Promoting stakeholder and group personal pensions to employees

In this guide:

  • Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension

    The duties employers must comply with on automatic enrolment of workplace pensions.

    All employers must provide workers with a qualifying workplace pension. This is called automatic enrolment.

    The Pensions Regulator has produced employer guidance on automatic enrolment with help specifically aimed at small and micro employers. If you already have a workplace pension scheme, check with the Pensions Regulator if you can use it for automatic enrolment.

    Who will be automatically enrolled?

    You must enrol into the scheme all workers who:

    • are aged between 22 years old and the State Pension age
    • earn at least £10,000 a year
    • work in the UK

    You must make an employer's contribution to the pension scheme for those workers.

    What about workers who don't have to be automatically enrolled?

    Any worker who falls outside the eligible age band - aged 16 to 21 years old, for example, or state pension age to 75 years old - may opt into workplace pension saving with a minimum contribution from you.

    Pension scheme thresholds

    However, you don't have to contribute to the pension scheme if the worker earns these amounts or less:

    • £6,240 yearly
    • £520 monthly
    • £480 four-weekly
    • £120 weekly

    When workers are enrolled into your pension scheme, you must:

    • pay at least the minimum contributions to the pension scheme on time
    • let workers leave the pension scheme (called 'opting out') if they ask - and refund money that they have paid if they opt out within 1 month
    • let workers re-join the scheme at least once a year if they've opted out
    • enrol workers back into the scheme once every three years if they've opted out and are still eligible for automatic enrolment

    You can't:

    • encourage or force workers to opt out of the scheme
    • unfairly dismiss or discriminate against workers for staying in a workplace pension scheme
    • imply someone's more likely to get a job if they choose to opt out of the pension scheme
    • close a workplace pension scheme without automatically enrolling all members into another one

    Pensions for seasonal and temporary workers

    Like other employees, when recruiting seasonal staff or temporary workers, you must assess them to see if they qualify for automatic enrolment into a workplace pension. Assessing these types of employees can take more time because of varying hours and earnings.

    Employers who know their staff will be working for them for less than three months can use postponement. This postpones the legal duty to assess staff for three months. During this postponement period, employers will not need to put staff into a pension unless they ask to be put into one. See the Pensions Regulator's guidance on employing seasonal or temporary staff.

    What you must tell your workers

    When you automatically enrol workers into a workplace pension scheme, you must write to them. In the letter, you must tell them:

    • the date they've been added to the pension scheme
    • the type of pension scheme and who runs it
    • how much you will contribute and how much the worker will have to pay in
    • how workers can leave the scheme if they want to

    How much will you have to contribute?

    Where a worker is automatically enrolled in a defined contribution (DC) scheme or NEST (the National Employment Savings Trust), there will be a minimum contribution of 8% of qualifying earnings, of which the employer must pay a minimum of 3%. If the employer chooses to pay the minimum 3%, the worker will pay 4%, with a further 1% paid as tax relief by the government. Qualifying earnings are earnings between £6,240 and £50,270.

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  • Defined benefit pension schemes

    Understand final-salary pensions and their legal requirements.

    Defined benefit pension schemes are also known as 'final salary' or 'salary-related' pensions. They promise to provide individuals with a certain amount each year upon retirement. How much is paid doesn't depend on investments.

    The amount you'll get depends on your salary and on how long you've worked for your employer. The pension scheme administrator can give you more details.

    Defined benefit pension schemes are usually based on an individual's final earnings at or near retirement - or when they leave the company if this is before retirement - and how long they were in the scheme. These are also known as salary-related or defined benefit schemes. See how to choose the right pension scheme.

    Defined benefit pension schemes generally operate through a trust that receives contributions from the employer and employees and pays out members' benefits. The trust's objectives are set out in the trust deed, and the day-to-day decisions are made by the trustees.

    Legal obligations

    There are a number of legal obligations governing the relationship between the employee, the trust, and the employer:

    • the employer is bound, like the employee, by the legal obligations of the contract of employment - for example, the payment of pension contributions
    • all trustees, including those nominated by the employer, must act in the interests of all the scheme's beneficiaries - which includes scheme members, but may in some rare situations also include the sponsoring employer rather than those of the company
    • the employer has a duty to notify the Pensions Regulator if there is any reason to think that there are any problems or wrongdoings occurring in the scheme and that the wrongdoing is important to the Pensions Regulator
    • the employer is responsible for ensuring that any employee contributions deducted from pay reach the pension scheme within 19 days of the end of the month in which they were deducted, and that any employer contribution arrives when it is due
    • the employer must ensure that the assets of the pension fund are kept totally separate from those of the business
    • the employer must ensure that employees are informed and consulted on developments that affect the pension fund
    • trustees must be assisted in the performance of their duties - employee trustees must be given paid time off to undertake those duties and any necessary training

    The Pensions Regulator provides a free, online learning programme called the Trustee toolkit.

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  • Defined contribution pension schemes

    An overview of money-purchase pensions and employers' responsibilities in respect of them.

    In a defined contribution pension scheme, also known as a 'money purchase' scheme, the final pension amount will depend on:

    • the amount of money paid in
    • the investment performance of the pension fund
    • the age at which the fund is used to purchase an annuity - the later this is, the higher the annuity payments are likely to be
    • the level of annuity rates at the time
    • the ancillary benefits offered - such as spouses' pensions, or annual increases in pensions paid

    Some employers provide occupational-defined contribution pension schemes for their employees. Both employers and employees can make payments into such a pension scheme. Once the employee leaves, these payments cease.

    Investment risk

    The investment risk is moved from the employer to the employee with an occupational defined contribution scheme and the risk that the employer will have to find substantial extra sums of money to fund the scheme because of poor investment performance is eliminated.

    Occupational defined contribution schemes generally operate through a trust. Objectives are set out in the trust deed and day-to-day decisions are made by the trustees. Employers still have some key responsibilities, either as employers or as trustees - for example, on the level of employer contribution, or the extent of provision for dependants.

    Defined contribution schemes must offer members the open market option whereby members can transfer funds at retirement to draw an immediate annuity with another provider. Members of a defined contribution scheme approaching retirement will need timely information on this option and other retirement income options.

    Pension payments

    Employees can also make regular payments for their retirement through individual personal pension schemes. These are defined contribution schemes and the risk of poor investment performance is carried by the employee. In some cases, employers will make payments into these schemes for the benefit of their employees.

    Some employers may also arrange for a pension provider to set up a group personal pension (GPP) arrangement. In a GPP, employees contribute to individual personal pensions which are then grouped together and managed by the pension provider, to reduce costs. The employer may often pay the administration costs of running a GPP.

    Tax relief on pensions

    Employees can contribute up to 100% of their earnings and get tax relief. However, there is a limit on the amount of tax relief that may be given on pension scheme contributions and other increases in pension rights each year. The annual allowance for tax year 2024-25 is £60,000.

    You will either get the tax relief automatically, or you will have to claim it yourself. It depends on the type of pension scheme you’re in, and the rate of Income Tax you pay. There are two kinds of pension schemes where you get relief automatically. Either:

    • your employer takes workplace pension contributions out of your pay before deducting Income Tax
    • your pension provider claims tax relief from the government at the basic 20% rate and adds it to your pension pot (‘relief at source’)

    Tax on your private pension contributions.

    Employer contributions also generally qualify for tax relief as they can be set off as expenses, although employers should seek professional advice to make sure their contributions qualify as true business expenses. See how to choose the right pension scheme.

    Most personal pension decisions are made by individual pension holders and the pension managers (the 'pension providers'), or investment specialists. However, employers are still legally obliged to ensure that employee contributions deducted from wages reach the fund within 19 days of the end of the month in which they were deducted.

    The responsibility for registering the pension scheme rests with the pension provider. You must also keep employees informed about pensions.

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  • Stakeholder pensions

    Overview of stakeholder pensions for employers.

    Stakeholder pensions work in the same way as personal pension arrangements and are normally accessed through an employer, although they can also be bought directly from the pension provider.

    The rules for stakeholder pensions changed on 1 October 2012. Employers are no longer required to designate a stakeholder scheme for their employees. However, stakeholder pension schemes can be used by employers for automatic enrolment purposes provided the scheme meets the necessary criteria.

    If you had employees in a stakeholder pension scheme before 1 October 2012, you must carry on taking workers' contributions from their pay and send them to the scheme if the worker wants you to.

    Stakeholder pensions for individuals.

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  • Promoting stakeholder and group personal pensions to employees

    Ways employers can promote their schemes without infringing financial regulations.

    You may be thinking of offering, or have already offered, your employees a stakeholder or group personal pension scheme. You may want to promote your pension scheme to them or find that they are looking to you for help. But as financial services are regulated, you may be unsure about what you can do.

    The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates financial services in the UK. They offer information about what you can do to promote your stakeholder or group personal pension scheme to your employees and how you can give them further help or advice without needing to be authorised. Download an FCA employers' guide on promoting pensions to employees (PDF, 165K).

    The FCA guide only covers stakeholder pension schemes and group personal pension schemes. It does not cover occupational pension schemes.

    Read more about the FCA's role in regulating pensions.

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  • Keep employees informed about pensions

    When you need to keep employees informed of changes to your workplace pension scheme.

    You now have a duty to inform and consult your employees about significant changes in any occupational pension scheme you offer, or personal pension schemes you contribute to, by a direct payment arrangement on behalf of your staff.

    Occupational pension schemes

    For occupational schemes, you need to inform and consult on changes about:

    • increasing the pension age
    • closing the scheme to new members
    • closing the scheme to existing members
    • removing liability for employer contributions
    • introducing member contributions
    • reducing employer contributions to defined contribution schemes
    • changing to money-purchase benefits
    • changing the method of determining the rate of future accrual

    Personal pension schemes

    For personal pension schemes, you need to inform and consult on changes about:

    • ceasing employer contributions
    • reducing employer contributions
    • increasing employee contributions

    You have to provide information to affected members and/or their representatives in writing before the changes occur. You must describe the changes and their effect on members, accompany it with relevant background information and indicate the timescale. At least 60 days of consultation must be allowed before the decision to make the change is made. Consultation must be conducted with a view to cooperation.

    There are some exceptions to the consulting requirement. It does not apply to:

    • employers with less than 50 employees
    • public service schemes
    • small occupational schemes with less than 12 members who are all trustees of the scheme
    • occupational schemes with less than two members
    • schemes not registered with HM Revenue & Customs

    If you are consulting with employee representatives, you must give them paid time to undertake their duties and must not subject them to dismissal or any other detriment due to their need for such time - otherwise, they can take you to an industrial tribunal.

    See how to inform and consult your employees.

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  • Contracting-out of the additional State Pension has ended

    Contracting-out of the additional State Pension ended on 6 April 2016.

    On 6 April 2016, the Pensions Act 2014 and the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 introduced a new State Pension in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for people reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016.

    This scheme replaces the basic and additional State Pension and ends contracting-out and the National Insurance rebate.

    To assist employers and employees, factsheets and overviews in relation to the ending of contracting out have been prepared by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue & Customs.

    References in the guidance to the Pensions Act 2014 should be taken as including references to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015.

    New State Pension: information for employers and trustees with open, contracted-out defined benefit pension schemes.

    Download an overview for employers on the new State Pension from 6 April 2016 (PDF, 122K).

    Understanding and qualifying for the new State Pension.

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Managing personal relationships at work

In this guide:

  • Advantages of employment policies

    Why it’s beneficial to have employment policies in place in your business.

    There are many advantages to having suitable employment policies in place. For example, setting standards within your business can help with healthy workplace relations.

    Benefits of having employment policies

    Other advantages of having employment policies can include:

    • a reduction in the need for disciplinary and legal action
    • increased productivity and morale
    • better employee retention
    • employees know what is expected of them
    • protection from breaches of employment legislation
    • a framework where a delegation of decision-making is equitably agreed upon can maintain morale
    • providing a means of communicating information to new employees

    Clear policy making can also be positive for your business' reputation externally, eg among clients and the local community.

    Having suitable policies in place can also make it easier to attract new staff.

    To access templates for workplace policies that you can download, tailor, and use, see HR documents and templates.

    Employment document toolkit

    The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) also has a free employment document toolkit, once employers are registered they can unlock free core employment guides to help them build documents, policies, and procedures for their own organisation.

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  • Employment policies: what types should I use?

    A list of the common types of employment policies that employers can set up.

    The employment policies that you have will depend on the size and nature of your business. For example, if your staff operate machinery, it may be a good idea to implement a specific staff policy on drugs and alcohol use. If most of your staff use computers most of the time, you should have an email and internet acceptable use policy.

    Common types of employment policies

    Type of Employment policy Further Information
    Maternity/paternity/adoption/parental bereavement policy Statutory leave and pay entitlements
    Working time and time off policy Working time
    Equality and diversity workplace policy Diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace
    Health and safety policy Health and safety
    Pay policy Staff pay
    Bullying and harassment policy Bullying and harassment
    Rewards, benefits and expenses policy Expenses and benefits
    Discipline/dismissal and grievance policy Dismissing employees
    Redundancy policy Redundancy, restructures, and change
    Measures to improve performance or manage change

    Managing staff performance

    Change management
    Bribery policy Anti-bribery policies
    Policies on the use of company facilities, eg email, internet, and phone use Other key HR policies and templates
    Training and development policy Performance management and staff training templates
    Policy of right of search/social media usage Policies to help you protect your assets
    Patents and copyrights policy Patents, trademarks, copyright, and design
    Confidential information policy UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
    Policies on whistleblowing/protected disclosures Policies to help you protect your assets
    Smoking, drugs, and alcohol policies Workplace policies on smoking, drugs, and alcohol
    Sickness absence policy Absence and sickness policies: what to include
    Flexible working policy Flexible working: the law and best practice
    Hybrid working policy Hybrid working - employer guidance


    To access employment policy templates that you can download, tailor, and use for your business, see HR documents and templates.

    Employment document toolkit

    The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) also has a free employment document toolkit, once employers are registered they can unlock free core employment guides to help them build documents, policies, and procedures for their own organisation.

    Employment policies: legal requirements

    Note that it is a legal requirement to set out your health and safety policy in writing if you have five or more employees. It is also a legal requirement to set out your disciplinary rules and discipline and grievance procedures in writing.

