Agile HR Newsletter February 2023

Psychological Safe Space

Psychological Safety is defined as ‘The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.’ – Edmundson, 1999

Creating psychologically safe spaces in the workplace is important as it allows your employees to focus on their work, it encouranges openness and honestly and new ideas flourish.

How to create a psychological safe space in the workplace

• Treat others how they want to be treated – the saying usually goes ‘treat others how you would like to be treated’ however, we are not all the same. This is very apparent when managing and developing our employees. Encourage your line managers to understand their teams and their likes and dislikes at work – including how they actually prefer to be managed.

• Inclusive decision making – when working in teams, actively ensure everyone is contributing by asking their thoughts and opinions when making decisions or discussing new approaches/ ideas. This will help them feel truly part of the team and that their opinions and suggestions are valued.

• Be open about mistakes – mistakes happen all the time, if you are open about them, it allows not only you, but everyone else to learn from your mistake, to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Encourage discussions about why ideas didn’t work and what needs changing. As a manager, if you are able to openly admit your own mistakes and downfalls, it sets an example and encourages your employees to do the same.

• Company Values – company values are used to let your team know what is expected of them and what you are all working towards. They should represent your company’s goals to help keep everyone aligned. Consider translating your values into behaviours so that they can be shared and understood across the business.

• Act on Negative Behaviours – if in the case an employee is not meeting company expectations, such as turning up late, it is important to address these behaviours quickly. This will set boundaries and ensure your team that the workplace is a safe environment and any negative behaviours will not be tolerated.

If you would like more information on psychological safe spaces at work, please contact [email protected]

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

What is EDI?

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) ensures fair treatment and opportunity for everyone.  It aims to eradicate prejudice and discrimination on the basis of an individual or group of individuals’ protected characteristics.

Promoting and delivering EDI in the workplace is an essential aspect of good people management. It’s about creating working environments and cultures where every individual can feel safe, a sense of belonging and is empowered to achieve their full potential. 

In the UK the Equality Act 2010 provides full legal protection for the full employment lifecycle – hiring, inspiring, admiring, retiring.  It defines nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.  Stating that it is immediately unlawful for people to be treated differently as a result of one of the nine characteristics.

An effective EDI strategy focuses on the wellbeing and equality of outcomes and impact on all employees. This includes: accent, age, caring responsibilities, colour, culture, visible and invisible disability, gender identity and expression, mental health, neurodiversity, physical appearance, political opinion, pregnancy and maternity/paternity and family status and socio-economic circumstances amongst other personal characteristics and experiences.

We recommend that all companies annually review their EDI statements for legal compliance, great people management practise and to maintain a positive, fair and future focused culture.

If you would like more information on EDI, please contact [email protected]

The Bradford Factor

What is the Bradford Factor?

The Bradford Factor (BF) is a simple equation that many companies use as a guide to monitor & support employee sickness and absence. Usually reported over a rolling year period, the Bradford Factor measures how much un-planned absence an employee takes.

How does the Bradford Factor work?

A² x D = Bradford Factor Score
A represents the number of instances of absence
D represents the total number of days absent in a 52 week period

Examples:

Employee A has x1 bout of illness in the year, lasting for 8 days. The calculation is:

1 x 1 x 8 = 8

Employee B has x2 bouts of illness in the year, totalling 8 days.  The calculation is:

2 x 2 x 8 = 32

With this calculation, an employee who takes frequent short spells of sickness will have a higher Bradford Factor compared with an employee who takes infrequent but longer periods of time off sick.

Companies vary as to when a Bradford Factor score triggers an intervention.

Why is it useful and how can it work for your business?

The Bradford Factor can help your business identify any employees who may require additional support within the workplace.  It can be a useful tool to prompt an initial conversation around an employee’s wellbeing and circumstances and a step towards offering additional workplace support. The BF should be used in conjunction with your company’s other support mechanisms (such as sick leave policies/Occupational Health interventions/EAP).

The theory of the Bradford Factor is that it measures any potential impacts employee absence may have on the business due to a reduced workforce.  Employees with a large BF score will have a larger impact on your business. By identifying any workplace support issues early, you will reduce the impact employee absence has on your business.

If you would like more information on the BF, please contact [email protected]