and schedule an interview.
Candidate satisfaction surveys
You can survey candidates who have gone through your recruitment process, receive feedback, and find ways to improve or streamline the process.
Skills testing tools
These tools allow you to assess the hard skills of candidates before interviews by setting technical skill tests to ensure you hire candidates with the required skills.
Psychometric tools
These help you to identify traits in candidates that are essential for high-performance roles.
Background check tools
Pre-employment background screening can check a candidate’s experience and qualifications without taking up valuable HR time.
Recruitment team
You will also need to select your online recruitment team - the staff that will help deliver your virtual recruitment strategy. Ensure your recruitment team receives the necessary training to be able to use any new online recruitment tools. You may also want to get other areas of your organisation involved. For example, having senior management record short video messages for online job fairs.
Promote your organisation as a great place to work
Recruiting using online practices gives you the platform to think creatively about promoting your organisation as an attractive place to work. For example, you could create short videos that show your workplace, the varied tasks and jobs that staff perform, and social or team-building activities. You could also encourage some staff to talk briefly about why they enjoy working for you. This approach can be effective in bringing to life for candidates what it would be like to work for your organisation compared to a text description of the company. It can also help set you apart from your competition when trying to attract top talent.
Know what you are looking for in a candidate
Recruiting online opens up a wider pool of talent. To help ensure you find suitable applicants, clearly define what you are looking for in a candidate, including qualifications, abilities, traits, and experiences. Your job description should explain the essential and desirable criteria to ensure that the expectations of applicants are clear from the start. This clarity will limit applications from unqualified applicants. Precisely defining what you are looking for in a candidate will also make evaluating their suitability easier.
Communication with candidates
Virtual recruitment makes it much easier for employers to communicate with candidates at various stages of the recruitment process. Good communication does not necessarily mean an extra burden on recruiters’ time. You can use automated candidate messaging tools to schedule emails or text or use chatbots to answer frequently asked questions in real time.
Automation of recruitment stages
Streamlining and automating parts of your hiring process through virtual recruitment can facilitate less expensive, faster, and more efficient hiring procedures. This approach can lead to broadening your applicant pool and getting access to top-level talent, For example, you could automate the screening of candidates through online skills testing that automatically scores and ranks candidates based on their performance.
Skills testing can also be an effective way to reduce bias in the recruitment process. It can allow candidate ranking by the skills required and ignore information contributing to unconscious bias such as name, gender, age, address, and school attended. However, be sure to prioritise the candidate experience when automating recruitment processes. Don’t implement efficiency improvements that benefit the hiring team at the expense of the candidate.
Understanding your current recruitment processes including, its weaknesses and identifying potential improvements, will help you plan your strategy for online recruitment. You may not get it right the first time around, so be sure to invite feedback from candidates, both successful and unsuccessful, and make improvements to ensure you get the most from your recruitment process.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/how-make-online-recruitment-work-your-business
Links
What is online recruitment?
What is online recruitment?
Recruiting staff using online processes and how this differs from more traditional face-to-face recruitment practices.
Traditionally, the recruitment process involves meeting potential new employees in a physical space. These meetings are usually at job fairs or when candidates come to a workplace for a job interview. Social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic restricted traditional face-to-face recruitment. Businesses have had to adapt by exploring other options to recruit new staff.
Recruiting staff using online processes
Virtual recruitment or online recruitment relies on a host of different technologies to help businesses find the most suitable person for a job role while also helping employers to recruit more efficiently and effectively. Employers can now easily use these online tools without ever meeting a candidate in person to:
- attract talent
- connect with and screen candidates
- conduct in-depth interviews
- introduce candidates to managers and colleagues
- give virtual workplace tours
Streamlining the recruitment process
During the coronavirus pandemic, virtual recruitment provided a hiring solution to employers. It enabled the recruitment process to take place from start to finish exclusively online. However, virtual recruitment is not just a temporary solution. Employers have become more comfortable using various technologies for virtual interaction.
Many employers have also sampled the benefits in efficiency and effectiveness that virtual recruitment can bring, saving time by making the recruitment process more streamlined. A hybrid recruitment process using online and physical methods may be the best option for employers moving forward. Find out about the other business benefits of online recruitment.
Online recruitment can also work harmoniously with employees working from home, removing geographical barriers for employers and enabling businesses to recruit the best talent from across the world.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/what-online-recruitment
Links
Advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment
The many business benefits that virtual recruitment processes can bring for employers hiring new staff and some potential drawbacks.
Recruiting new employees using an online recruitment process can bring many advantages to employers and their businesses. Many employers were forced to use virtual recruitment to take on new staff due to public health restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. These employers experienced in practice some of the advantages that virtual recruitment can bring for businesses.
Advantages of online recruitment
Breaks geographical barriers
Virtual recruitment enables employers to extend their reach for talent wider than traditional methods would. In practice, employers can now attract international talent, but you must ensure your workers are eligible to work in the UK.
Saves time
Online recruitment enables employers to screen more candidates in a shorter space of time. You can build automation into some of the recruitment stages, for example, online competency tests can automatically rank candidates based on their performance. Online video interviews can be scheduled more flexibly than traditional face-to-face interviews so that they fit around your schedule and not the other way round.