    If, following an assessment, there is a risk that someone performing services for your business might carry out acts of bribery, you will need to have a procedure in place to prevent such acts. Read more on anti-bribery policies.

    Communicating your employment policies

    A workplace policy can be part of your employee/company handbook or you could set it out in a separate document. However, for your discipline and grievance policies, you must either set them out in a written statement of main terms and conditions of employment or refer in a written statement to a place where the employee can read them, eg the company intranet.

    You should make staff aware that your employment policies exist, particularly during the induction process - see induction programme: what to include, and make sure workers can easily access them if necessary, eg by having them pinned up on a noticeboard or put on the company intranet.

    Employment policies: contractual status

    Workplace policies generally aren't contractually binding unless they expressly state otherwise.

    However, terms of some employment policies could be seen as contractually binding through custom and practice, ie where workers follow certain working practices or receive certain benefits over a significant period of time, and ultimately it will be up to an Industrial Tribunal to decide on the contractual nature of policies.

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  • Working time and time off policies

    Policies covering leave and absence, working hours, and overtime.

    A policy on working time and time off should cover a number of areas.

    Leave and absence

    Occasionally, your workers will want or need time off.

    In certain circumstances, you are legally obliged to give your workers time off, eg to take annual leave, attend health and safety training, time off for dependants, and carry out trade union duties. See parental leave and time off for dependants and allowing time off work.

    In other circumstances, you can use your discretion, eg requests involving moving house or looking after a sick relative. However, having policies in place that pre-empt these types of requests will ensure that you deal with such matters consistently.

    Working hours

    Workers aged 18 years old or above may only work an average of 48 hours per week averaged out over a 17-week period (other limits apply for younger workers). However, they have the right to sign an opt-out agreement, which allows them to work more than this.

    It's a good idea to manage these working hours and keep appropriate records. See hours, rest breaks, and the working week.

    Overtime

    You are not obliged to offer overtime to your workers or require them to work it. However, any overtime policy should still set out the rules on overtime. This is particularly important if your workers have come to expect regular overtime - they could claim it had become a contractual entitlement through custom and practice.

    Rates of overtime pay should be agreed with employees, as no minimum statutory levels apply, although you should ensure that workers are paid at least the national minimum wage for all hours worked. See how to manage overtime.

    Work-life balance

    Encouraging work-life balance is important for your business. To achieve this, and as they are statutory rights, you should definitely have policies on:

    • parental leave
    • flexible working
    • maternity, adoption, and paternity leave and pay

    See how to promote good work/life balance in your business.

    To access templates that you can download, tailor, and use, see time off work policies and procedures.

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  • Equality and diversity workplace policies

    How promoting equality and diversity policies can benefit your business and create an open, communicative workplace.

    Workers are protected from discrimination on a wide range of grounds, eg gender, sexual orientation, and age. See how to prevent discrimination and value diversity.

    Business benefits of promoting diversity

    Many successful businesses go much further and actively promote diversity in both their strategic and human resources policies. If you value everyone as an individual, research shows that diversity can help stimulate creative interaction, motivate employees, and improve business performance.

    If you do not yet have an equality and diversity policy in place, you could find it a useful management and recruitment tool. It should:

    • explain your business' stance on diversity
    • show how you intend to achieve a diverse working environment
    • describe how managers and staff can participate in the business's commitment to diversity both within and outside the organisation

    It's therefore important that workers contribute to the policy-making process. You can do this by asking them for their views on, for example:

    • promoting good relationships in the workplace between individuals, managers, teams, and employers
    • treating all workers fairly
    • valuing and respecting differences
    • understanding workers' needs to balance work and family commitments
    • how to communicate with individuals through formal and informal communication channels

    Equality guidance for small businesses

    The Equality Commission supports businesses and helps to promote good practice in equality, diversity, and inclusion. Read the Equality Commission guidance for small businesses.

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  • Health and safety workplace policies

    Legal obligations and best practices when writing health and safety policies.

    If you have five or more employees, you must by law have a written health and safety policy. The health and safety policy should set out:

    • your general approach and objectives in relation to health and safety
    • the arrangements you have in place for managing health and safety in your business

    However, good health and safety practice means that you should not only have such a policy but also manage it in a way that benefits your business, workers, clients, and local community.

    Write a health and safety policy for your business.

    Read Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) guidance on health and safety.

    Policies to promote staff well-being

    To promote the health and well-being of your staff, you also might want to consider policies on specific health-related issues, such as:

    To back up your health and safety policies, you may decide to introduce a range of facilities promoting good health amongst your workforce, eg gym access deals (dependant on gym contract terms), advice on how to give up smoking, alcohol or drugs counselling, and routine health check-ups.

    The benefits for your business can include the improved overall health of your workers, and improved morale and productivity. See what you need to do about health and safety.

    Consultation on health and safety matters

    You're required by law to consult your employees on health and safety issues in the workplace and to make them aware of what's in your policy. See how to provide health and safety training and information.

    However, you may decide to encourage them to get involved more fully in the process. This could involve devising safety rules, as well as giving useful feedback on how effectively policies are working.

    To access templates that you can download, tailor, and use, see other key HR policies and templates.

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  • Disciplinary, grievance, bullying and harassment policies

    The legal requirement to have written workplace disciplinary and grievance policies.

    You are required by law to set out your disciplinary rules and disciplinary and grievance procedures, in writing.

    It's also common for employers to have a separate bullying and harassment policy for their workplace.

    Discipline and grievance policies

    You must tell each employee about:

    • your disciplinary rules
    • your disciplinary/dismissal and grievance procedure
    • the name of the person to whom they should appeal if they are unhappy about a disciplinary or dismissal decision, or to seek redress for a grievance

    This information can be included in the employee's written statement or the written statement may refer the employee to a document where they can read it, eg in a staff handbook - see Invest Northern Ireland Employers' Handbook.

    If you fail to issue this information in writing, and one of your employees makes an industrial tribunal case against you and wins, you may have to pay up to four weeks' wages on top of any other compensation the tribunal may award.

    It's important that your disciplinary rules give examples of the types of behaviour that qualify as gross misconduct, eg fighting, bullying, and stealing. If you find that an employee has committed an act of gross misconduct, you could be entitled to dismiss them summarily without notice or pay in lieu of notice. You should ensure that you comply with the statutory dismissal procedures and the LRA Code of Practice on Discipline and Grievance even when dismissing for gross misconduct.

    Read more on disciplinary procedures, hearings, and appeals, handling grievances, and dismissing employees.

    To access templates that you can download, tailor, and use, see grievance and disciplinary procedures and templates.

    Employment document toolkit

    If you require further help with drawing up your disciplinary and grievance policies, the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) has a free employment document toolkit. Once you have registered you can get access to their free core employment guides to help you build documents, policies, and procedures for your own organisation.

    Bullying and harassment policies

    Bullying and harassment are conduct issues and therefore would normally fall under your disciplinary policy. However, many employers have a separate bullying and harassment policy given that such behaviour:

    • needs dealing with sensitively
    • can amount to gross misconduct
    • may involve unlawful discrimination

    There is no legislation that is specifically designed to address workplace bullying. However, bullying can be successfully challenged through existing legislation, ie civil, criminal, and employment law.

    You have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of your workers. Bullying can also lead to a breakdown in trust and confidence between you and the alleged victim, leading to the employee resigning and claiming constructive dismissal.

    Sexual harassment and harassment on the grounds of sex, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion/belief, and age are unlawful. Even if a worker harasses a colleague, the victim can make a discrimination claim against you.

    You should have a clear policy on bullying and harassment so that staff understands that it's unacceptable. The policy should also include a procedure for dealing with claims of harassment or bullying should they arise.

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  • Workplace policies to help you protect your assets

    Policies that should help to protect your physical property, intellectual property, branding, reputation, and image.

    It makes good business sense to have workplace policies on issues such as:

    • intellectual property
    • confidentiality
    • social media usage
    • use of company facilities
    • dress and appearance
    • whistleblowing
    • the right to search

    These help you protect both your tangible and intangible business assets, which, once lost, may be difficult to regain.

    Policies on intellectual property protection and confidentiality

    If you design products or create other original output, eg music or printed matter, it is important to protect your intellectual property.

    Therefore you need a workplace policy that states that:

    • any original product or material developed in the course of an employee's work remains the property of the business
    • employees have a duty to keep company information confidential

    If you intend to rely on any kind of penalty clauses, you should always seek legal advice.

    Read more on protecting intellectual property.

    Social media workplace policy

    The use of social media at work presents responsibilities regarding employees using various sites. Having a written social media policy for your business provides clear guidelines for employees.

    Read more on managing employee use of social media. Read the Labour Relations Agency's advice on social media and the employment relationship.

    Policies on dress and appearance

    You are entitled to set out a code covering how you expect employees to dress and generally present themselves. This is particularly important where there are health and safety issues involved, eg in factories, building sites, or kitchens.

    However, you must ensure that these codes are non-discriminatory, particularly in relation to gender and religion/belief. Read the Fair Employment Code of Practice from the Equality Commission.

    Policy on the use of company facilities

    It's a good idea to set up clear policies about the use of company facilities. In particular, you should have a policy on the use of the internet, email, and telephone.

    Most email and internet policies aim to strike a balance between business and personal use. Setting out boundaries will help to minimise the risk of:

    • having to take disciplinary action against staff
    • a third party taking legal action against you
    • harm to your IT system
    • leakage of confidential information

    In addition, if you intend to monitor staff usage of company facilities then you should carry out an impact assessment in advance of this.

    To access templates that you can download, tailor, and use, see other key HR policies and templates.

    Read more on monitoring and security of staff.

    Whistleblowing policies

    It is a good idea to have a policy on making protected disclosures - or 'whistleblowing'. This is because it will encourage workers to raise concerns about illegal activities and bad business practices internally - and prevent your business from receiving negative publicity.

    Note that you do not need to treat the making of a protected disclosure as a grievance unless:

    • the disclosure relates to a matter that the employee could raise as a grievance with you
    • the employee intends for the disclosure to constitute the raising of a grievance

    Read more on whistleblowing - qualifying disclosures.

    Also see discipline, grievance, bullying, and harassment policies.

    Right-to-search policies

    You may only search an employee if this is allowed under their terms and conditions of employment.

    Therefore, if you have a right-to-search policy, you should state that it is contractual. It is also important to remember that you should get an employee's consent before conducting a search.

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  • Anti-bribery policies

    How to set up anti-bribery policies, and when your business may require them.

    Your business may need to have a procedure in place to prevent acts of bribery.

    You will only need such a procedure if - following an assessment - there is a risk that an agent, subsidiary or other person performing services for your business might carry out such acts.

    Under UK law, there is a general offence of bribery, and of bribing a foreign official. Bribery is defined as giving someone financial or other advantages to induce them to perform their functions or activities improperly or to reward them for having already done so.

    In addition, there is an offence relating to failure by a business to prevent a person associated with it from committing the above offences on its behalf in order to win business, keep business or gain a business advantage for the organisation.

    You will have a statutory defence to the last of these offences if your business has adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery on your behalf.

    Preventing bribery

    To prevent bribery - and have a defence in case a charge of bribery is made against you - you should:

    • assess whether your business is at risk and, if so, the level of that risk
    • have an anti-bribery policy in place containing procedures proportionate to the risk you have identified, the scope and size of your business, and the country/countries in which you do business
    • use due diligence to assess who you are dealing with and who you appoint to represent you
    • communicate, train and raise awareness among employees and business partners
    • monitor and review your procedures

    Anti-bribery policy

    Your anti-bribery policy should:

    • include a clear prohibition of the offer, gift or acceptance of bribes
    • detail the procedures that should be followed during business transactions
    • give guidance on the provision of gifts, hospitality or expenses that may influence the outcome of business transactions
    • provide guidance on political and charitable donations, including a prohibition of the payment of donations to political parties or charities that are directly linked to obtaining new business or gaining a business advantage
    • require that any donations made in good faith are publicly disclosed

    Note that the following are not considered acts of bribery:

    • providing genuine business hospitality
    • carrying out proportionate and reasonable promotional activities
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  • Training and performance management policies

    Implement training policies and appraisal systems to encourage and develop the skills of your employees.

    Having a training policy in place will enable you to plug any skills shortages in your workplace. This is beneficial to employees and will also have a positive impact on business performance.

    A training policy can be implemented to allow employees to perform their current role more effectively or support them through a change in role.

    You should ensure that your training policy is appropriate. This can be achieved by assessing whether it fits with your business plan and through discussions with employees, eg you may decide to offer training in-house for specific tasks, general company guidance for new starters, or refresher training for existing employees. Develop a staff training plan.

    Performance management

    Implementing an appraisal system is another way of improving your business performance. It represents a good opportunity to discuss with individual employees both their strengths and weaknesses, areas for development, and agree on new aims and objectives with them.

    Businesses commonly carry out appraisals within a few months of a new employee starting or changing role within the business. For established employees, you may decide to use the appraisal system once or twice per year.

    Some of the benefits of having appraisal-related performance targets are that employees understand what is expected of them and how these fit into the wider aims of the business. Targets are also a way of gaining useful feedback and ideas on how your business can be more effective in the future. Read more on managing staff performance.

    To access templates that you can download, tailor and use, see performance management and staff training templates.

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  • Pay, rewards and benefits policies

    Setting the right pay rates for your employees and establishing policies around rewards and benefits.

    Pay is a key aspect of your relationship with your employees. Setting the right pay rates for your business will likely take into account your need to attract talented employees and retain those that you have already. Above all, pay rewards should be fair, and the process transparent. See how to set the right pay rates.

    You may decide to implement a results-related pay system, such as commission or bonuses. These are provided by your business in addition to basic pay and can be used to reward employees who perform at a high level:

    • commission is calculated based on the performance of an individual or a team
    • bonuses may be connected to the performance of the entire business

    Depending on the sector in which your business operates, eg in the catering trade, setting up a tips and gratuities system may be more appropriate. There are some circumstances when tips and gratuities can count towards the national minimum wage. See guidance on tips at work. For further advice on this, you may wish to contact HMRC.

    You should be aware that there are certain types of business expenses that are tax deductible and others that are not. They may need to be disclosed to the relevant authorities. Read more on expenses and benefits.

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  • Managing personal relationships at work

    Issues to consider on intimate personal or family relationships in the workplace.

