Offensive? Moi?

Recent days have shown that there's a long way to go with regards communication and understanding in some of our most high-profile workplaces.

 First we had the minefield of whether it's 'sexist' to offer a pregnant woman a seat, with Equalities Minister Jo Swinson 'forced to stand' in a packed House of Commons after arriving late to a debate. He colleagues argued that at seven months pregnant, she was 'quite able' to stand for 30 minutes and to suggest otherwise was patronising. 

The fact is that courtesy should override any argument woman's stability, and a seat should have been found for Ms Swinson who, for all her reassurances that everything's fine, I am certain would have gracefully accepted in the spirit it was offered. 

God knows I'd have kissed the face off anyone who offered me a seat on a packed train when I was pregnant (or as i remember it, doing an impression of the Queen Mary in full sail.

If the time has come when common courtesy, consideration and respect for a woman in the last (often uncomfortable) months of pregnancy is ruled 'sexist', it's a sad day indeed. 

That's the only advice I'd offer workmates in this scenario- be courteous. If you offer a seat or extra help to a pregnant woman, be sure the situation warrants it and that you do it in the spirit of care and consideration. Fussing about like she's made of spun glass won't make you firm friends, but inviting her to tell you what she needs to be comfortable and doing your best to deliver it is absolutely A-OK.

In other news, England's victory and securing of a place at the World Cup in Rio was overshadowed somewhat by a joke manager Roy Hodgson shared with the team at half time. It was an old NASA joke about the menial role of a human astronaut and a highly-trained monkey to illustrate how certain team members needed to support a particular talent, the Press screamed 'racist', believing Roy to be referring to black player Andros Townsend in less than flattering terms. Roy has apologised for any offence caused and his players have all come out in firm support of their boss.

Frankly, if use of the word 'monkey' is automatically assumed to be racist, London Zoo are in serious trouble- as am I every time I call the dog a cheeky one. 

So how do you deal with this issue at work? I always find it's wise to remember that offence is taken, not given. Give both sides a fair hearing. In most cases the person who made the remark is mortified to think that a comment has been taken to heart, and often able to clarify exactly what was said and why. Don't listen to third parties without speaking to those directly involved: in this example the media were busy being professionally offended while Townsend and Hodgson sat bewildered, wondering what the heck was going on in their names. 

We encounter- and negotiate- tricky situations daily at work, and some need careful handling. 

Some, like those above, just need common sense and courtesy.

Branded

I was asked this morning about the idea behind 'brand loyalty.' What makes a consumer loyal to one brand- Quality? Price? Advertising?

Of course it's a mix of all three, but with added ingredients that make the experience of buying that brand (or shopping at that store) feel good.

I'll tell you about two retailers I buy from regularly, and why. This is not an advert, and they've not paid me to blog about them, but they've more than earned some recognition. So if you go and buy from them, I'll be chuffed to have introduced you to two of the finest companies I've yet dealt with.

First up are the team behind Last Exit to Nowhere, an online retailer of clothing with imagination, creativity and humour. Each creation draws on famous movies- but why wear a T shirt reading 'Shaun of the Dead' when you can get one that says 'Winchester Tavern', with a groovy graphic? I love these guys and girls for their wit, great quality gear and excellent customer service. Go seek out their stuff and wear your favourite films with pride. Oh, and happy sixth birthday to them for October too!

Secondly I am delighted to introduce you to Get Cutie, vintage style dresses with added WOW factor. Beautifully crafted (trust me, even the pickiest dressmakers I've met have commented on their great work) and in the most vibrant prints, when I wear one of their dresses I feel so confident I might as well be wearing armour. What nails it for me is the service you get from the team- not just a great product but they are friendly, helpful, and do what they say they're going to do. Ladies, treat yourselves. Gents, they do ties.

Brand loyalty to me means these businesses; not huge, not world renowned, but doing the very best they can and keeping me, their customer, very very happy indeed.

HR- twaddle or what?

"HR is meaningless twaddle from an employee's point of view. HR is a parasite which serves to ensure nothing more than that the business hire and fires legally. Anything else is just faff and flannel, no matter how loudly anyone protests otherwise.