Saves money
Virtual recruitment can bring a number of financial savings for employers. Recruitment events held online are much less expensive than hosting or attending physical job fairs. Online recruitment also requires no travel or accommodation costs. If you are hiring new staff on a regular basis, these cost savings will add up. The technology required to deliver virtual recruitment is often inexpensive and offers a good return on investment.
Reduces the time to hire
When recruiting staff, your main aim is to get the best possible candidate started in their new role as soon as possible. Online recruitment can help this by speeding up the recruitment process as a whole. It enables employers to vet and shortlist a larger volume of candidates in a shorter space of time. There is also no need to set aside a significant amount of time to facilitate candidates and an interview panel to fulfil face-to-face interviews.
Gain competitive advantage in the jobs market
Virtual recruitment shows potential candidates that your organisation is progressive and innovative, potentially making you a more attractive employment option over competitors. The majority of job seekers today are comfortable with interacting online and are likely to expect that at least some of your recruitment process would be online too.
Hire the right candidate
By saving you time and money, online recruitment also enables employers to focus on recruiting the best possible person to employ. You can streamline your recruitment process to help you connect more easily with candidates to identify their strengths, skills and suitability to a job role.
Better experience for candidates
Online recruitment makes it much easier for communication between the employer and potential candidates. Virtual job fairs, for example, enable employers to connect directly with a larger talent pool. A common complaint from candidates using traditional recruitment is that their queries go unanswered. Tools like virtual chat assistants answer any questions or queries that candidates may have about a job role in real time.
Reduces paperwork
Through virtual recruitment all candidate records, such as application forms or competency tests, are hosted in a digital format so this reduces the paperwork burden that traditional recruitment usually has. Employers can easily access information about a candidate in real time when presents. Employers, if given consent by the candidate, can also record interviews. This makes it easier for employers to go back and review what a candidate said, so there is less reliance capturing a full record through written notes during the interview.
A fairer recruitment process
Online recruitment can also support diversity and inclusion when you are hiring new staff. You can use artificial intelligence hiring tools to ignore demographic information such as race, gender and age. Such technology, also available for CV screening, may reduce the risk of conscious and unconscious biases that can infringe traditional recruitment practices.
Disadvantages of virtual recruitment
Technology issues
Virtual recruitment relies heavily on technology, so you are dependent on systems working smoothly for you. Extensive system testing and having a back-up plan can help you counteract this.
A high volume of applications
As online recruitment removes geographical barriers, you might attract a large volume of job applications. However, clearly describing job specifications and distinctly outlining required experience and qualifications will help to ensure you only invite responses from suitable candidates.
Too impersonal
Candidates may find the recruitment process is too detached as there is no face-to-face physical interaction with virtual recruitment. By ensuring there are options for communication throughout the recruitment process, employers may find that they have the opportunity to interact more effectively with candidates in a virtual environment than they may have when recruiting traditionally.
Hybrid approach to recruitment
Although there are many advantages to virtual recruitment, it does not mean you should completely discount physical recruitment practices. There are still benefits for businesses using traditional processes for some of their recruitment stages. A hybrid approach may work best for you and your business.
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How to make online recruitment work for your business
How to ensure virtual recruitment processes fit with your business strategy and deliver the best possible candidates.
To help you get the most from online recruitment, take a look at your current recruitment process and map out the different stages. These stages may include writing the job description, deciding on the salary range, advertising the job, pooling candidates, shortlisting candidates, arranging interviews, contacting applicants, and sending the job offer.
You can then determine what you want from your recruitment process. Is your goal to reach a higher volume of potential candidates? Do you want to reduce the time it takes from the initial job advert to getting a new employee started? Or do you want to reduce recruitment costs?
Online recruitment tools
Once you have identified what you want to get from virtual recruitment processes, you can explore the right technology and software tools to help you achieve this. Types of online recruitment tools include:
Virtual recruitment fairs
Host online events to showcase your organisation as a great place to work. Virtual recruitment fairs are easy for people to attend, which may give you access to a larger talent pool.
Social media
You can use various social media channels to put out engaging content to build your employer brand. You can also encourage employees to share their experiences and share current vacancies with their online connections.
Video interview tools
Online recruitment tools allow you to host online interviews to streamline the process for both interviewers and candidates.
Collaboration tools
This can help speed up the process for the recruitment panel enabling them to work together in real-time and remain in sync when reviewing and shortlisting candidates.
Applicant tracking systems
Applicant tracking systems allow you to set up a fair and equitable hiring process by deciding on a scorecard of primary attributes for a candidate’s success at the beginning to evaluate candidates more efficiently and consistently.
Recruiting chatbots
Chatbots can collect candidate information, ask screening questions, rank candidates on metrics, answer FAQs, and schedule an interview.
Candidate satisfaction surveys
You can survey candidates who have gone through your recruitment process, receive feedback, and find ways to improve or streamline the process.
Skills testing tools
These tools allow you to assess the hard skills of candidates before interviews by setting technical skill tests to ensure you hire candidates with the required skills.
Psychometric tools
These help you to identify traits in candidates that are essential for high-performance roles.
Background check tools
Pre-employment background screening can check a candidate’s experience and qualifications without taking up valuable HR time.