    Many personal relationships begin with people meeting at work, and many of these lead to long-term partnerships. This should not be viewed as a problem in itself, but it's important to recognise that relationships at work can cause a number of issues for both employers and the workforce.

    Why have a workplace relationships policy?

    Any employment policy about relationships at work is intended to ensure that staff don't commit - and are not open to allegations of acts of:

    • inappropriate behaviour, including harassment
    • favouritism
    • abuse of authority
    • conflict of interest

    It is also intended to ensure that all employees feel confident of fair and consistent treatment without the fear that a relationship will influence their or other employees' treatment or wider working relationships.

    Depending on the size of your business, you may also want to extend the policy to cover other types of relationships, such as those between relatives or family members.

    Some companies go so far as to specify in employment contracts that employees can't form an intimate relationship with someone they work with, although this is probably unnecessary in most workplaces.

    What types of relationships would a policy cover?

    For the purposes of creating a policy, 'intimate relationships' or 'close personal or family relationships' apply to those relationships between people in the same team or department, or between a line manager and one of their team that could potentially be problematic. It does not refer to a straightforward friendship between colleagues.

    Issues that could arise include the following:

    • If one of the couple is the other's manager, what happens if disciplinary action has to be taken against the employee? Who will do the employee appraisals or performance reviews?
    • Does either of the couple have any financial responsibilities, such as authorising expense claims or overtime payments, or deciding pay rates or increases?
    • What happens when the employee applies for a post for which the manager would be conducting the interviews? Or when someone related to an existing employee applies for a job? (Conflicts of interest should, where possible, be avoided. This would minimise tribunal risks.)

    General policy on relationships at work: what might it cover?

    If you choose to have a policy about personal relationships at work, it should clarify the behaviour you expect from employees, eg that the relationship shouldn't affect their work and that there should be no favouritism or preferential treatment, particularly where one employee is more senior than the other.

    You may wish to include guidance on what to do if an employee involved in recruitment is aware that a partner, relative, or even a close friend has applied for a job. You could state that they should declare this at the earliest opportunity.

    Depending on the position and the employee's own role, you should consider:

    • any potential conflict of interest
    • how an appointment might affect the working environment
    • any resulting risks that the relationship might cause
    • what steps could be taken to address these matters

    Remember that it can be a positive thing to have friends and family working together, as well as considering the potential risks.

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  • Writing and communicating staff policies

    How to create staff policies and communicate them to your staff.

    When writing staff policies the main steps are:

    • Preparing - collecting information (anonymous staff views can be sought via a survey or series of surveys), opinions, and examining the options. Policies are more likely to be accepted if staff are involved in drawing them up. Involve unions, especially if you have collective agreements that specify they should be consulted, or existing elected employee representatives. Alternatively, set up a joint working group.
    • Developing - policies should suit the specific needs of the business.
    • Implementing - inform staff and provide training.
    • Reviewing - this is to check that the policy is being used and is not damaging the business.

    Check that your workplace policies are not unlawfully discriminatory, eg in relation to pay or dress/appearance.

    Employment document toolkit

    If in doubt, or if you require additional help with drawing up your employment documentation, the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) has a free employment document toolkit. Once registered you can access their free core employment guides to help you build documents, policies, and procedures for your own organisation. Find out about the free employment document toolkit.

    How should policies be communicated to staff?

    You could inform your staff of workplace policies by:

    • displaying them on noticeboards where staff can easily read them
    • adding details of them to the company network or intranet
    • communicating in presentations
    • including in a staff handbook
    • including in a collective agreement with a union
    • emailing details of your policies to staff
    • sending as a written letter to the staff
    • consider including any new policy as an item on team meeting agendas
    • including in a staff induction programme

    Making changes to workplace policies

    If you wish to make a change to a policy, you will need the employee to agree to the changes, unless their contract allows you to make such variations without such agreement (typically terms in relation to working hours, place of work, and duties).

    If you fail to get employees' agreement, they may be entitled to sue for breach of contract, or resign and claim constructive dismissal. Ultimately it will be up to an Industrial Tribunal to decide on the contractual nature of policies.

    Introducing new workplace policies

    If you are planning to introduce a new policy in your workplace, you should consider the following:

    • What is the purpose of the policy?
    • Have you consulted with managers, workers, and their representatives?
    • Has someone been given overall responsibility for the policy?
    • How are you going to communicate the policy to all workers?
    • Have you given workers enough notice about the new policy?
    • Have you thought through the potential cost of the policy?
    • Does the policy change anyone's employment contract?
    • How are you going to monitor and maintain the policy?
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Cost of staff turnover

In this guide:

  • Causes of high staff turnover

    The main factors that contribute to a high employee turnover and how to identify them in your business.

    When you run a business, it is good practice to be aware of the factors that commonly lead to high staff turnover rates, so that you can take steps to reduce them before they escalate.

    Pay is rarely the only reason why people leave their place of employment, although low pay levels are often a disincentive to stay in a job.

    Consider how your business achieves in the following areas.

    Staff recruitment and induction

    Recruiting the right staff

    Are you getting the recruitment process right? Does your recruitment process support you in attracting and finding employees that are suitable for advertised roles and fit in with your organisational values and culture? See advertising a job and interviewing candidates.

    Staff induction

    Do you have a formal onboarding process for new employees? How do you let new staff know where things are, what is expected of them, and what they and their colleagues are supposed to do? An effective induction programme will familiarise new staff with the organisational values and culture from day one and make them feel part of the team. See advantages of job inductions.

    Employee value proposition

    Do you have a high staff turnover and struggle to attract new talent? You should look at developing and promoting an employee value proposition that outlines everything you offer as an employer to your employees in return for their valued commitment and contribution to the business. This can include salary, benefits, work-life balance, working environment, company culture, and development opportunities. Clearly outlining your employee value proposition can be a very powerful way to set you apart from other employers and help you to effectively retain staff and attract top talent.

    Contracts, pay and working environment

    Employment contracts

    Do the terms and conditions of your contracts encourage staff loyalty? See the employment contract.

    Competitive pay rates

    Are your pay rates in line with your industry and enable you to be competitive in retaining and attracting employees? Are your pay rates outlined in a fair and transparent system? See set the right pay rates.

    Staff engagement

    Do you encourage staff feedback or ideas? Engaging employees and asking for their opinions and advice makes them feel valued and invested in the success of your business. See staff feedback, ideas and forums.

    Incentives and benefits

    Are the incentives and benefits you offer relevant and attractive to your staff? Can staff choose the ones they want? See implement staff incentive schemes.

    Work-life balance

    Introducing appropriate and efficient employment practices to help employees achieve a better work-life balance brings several tangible benefits to your business. Taking steps to support and encourage staff to have a healthy work-life balance such as implementing a flexible working policy can be effective in retaining and attracting staff. See promote healthy work-life balance in your business.

    Working location

    Is your workplace environment safe and conducive to supporting staff to do their jobs easily and effectively? Are noise, lighting, and ventilation levels acceptable especially with staff that have a disability? Could staff work more effectively from work or a remote location? Would a hybrid working model lead to happier staff and increased productivity? See hybrid working: employer guidance.

    Training and staff development

    Motivation

    How supportive and encouraging is your business to its employees? See what motivates employees.

    Organisational culture

    Do you actively promote a positive and inclusive business culture? Do your business values contribute to an organisational culture that staff can buy into and leads to positive business performance? See business values.

    Training, skills, and development opportunities

    Are you matching people to the right job roles? Are you making the best use of your employee's skills, experience, and competencies? Are you investing in your staff by giving them the time and opportunities to learn new skills? Is there the potential to provide appropriate promotional opportunities and mentoring or coaching to support this? See staff training and use mentoring to improve staff performance.

    Performance reviews

    How often do you give your staff the opportunity to discuss their performance and get feedback on how they are doing and identify areas where they could improve? Setting measurable goals or key performance indicators clearly sets out what staff need to deliver on how their performance will be assessment by you. This helps staff to improve their productivity and performance. This also helps them to see how their efforts contribute to the success of your business. See agreeing performance objectives with staff.

    Grievance procedures

    Do your staff know how to register a grievance and are they making use of the procedure? See handling grievances.

    Teamwork

    Do you encourage common goals and discourage unhealthy individual rivalries? See advantages of effective teamwork.

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  • Calculate and monitor staff turnover

    How to calculate, benchmark, and examine the causes and patterns of employee turnover.

    Regular monitoring of staff turnover can show you why it is happening and enable you to control and forecast it.

    Staff turnover calculation

    You should measure your current staff turnover in percentage terms, following this simple two-step calculation:

    1. Add together the number of staff working at the beginning of the time period and the number of staff working at the end of the period and divide by two. This will give you your average number of staff working within this time period - you will need this number for the next stage.
    2. Work out the number of employees leaving over the time period, multiply by 100, and then divide by the average number of people working in that same period.

    This staff turnover calculation formula will give you a percentage for your business, known as the separation rate that you can compare over time. You can also use this indicator to see how your business compares with staff turnover averages in your business industry for benchmarking purposes.

    Employee stability index

    To measure how experienced employees are being retained, you can calculate the employee stability index - number of workers with one year's service or more, divided by the number of workers with less than 12 months' service, multiplied by 100 = stability index percentage rate.

    Employee turnover patterns

    The characteristic pattern of employee turnover is high for new starters, then decreases the longer an employee works for you. This pattern will vary in any single organisation and can be shown graphically. It is known as the survival curve and can be extremely helpful in understanding the nature of employee turnover, but must always be used in conjunction with the employee turnover rate.

    To create the survival curve, you must plot the number of leavers against the period for which they were working.

    Examine the causes of staff turnover

    To make a meaningful assessment of your current business position, try to identify the causes of employee turnover:

    Consult regularly with staff

    It is often effective to have consultations with individuals or groups of staff. Engaging with staff will help root out any underlying problems and causes of dissatisfaction within your business.

    Exit interviews

    Exit interviews are carried out by many businesses, can reveal common reasons why staff leave your employment and highlight any emerging patterns. See when an employee resigns.

    Staff surveys

    Regular staff surveys can often indicate general satisfaction levels, but remember to address any issues arising so that they know you take their views seriously. See staff feedback, ideas and forums.

    Evaluate recruitment and selection processes

    Analyse your recruitment and selection procedures to see if you can identify expectations or potential problems at an early stage. Alternatively, you may need to make the business' expectations clearer at the recruitment stage. See taking on staff.

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  • Cost of staff turnover

    Financial and other costs that may arise when you have a large turnover of workers leaving your employment.

    There are a number of costs associated with staff leaving your employment. The obvious ones are time and money to replace staff and cover workloads, but there are also some hidden costs of high staff turnover.

    Staff turnover: financial and resource costs

    When a member of staff leaves your employment, there may be costs associated with:

    • leaver administration tasks, eg exit interviews, and payroll changes
    • loss of experienced or skilled members of staff
    • covering a vacancy until it's filled, eg through the use of temporary staff or overtime payments
    • advertising for a replacement or using a recruitment agency
    • dealing with recruitment and selection tasks, eg checking applications, and organising and attending interviews
    • the induction and getting new recruits started
    • training and development of new staff

    Staff turnover: hidden costs

    High staff turnover may result in the following effects across your business:

    • other staff expressing a wish to leave
    • higher levels of stress-related absence as your remaining staff may need to take on the burden of additional workloads
    • missed deadlines or interruptions to workflow
    • a reduction in productivity, levels of customer service, or standards of quality
    • a drop in staff morale, particularly if the leaver was popular and good at their job
    • damage to the business reputation that can negatively impact your effectiveness in attracting future staff

    Rising employee turnover often develops into a vicious cycle as low morale causes more workers to leave, which in turn reduces the morale of those who remain, and so on. Taking practical steps to reduce staff turnover will help your business avoid the costs associated with high employee turnover.

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  • Reduce staff turnover

    How employers can take steps to reduce high staff turnover of new starters and long-term employees.

    Reducing staff turnover helps to minimise the costs and negative impact of unwanted and unplanned resignations. You can help limit employee turnover via staff consultation, succession planning, performance management and staff incentivisation.

    How to reduce staff turnover of new starters

    You may find that your business experiences high staff turnover amongst new recruits. If this is the case you can reduce this by addressing the following:

    • Recruitment and selection process

      • ensure job adverts give an accurate description of the job role
      • selection tests can help identify suitable applicants
      • don't try to appoint overqualified staff as they are likely to become bored and leave
      • don't be rushed into appointing anyone just to fill the role
      • see taking on staff

    • Staff induction

      • develop an induction programme that gives a well-rounded feeling for the business as a whole
      • get staff members to feed into your induction programme - ask them what they would find useful to know if they were new to the business
      • encourage staff from different areas of the business to participate in the induction programme eg as part of the induction programme spending some time with new recruits explaining their team's function within the business
      • invite questions from new recruits during their induction and let them know if they have any concerns or something they are unsure about that they can come to you or any member of staff for help at any time
      • see induction programme: what to include

    • Job training

      • establish a training schedule that gradually introduces the new recruit to various tasks their role will require - don't overwhelm them with everything at once
      • use a buddy system where a new recruit is partnered with an existing member of staff - this can be useful for on the job learning
      • the line manager should monitor the new recruit's progress
      • see staff training

    How to reduce staff turnover of longer-term employees

    If your business suffers from the loss of employees that have been with you for a while then you may need to look at wider issues such as business culture, business organisational structure or management style. Engaged employees are less likely to leave an organisation. Some of the following methods may help reduce staff turnover in your business:

    Management support

    Staff that are supported by you will feel valued and motivated within their job roles.

    Leadership

    Show clear leadership so employees know what direction the business is going in and let staff know how they can contribute.

    Business culture

    Look to develop a culture within your business that can help foster a happy and productive workforce such as building trust, improving communication, valuing staff feedback and providing opportunities for staff development.

    Share control

    Give staff the power to make some decisions themselves rather than imposing control and restrictions. This can also help build trust and staff engagement.

    Thank your staff

    Ensure you thank your staff for a job well done to let them know they are valued and appreciated.

    Staff feedback

    Establish employee voice in your business enabling all staff to highlight concerns or suggest improvements with regular opportunities to feedback to senior management. See staff feedback, ideas and forums.

    Pay rates

    Check that your pay rates are fair and competitive, see set the right pay rates.

    Equal opportunities

    Make sure that opportunities for training, incentives and promotion are open to all staff.