I've seen dreadful corporate decisions and worker treatment, I've been subject to it, and so has my missus. We've both been well paid for such corporate stupidity, in one case my missus had to use the courts but so be it."

This is an excerpt from a real Facebook conversation I had last night with a man who's clearly either a) disenchanted with HR or b) hasn't got a grasp of what HR does. Let's put aside the fact that he and his wife have been well rewarded for breaches of their employment rights (his lack of ability to make the connection between the two is astounding whichever way you look at it) but his comments that HR is "twaddle" that means nothing to employees both irks and intrigues me.

I believe the deeper recesses of HR may be a mystery to many employees, but they are generally glad to know who to go to with issues or questions. As for 'twaddle'? I don't understand civil engineering, but I don't have to- there are plenty of great people out there building bridges and airports so clueless me doesn't have to. I don't dismiss what they do as 'twaddle' because it's not what makes my wheels squeal.

I think that's how most people see HR- it does what it does so they don't have to. Not understanding it doesn't make it pointless.

As for 'parasite'? My understanding is that successful parasites thrive because the host doesn't know they're there. HR makes its presence known, no bones about it. They also do well because they take without giving.

Looking at my workload right now, there's plenty of giving going on.

What are your thoughts?

Pay up or shut up

Lots has been written about the Government introducing fees for tribunal claims to be made. I can't rephrase the arrangements or beat the likes of Darren Newman's excellent summary blog here but I can offer a thought or two on the situation.

As someone who has seen employers taken to tribunals and change their practices for the better as a result, I fear the introduction of fees will prevent genuinely aggrieved and unfairly treated employees seeking justice. This in turn will stop companies making the essential improvements needed to retain their staff and get the best from them. I don't see how this stimulates engagement, growth or creates a single job.

I don't think for a second that employers will benefit from this. Employees who have been genuinely unfairly treated will resort to other measures to seek recourse including ensuring everyone they meet knows what a bunch of utter b******s their former employers are. The reputational damage could be huge. They may lose other staff who they've trained and invested in as a result. Some employees who have sought to bring  claims only to fail to raise the cash will feel stumped and may take steps they'd normally never consider to feel justice has been done. 

Employees with what might be considered vexatious claims won't necessarily be 'weeded out'- as in the case of genuine claims, if they have the cash, they get to bring the case.

One thing that does worry me enormously is that employees with a genuine problem and who are unable to pay the fees will suffer in silence; gay or ethnic minority employees who have been singled out for poor treatment, men or women who have been harassed or threatened (and heaven know Twitter's had a hell of a weekend on that front) and anyone else who's been mismanaged, abused or mistreated face a stark choice- pay up or shut up.

I can't predict exactly what's going to happen, but I can guess. What I do know is that since 1971 employees who have experienced discrimination, harassment and abuse and employers who have had to face down false claims or learn the lessons when they have got it wrong have had the reassurance of a fair, free tribunal system- and that has now been taken from them. 

I honestly don't see how this can possibly have a positive outcome for individuals or businesses.


UPDATE: It appears the Unions are also very concerned, with UNISON being granted a judicial review hearing into the issue of fees to be heard in October.

Life could be a dream

This morning I've been chatting with some people about 'dream workplaces.'

"What would yours look like?" I asked. I imagined I'd hear about plush offices in swish locations, soaring glass and steel constructs with top of the range technology, leather sofas, ping pong tables, free lunches and so on.

Every single person I asked replied in the same way.

"Great people", they said.

They couldn't have cared less about what they labeled 'tree-hugging' workplaces with 'fussy' furniture, or 'weird' practices and 'overcomplicated' layouts. They just needed to be around great people to make work worthwhile.

So here are my next questions: Are you 'great people'?

Are you hiring 'great people'?

If not, what are you doing about it?

Great culture? Don't bank on it

The CIPD just issued a press release with the news that there is still 'much to be done' in the battle to rebuild trust in the financial sector in the UK.

In other news, water is still wet and penguins have cold feet.