Recruitment team
You will also need to select your online recruitment team - the staff that will help deliver your virtual recruitment strategy. Ensure your recruitment team receives the necessary training to be able to use any new online recruitment tools. You may also want to get other areas of your organisation involved. For example, having senior management record short video messages for online job fairs.
Promote your organisation as a great place to work
Recruiting using online practices gives you the platform to think creatively about promoting your organisation as an attractive place to work. For example, you could create short videos that show your workplace, the varied tasks and jobs that staff perform, and social or team-building activities. You could also encourage some staff to talk briefly about why they enjoy working for you. This approach can be effective in bringing to life for candidates what it would be like to work for your organisation compared to a text description of the company. It can also help set you apart from your competition when trying to attract top talent.
Know what you are looking for in a candidate
Recruiting online opens up a wider pool of talent. To help ensure you find suitable applicants, clearly define what you are looking for in a candidate, including qualifications, abilities, traits, and experiences. Your job description should explain the essential and desirable criteria to ensure that the expectations of applicants are clear from the start. This clarity will limit applications from unqualified applicants. Precisely defining what you are looking for in a candidate will also make evaluating their suitability easier.
Communication with candidates
Virtual recruitment makes it much easier for employers to communicate with candidates at various stages of the recruitment process. Good communication does not necessarily mean an extra burden on recruiters’ time. You can use automated candidate messaging tools to schedule emails or text or use chatbots to answer frequently asked questions in real time.
Automation of recruitment stages
Streamlining and automating parts of your hiring process through virtual recruitment can facilitate less expensive, faster, and more efficient hiring procedures. This approach can lead to broadening your applicant pool and getting access to top-level talent, For example, you could automate the screening of candidates through online skills testing that automatically scores and ranks candidates based on their performance.
Skills testing can also be an effective way to reduce bias in the recruitment process. It can allow candidate ranking by the skills required and ignore information contributing to unconscious bias such as name, gender, age, address, and school attended. However, be sure to prioritise the candidate experience when automating recruitment processes. Don’t implement efficiency improvements that benefit the hiring team at the expense of the candidate.
Understanding your current recruitment processes including, its weaknesses and identifying potential improvements, will help you plan your strategy for online recruitment. You may not get it right the first time around, so be sure to invite feedback from candidates, both successful and unsuccessful, and make improvements to ensure you get the most from your recruitment process.
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Disability support: Condition Management Programme
In this guide:
- Employ and support people with disabilities
- Recruiting people with disabilities
- Advantages of employing people with disabilities
- Health & Work Support Branch
- Disability support: Workable (NI)
- Disability support: Access to Work (NI)
- Disability support: Work Psychology Team
- Using work trials to recruit people with disabilities - JP Corry
- Disability support: Condition Management Programme
Recruiting people with disabilities
How employers can adjust and take positive steps to recruit people with disabilities.
It can be challenging for someone with a disability to get into employment. Opening up your talent pool to make it easier for people with a disability to apply for jobs can bring many benefits to your business - see advantages of employing someone with a disability.
Reasonable adjustments for job applicants
Employers can take a number of steps to make the recruitment process as fair as possible for all applicants by making reasonable adjustments so that applicants without a disability do not have an unfair advantage over those who do have a disability.
Employers must be aware of their legal obligations when recruiting. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, employers:
- must not discriminate against someone with a disability when they are applying for a job
- must consider making reasonable adjustments if an applicant with a disability is at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled applicant
Employers must consider reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process:
Application form
If the format, layout or structure of the application form puts someone at a disadvantage you should consider having the application form available in large print, Braille or an audio version for someone who is partially sighted or blind.
Aptitude tests
You should consider making additional time available to complete aptitude tests for someone with a disability who requests a reasonable adjustment. Another adjustment could be allowing test answers to be given verbally.
Interview
Ensure the interview room is fully accessible to all applicants. Be aware that applicants may request a reasonable adjustment to be interviewed at a time when they are more alert or pain-free depending on their disability. Consider training for your interview panel that examines the impact of various disabilities on performance at the interview stage, eg how autism may provide a challenge to an applicant during an interview and how adjustments can be made to help them.
Taking positive action to treat disabled people more favourably
Employers can decide to take a step further in positively recruiting someone with a disability. Unlike other forms of equality legislation, the Disability Discrimination Act allows employers to treat people with a disability more favourably than others through positive action.
An employer is not legally obliged to take positive action but employers can lawfully take positive action steps to treat someone with a disability more favourably. There are a number of positive action measures which an employer can choose to take to recruit someone with a disability, including:
- ring-fencing certain jobs so that they are only open to people with a disability
- offering a guaranteed interview to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for a post
- using non-traditional forms of assessment which may only disadvantage people with a disability
- offering work trial opportunities which may lead to permanent jobs if the placement is successful
- creating an alternative post within your organisation for a person with a disability if there are certain tasks they are unable to perform as a result of their disability
Positive action measures should be carefully planned with advice from appropriate support organisations. Employers must comply with other equality legislation - see avoid discrimination when recruiting staff.
Access disability support
There are a range of government initiatives to help employers take on staff with a disability and also help staff with a disability get the support they need in the workplace. For further information, see:
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Advantages of employing people with disabilities
Discover the business benefits of employing someone with a disability.