    Diversity

    Encouraging diversity in your business can have a positive effect highlighting that differences are embraced and welcomed and that no one is discriminated against.

    Communication

    Clear communication and consultation within the business engages staff, reassures them and prevents suspicion and rumours.

    Discipline and grievance

    You should have proper disciplinary and grievance procedures in place and you should apply them properly and effectively.

    Performance management

    Link employee's personal objectives with overall organisational goals so that staff know how their role is important to the overall success of the business, see managing staff performance.

    Training and development opportunities

    Give employees control over their personal development and encourage ways in which they can develop eg through training or experiencing other roles within the business.

    Job role diversity

    Ensure the tasks your staff carry on a daily basis aren't mundane and repetitive. By introducing a variety of tasks you can maintain staff interest and motivation.

    Working conditions

    Do you provide suitable working conditions such as work spaces, kitchen facilities, toilets, rest areas?

    Flexibility

    Is there a need to reorganise working patterns, offer flexible working, job sharing or working from home?

    Staff incentives

    You may want to consider different incentives for staff including individual or team productivity bonuses, performance-related pay, non-financial incentives, eg healthcare provision, flexible working, additional leave, attractive pension arrangements. See employee value proposition.

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  • Reduce staff turnover by developing employee skills

    How training and development helps to retain staff and skills by reducing rates of staff turnover.

    There is a strong business case for developing your staff as it will help ensure that your business runs smoothly and with consistently good results. You should also be able to reduce high rates of staff turnover by training your managers to lead and motivate your staff.

    Invest in staff training and development

    Although helping staff develop their existing skills and learn new ones can cost your business time and money, training and development is crucial to improving your business' performance and can actually help minimise high rates of staff turnover.

    This is especially the case if your staff see that what they are learning is relevant to them and the business, and they can readily put their new knowledge into practice.

    It's important that your staff training and development policy is fair and clearly understood by your staff as early as possible in their employment. If they know that you will spend time training and developing them, they will feel valued and are more likely to continue working for you.

    Training and development can be delivered by experienced workers through on-the-job training or from external sources such as training organisations or consultants. See staff training.

    Leadership and people management

    A positive business culture can influence the retention of staff and is often defined through leadership. You can foster leadership skills in your staff that will promote a culture they want to belong to.

    People who feel good about their development and contribution to the business are likely to reflect this in their performance and how they interact with colleagues and customers. They help drive the business forward and develop other workers.

    Finally, remember that good people management helps retain valuable staff. A poor relationship with a manager, who may be skilled in other areas, is one of the main reasons why workers decide to leave. Therefore, you may want to train your managers to coach and supervise other people.

    See using mentoring to increase employee performance.

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  • Control staff turnover: checklist

    Simple checklist to help employers identify and take action to reduce staff turnover rates.

    Staff turnover can help introduce fresh ideas and skills into your business, but too high a level of employee turnover can be a sign of underlying problems that can ultimately have a negative effect on business performance.

    You will be better prepared for dealing with leavers if you understand why employees leave, and if you structure a programme to manage staff effectively from the time they are recruited. Make sure you:

    • keep records of staff leavers
    • monitor your rate of staff turnover at regular intervals
    • benchmark your staff turnover rate against businesses in similar industries
    • identify and address issues facing new recruits and long-term workers
    • integrate new staff with an effective induction process
    • analyse your business culture
    • evaluate and refine your recruitment and selection process
    • review and benchmark your pay and benefits policy
    • assess your training, development and promotion policy
    • refine your appraisal process and management of individual/team performance
    • review your work-life balance arrangements - are your workers able to manage both their home and work commitments?
    • assess the management style of your business
    • formulate contingency plans for coping with leavers
    • create and regularly review succession plans
    • examine your staff and your managers' leadership styles

    See reduce staff turnover.

    Exit interviews and staff attitude surveys

    A common way of discovering why employees leave or how current employees feel about your business is through exit interviews and staff attitude surveys.

    When an employee leaves your employment, use an exit interview to ask them their reasons for leaving and what they think the positive and negative things are about your business. It may be difficult for an employee to express their honest reasons or opinions, but you can help them to be open by using some simple strategies, such as:

    • interview away from work space
    • do not use the employee's direct manager
    • guarantee confidentiality
    • explain why the interview is needed
    • assure the employee answers will not affect future references

    You should objectively review any information you gather from the exit interview and use it as a foundation for making improvements to your business. This, in turn, could strengthen your business' name, helping to retain existing staff and attracting others to your business.

    For an attitude survey, you can include all employees or select a sample for more in-depth interviews. If you use a questionnaire, make sure it is well-designed. Another method to consider is a confidential focus group supported by someone outside your business.

    Make sure the survey is freely communicated to employees and acted on, otherwise, it may well be counterproductive.

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Agreeing a workplace parental leave scheme

In this guide:

  • Parental leave entitlement

    Which employees are entitled to parental leave, and the evidence you can ask for as proof of this entitlement.

    Employees are entitled to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave if:

    • they have at least one year's continuous service with you and/or an associated employer
    • they have a child under the age of 18 years old
    • they have - or expect to have - parental responsibility for the child

    A week's leave is equal to the length of time the employee is normally required to work, eg, a week's leave is:

    • five days for an employee working Monday to Friday
    • two days for an employee working Tuesday and Wednesday only

    The parent doesn't have to be living with the child to qualify.

    The right applies to each child. Therefore, if an employee has twins, they are entitled to 36 weeks of parental leave.

    Parental leave cannot be transferred between parents and is a different entitlement to shared parental leave and pay.

    The leave must be taken within a set period - see when parental leave can be taken and for how long.

    Entitlement where the employee changes employer

    The 18-week entitlement applies to an individual child, not to individual employment.

    Therefore, if, for example, an employee has taken eight weeks' parental leave with their previous employer, they are only entitled to take another ten weeks while in your employment. They must also have completed a year's service with you to qualify.

    Evidence of entitlement

    You can ask an employee to produce evidence to show that:

    • the employee is the parent of a child
    • the employee has parental responsibility for the child
    • the child is below the age at which the right to parental leave ceases

    This evidence could be:

    • the child's birth certificate
    • papers confirming a child's adoption or the date of placement for adoption

    Your request for evidence must be reasonable, eg, it may not be reasonable for you to check on the employee's entitlement on every occasion on which leave is asked for.

    Record keeping for parental leave

    You are not required by law to keep formal records of employees' parental leave, but you may wish to do so for your own records.

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  • Parental leave notification and postponement

    Employee notice periods for parental leave and circumstances where the start of the leave period may be postponed.

    An employee must give you at least 21 days' notice before a period of parental leave begins, of both the start and end dates of the leave period they intend to take.

    The employee does not have to give you this notice in writing unless you request it. This notice is valid if orally given. However, there must be evidence of a formal application for leave. It would be sensible to consider confirming this in writing, ie, receipt of the employee's notice.

    An employee must notify you 21 days before their maternity, adoption, paternity, or shared parental leave ends if they want to take parental leave immediately after the end of their maternity or adoption leave.

    Notification for parental leave immediately after childbirth or placement for adoption

    If an employee wants to take parental leave immediately after the birth of a child, they must give you 21 days' notice before the beginning of the expected week of childbirth.

    If an employee wants to take parental leave immediately after the placement for the adoption of a child, they must give you 21 days' notice of the expected week of placement. In rare cases where this is not possible, an adoptive parent should give you notice as soon as is reasonably practicable.

    As long as the employee gives the right notice, their parental leave will start on the day on which the child is:

    • born - regardless of whether the child is born early or late
    • placed for adoption

    You should note that taking parental leave following childbirth applies only to fathers/partners as the mother will be on maternity leave.

    Postponing parental leave

    If you have good business reasons, you can postpone the leave for up to six months after the beginning of the leave period the employee originally requested. However, you cannot postpone leave so that it ends after a child's 18th birthday.

    You are only entitled to postpone leave if it would cause significant disruption to your business, eg, if leave were requested:

    • over a period of peak seasonal production
    • at the same time as other employees have requested leave
    • when the employee's absence would unduly harm your business
    • where a replacement cannot be found within the notice period
    • in the education sector where postponement is necessary to ensure the continuation of education

    Note that you can't postpone leave where the employee wants to take it immediately after their child is born or placed with them for adoption.

    If you need to postpone your employee's parental leave, you must consult your employee about a new date.

    To do this, you must write to the employee within seven days of receiving the employee's notification explaining why you need to postpone their leave and confirming the new start and end date.

    You must allow the employee to take the same amount of parental leave as they originally applied for. You cannot reduce the amount of leave requested or break it up into shorter periods.

    Download our standard letter for notifying your employee that their parental leave has been postponed (DOC, 162K).

    Read more on when can parental leave be taken and for how long.

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  • When parental leave can be taken and for how long

    Limits on when parental leave can be taken and its duration, plus how to deal with irregular working weeks.

    An employee can only take a period of parental leave before the child's 18th birthday.

    Unless you agree, they can take more leave; employees can take a maximum of four weeks' leave in any year in respect of any individual child. Therefore, an employee with twins could take up to eight weeks in any one year.

    An employee can take a period of leave immediately after the end of maternity, paternity, adoption, or shared parental leave.

    Unless you agree, leave can be taken in shorter blocks, periods of leave must be taken in multiples of one week - unless the child in respect of whom leave is being taken is entitled to disability living allowance, personal independence payment, or armed forces independence payment. In this case, the employee may take the leave in periods shorter than one week - it may be taken as individual days. See further guidance on Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment for adults.

    Irregular working weeks

    If an employee's working pattern varies from week to week, you must calculate an average working week as a fraction of the period for which the employee is required to work in a year.

    For example, if you have a contract with an employee to work three days a week for 30 weeks, four days a week for 18 weeks, and two days a week for four weeks, you would calculate the number of days leave in their average week by dividing the total number of working days in these periods by 52.

    If an employee takes leave in blocks of less than one week, a week is only deducted from the overall entitlement of 18 weeks when the short periods of leave add up to what would be a normal or average working week. This would only apply in situations where a workforce or a relevant agreement allows leave to be taken in shorter periods than a week or to the parents of a child who is entitled to disability living allowance, personal independence payment, or armed forces independence payment. This is because, under the default scheme, any leave that an employee takes in a week is equivalent to a week.

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  • Reasons for taking parental leave

    What an employee can and can't take parental leave for.

    An employee may only take parental leave to care for the child. This means looking after the welfare of a child and can include making arrangements for the good of a child.

    For example, an employee might take parental leave to:

    • spend more time with the child
    • accompany the child during a stay in hospital
    • check out new schools
    • help settle the child into new childcare arrangements
    • enable a family to spend more time together, eg, taking the child to stay with grandparents

    Caring for a child does not necessarily mean the employee has to be with the child 24 hours a day.

    If you find that the employee is using the parental leave for some other purpose, eg to do other work, you could deal with this using your disciplinary procedure. Read more on disciplinary procedures, hearings and appeals.

    A period of notice is normally required before taking parental leave - see notification and postponement of parental leave. Therefore, parental leave is not suitable when an employee's child suddenly falls ill.

    However, the employee will be able to take a short period of emergency leave to care for the child - see time off to deal with emergencies involving dependants.

    You can agree to allow an employee to take parental leave at short notice, eg, if a child falls ill.

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  • Contractual issues during parental leave

    Continuing contractual obligations during parental leave - dealing with redundancy, annual leave, and bonus payments.

    The employment contract continues during any period of parental leave - unless it is terminated by the employer or employee.

    Terms and conditions during parental leave

    Some terms and conditions of employment continue to apply during parental leave.

    You must continue to abide by the terms and conditions of employment relating to:

    • notice periods
    • any compensation if the employee is made redundant
    • the business' disciplinary or grievance procedures

    The employee must continue to abide by the terms and conditions of employment relating to:

    • notice periods
    • disclosure of confidential information
    • acceptance of gifts, or other benefits
    • working for another employer

    The employment contract continues during parental leave unless it is terminated by you or the employee. This means that the employee continues to benefit from their statutory employment rights during parental leave and from your continued trust and confidence. Your employee must continue to act in good faith.

    Whether or not other contractual terms and conditions, such as access to a company car or mobile phone and perks such as health club membership, continue to apply depends on the contract of employment, or you can decide on a discretionary, case-by-case basis. You should exercise caution in using discretion to avoid complaints of discrimination.

    Pensions

    Generally, an employee's seniority and pension rights are unaffected by parental leave, and rights on return from parental leave should be the same as they would have been if the employee had not been absent.

    Since parental leave is generally unpaid, contributions to a money purchase scheme by employer and employee will usually be nil, unless the rules of the scheme provide otherwise. However, for final salary schemes, the level of employers' contributions depends on actuarial advice and not directly on the amount of an employee's earnings. Since parental leave counts as pensionable service, the employer may have to continue making contributions in order to keep the fund at an appropriate level.

    However, if you choose to pay your employee during parental leave, you will need to make pension contributions as though they were working normally. Know your legal obligations on pensions.

    Redundancy

    If a redundancy situation arises while an employee is on parental leave, you must keep them informed and involve them in any consultations that are required.

    If they are selected for redundancy, you must consider them for any alternative work that might be available.

    Annual leave

    An employee continues to accrue their statutory paid holiday entitlement during parental leave. Whether or not they also accrue contractual paid holiday entitlement depends on either the contract of employment or what you agree with the employee when they take their leave. Know how much holiday to give your staff.

    Pay and benefits

    Parental leave is unpaid - unless you have made paid parental leave a contractual right.

    It is up to you, in agreement with the employee, to decide what contractual benefits continue during parental leave, eg, access to a company car, use of a mobile phone, and health club membership.

    Bonus payments

    Whether or not you must pay a bonus to an employee on parental leave depends on the type of bonus and the terms of the particular bonus scheme.

    Generally, an employee will be entitled to the bonus if it relates to performance or work done before the leave began.

    Therefore, an employee is unlikely to be entitled to the bonus if it is a reward for future work or performance, during a period in which the employee would be absent on parental leave.

    Payments of bonuses during parental leave can be a complicated area. You should seek independent legal advice if you are unsure.

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  • Returning to work after parental leave

    Circumstances in which an employee is, or is not, entitled to return to the same job after parental leave.

    An employee is entitled to return to the same job as before if the parental leave was for an isolated period of four weeks or less.

