As we welcome in the New Year our thoughts turn to how to successfully navigate 2025 from a people and business perspective and what key trends will shape HR practices:
The ongoing talent shortage, particularly for specialised roles, will continue to be a major hurdle for HR in sourcing qualified candidates and keeping them engaged within the company.
With the rise of remote and hybrid work, maintaining a positive employee experience and fostering engagement across geographically dispersed teams is critical.
Supporting employee mental health through accessible resources and proactive initiatives will be a key focus area for HR.
Understanding and effectively implementing AI tools to optimise recruitment, performance management, and employee development while mitigating potential job displacement concerns.
Continuously working to build a diverse and inclusive workplace culture through targeted recruitment, equitable policies, and training programs.
Identifying future skill needs and providing opportunities for employees to develop new skills to stay relevant in a rapidly changing job market.
Adapting HR strategies to navigate economic uncertainties, including potential workforce adjustments andcost management.
Adapting to and embracing these trends will enable your business to effectively support your people and the organisational goals in 2025 and beyond!
If you would like more information on the above, please contact [email protected]
When working with your employees, it is important to set them clear and actionable goals. This is essential for both individual and organisational success. One of the most effective frameworks for goal-setting is the SMART method.
| S | M | A | R | T |
| Specific | Measurable | Achievable | Relevant | Time-Bound |
S – Ensuring you answer the what, why and how;
M – Including criteria to measure success;
A – Ensuring the targets are realistic with the time, skills and resources available to the employee;
R – Targets should align with the organisations goals and have an impact on the business;
T – Remember to set deadlines to maintain focus.
The SMART framework helps to ensure employees understand exactly what is expected of them. It also fosters accountability and facilitates regular progress reviews, which are vital for maintaining momentum and motivation. Whether they are used within an employee’s personal development plan or as part of performance management, SMART targets will eliminate any misunderstandings and make sure that expectations are clear.
Here are a few examples of targets that reflect the SMART framework:
Remember, whilst SMART targets are highly effective, they also come with their challenges. Make sure you are not setting overly ambitious goals or being too vague with your expectations as this can lead to frustration, confusion and de-motivation.
If you would like more information on SMART targets, please contact [email protected]
Being a good manager requires certain attributes whether your team is sitting in an office close to you or working remotely. Whatever your style of management, good leaders often have certain things in common; they can:
- Communicate regularly, consistently and clearly, providing timely feedback
- Build trust through actions and the connections made with their teams
- Inspire and motivate towards common objectives, showing a clear vision and encouraging and supporting team members to achieve this
- Empower, support and develop their teams to be the best they can be
- Provide a framework for fairness and accountability
- Collaborate and influence to get results for the individual, team & business
Whilst this list is not exhaustive, it can help with our next question of how to manage remote teams. With remote or hybrid working having been normalised and requesting flexible working a day one right, managers may find they are increasingly managing a team not based in the office. Here are tips for successfully manging a team remotely.
Communication is key – keep in touch with people both individually and as a team. Create a culture of open communication by encouraging your team to share progress, concerns and successes.
Suggestions:
Social conversations are an important part of work so ensure there is room on your virtual calls for this. This can be especially important to anyone who is feeling isolated.
All the above contact will enable you to support your team and quickly ascertain whether there is anyone feeling disengaged, concerned or stressed/ isolated at home. This will enable you to address any issues and provide the necessary support and actions.
Clear goals – ensure all team members have clear goals (you could use the SMART goals from the previous article) and ensure there is suitable emphasis on an employee’s development and career aspirations.
Trust in your team – ensure you have the right people in place so you can empower them to set up their day as they wish and manage their own tasks. This is where results measured goals are useful, rather than how many hours a person sits at their desk.
Wellbeing and work-life balance – set a good example with your own work life balance to demonstrate the divide between working time and non-working time at home. Set expectation and boundaries around when communication is expected/ acceptable.
Have the right tools & equipment – ensure you have the right tools for your team and their tasks – whether these are for sharing files, instant messaging, having video conferences or managing projects. Identify where support is required and offer training to ensure all members of the team are able to use the remote tools confidently and effectively.
Health & Safety – you will need to ensure the H&S side of working from home is managed, taking into account an employee’s working environment, stress/ mental health, working with display screen equipment (DSE) and incorporate home workers as part of your risk assessment.
Please do contact Agile HR if you would like more information or any support on managing remote team [email protected]