Being a fair and equal opportunities employer not only ensures you meet your legal requirements to prevent discrimination, but you will also tap into a diverse talent pool that can bring many benefits to your business. Employing people with a disability can save you money and boost the profitability of your business.
Benefits of employing people with a disability
Recruit from a wider talent pool
By opening opportunities to people with disabilities you can widen your recruitment pool helping you to attract staff with the skills and talent that can enable your business to grow and thrive.
Promoting an inclusive workplace culture
Hiring people with a disability enhances diversity in your workforce. It can help increase staff morale, motivation, and commitment by demonstrating a workplace culture that values all staff.
Access specialist knowledge and skills
Staff with a disability may bring in specialist knowledge and skills such as understanding the needs of disabled customers, creative problem solving, and having particular attention to detail. Workers with disabilities possess skills and experiences that can offer employers a competitive edge.
Minimise staff turnover
People with disabilities tend to seek stable and reliable work when looking for a job and so tend to stay in their posts longer, helping to reduce staff turnover. This minimises recruitment and training costs incurred to take on new staff. You will also retain staff with years of experience and know-how.
Attract new customers
Having a diverse workforce, including employing people with disabilities, can help you attract disabled customers and potentially a large revenue stream. Employees with a disability can help you look at things from a fresh perspective, develop empathy for customers’ needs, and gain a better understanding of what they value in a business or brand. When your business and its products and services are accessible, you can appeal to a much larger and much more diverse audience and customer base.
Procurement opportunities
By employing people with a disability, you will be able to meet any social responsibility recruitment clauses that may apply to access particular tender opportunities and public procurement exercises. See understanding social value in public procurement.
Enhance your corporate image
Being an equal employer makes you look good. Consumers prefer to give their business to organisations that show a strong sense of corporate responsibility including employing a diverse workforce.
Low-cost reasonable adjustments
There can be a stigma to employing someone with a disability. Some employers may unfairly think that reasonable adjustments will be costly and take a lot of time to implement. However, most reasonable adjustments in the workplace can be simple, free, or low cost and there can be government help towards any costs that are incurred.
Encouraging accessibility best practice
Employing people with a disability will help you see things from their perspective. It can encourage the adoption of best practices to create accessible environments using adaptive technologies that are useful to people with and without disabilities.
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Health & Work Support Branch
The specialist support available to help disabled people start or retain employment.
The Health & Work Support Branch (HWSB) staff offers help and advice to both employers and people with disabilities about the range of specialist support available to help people start and retain a job.
You may identify someone who has the skills for your job but have questions about how their disability may affect them in the workplace - such as how they will manage the job. HWSB advisers are located across Northern Ireland and can offer practical advice to help both you and the potential employee overcome any barriers to starting work.
Support available
The type of support available may include advice on the following:
- recruiting people with disabilities
- retaining employees who become disabled
- financial help or support to employ people with disabilities through the Access to Work (NI) and Workable (NI)
- job/employee assessment and job/environment redesign
- equipment and ergonomics in the workplace
- accessibility of premises
- development of disability awareness
- development of good employment practices
- preparation, advice, and guidance to help people with disabilities who are applying for jobs
- encouraging employers to provide dedicated interview times for applicants with disabilities
- providing employers with advice on reasonable adjustments, such as additional time for interview
- offering the employer and the job applicant appropriate options of tailored support during the recruitment process
- offering the employer and the employee appropriate options of tailored support to help the worker with a disability perform to the best of their ability in the workplace
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Disability support: Workable (NI)
Workable (NI) offers support and assistance to both employees and employers to help disabled people move into or retain work.
Workable (NI) provides a flexible range of long-term support and assists people who, due to their disability, encounter substantial barriers to staying in employment. Read more on Workable (NI).
The programme is delivered by three organisations contracted by the Department for Communities (DfC):
These organisations have extensive experience of meeting the vocational needs of people with disabilities. Read further information via the links above about Workable (NI) and the benefits to employers.
The provision under Workable (NI) can include support such as:
- mentoring
- on and off the job training
- disability awareness training
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Disability support: Access to Work (NI)
Access to Work (NI) can provide advice and guidance for your employee's disability needs and if appropriate, a financial grant towards the cost of support.
Access to Work (NI) can help by providing advice and guidance of your employee's disability needs in the workplace and, if appropriate, a financial grant towards the cost of necessary support.
For example, Access to Work (NI) may be able to pay towards the following:
- adaptations to premises and equipment
- communicator support at interviews
- special aids and equipment
- travel to work costs
- a support worker
- travel within work eg to attend a meeting or training course
Depending on your employee's circumstances, Access to Work (NI) may be able to provide support under more than one of these areas.
Read more on Access to Work - practical help at work.
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Disability support: Work Psychology Team
Further help, advice, and guidance in areas relating to work, disability, and health.
The Department for Communities' Work Psychology Service (WPS) offers specialist consultancy to individuals and/or employers seeking advice and guidance in areas relating to disability and wellbeing in the context of work.
The WPS works closely with Work Coaches in Jobs & Benefits Offices to offer advice and guidance regarding individuals who have a disability or health condition and are seeking work or who are experiencing difficulties in work.
The WPS Assessment Service can provide advice to both employers and individuals regarding reasonable adjustments and possible alternative employment options, when the individual is at risk of losing their job as a result of their disability or health condition.