    An employee is also entitled to return to the same job if the period of parental leave was for four weeks or less and followed a period (of any combination of) maternity, adoption, paternity, or shared parental leave of 26 weeks or less in respect of the same child. Read more on maternity leave and pay, paternity leave and pay, adoption leave and pay, and shared parental leave and pay.

    If the parental leave period is longer than four weeks, or is preceded or followed by any period (or some combination of) maternity, adoption, paternity, or shared parental leave of more than 26 weeks, the employee is entitled to return to the job as before - but only if it's reasonably practicable.

    If it is not reasonably practicable for the employee to return to the same job, they are entitled to return to a similar job that is both suitable for him or her and appropriate for him or her to do in the circumstances with the same or better terms and conditions and status as the old job.

    An employee returning to work after parental leave is entitled to benefit from any general improvements to the rate of pay (and any other terms and conditions) that you may have introduced for their grade or class of work while they have been away.

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  • Agreeing a workplace parental leave scheme

    How you should go about agreeing on a parental leave scheme with your employees or their representatives.

    You can agree to your own parental leave scheme with your employees, although this must meet certain minimum requirements of workplace parental leave schemes.

    The agreement can be:

    • A collective agreement with a recognised trade union - find out how to work effectively with trade unions.
    • A workforce agreement - ie, an agreement with all or some of your employees - but only where there is no collective agreement in place.
    • By agreement with an individual employee - this could either be set out in the contract of employment or be a discretionary agreement made with an employee on a case-by-case basis. You should exercise caution in using discretion to avoid complaints of discrimination.

    Deciding who you are going to make a workforce agreement with

    You must first decide who you want to make the agreement with - will it be the whole workforce or a group within it?

    If it is a group, they must:

    • share a workplace
    • do related work
    • belong to a particular department or unit within their employer's business

    Electing representatives for workforce agreement

    You must then arrange to elect employee representatives to negotiate the agreement with you.

    To do this, you should:

    • decide on the number of representatives to be elected
    • ensure candidates are members of the workforce on the date of the election or, in the case of a group, a member of the group to whom the agreement is to apply
    • allow each employee a vote for each representative to be elected to represent them
    • ensure as far as is reasonably practicable that they are elected by secret ballot
    • ensure that the votes are counted fairly and accurately

    Ensuring that a workforce agreement is valid

    For the agreement to be valid, you must:

    • put the agreement in writing
    • show it to all employees to whom it will apply, together with a guide explaining what it means
    • have it signed off by all representatives or by most of the workforce where 20 or fewer employees are employed when it comes into effect

    In addition, the agreement cannot last for more than five years.

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  • Minimum requirements of workplace parental leave schemes

    What a parental scheme must contain, and suggestions on how you can enhance it to benefit your employees.

    A workplace agreement on parental leave must, at the very least, comply with certain minimum requirements. The agreement can be more favourable for the employee, for example, a shorter period of notice or allowing leave to be taken in shorter blocks.

    Default provisions for a workplace parental leave scheme

    The default provisions for a workplace parental leave scheme are that it must:

    • Allow an employee with parental responsibilities and one year's continuous service to take unpaid parental leave.
    • Allow an employee to take a total of 18 weeks of parental leave for each child. See parental leave entitlement.
    • Allow for an employee to give 21 days' notice of their intention to take parental leave. See parental leave notification and postponement.
    • Permit an employee to take leave up to the child's 18th birthday.
    • Limit an employee to no more than four weeks of parental leave per year.
    • Permit an employee to take leave only in blocks of one week (individual days if the child is entitled to disability living allowance, personal independence payment, or armed forces independence payment). See when parental leave can be taken and for how long.
    • Ensure that the employee's employment contract continues and certain minimum contractual conditions continue to apply. See contractual issues during parental leave.
    • Ensure that the employee is entitled to return to the same job or, under certain conditions, a similar job. See returning to work after parental leave.

    Failure to reach an agreement on a parental leave scheme

    If you fail to reach - or simply don't have - a workforce agreement on parental leave arrangements, you must comply with the default provisions.

    Enhancing a parental leave scheme

    You can, of course, agree with workplace representatives to enhance your parental leave scheme by, for example:

    • paying employees, eg, full or half pay, while they are on leave
    • allowing employees to take more than their maximum statutory parental leave entitlement
    • specifying a notice period that is less than 21 days
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  • Time off to deal with emergencies involving dependants

    An employee's right to take time off at short notice, eg, to deal with illness or attend a partner's childbirth.

    All employees have the right to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant.

    A dependant is a spouse, partner, child, or parent, or a person who lives with the employee. It does not include tenants, lodgers, or boarders living in the family home or an employee who lives in the household, such as a housekeeper. A dependant could also be someone else who reasonably relies on the employee for care, eg, an elderly neighbour.

    Employees can take leave when a dependant:

    • falls ill, or is injured, or assaulted - including mental illness or injury, eg, emotional distress
    • goes into labour

    They can also take leave when they need to:

    • make longer-term care arrangements for a dependant who is ill or injured
    • arrange or attend a dependant's funeral
    • deal with an unexpected problem in care arrangements, eg, if a childminder is unexpectedly unavailable
    • deal with an incident involving the employee's child during school hours, eg, suspension from school

    How much time off can an employee take?

    The right is to have reasonable time off. This amount of time isn't fixed - it should simply allow the employee to deal with the immediate problem and put any other necessary care arrangements in place.

    For example, an employee would not normally be able to take two weeks off to care for a sick child, but they could take one or two days to take the child to the doctor and arrange for someone else to look after him or her.

    Emergency time off and protection against detriment or dismissal

    You must not:

    • subject an employee to detrimental treatment for taking emergency time off
    • dismiss an employee, or select them for redundancy, because they took, or sought to take, emergency leave

    If an employee believes that you have treated them unfairly or dismissed them in these circumstances, they may take a claim of detrimental treatment or unfair dismissal to an industrial tribunal - regardless of their length of service.

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  • Childcare support for your staff

    Informing your staff of available financial support for their childcare costs.

    Promoting a family-friendly working environment can lead to a number of business benefits, including:

    • savings on National Insurance contributions if offering financial childcare support, for example, childcare vouchers
    • increased productivity
    • reduced absenteeism
    • attracting new staff
    • retention of current staff

    See Employers For Childcare's guidance on being a family-friendly employer.

    Communicating family-friendly policies

    It's a good idea to set out in writing, eg, in a staff handbook, the:

    • statutory family-friendly rights to which employees are entitled
    • enhancements to those rights, if any, that exist, and whether they are contractual or discretionary - you should exercise caution in using discretion to avoid complaints of discrimination
    • procedures they need to follow if they wish to take up these rights

    See Invest Northern Ireland Employers' Handbook and HR documents and templates.

    These rights should - at the very least - include rights in relation to:

    Allowing flexibility in your procedures

    You should try to build some flexibility into your procedures to allow your employees the time they need to deal with their childcare responsibilities.

    The charity Working Families has more help and advice on helping employees achieve a work-life balance: advice for employers on good working practices.

    Financial support for childcare

    There are a number of financial support schemes currently available to working parents. You should make your workers aware of these, including:

    • Tax-Free Childcare - this allows eligible working families to claim 20% of their childcare costs, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child, per year (£4,000 for a child with a disability).
    • Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme - this aims to reduce childcare costs of eligible working parents by 15% for children who have not yet started primary school. Parents must be claiming Tax-Free Childcare to receive the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy. Universal Credit claimants are not eligible for help under this scheme.
    • Universal Credit - entitlement will depend on household circumstances but Universal Credit can pay up to 85% of registered childcare costs, up to a maximum of £1,014.63 per month for one child, and £1,739.37 per month for two or more children. Eligible parents claiming Universal Credit are also able to get help with their childcare upfront, so that they can more easily pay their next set of costs.
    • Child Tax Credit - Tax Credits are being replaced by Universal Credit. It is now only possible to make a claim for Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit if you already receive the other type of Tax Credit.
    • Childcare Vouchers - some employees may also benefit from Childcare Vouchers offered through their employer, but only if they are already availing of the scheme. It is now closed to new applicants. However, parents may be able to avail of another form of support, such as Tax-Free Childcare, if they are no longer eligible.
    • Child Benefit - parents/guardians are eligible for Child Benefit if they are responsible for a child who is under 16 or under 20 years old if they stay in approved education or training. It is paid every four weeks and the current allowance is £25.60 per week for the eldest or only child; and £16.95 for every additional child.

    Employees entitled to financial support towards childcare costs can only claim these benefits by using providers that are registered or approved with the Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland. There are different types of registered childcare available to parents, including:

    • Registered childminder
    • Day nursery
    • Out of school care
    • Approved home child carer

    Find a list of all childcare providers registered and approved with the Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland.

    Providing childcare provision

    You may want to consider offering employees some form of childcare provision. This sort of employee benefit can improve:

    • staff morale
    • recruitment and retention
    • the availability of employees

    You can help with childcare in a number of ways, eg, by:

    • Making staff aware of the financial support available to meet their childcare costs - see financial support for childcare above.
    • Providing on-site childcare, ie, a workplace nursery.
    • Offering childcare allowances - cash payments to allow employees to buy childcare services through a nursery or childminder.

    See expenses and benefits: childcare.

    Employer's guide to childcare

    The Employer's Guide to Childcare highlights the financial support available to assist working parents with their registered childcare costs. The dedicated guidance also offers tips on how and when to engage with staff regarding childcare issues. There is also a list of contacts where employers and their staff can get further advice and help.

    For further details, download Employer's Guide to Childcare - Supporting Employees to Access Childcare Support (PDF, 934K).

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Employee engagement champions

In this guide:

  • Advantages of employee engagement

    By effectively engaging your staff, you will motivate them to contribute to the success of your business.

    Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to your business goals and values. By engaging them in your business, you'll give them a vested interest in your organisation and will give them the incentive to contribute to the success of the business. At the same time, engagement will improve their sense of worth and wellbeing.

    Business benefits of engaged employees

    Employee engagement benefits everyone involved with your business by creating an informed, involved, and productive workplace that helps propel your business towards its goals.

    When implemented properly employee engagement can bring the following business benefits:

    Higher staff commitment

    Fully engaged staff feel valued and have an increased desire and commitment to give their best to their organisation.

    Stronger teams

    Employee engagement benefits teams as well as individual employees. As engaged individuals perform at a higher level this naturally leads to stronger teams that are better equipped to handle difficult situations should they arise.

    Shared objectives

    By engaging your employees, you are more likely to have staff that are aligned on organisational goals, regardless of the team they work in. This is a win-win situation as teams that work towards common goals feel more engaged and engaged employees are more motivated to work towards shared objectives.

    Lower absenteeism

    Engaged staff are less likely to experience high levels of stress and are more likely to be happier in the workplace. There is also less chance of burnout as employees who are engaged will feel supported to raise issues sooner and you, as a manager, will also have a better gauge of how staff are feeling helping you to spot warning signs before they escalate. This contributes to lower rates of sickness or absenteeism.

    Adherence to business values

    Engaged employees are more likely to behave in ways that support your business values.

    Staff retention

    You are more likely to retain staff that are engaged and feel fully involved in the organisation. When staff see how they contribute to the performance of the business they are much more likely to be motivated and invested in the success of the business. You'll also be able to find out what help and support staff need to progress in their careers.

    Attract new talent

    An engaged workforce can help set you apart from the competition in the job market. You will be seen as the employer of choice as potential recruits will see that you value your staff. You'll be able to attract recruits from a diverse talent pool. Employees are likely to act as advocates for your business by voicing why they enjoy working for your organisation.

    Feedback that can lead to improvement

    The establishment of a culture that enables staff to voice their opinions can lead to better ways to do things and improvement and efficiency in business practices.

    Empower your staff

    Engaged employees feel empowered and that their opinions and feedback matter to the future direction of the business. This also gives them responsibility for their actions providing the opportunity to achieve key skills for their development.

    Increase in innovation

    Staff that are fully engaged are more likely to have the motivation to seek innovative solutions to problems or generate new innovative ideas or products.

    Better customer service

    Staff that are engaged and believe in the organisation they work for will have a better focus on improved customer service.

    Increased productivity

    Engaged employees are more efficient and produce higher quality work because they're personally invested in their job so it matters to them to perform at a high level and therefore increase productivity across your workforce.

    Increased revenue

    Engaged staff are likely to be more productive and innovative leading to increased sales and revenue for your business.

    Actions
    Workplace communications | Labour Relations Agency guidance
    Why employee engagement is important
    Also on this site
    Employee value proposition
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to build and manage an effective team
    How to be an engaging manager
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/advantages-employee-engagement

    Links

  • How to encourage employee engagement in your business

    How to develop an employee engagement strategy that delivers productive staff and positive results for your business.

    Employee engagement is about creating a shift in the organisational culture that establishes an environment that encourages effective staff participation and involvement right across your organisation.

    Five Cs of employee engagement

    Many experts suggest following the 5 Cs strategy to effectively encourage staff engagement.

    Care

    Employers and managers must show that they care for their staff. You can do this by ensuring employees have the support and tools they need to do their job. You should also encourage a healthy work-life balance amongst your staff showing that their health and wellbeing is just as important to you as it is to them.

    The more you engage with your employees the more you'll understand their individual needs and characteristics. You can then tailor the support and benefits you offer to meet these needs and create a more engaged workforce. Examples of caring can include offering flexible working arrangements and promoting workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.

    Connect

    Building strong relationships across your organisation can be very powerful. To do this you should encourage open communication and provide opportunities for employees at all levels to interact and collaborate. You can also utilise various initiatives and tools to help facilitate connections in the workplace eg mindfulness workshops, virtual chat groups, and social events so employees can get to know one another beyond just a professional level.

    You could also give staff ownership of their connections by encouraging the development of staff forums where they can connect with their colleagues and have the platform to identify issues and bring forward suggestions to improve the way they work.

    Coach

    Coaching or mentoring staff to help them reach their full potential can be very effective for developing employees. This can contribute to career progression and staff retention.

    When employees receive guidance and support to develop their skills, they are more likely to take on roles with added responsibility. You could offer staff opportunities to work in different teams or alongside managers on a specific project where they are coached through the key responsibilities of the job role. See mentoring to increase staff performance.

    Contribute

    Giving staff the opportunity to contribute to how the business operates gives them more meaning to their job. It leads staff to become invested in the success of the business and therefore more motivated and productive. You can encourage staff to contribute through regular staff surveys or encouraging feedback and ideas on particular business problems. For further ideas, see encourage staff feedback and ideas.

