Hello and welcome to the first monthly HRZone Community Roundup. In these blog posts we’ll be highlighting some of the recent content posted by members in Blogs and Any Answers to show off some of the most interesting and talked-about things on the site.
The 1st of March was Employee Appreciation Day, but blogger DerekIrvine wasn’t happy about it. He raises some interesting points explaining why having a single day to highlight recognition for staff provides an excuse to be lax on encouragement and feedback on other days. His suggestions for better, on-going practices make much more sense and are something from which many organisations can benefit.
From providing encouragement to handling negative feedback, DavidKlaasen provides some excellent advice for making sure that the point of criticism isn’t lost and can be used constructively in the workplace, which can be especially difficult but also very important when you’re on the receiving end.
Emailogic tackled the subject of managing emails and asks whether deleting messages is good etiquette. The problem can fall on either side of the conversation and is best resolved by ensuring successful communication so that every email is both appropriate and makes sense for the reader.
Looking to Any Answers, by far the most eye-catching title was William David’s question “Does she take sugar? Green Pens & Boiled Ham Sandwiches!”. In it, William asks how far people go to ensure equality of access in their workplace and what kind of situations they’ve encountered that bear thinking about. TeenaD shared a fantastic example of subtle considerations that made a big difference when ensuring that material was suitable for groups with a high number of people with dyslexia. Incorporating this kind of experience into your standard practices can have a huge positive impact and greatly benefit everyone.
In a later post, TeenaD also raised the delicate subject of exit interviews. While in most cases, honesty is the best policy, it’s also worth remembering that the people you’re speaking to may also be the ones who will write your reference in the future. The consensus was that, as rjherridge recommended, “dependent upon the situation – sometimes the less said the better”.
We’re always grateful to anyone who takes the time to share their thoughts and spread advice on the site. If you ever have an idea of a post, blog, or question and want to talk to us about it, don’t hesitate to send us a message through the site.
See you all next month!