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Employ and support people with disabilities
Using work trials to recruit people with disabilities - JP Corry
How JP Corry's Dromore branch has adapted its recruitment processes to take on a person with a disability.
JP Corry is one of Northern Ireland’s leading builder’s merchants, supplying building materials to the trade, self-build, DIY, and architectural markets. The business operates from a network of 17 branches across Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, employing around 265 staff.
Stephen Gibson, Branch Manager at JP Corry in Dromore, explains how the organisation has adapted their employment policies and recruitment processes to take on and support a person with a disability.
Reducing barriers for people with disabilities
"As a company, we strive to be inclusive and diverse. We want to make it easy for everyone to access our services, whether as a customer, supplier, or employee."
"JP Corry is proud to support the JAM Card scheme, which helps people with communication barriers and hidden disabilities receive tailored customer care. As a company whose purpose is to 'build our future by helping others build theirs', we believe in providing employment opportunities to disabled people."
"Our human resources team works closely with organisations that represent minority groups, such as Disability Action, NOW Group, and WOMEN'STEC, to ensure that they are informed of our employment opportunities."
Using work trials in our business
"JP Corry has equal opportunities policies and diversity training to ensure that we recruit staff fairly. Offering a work trial to potential recruits, particularly disabled people, has benefited both the individual and the business."
"Working with Disability Action, we set up our first work trial, where a disabled person came to work with us to understand what it would be like to be employed in our company before applying for a job. The experience was positive, and we recognised the potential of the person during the work trial. They subsequently applied for and secured the job successfully."
"Other branches of JP Corry have also seen the advantages of work trials and have adopted a similar approach by using the Work Experience Programme provided by the Department for Communities to offer employment opportunities."
Accessing local help and support
"Many local organisations have supported us along our journey with work trials. Some employees have completed a qualification in customer service through the NOW Group, providing insight into how disabled people can contribute to a high level of customer service. Disability Action has also been available to advise us when needed."
"To keep our organisation up-to-date and engaged, our HR team frequently attends employment conferences and training events. This continuous improvement activity along with the good relationships we have built with relevant charities and business support organisations ensures we have the support we need."
Lessons learned
"The work trials have benefited the organisation and the staff that we have hired. Some work trials will not always result in longer-term opportunities, but that can be positive as you haven't started formal training or invested significant time and resources into developing an employee who does not fit the job. It is better to discover at the trial stage whether it will work rather than going through a recruitment and onboarding process for it not to work out and needing to go back to the beginning of the recruitment process."
"Adapting our HR policies and practices to make it easier to recruit and support disabled people has enabled us to reach another talent pool and has enhanced our recruitment strategy. Our Dromore branch has benefited by getting a brilliant recruit who connects and engages with our customers. He brings positive energy to our team, and we have a better focus and understanding."
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Disability support: Condition Management Programme
The Condition Management Programme helps those with a health condition manage symptoms to allow progress towards, moving into and staying in employment.
The Condition Management Programme helps those with a health condition manage symptoms to allow progress towards, move into and stay in employment. The programme is led by healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists and mental health nurses.
The Condition Management Programme (CMP) gives support and advice to help people manage conditions including:
- arthritic complaints
- back and neck problems
- chronic fatigue
- depression
- pain
- stress
- heart, circulatory and respiratory disorders
The programme helps to:
- increase understand health conditions
- improve day to day functioning for those affected by health conditions
- increase confidence in those affected by health conditions
- improve your prospects of returning to work or staying in work
It offers advice, education and support on:
- dealing with stress, anxiety, low mood and depression
- coping with pain and fatigue
- relaxation techniques
- communicating with confidence
- developing a healthier lifestyle
- exploring potential options that will help you progress towards employment or help you make a successful return to work
Further information
If this support is something that you think you or your staff could benefit from see further details, including eligibility and how to apply, on the Condition Management Programme.
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Skill Up programme: Retrain and upskill your staff
In this guide:
- Staff training
- Advantages of staff training
- How to identify staff training needs
- Develop a staff training plan
- Training methods to fit your business
- Find training courses in Northern Ireland
- Skill Up programme: Retrain and upskill your staff
- Gain training recognition
- Sector-specific skills and training in Northern Ireland
- Developing a staff training plan - Grants Electrical Services (video)
Advantages of staff training
Find out the many benefits that staff training and skills development can bring to your workers and business.
Developing and implementing effective staff training can benefit your employees and your business. By investing in your staff, even on a small training budget, you can drive down costs to your business and help increase sales and profits.
What are the benefits of staff training?
Developing your workforce and improving their skills through training can:
- increase productivity
- enable skills development and spread the skills mix across your teams and organisation
- improve the quality of work
- establish a clear standard for trained members of staff
- give staff more responsibility and ownership of their job role
- reduce faults, waste, or customer complaints with streamlined processes and more competent staff
- positively affect staff morale and motivation - see lead and motivate your staff
- reduce staff turnover and absenteeism
- help your business adapt to change and prepare for growth - see change management and planning business growth
- give you a competitive advantage over your business rivals - see increase your market share
- offer development opportunities for your employees
- help you attract top talent if your business is seen as one that values and invests in their workers - see recruiting staff
Although staff training is often mandatory for new members of staff, it is just as important to offer ongoing training opportunities for long-term employees. This helps staff realise that there is an opportunity within your organisation to develop, grow, and progress. Staff training develops the skills and capabilities that individuals need for their job and improves the overall efficiency and performance of a business as a whole.