    Congratulate

    To maintain high levels of engagement ensure you recognise and reward staff for their efforts to engage and contribute to the organisation. Develop a culture of staff recognition by thanking them on a personal level when an employee has achieved a significant objective or suggested an idea for business improvement. You could host staff recognition events on an annual basis to formally recognise and reward specific achievements.

    Outlined below are areas that businesses should address in order to establish effective employee engagement.

    Business strategy

    Staff should be made aware of where your business is going, why it is taking the direction it is, and how it aims to get there. This can be achieved through a clear strategic narrative or business story. This helps employees develop a sense of value by understanding how their role fits in with the wider scope of the business and how they contribute to organisational goals. See communicate your business strategy and gain employee buy-in.

    Engaging managers

    Engaging managers who motivate, challenge, and support employees, treat them as individuals, and seek and respond to their views are key to employee engagement.

    Employee engagement starts with managers showing a clear and collective commitment to making employee engagement part of business culture. This means sharing information on business plans and performance, making sure you live your business values, and seeking views and ideas from employees on how to improve your business. Managers who actively listen to employees and act on their opinions and suggestions for improvement, where appropriate, are more likely to encourage effective engagement from other members of staff. See how to be an engaging manager.

    Communication

    Effective two-way communication which listens to employees and involves and consults them in decision-making within your business is important. Communicate business information with staff and urge them to raise concerns and support the way you do business. Make it as easy as possible for staff to communicate and engage with you and management, for example, through regular staff surveys or online suggestion forms. To further encourage staff engagement you could reward ideas that are implemented in the organisation.

    Integrity

    Integrity with employee engagement means practicing what you preach and adhering to your business values. There shouldn't be a gap between what the people in your business say and what they do. Build a culture that enables staff to share information and encourages open-mindedness. Respond to employee ideas or suggestions when they are brought forward. Integrity helps build the trust required to enable effective employee engagement.

    Actions
    Four enablers of employee engagement
    Also on this site
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    Employee value proposition
    How to build and manage an effective team
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/how-encourage-employee-engagement-your-business

    Links

  • Employee engagement champions

    How identifying and empowering employee engagement champions can mobilise engagement across your business to deliver positive results.

    Identifying and establishing employee engagement champions in different departments or teams throughout your business can help sow the seeds for further employee engagement throughout the rest of your organisation. Employee engagement champions, when given the responsibility and ownership to drive engagement, can help build a culture of engagement that can deliver positive results for your business including increased productivity, more efficient processes, and better performance.

    Role of engagement champions

    Employee engagement champions have a key role in linking managers with the ideas and experiences of employees. The role of employee engagement champions can be as narrow or as broad as you like. You could ask them to focus on one particular issue or you could give them a broader remit.

    The scope of the employee engagement champion role is up to you but there are some key aspects:

    • helping to share information and key messages about the business with colleagues
    • seeking examples and proof points of good practice from colleagues
    • collecting feedback or issues from employees and presenting this to management to address and action

    The role of engagement champion is not time-consuming. It would be a voluntary or additional part of an employee's job but in order to encourage uptake you could highlight how the role would help to develop some key skills.

    Engagement champions: key qualities

    Employee engagement champions need to be willing and enthusiastic. They should already understand the importance of engagement and are keen to help the business improve. They could be in any area and at any level of the business.

    The key qualities of engagement champions are:

    • understanding of engagement - what it means and its business benefits
    • enthusiasm and energy for the subject or area that they will be the engagement champion for
    • knowledge of the business and the people in their area
    • connections and credibility among their colleagues
    • confidence to deal with others and facilitate productive discussions on behalf of the organisation
    • confidence to handle feedback, whether positive or negative, on behalf of the organisation

    Preparation for engagement champions

    Employee engagement champions need information and guidance to help them in their role. This will also help you ensure shared understanding and consistency of approach across the business. Some core steps to consider are:

    • a briefing pack for each employee engagement champion
    • a short training session or workshop
    • if you have an intranet create a private section where engagement champions can liaise with each other and share experiences, questions, and best practice

    Employee engagement briefing pack

    In the employee engagement briefing pack you could include:

    • a letter from you explaining the importance of the role and thanking them for taking it on
    • a summary sheet on the importance and benefits of engagement - see advantages of employee engagement
    • a summary of the key activities that will be required to foster staff engagement
    • a copy of the business strategy and business values
    • contact details for other engagement champions and other colleagues they may need to liaise or partner with - eg people running internal communications or other employee networks

    Making employee engagement happen

    To help shape and embed employee engagement champions in everyday practice you could:

    • discuss the idea with other senior managers and gain overall agreement to the approach
    • involve colleagues from HR or communications - if you have them - to help delegate or share some tasks and responsibilities
    • contact each champion so they understand the importance of their role and are inspired
    • contact each champion's manager to gain their support
    • ask one of the champions to coordinate and report back to you

    For further ideas, see how to encourage engagement in your business.

    Also on this site
    Employee value proposition
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to be an engaging manager
    How to build and manage an effective team
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/employee-engagement-champions

    Links

  • Five top tips to increase employee engagement

    Five practical tips to help you establish effective employee engagement that delivers positive results for your business.

    Employee engagement delivers a number of advantages for businesses. An effectively engaged workforce feel valued, committed, highly motivated, and are more productive. This leads to organisations being more efficient in what they do, more creative in how they do things, and more effective in delivering results.

    Five tips for staff engagement

    Follow our five tips to help you increase employee engagement in your organisation.

    1. Listen to employees

    Actively listen to your staff, and ask them for ideas for improvement and their opinions on business matters. Make it easy for staff to share their views and communicate with you. For example, through regular staff surveys, staff suggestion boxes, or forums that focus on specific business issues. This will help staff feel valued and invested in the success of your business.

    2. Keep staff informed

    Have a clear internal communications strategy and keep staff regularly updated on developments that may affect them. For example, you can keep employees informed through intranet updates, email communications, and face-to-face meetings. Good communication helps grow trust within your organisation and prevents the opportunity for rumours to develop.

    3. Establish the right culture

    Strive to create a working environment that is open and inclusive, where staff feel valued and supported. Create a culture where staff are not afraid to challenge how things are currently done and are willing to suggest new ideas.

    4. Empower your staff

    Give employees the autonomy to get the job done. Ensure staff understand the importance of their role and where they fit into the organisation's plans. Let them take responsibility for achieving business goals and new projects or challenges. This will help staff feel trusted, develop their skills, and may lead to more efficient ways of doing things. Appointing employee engagement champions can be a good way to empower your staff to drive engagement.

    5. Show your appreciation

    If staff have suggested new ideas or different ways of doing things, you should acknowledge their efforts. Respond to the feedback you receive. Explain why you aren't going to act on an idea and recognise and reward ideas that are implemented. This can also incentivise other staff to engage.

    Also on this site
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to encourage employee engagement in your business
    Employee value proposition
    How to be an engaging manager
    How to build and manage an effective team
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/five-top-tips-increase-employee-engagement

    Links

Advantages of employee engagement

In this guide:

  • Advantages of employee engagement

    By effectively engaging your staff, you will motivate them to contribute to the success of your business.

    Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to your business goals and values. By engaging them in your business, you'll give them a vested interest in your organisation and will give them the incentive to contribute to the success of the business. At the same time, engagement will improve their sense of worth and wellbeing.

    Business benefits of engaged employees

    Employee engagement benefits everyone involved with your business by creating an informed, involved, and productive workplace that helps propel your business towards its goals.

    When implemented properly employee engagement can bring the following business benefits:

    Higher staff commitment

    Fully engaged staff feel valued and have an increased desire and commitment to give their best to their organisation.

    Stronger teams

    Employee engagement benefits teams as well as individual employees. As engaged individuals perform at a higher level this naturally leads to stronger teams that are better equipped to handle difficult situations should they arise.

    Shared objectives

    By engaging your employees, you are more likely to have staff that are aligned on organisational goals, regardless of the team they work in. This is a win-win situation as teams that work towards common goals feel more engaged and engaged employees are more motivated to work towards shared objectives.

    Lower absenteeism

    Engaged staff are less likely to experience high levels of stress and are more likely to be happier in the workplace. There is also less chance of burnout as employees who are engaged will feel supported to raise issues sooner and you, as a manager, will also have a better gauge of how staff are feeling helping you to spot warning signs before they escalate. This contributes to lower rates of sickness or absenteeism.

    Adherence to business values

    Engaged employees are more likely to behave in ways that support your business values.

    Staff retention

    You are more likely to retain staff that are engaged and feel fully involved in the organisation. When staff see how they contribute to the performance of the business they are much more likely to be motivated and invested in the success of the business. You'll also be able to find out what help and support staff need to progress in their careers.

    Attract new talent

    An engaged workforce can help set you apart from the competition in the job market. You will be seen as the employer of choice as potential recruits will see that you value your staff. You'll be able to attract recruits from a diverse talent pool. Employees are likely to act as advocates for your business by voicing why they enjoy working for your organisation.

    Feedback that can lead to improvement

    The establishment of a culture that enables staff to voice their opinions can lead to better ways to do things and improvement and efficiency in business practices.

    Empower your staff

    Engaged employees feel empowered and that their opinions and feedback matter to the future direction of the business. This also gives them responsibility for their actions providing the opportunity to achieve key skills for their development.

    Increase in innovation

    Staff that are fully engaged are more likely to have the motivation to seek innovative solutions to problems or generate new innovative ideas or products.

    Better customer service

    Staff that are engaged and believe in the organisation they work for will have a better focus on improved customer service.

    Increased productivity

    Engaged employees are more efficient and produce higher quality work because they're personally invested in their job so it matters to them to perform at a high level and therefore increase productivity across your workforce.

    Increased revenue

    Engaged staff are likely to be more productive and innovative leading to increased sales and revenue for your business.

    Actions
    Workplace communications | Labour Relations Agency guidance
    Why employee engagement is important
    Also on this site
    Employee value proposition
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to build and manage an effective team
    How to be an engaging manager
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/advantages-employee-engagement

    Links

  • How to encourage employee engagement in your business

    How to develop an employee engagement strategy that delivers productive staff and positive results for your business.

    Employee engagement is about creating a shift in the organisational culture that establishes an environment that encourages effective staff participation and involvement right across your organisation.

    Five Cs of employee engagement

    Many experts suggest following the 5 Cs strategy to effectively encourage staff engagement.

    Care

    Employers and managers must show that they care for their staff. You can do this by ensuring employees have the support and tools they need to do their job. You should also encourage a healthy work-life balance amongst your staff showing that their health and wellbeing is just as important to you as it is to them.

    The more you engage with your employees the more you'll understand their individual needs and characteristics. You can then tailor the support and benefits you offer to meet these needs and create a more engaged workforce. Examples of caring can include offering flexible working arrangements and promoting workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.

    Connect

    Building strong relationships across your organisation can be very powerful. To do this you should encourage open communication and provide opportunities for employees at all levels to interact and collaborate. You can also utilise various initiatives and tools to help facilitate connections in the workplace eg mindfulness workshops, virtual chat groups, and social events so employees can get to know one another beyond just a professional level.

    You could also give staff ownership of their connections by encouraging the development of staff forums where they can connect with their colleagues and have the platform to identify issues and bring forward suggestions to improve the way they work.

    Coach

    Coaching or mentoring staff to help them reach their full potential can be very effective for developing employees. This can contribute to career progression and staff retention.

    When employees receive guidance and support to develop their skills, they are more likely to take on roles with added responsibility. You could offer staff opportunities to work in different teams or alongside managers on a specific project where they are coached through the key responsibilities of the job role. See mentoring to increase staff performance.

    Contribute

    Giving staff the opportunity to contribute to how the business operates gives them more meaning to their job. It leads staff to become invested in the success of the business and therefore more motivated and productive. You can encourage staff to contribute through regular staff surveys or encouraging feedback and ideas on particular business problems. For further ideas, see encourage staff feedback and ideas.

    Congratulate

    To maintain high levels of engagement ensure you recognise and reward staff for their efforts to engage and contribute to the organisation. Develop a culture of staff recognition by thanking them on a personal level when an employee has achieved a significant objective or suggested an idea for business improvement. You could host staff recognition events on an annual basis to formally recognise and reward specific achievements.

    Outlined below are areas that businesses should address in order to establish effective employee engagement.

    Business strategy

    Staff should be made aware of where your business is going, why it is taking the direction it is, and how it aims to get there. This can be achieved through a clear strategic narrative or business story. This helps employees develop a sense of value by understanding how their role fits in with the wider scope of the business and how they contribute to organisational goals. See communicate your business strategy and gain employee buy-in.

    Engaging managers

    Engaging managers who motivate, challenge, and support employees, treat them as individuals, and seek and respond to their views are key to employee engagement.

    Employee engagement starts with managers showing a clear and collective commitment to making employee engagement part of business culture. This means sharing information on business plans and performance, making sure you live your business values, and seeking views and ideas from employees on how to improve your business. Managers who actively listen to employees and act on their opinions and suggestions for improvement, where appropriate, are more likely to encourage effective engagement from other members of staff. See how to be an engaging manager.

    Communication

    Effective two-way communication which listens to employees and involves and consults them in decision-making within your business is important. Communicate business information with staff and urge them to raise concerns and support the way you do business. Make it as easy as possible for staff to communicate and engage with you and management, for example, through regular staff surveys or online suggestion forms. To further encourage staff engagement you could reward ideas that are implemented in the organisation.

    Integrity

    Integrity with employee engagement means practicing what you preach and adhering to your business values. There shouldn't be a gap between what the people in your business say and what they do. Build a culture that enables staff to share information and encourages open-mindedness. Respond to employee ideas or suggestions when they are brought forward. Integrity helps build the trust required to enable effective employee engagement.

    Actions
    Four enablers of employee engagement
    Also on this site
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    Employee value proposition
    How to build and manage an effective team
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/how-encourage-employee-engagement-your-business

    Links

  • Employee engagement champions

    How identifying and empowering employee engagement champions can mobilise engagement across your business to deliver positive results.

    Identifying and establishing employee engagement champions in different departments or teams throughout your business can help sow the seeds for further employee engagement throughout the rest of your organisation. Employee engagement champions, when given the responsibility and ownership to drive engagement, can help build a culture of engagement that can deliver positive results for your business including increased productivity, more efficient processes, and better performance.