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How to identify staff training needs
How to identify a gap between employee knowledge and skills and training requirements using the training needs analysis technique.
To identify training that matches the specific needs of your staff and business goals you can carry out a training needs analysis.
What is a training needs analysis?
Training needs analysis is a method used by businesses to identify training requirements in a cost-efficient way. This process involves evaluating training needs and weighing up training priority areas at all levels within a business. Training needs analysis forms the first step of the training development cycle.
Training development cycle
What are the stages of training needs analysis?There are three key stages of training needs analysis. These steps involve identifying the direction of the organisation, understanding the skills and knowledge of staff through a task analysis, and analysing the individual needs of each employee. These three stages of training needs analysis are explained in more detail below:
Stage 1: Organisational needs
This step evaluates the overall training needs in the business. This is where you analyse future skills needs due to changes in products, equipment, technology, and teams, or in response to economic or political factors. Upcoming changes in law or industry standards may also influence the training needs of your business.
Practical ways of identifying organisational needs are by reviewing documents, and processes, setting up advisory teams, and carrying out a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and strengths) analysis - see a SWOT analysis example.
Stage 2: Task analysis
At this level, you compare the job requirements of your business with existing employee skills and knowledge. This will help you to identify the potential skills gaps. Here you establish how often specific tasks are performed, the level of skill and knowledge required to perform these tasks, and where and how these skills are best acquired.
Practical ways of carrying out this analysis are to create assessment centres, tests, or practical observations of employees carrying out key tasks.
Stage 3: Individual needs
At this stage, you examine the training needs of each employee. This information is most often gathered from performance reviews and appraisal systems. You may seek feedback from employees on their recommendations on how to solve problems that may be hampering their day-to-day job.
Other practical ways of identifying individual training requirements for your employees are through surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Download our SWOT analysis template with specific staff training questions (DOC, 17K)
Support to help your business with training needs analysis
Invest Northern Ireland offers help and advice to local businesses on upskilling their workforce. The training needs analysis workshops give you an insight into the tools and techniques used by learning and development professionals to analyse training needs.
Training needs analysis tutorial videos
The embedded video below is an introduction to a tutorial on training needs analysis. You can view the full Invest NI training needs analysis tutorial.
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Develop a staff training plan
How to put staff training into practice once you have identified priority areas for your employees and your business.
After you have identified the staff training required through training needs analysis, you will want to interpret the results and put your findings into practice.
Understanding the training needs analysis process
To effectively implement and deliver the benefits of your training needs analysis, you should consider the following steps:
1. Link skills requirements to your business goals and strategy
Embed the results of your training needs analysis within the direction of future training and skills development. This will ensure that you are applying your training budget effectively to the areas within your business that need it most.
2. Prioritise training needs
This is when you form the justification for your training budget by identifying how training will meet your business's key performance indicators (KPIs) - see use KPIs to assess business performance. Your initial analysis may have identified the need for staff training in multiple areas, so you will need to prioritise the parts that you will focus on first.
For example, you might consider if the training can help employees carry out existing tasks more efficiently or to a higher standard, or if it will train staff to take on a new role with increased responsibilities. In short, you need to identify what is most important to your business.
To help identify priority training courses, you can carry out a training course priority weighting exercise. This is where you weigh up the costs and benefits of a number of training courses to identify the most beneficial one for your business. Download our training course priority weighting template (DOC, 13K).
3. Find training solutions
Establish how you will deliver the training whether in-house or through external trainers. Some options include:
- conferences
- workshops/seminars
- e-learning/webinars
- books/journal
- coaching or mentoring
- job shadowing
- secondment
See a list of training methods to fit your business.
You can search our Events Finder for suitable training courses, workshops, webinars, and other business events.
4. Communicate
It is important to keep your employees informed of the reasons why they may have to complete certain training. Publish your training needs analysis findings and any associated training plans. Invite feedback from your employees on how they found the training they undertook.
5. Evaluate
You should evaluate the training outcomes by demonstrating how the training delivers value for money. Consider naming someone who is responsible for evaluating training (eg a dedicated staff or line manager). Analyse the impact of all training on your employees, business, and productivity.
You can use a range of tools to give you qualitative and quantitative evaluation feedback. You should attempt to assess the impact of the training on employees by comparing their skills and abilities before and after training completion. The evidence you gather at this stage should be fed back to management as a demonstration of how the training provides a return on investment for the business.
Most training providers use evaluation methods that fit into the Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation for Training (PDF, 302K), where example methods are matched to each level of evaluation.
Support to help your business with training needs analysis
Invest Northern Ireland offers help and advice to local businesses on upskilling their workforce. The training needs analysis workshops give you an insight into the tools and techniques used by learning and development professionals to analyse training needs.
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Training methods to fit your business
A list of training methods that may be helpful to your business and boost the skills of your staff.
An outline of some methods your business could use to help train your staff, including their advantages and disadvantages.
Training method What it involves Advantages Disadvantages Coaching By talking through a problem or task with a coach/manager, employees can arrive at a solution or better method of working - Cost-effective if done in-house
- Specific to your business's needs
- Coach or manager needs to be coached initially
- Can be time-consuming
E-learning Employees follow courses online - Employees teach themselves at their convenience
- Low cost
- Courses tend to be general rather than specific to your business's needs
Evening classes Training through classes held in the evenings - No disruption to employees during working hours
- May disrupt the work-life balance for staff
- Employees may resent having to attend classes in the evening and may not turn up
Workshops A group of employees trains together under the supervision of a trainer - typically involves explanation, examples, trying out the skill or method, reviewing what happens, and considering developments and alternatives - Employees practice solving problems
- Time-consuming - typically takes at least half a day, if not more
- May be disruptive to your business if many employees attend at the same time
- Can be expensive if you send numerous employees to workshops
Study leave Employees are given paid leave to attend courses and attain a recognised qualification
- Both the business and employee benefit
- Can be a good recruitment incentive
- Tax relief may be available on the cost, of course,
- May be difficult to decide who is eligible
Induction Formal or informal way of helping a new employee to settle down quickly in the job by introducing them to people, the business, processes, etc - Great way to help a new employee to get started and understand key organisational processes
- Can be formal or informal
- Low cost
- Focused on new employees and those starting new roles
- May take up a large part of a manager's time if many new people start at the same time
Job shadowing One employee observes another employee going about their job - Low cost
- Specific to your business/their role
- There isn't a chance for hands-on practical experience to be gained
- This may give a false perspective of the job role depending on the person being shadowed and when the job shadowing is taking place.
Mentoring A more senior person typically supports an executive or manager or director by providing advice, support, and a forum for discussing problems - Provides personal development
- Low-cost
- Limited to more senior employees
- For mentoring to be effective, the personalities and experiences of the mentor and employee need to be complementary
Networking / seminars
Employees attend a seminar on a specific topic - this can be in-house, at an industry event, or organised by a training specialist - Useful way of getting a lot of information over to a large audience
- At industry events and at seminars organised by training specialists, employees can talk to their peers as competitors/partners
- Employees may be unable to discuss specific problems in front of rivals
- Retention of information may be low if there is a lot of information to convey to employees
Distance learning Employees train through courses devised by educational institutions (eg Open University) but are not required to attend traditional classes - Increasingly web-based
- Employees can learn at their convenience
- Courses tend to be general rather than specific to your business's needs
Simulation / role-playing Typically employees in a particular department (eg sales) come together to take on roles to help work through possible scenarios (eg customer complaint)
- Employees learn by doing and are prepared for possible situations at work
- Specific to your business
- Can be led by a manager
- Artificial situations remove the stress and complexities that may occur in a real-life situation
- There is always room for error when creating a situation in a training environment
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Find training courses in Northern Ireland
What to consider when choosing a suitable training provider and where you can find training courses in Northern Ireland.
There are many organisations offering training courses throughout Northern Ireland. There are also free online training resources to help you and your staff develop their skills and make your business more competitive.
Free short-term courses (Skill Up programme)
The Department for the Economy is supporting free places on a range of fully accredited courses, to help individuals retrain and improve their skills. The courses will be delivered by local universities and Further Education colleges through the Skill Up programme. See Skill Up programme: Retrain and upskill your staff.
Open University courses
The Open University has partnered with Invest Northern Ireland to provide local businesses with online training and learning resources to support upskilling in industry.
The Open University has also partnered with the Department for the Economy to offer a range of free training to help you improve your skills and wellbeing.
The Open University offers a wide range of online courses.
Other online courses
AbilityNet helps people of any age and with any disability to use technology to achieve their goals at home, at work, and in education.
Alison is a free learning platform for education and skills training. It is a not-for-profit social enterprise dedicated to making it possible for anyone, to study anything, anywhere, at any time, for free online, at any subject level.
AWS Training & Certification is free to register and offers over 500 free courses to build AWS Cloud Skills.
BBC Skillswise offers a collection of free videos and downloadable worksheets to help adult learners improve their reading, writing and numeracy skills.
BT Skills for Tomorrow offers a range of free resources anyone can use to help them stay safe, connected and informed online.
Carnegie Trust in partnership with CILIP Library Association offers online development materials on leadership and innovation, including transformation, creativity, and innovation, influencing skills and power.
Class Central offers several thousand free online courses that have been developed by a number of top universities from across the globe, including in ICT and business.
Class of 2020 offers learning and development materials on upskilling programmes for graduates, including short courses, live webinars, business challenges, and questions and answers.
Coursera brings together courses and certificates provided online for free by a variety of universities and companies. The main focus is on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with additional material in other areas also available.
Google Digital Garage offers over 40 hours worth of training to get the digital skills you need to start your career or grow your business.
Invest NI offers a wide range of tools and business tutorials to support improvements in business processes and growth. The training needs analysis workshops also give you an insight into the tools and techniques used by learning and development professionals to analyse training needs.
Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that let learners study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom, offering mathematics, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more.
Learn My Way is a website of free online courses, built by Good Things Foundation to help people develop their digital skills.
Oxford Home Study College offers a range of fully certified provision including cybersecurity, digital marketing, life coaching, and planning.
Training Matchmaker offers a range of free short courses, based online or across Northern Ireland, in a wide range of technical and vocational areas.