    Role of engagement champions

    Employee engagement champions have a key role in linking managers with the ideas and experiences of employees. The role of employee engagement champions can be as narrow or as broad as you like. You could ask them to focus on one particular issue or you could give them a broader remit.

    The scope of the employee engagement champion role is up to you but there are some key aspects:

    • helping to share information and key messages about the business with colleagues
    • seeking examples and proof points of good practice from colleagues
    • collecting feedback or issues from employees and presenting this to management to address and action

    The role of engagement champion is not time-consuming. It would be a voluntary or additional part of an employee's job but in order to encourage uptake you could highlight how the role would help to develop some key skills.

    Engagement champions: key qualities

    Employee engagement champions need to be willing and enthusiastic. They should already understand the importance of engagement and are keen to help the business improve. They could be in any area and at any level of the business.

    The key qualities of engagement champions are:

    • understanding of engagement - what it means and its business benefits
    • enthusiasm and energy for the subject or area that they will be the engagement champion for
    • knowledge of the business and the people in their area
    • connections and credibility among their colleagues
    • confidence to deal with others and facilitate productive discussions on behalf of the organisation
    • confidence to handle feedback, whether positive or negative, on behalf of the organisation

    Preparation for engagement champions

    Employee engagement champions need information and guidance to help them in their role. This will also help you ensure shared understanding and consistency of approach across the business. Some core steps to consider are:

    • a briefing pack for each employee engagement champion
    • a short training session or workshop
    • if you have an intranet create a private section where engagement champions can liaise with each other and share experiences, questions, and best practice

    Employee engagement briefing pack

    In the employee engagement briefing pack you could include:

    • a letter from you explaining the importance of the role and thanking them for taking it on
    • a summary sheet on the importance and benefits of engagement - see advantages of employee engagement
    • a summary of the key activities that will be required to foster staff engagement
    • a copy of the business strategy and business values
    • contact details for other engagement champions and other colleagues they may need to liaise or partner with - eg people running internal communications or other employee networks

    Making employee engagement happen

    To help shape and embed employee engagement champions in everyday practice you could:

    • discuss the idea with other senior managers and gain overall agreement to the approach
    • involve colleagues from HR or communications - if you have them - to help delegate or share some tasks and responsibilities
    • contact each champion so they understand the importance of their role and are inspired
    • contact each champion's manager to gain their support
    • ask one of the champions to coordinate and report back to you

    For further ideas, see how to encourage engagement in your business.

    Also on this site
    Employee value proposition
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to be an engaging manager
    How to build and manage an effective team
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/employee-engagement-champions

    Links

  • Five top tips to increase employee engagement

    Five practical tips to help you establish effective employee engagement that delivers positive results for your business.

    Employee engagement delivers a number of advantages for businesses. An effectively engaged workforce feel valued, committed, highly motivated, and are more productive. This leads to organisations being more efficient in what they do, more creative in how they do things, and more effective in delivering results.

    Five tips for staff engagement

    Follow our five tips to help you increase employee engagement in your organisation.

    1. Listen to employees

    Actively listen to your staff, and ask them for ideas for improvement and their opinions on business matters. Make it easy for staff to share their views and communicate with you. For example, through regular staff surveys, staff suggestion boxes, or forums that focus on specific business issues. This will help staff feel valued and invested in the success of your business.

    2. Keep staff informed

    Have a clear internal communications strategy and keep staff regularly updated on developments that may affect them. For example, you can keep employees informed through intranet updates, email communications, and face-to-face meetings. Good communication helps grow trust within your organisation and prevents the opportunity for rumours to develop.

    3. Establish the right culture

    Strive to create a working environment that is open and inclusive, where staff feel valued and supported. Create a culture where staff are not afraid to challenge how things are currently done and are willing to suggest new ideas.

    4. Empower your staff

    Give employees the autonomy to get the job done. Ensure staff understand the importance of their role and where they fit into the organisation's plans. Let them take responsibility for achieving business goals and new projects or challenges. This will help staff feel trusted, develop their skills, and may lead to more efficient ways of doing things. Appointing employee engagement champions can be a good way to empower your staff to drive engagement.

    5. Show your appreciation

    If staff have suggested new ideas or different ways of doing things, you should acknowledge their efforts. Respond to the feedback you receive. Explain why you aren't going to act on an idea and recognise and reward ideas that are implemented. This can also incentivise other staff to engage.

    Also on this site
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to encourage employee engagement in your business
    Employee value proposition
    How to be an engaging manager
    How to build and manage an effective team
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/five-top-tips-increase-employee-engagement

    Links

How to encourage employee engagement in your business

In this guide:

  • Advantages of employee engagement

    By effectively engaging your staff, you will motivate them to contribute to the success of your business.

    Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to your business goals and values. By engaging them in your business, you'll give them a vested interest in your organisation and will give them the incentive to contribute to the success of the business. At the same time, engagement will improve their sense of worth and wellbeing.

    Business benefits of engaged employees

    Employee engagement benefits everyone involved with your business by creating an informed, involved, and productive workplace that helps propel your business towards its goals.

    When implemented properly employee engagement can bring the following business benefits:

    Higher staff commitment

    Fully engaged staff feel valued and have an increased desire and commitment to give their best to their organisation.

    Stronger teams

    Employee engagement benefits teams as well as individual employees. As engaged individuals perform at a higher level this naturally leads to stronger teams that are better equipped to handle difficult situations should they arise.

    Shared objectives

    By engaging your employees, you are more likely to have staff that are aligned on organisational goals, regardless of the team they work in. This is a win-win situation as teams that work towards common goals feel more engaged and engaged employees are more motivated to work towards shared objectives.

    Lower absenteeism

    Engaged staff are less likely to experience high levels of stress and are more likely to be happier in the workplace. There is also less chance of burnout as employees who are engaged will feel supported to raise issues sooner and you, as a manager, will also have a better gauge of how staff are feeling helping you to spot warning signs before they escalate. This contributes to lower rates of sickness or absenteeism.

    Adherence to business values

    Engaged employees are more likely to behave in ways that support your business values.

    Staff retention

    You are more likely to retain staff that are engaged and feel fully involved in the organisation. When staff see how they contribute to the performance of the business they are much more likely to be motivated and invested in the success of the business. You'll also be able to find out what help and support staff need to progress in their careers.

    Attract new talent

    An engaged workforce can help set you apart from the competition in the job market. You will be seen as the employer of choice as potential recruits will see that you value your staff. You'll be able to attract recruits from a diverse talent pool. Employees are likely to act as advocates for your business by voicing why they enjoy working for your organisation.

    Feedback that can lead to improvement

    The establishment of a culture that enables staff to voice their opinions can lead to better ways to do things and improvement and efficiency in business practices.

    Empower your staff

    Engaged employees feel empowered and that their opinions and feedback matter to the future direction of the business. This also gives them responsibility for their actions providing the opportunity to achieve key skills for their development.

    Increase in innovation

    Staff that are fully engaged are more likely to have the motivation to seek innovative solutions to problems or generate new innovative ideas or products.

    Better customer service

    Staff that are engaged and believe in the organisation they work for will have a better focus on improved customer service.

    Increased productivity

    Engaged employees are more efficient and produce higher quality work because they're personally invested in their job so it matters to them to perform at a high level and therefore increase productivity across your workforce.

    Increased revenue

    Engaged staff are likely to be more productive and innovative leading to increased sales and revenue for your business.

    Actions
    Workplace communications | Labour Relations Agency guidance
    Why employee engagement is important
    Also on this site
    Employee value proposition
    Staff feedback, ideas and forums
    How to build and manage an effective team
    How to be an engaging manager
    Content category
    Employment and skills

    Source URL

    /content/advantages-employee-engagement

    Links

  • How to encourage employee engagement in your business

    How to develop an employee engagement strategy that delivers productive staff and positive results for your business.

    Employee engagement is about creating a shift in the organisational culture that establishes an environment that encourages effective staff participation and involvement right across your organisation.

    Five Cs of employee engagement

    Many experts suggest following the 5 Cs strategy to effectively encourage staff engagement.

    Care

    Employers and managers must show that they care for their staff. You can do this by ensuring employees have the support and tools they need to do their job. You should also encourage a healthy work-life balance amongst your staff showing that their health and wellbeing is just as important to you as it is to them.

    The more you engage with your employees the more you'll understand their individual needs and characteristics. You can then tailor the support and benefits you offer to meet these needs and create a more engaged workforce. Examples of caring can include offering flexible working arrangements and promoting workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.

    Connect

    Building strong relationships across your organisation can be very powerful. To do this you should encourage open communication and provide opportunities for employees at all levels to interact and collaborate. You can also utilise various initiatives and tools to help facilitate connections in the workplace eg mindfulness workshops, virtual chat groups, and social events so employees can get to know one another beyond just a professional level.

    You could also give staff ownership of their connections by encouraging the development of staff forums where they can connect with their colleagues and have the platform to identify issues and bring forward suggestions to improve the way they work.

    Coach

    Coaching or mentoring staff to help them reach their full potential can be very effective for developing employees. This can contribute to career progression and staff retention.

    When employees receive guidance and support to develop their skills, they are more likely to take on roles with added responsibility. You could offer staff opportunities to work in different teams or alongside managers on a specific project where they are coached through the key responsibilities of the job role. See mentoring to increase staff performance.

    Contribute

    Giving staff the opportunity to contribute to how the business operates gives them more meaning to their job. It leads staff to become invested in the success of the business and therefore more motivated and productive. You can encourage staff to contribute through regular staff surveys or encouraging feedback and ideas on particular business problems. For further ideas, see encourage staff feedback and ideas.

    Congratulate

    To maintain high levels of engagement ensure you recognise and reward staff for their efforts to engage and contribute to the organisation. Develop a culture of staff recognition by thanking them on a personal level when an employee has achieved a significant objective or suggested an idea for business improvement. You could host staff recognition events on an annual basis to formally recognise and reward specific achievements.

    Outlined below are areas that businesses should address in order to establish effective employee engagement.

    Business strategy

    Staff should be made aware of where your business is going, why it is taking the direction it is, and how it aims to get there. This can be achieved through a clear strategic narrative or business story. This helps employees develop a sense of value by understanding how their role fits in with the wider scope of the business and how they contribute to organisational goals. See communicate your business strategy and gain employee buy-in.

    Engaging managers

    Engaging managers who motivate, challenge, and support employees, treat them as individuals, and seek and respond to their views are key to employee engagement.

    Employee engagement starts with managers showing a clear and collective commitment to making employee engagement part of business culture. This means sharing information on business plans and performance, making sure you live your business values, and seeking views and ideas from employees on how to improve your business. Managers who actively listen to employees and act on their opinions and suggestions for improvement, where appropriate, are more likely to encourage effective engagement from other members of staff. See how to be an engaging manager.

    Communication

    Effective two-way communication which listens to employees and involves and consults them in decision-making within your business is important. Communicate business information with staff and urge them to raise concerns and support the way you do business. Make it as easy as possible for staff to communicate and engage with you and management, for example, through regular staff surveys or online suggestion forms. To further encourage staff engagement you could reward ideas that are implemented in the organisation.

    Integrity

    Integrity with employee engagement means practicing what you preach and adhering to your business values. There shouldn't be a gap between what the people in your business say and what they do. Build a culture that enables staff to share information and encourages open-mindedness. Respond to employee ideas or suggestions when they are brought forward. Integrity helps build the trust required to enable effective employee engagement.

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  • Employee engagement champions

    How identifying and empowering employee engagement champions can mobilise engagement across your business to deliver positive results.

    Identifying and establishing employee engagement champions in different departments or teams throughout your business can help sow the seeds for further employee engagement throughout the rest of your organisation. Employee engagement champions, when given the responsibility and ownership to drive engagement, can help build a culture of engagement that can deliver positive results for your business including increased productivity, more efficient processes, and better performance.

    Role of engagement champions

    Employee engagement champions have a key role in linking managers with the ideas and experiences of employees. The role of employee engagement champions can be as narrow or as broad as you like. You could ask them to focus on one particular issue or you could give them a broader remit.

    The scope of the employee engagement champion role is up to you but there are some key aspects:

    • helping to share information and key messages about the business with colleagues
    • seeking examples and proof points of good practice from colleagues
    • collecting feedback or issues from employees and presenting this to management to address and action

    The role of engagement champion is not time-consuming. It would be a voluntary or additional part of an employee's job but in order to encourage uptake you could highlight how the role would help to develop some key skills.

    Engagement champions: key qualities

    Employee engagement champions need to be willing and enthusiastic. They should already understand the importance of engagement and are keen to help the business improve. They could be in any area and at any level of the business.

    The key qualities of engagement champions are:

    • understanding of engagement - what it means and its business benefits
    • enthusiasm and energy for the subject or area that they will be the engagement champion for
    • knowledge of the business and the people in their area
    • connections and credibility among their colleagues
    • confidence to deal with others and facilitate productive discussions on behalf of the organisation
    • confidence to handle feedback, whether positive or negative, on behalf of the organisation

    Preparation for engagement champions

    Employee engagement champions need information and guidance to help them in their role. This will also help you ensure shared understanding and consistency of approach across the business. Some core steps to consider are:

    • a briefing pack for each employee engagement champion
    • a short training session or workshop
    • if you have an intranet create a private section where engagement champions can liaise with each other and share experiences, questions, and best practice

    Employee engagement briefing pack

    In the employee engagement briefing pack you could include:

    • a letter from you explaining the importance of the role and thanking them for taking it on
    • a summary sheet on the importance and benefits of engagement - see advantages of employee engagement
    • a summary of the key activities that will be required to foster staff engagement
    • a copy of the business strategy and business values
    • contact details for other engagement champions and other colleagues they may need to liaise or partner with - eg people running internal communications or other employee networks

    Making employee engagement happen

    To help shape and embed employee engagement champions in everyday practice you could:

    • discuss the idea with other senior managers and gain overall agreement to the approach
    • involve colleagues from HR or communications - if you have them - to help delegate or share some tasks and responsibilities
    • contact each champion so they understand the importance of their role and are inspired
    • contact each champion's manager to gain their support
    • ask one of the champions to coordinate and report back to you

    For further ideas, see how to encourage engagement in your business.

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  • Five top tips to increase employee engagement

    Five practical tips to help you establish effective employee engagement that delivers positive results for your business.

    Employee engagement delivers a number of advantages for businesses. An effectively engaged workforce feel valued, committed, highly motivated, and are more productive. This leads to organisations being more efficient in what they do, more creative in how they do things, and more effective in delivering results.

    Five tips for staff engagement

    Follow our five tips to help you increase employee engagement in your organisation.

    1. Listen to employees

    Actively listen to your staff, and ask them for ideas for improvement and their opinions on business matters. Make it easy for staff to share their views and communicate with you. For example, through regular staff surveys, staff suggestion boxes, or forums that focus on specific business issues. This will help staff feel valued and invested in the success of your business.

    2. Keep staff informed

    Have a clear internal communications strategy and keep staff regularly updated on developments that may affect them. For example, you can keep employees informed through intranet updates, email communications, and face-to-face meetings. Good communication helps grow trust within your organisation and prevents the opportunity for rumours to develop.

    3. Establish the right culture

    Strive to create a working environment that is open and inclusive, where staff feel valued and supported. Create a culture where staff are not afraid to challenge how things are currently done and are willing to suggest new ideas.

    4. Empower your staff

    Give employees the autonomy to get the job done. Ensure staff understand the importance of their role and where they fit into the organisation's plans. Let them take responsibility for achieving business goals and new projects or challenges. This will help staff feel trusted, develop their skills, and may lead to more efficient ways of doing things. Appointing employee engagement champions can be a good way to empower your staff to drive engagement.

    5. Show your appreciation

    If staff have suggested new ideas or different ways of doing things, you should acknowledge their efforts. Respond to the feedback you receive. Explain why you aren't going to act on an idea and recognise and reward ideas that are implemented. This can also incentivise other staff to engage.

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Align employee voice and collective voice

In this guide:

  • Advantages of seeking staff feedback and ideas

    Business benefits of encouraging regular feedback, opinions, and ideas from your employees.

    Encouraging your staff to voice their ideas and contribute to finding better ways of doing things can have a positive impact on your business performance.

    Business advantages of staff feedback and ideas

    The business benefits of encouraging regular staff feedback, opinions, and ideas are:

    Better connectivity and awareness

    You will be more aware and in touch with what is going on at every level of your business. You'll also be in a better position to gauge staff how staff feel at any given moment on what is and what isn't working within your business. You will also be better informed when making key decisions.

    Creates an open and honest culture

    By encouraging two-way communication with your staff you grow the trust within your business and sow the seeds for an open and honest culture to freely express opinions and ideas. This helps you to address challenges at an early stage, identify opportunities, and promote collaborative working.

    Increases productivity

    Encouraging staff to voice their opinions and ideas will increase employee engagement, motivation, and productivity. Staff will feel invested in your business and more determined to ensure its success.

    Identifies business solutions

    Seeking ideas for improvement from a wider section of your organisation can lead to finding solutions to business problems that may otherwise never have been identified.

    Promotes collaborative working

    Regular two-way communication in an open and honest working environment allows employees to express their concerns and ideas. This creates a workplace culture of collaboration and togetherness enabling teams to work together more effectively and efficiently.

    Drives innovation

    By encouraging feedback from staff from various backgrounds, working in different areas of your company you are more likely to get a diverse range of ideas that contribute to innovative solutions putting you in a better position to take advantage of business opportunities.

    More valued and motivated staff

    If staff feel that their opinions matter and their contribution to the business is essential then they will feel valued and motivated to do their very best for the organisation. Seeking staff feedback and ideas also helps to enhance employee recognition. This gives staff pride in their work and motivates them to be more productive.

    Helps attract and retain staff

    If staff feel valued that their contribution matters it encourages them to stay with the organisation helping to reduce staff turnover and the costs associated with replacing staff that resign. By developing a rich workplace culture where employees are valued and can contribute to key business decisions you will be able to attract the talent that your business needs to grow and thrive.

    Supports career development

    Employee feedback can help to identify opportunities for career progression and improvement. By regularly asking staff about job satisfaction and career goals employers can better understand the current needs of their employees and then provide the necessary support and guidance to help them progress in their careers.

    Improves agility

    Regular two-way communication in an open and honest culture develops staff that have the skills and resilience to adapt to change. This makes your business more agile and flexible to make the necessary adjustments to take advantage of opportunities to grow.

    Reduces workplace conflict

    Developing a culture where open and honest communication between all levels of staff gives employees the tools to address issues before they escalate. When staff don't feel valued or that they can't voice their opinions or ideas then resentment and workplace conflict can easily develop.

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  • Communicate business information with staff

    You will gain meaningful feedback and ideas from your employees if you regularly share key business information.

    In order to encourage your staff to share opinions, ideas and feedback, your employees must be informed about your business, and have a clear understanding of what it does and what it wants to achieve.

    You will only gain meaningful input and ideas from your staff if you effectively communicate key information on how to improve your business. This will help establish an open and honest workplace culture. How you do this will depend on your business.

    How to effectively communicate with your staff

    To keep your employees informed of what is going on in your business you could consider:

    Regular performance updates

    Providing regular perfromance updates through the channels you have available eg email, intranet, noticeboards, posters and digital screens around the workplace.

    Regular face-to-face business updates

    You could host regular meetings where you can share information and give employees the opportunity to ask questions. Consider hybrid meetings so that employees workimg remotely can take part too.

    Briefing materials

    Equip your managers with briefing materials and support that helps them put business perfromance information into context for their teams.

    Regular discussion forums

    You could run regular discussion forums with staff that focus on particular topics or issues of interest to your staff. These can be more infromal sessions that enable you get to know your staff beyond just a professional level.

    Employee recognition events

    You should reward and recognise the efforts of your staff. You could consider hosting one or two events a year to show your appreciation of employees that have gone the extra mile to deliver goals or targets or help colleagues in your business.

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  • Encourage staff feedback and ideas

    Methods employers can employ to encourage staff feedback, opinions, and ideas.

    Encouraging feedback, opinions, and ideas from your employees can help you to make improvements to your business and discover growth opportunities.

    How to encourage staff feedback

    There are a number of methods you can use to encourage staff to give their feedback including:

    Online feedback form

    Provide an online platform perhaps on your company intranet where employees can conveniently post feedback or ideas. To maintain awareness and encourage regular use you could promote the online feedback form in internal email communications or every so often you could request staff feedback or ideas on a specific issue or area of the business.

    It is important that you make sure you assign someone to take responsibility for collecting the feedback and reporting on how the business plans to act on it. You should also outline the reasons for ideas that have not been taken forward. See evaluate staff feedback and ideas.

    Staff suggestions box

    You could encourage staff feedback by having a suggestions box in the workplace where staff can easily submit anonymous feedback. This is particularly useful for staff that don't readily have access to internal email or the company intranet.

    Discussions that focus on specific business issues

    By posing a question around a particular business theme, issue, or problem you can invite staff views, stimulate discussions, and identify solutions from the feedback. You could do this on a regular basis or as and when a specific issue has been identified and needs to be addressed.

    Team briefings

    By giving managers a standing agenda for team briefings you can invite questions and feedback from employees within these sessions.

    Training for managers

    You could provide training and guidance to help managers develop the skills needed to seek and handle feedback from staff.

    Staff focus groups

    You could hold regular employee focus groups that seek feedback from a cross-section of staff across your business - download guidance on running employee focus groups (DOC, 184K).

    Senior management forums

    You could create specific sessions during which employees can come and talk to senior managers and express their views or raise issues.

    Regular staff surveys

    You should conduct regular surveys with your employees, using a core set of questions each time so that you can track responses, measure success, identify trends, and compare data.

    Rewarding ideas

    Create a spot prize that gives managers the freedom to recognise a particularly innovative idea or suggestion for business improvement.

    Recognise staff contribution

    By celebrating all productive ideas that employees have suggested, however small, you show that everyone can help shape the way your business is run.

    Anonymised feedback

    To prevent discussions aren't dominated by the same strong personalities ensure there are enough opportunities for staff to give anonymous feedback. This gives those who may be reluctant to come forward in front of others the chance to voice more meaningful and honest feedback.

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  • Evaluate staff feedback and ideas

    How to analyse staff feedback and ideas objectively so you can use them for positive outcomes in your business.

    When you receive ideas from your employees try to interpret the feedback fairly and objectively. Some feedback is likely to be critical so you should analyse it in terms of the facts presented and avoid letting your feelings or opinions cloud your thinking. By setting up an ideas evaluation process you will add transparency for staff and build their confidence to submit feedback and ideas in the future.

    Establishing an ideas evaluation process

    The ideas evaluation process you need will depend on the size of your business and the amount of feedback you receive from staff. If volumes of feedback are relatively small you might be able to manage the evaluation process personally.

    If you have a larger business, you may need a scheme administrator, who will manage the ideas evaluation process - including communications - and an evaluation team made up of representatives from across your business.

    Evaluation criteria for staff feedback

    Some evaluation criteria you could use to help you assess employee ideas include:

    • cost reduction
    • generating business income
    • increasing market share
    • improving customer service or relations
    • improving the working environment or work/life balance
    • enhancing the reputation of the business
    • improving decision-making or reducing risk
    • improving the efficiency of working practices/processes

    It's important that you define what these broad criteria mean to your specific business and that you brief your evaluation team accordingly.

    If you ask for ideas on a particular area, then you may need more specific evaluation criteria.

    It's also important to make sure employees understand that suggestions for small changes are as welcome as big ideas. Sometimes small changes can have a major impact on the way the business operates.

    Sorting feedback into actions

    When you have received employee feedback you may have quite a bit of sorting to do to identify key themes. Group those suggestions that relate to each other together and place them in categories or subcategories if required. You can then mark whether each idea requires action or not. If an idea is marked as no action, you should outline the reasons for this so you can explain it to staff.

    Once you have identified your individual actions you can develop an action plan that will help you plan and implement the ideas for improvement.

    Acknowledge staff feedback

    Communicate your evaluation of ideas and show the difference the ideas have made to your business.

    If you implement any ideas on the back of staff feedback, make sure that you recognise and reward employees whose suggestion it was. This will help generate a positive business culture of engagement and encourage other staff to provide valuable feedback and ideas.

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  • Use technology to improve employee voice

    How you can use various technologies to maximise staff engagement and interaction.

    Every business has a range of online channels it uses to communicate with employees. These could be email, an intranet system, blogs, or social networking sites which can all help employees share views, knowledge, and ideas.

    What technology is right for your business?

    When deciding which technologies are right for your business to facilitate staff feedback, you could consider:

    Asking staff

    Ask your staff what would them easily communicate with management and colleagues.

    Developing clear policies and guidelines

    Create and communicate clear guidelines and policy on the use of technology including the accessing of social networking sites and use of language and addressing any misuse of them. See develop a social media policy.

    Using collaborative systems

    Use internal systems, external tools, collaboration sites or a combination of these mechanisms depending on your aims, technical capabilities and budget.

    Involving management

    Demonstrate your own support by participating in discussions too and encouraging colleagues to do the same.

    Establishing early adopters

    Identify and support early adopters who can start encouraging involvement across the rest of your business.

    Recognising and rewarding staff

    Celebrate ideas, feedback and improvements that come from collaboration through tools and online channels.

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  • Create staff forums

    How you can use employee forums to seek ideas to streamline your operations and boost business performance.

    Many businesses use employee forums to generate ideas for identifying efficiencies and improving business operations and performance as a whole.

    How to establish an employee forum

    Different approaches to staff forums work for different businesses. There are a couple of ways to establish an effective employee forum in your business.

    Employee board

    Establish an employee board with rotating membership where ideas can be generated and debated.

    Employee taskforce

    Set up an employee taskforce to look at potential solutions for a key business challenge or to streamline operations or processes.

    Make sure any initiatives seeking views or ideas from customers are mirrored within your business to give employees the chance to submit their ideas.

    If you create a staff forum try to remember the following key points.

    Define the role and remit of the staff forum

    Have a clear remit for the employee forum with terms of reference that are clearly understood across the business as a whole.

    An effective way of creating terms of reference is to involve the forum members at the stage of defining them.

    Create clear responsibilities within the staff forum

    Set out and ensure there is agreement of key responsibilities for the employees in the forum when establishing it, for example:

    • proactively seek views and feedback from employees in their area of the business
    • identify where progress has been achieved and communicate this
    • run employee focus groups to seek views and opinions
    • present and report to managers on relevant feedback from their area of the business
    • communicate with people in their area of the business about ideas or issues

    Creating clear responsibilities shows you are keen to work with the staff forum and that the employees involved have important roles to fulfil.

    Invite participants to the staff forum

    Although the types of employee forum discussed here are informal bodies, try to have an open and transparent approach to recruiting members of staff. This will be important to the credibility and trust in the staff forum.

    You may want to consider an evaluation or election process for the forum eg members of the staff forum could nominate a chairperson on a rotational basis for a certain period of time.

    Communicate outputs from the staff forum

    It is important to the credibility of the staff forum that you communicate outputs to the rest of the workforce and emphasise the difference it has made to the running of the business. You could outline how a business issue or problem was identified and how the staff forum has worked to provide a suitable solution.

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  • Align employee voice and collective voice

    How involving trade unions and non-union representatives can establish a collective voice in your business.

    The involvement of trade unions and union and non-union employee representatives can provide a collective voice for all or part of your workforce.

    Information and consultation requirements apply to all organisations with at least 50 employees. For more information see how to inform and consult your employees.

    Trust, cooperation, and information sharing are essential to the employee voice and the collective voice within your organisation. Your approach to employee and collective voice should support and complement each other.

    A genuinely engaged workplace will be a foundation for the more formal process of involvement and consultation.

    How to align your collective voice and employee voice

    To align your collective voice with employee voice, you could:

    Involve union and non-union representatives at an early stage

    Invite union and non-union representatives to presentations on business progress and performance before briefings are given more widely to your employees. See work effectively with trade unions and working with non-union representatives.

    Include representatives in key discussions

    Invite representatives to become involved in meaningful discussions on a broader range of business topics beyond those formally agreed.

    Use representative platforms

    Ask representatives to canvass their members on ideas for improving your business or responding to a particular challenge. Staff may be more willing to voice their ideas and give more meaningful and honest feedback when using representative platforms.

    Work with representatives to implement actions

    Invite representatives to presentations on the results from employee surveys and ask them to work with you on plans to address any issues.

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