Business Events Finder
You can also search our Events Finder for business-related training, workshops, conferences and webinars from a variety of organisations.
Choosing a training provider: what to consider
When deciding who to select for your training provider, you should consider:
- Does the trainer understand your business? Is their experience relevant to your sector?
- Is the training at the right level, is it tailored to your business, as opposed to being a generic course?
- Do the logistics of the training satisfy you? Is it hosted online or held at an appropriate venue, at the right times and dates that suit your schedule?
- Is the trainer or training business linked to any associations that can recommend them?
- Could you speak to other clients who have undergone the training?
It is likely that there will be a number of suppliers offering possible courses. You should investigate each one thoroughly to ensure they meet your requirements before going ahead.
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Skill Up programme: Retrain and upskill your staff
Find free training opportunities to help develop the skills of your staff through the fully funded Skill Up programme.
Skill Up offers opportunities for businesses to retrain and upskill their staff by taking advantage of a range of free accredited courses. The training will be delivered by the local further and higher education providers in Northern Ireland.
Opportunities are available from entry to postgraduate levels, focusing on skills identified by industry, linked to priority economic areas, including:
- green skills
- software
- advanced manufacturing
- childcare
- health and social care
- hospitality
- transversal skills
Training courses available for 2024-25
If you are interested in the training courses available from local colleges and universities for the 2024-25 academic year, visit the provider’s website.
Queen’s University Belfast
Further information and details on how to apply for Queen's University Skill Up courses.
Ulster University
Further information and details on how to apply to the Ulster University Skill Up courses.
St Mary's University College
Further information and details on how to apply to the St Mary's University College course.
Stranmillis University College
Further information and details on how to apply to the Stranmillis University College courses.
North West Regional College
Further information and details on how to apply to the North West Regional College's Skill Up courses.
Belfast Metropolitan College
Further information and details on how to apply to the Belfast Met Skill Up courses.
Northern Regional College
Further information and details on how to apply to the Northern Regional College's Skill Up courses.
South West College
Further information and details on how to apply to the Southern Regional College's Skill Up courses.
South Eastern Regional College
Further information and details on how to apply to the South Eastern Regional College's Skill Up courses.
The Open University
Applications for Open University Skill Up courses closed at midday on Thursday 12 September 2024.
Find further information on the Open University Skill Up courses.
Full list of Skill Up courses
For a breakdown of Skill Up courses available across the organisations, see Skill Up.
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Gain training recognition
How to get recognition and reward for your training efforts through Investors in People and various business awards.
Being recognised as an organisation that invests in its people through training and development can impress prospective customers, suppliers, and new recruits.
Investors in People
If you are seeking recognition for your training efforts and effective engagement with staff, you should consider applying for the Investors in People Awards. Investors in People is a management standard for high performance through people. The prestigious accreditation is recognised across the world as a mark of excellence.
Read more on Investors in People: the Standard for people management.
Recognition through business awards
Business awards run by various organisations and local councils usually have award categories that recognise the efforts of employers to train, develop and look after their staff. You may find it beneficial to apply for business awards in order to have your training efforts recognised and rewarded.
Find business awards
You can find business awards by checking our business news section or business support finder.
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Sector-specific skills and training in Northern Ireland
Where to find staff training and skills development specifically tailored to your business sector.
There are several sources of sector-specific advice on skills development for employees working in a particular industry. Employers can also get involved in helping to influence how training is adapted to match the needs of their industries.
Sectoral partnerships
The purpose of sectoral partnerships is to review and develop the content of all youth traineeship and apprenticeship frameworks from level 2 to level 8 to ensure that all those involved in training are industry-ready.
There are 15 sectoral partnerships that have been established so far, including:
- Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering
- Agri-Food Manufacturing
- Built Environment
- Finance and Accounting
- Hair and Beauty
- Health and Social Care
- Hospitality and Tourism
- ICT
- Life and Health Services
- Sales and Marketing
- Business and Administration
- Childcare and Youth Work
- Civil Engineering
- Creative and Cultural
- Motor Vehicle
Employers are encouraged to become involved in sectoral partnerships to ensure apprentices and trainees are getting high-quality training that provides them with the right skills for a career in their chosen industry.
Read more on sectoral partnerships.
Sector Training Councils (STCs)
Sector Training Councils are independent employer representative bodies in Northern Ireland. Their role is to:
- articulate the skills, education, and training needs of their sectors in the short and long term
- advise on training standards required for their sectors
- work with the Department for the Economy (DfE), employers, and industry trade bodies to ensure that training needs and standards are met
You can find out more about individual Sector Training Councils at the links below:
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Staff training
Developing a staff training plan - Grants Electrical Services (video)
Grants Electrical Services, based in Mallusk, explain how they identify staff training needs and put training plans in place to develop staff skills.
Grants Electrical Services Ltd (GES), based in Mallusk, is an electrical and mechanical engineering company. They sell industrial engineering applications to customers throughout the UK and Europe. GES employs approximately 90 staff who specialise in various aspects of niche engineering.
Rachel Doherty explains the approach that GES took to identify staff training needs and develop employee skills. She describes how following a formal analysis process they went on to fill gaps in both staff knowledge and skills. This has helped to contribute to the company's growth. Rachel also highlights how GES has developed bespoke in-house leadership and management training that has won industry awards.
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