However, the press release is of interest because for the first time I've seen financial industry workers' position quoted. 

"Fewer than one in three financial sector workers outside of senior management say they’re proud to work in the sector, almost two thirds of all workers in the sector believe some people in their organisation are rewarded in a way that incentivises inappropriate behaviour, and three in four financial services workers (eight out of ten workers in the banking sector) say they think some people in their organisations are paid excessively."

While those outside the City have taken a dim view of banker's bonuses and the perceived 'reward for failure' culture in banking for some time now, it's interesting to read the above figures. They are a huge 'tell' when we consider the levels of engagement and connection employees feel in this sector. Those outside senior management level are clearly as frustrated by their culture as those of us outside the industry are.

Can we hope for a sea change in the finacial sector when these people rise through the ranks? Will the retirement of the old guard and the promotion of the bright young things that frown on reward for bad behaviour mean an end to bonuses for those who gambled the biggest? Will they change the culture?

Will we see less fat cat and more lean, mean, purring machine?

Starting from rock-bottom could be the financial sector's greatest opportunity to reinvent itself and become an industry people would be proud to be a part of.

If the industry seizes the opportunity to really change its ways and not just pay lip service to whatever new regulations it may find itself subject to, it could become a beacon, a great thing to be a part of. God knows there is talent within; but it seems it has to become corrupted to be developed.

As it stands at a crossroads, the financial sector has to ask itself if it wants more of the same, and risk remaining the villain forever more, or if it would like to be something that inspires pride, loyalty and a spirit of connection with its staff and customers.
 

Making memories

I took a day out yesterday to take part in not-work things. It recharged me and left me glad of the friends I have.

First thing, I spent time in the sunshine up at Epsom Downs racecourse as part of a group of friends who wanted to mark the centenary of the Derby Day that saw Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison rush out into the path of the King's horse, Anmer, bringing down horse and jockey, who escaped unscathed. Emily was not so fortunate, sustaining injuries that led to her death four days later. Emily was the only Suffragette to die during the fight to secure the vote for women, having survived imprisonment, an incredible 49 tortuous force feedings and multiple injuries including a fractured skull during previous protests. 

The recent documentary hosted by Clare Balding, Secrets of a Suffragette, threw new light on Emily's actions on that day. Far from being a mad attempt to take her own life or that of the horse and jockey in the name of her cause, it seems her mad attempt was in trying to secure a scarf in the clours of the Women's Social and Political Union to the bridle of the horse to see it wearing Suffragette colours as it crossed the finishing line. Whether she had no idea of the damage a running horse can do to a human body in its way or merely misjudged matters, we may never know. 

We met at Tattenham Corner, at the point where Emily stepped onto the track and where there is a memorial plaque placed for her. We laid flowers in the WSPU colours of green, white and violet, sometimes said to represent 'Give Women the Vote', more often hope, purity and dignity. My friend Bonnie's son placed them in her memory, and with our thanks.

We also remembered Anmer's jockey, Herbert Jones, who said he never forgot "that poor woman's face" as his ride collided with her. A brave and blameless man, after the 1913 Derby Jones lived his life speaking out for women's rights and sadly took his own life in 1951. We marked his own place in history with flowers in red and royal blue, the colours of his jockey's silks on that day, laid down perfectly by Bonnie's two-year-old daughter.

Apart from gratitude for those that fought for equality, what we also marked yesterday was the memory of a time before women like me could have an interest in politics, let alone a say. Our gathering of women (and one marvellous man) was small, but intense. At one point three female Council candidates and a sitting female Councillor gathered round her memorial plaque and wondered at how far we have come; whilst remembering that there are millions around the word who are still fighting for the right to vote. As Dr Helen Pankhurst, descendant of the formidable Emmeline says: the work of the Suffragettes is not yet finished.

As we stood on that spot, one lady who had stepped out of her wheelchair to stand with us said "Memories are very important. You have to make memories and hold them in your heart, or you make mistakes."

If one comment summed up the occasion, this was it. Without holding close the memories of when times were harder, we cannot hope to truly appreciate what we achieve. Without keeping those memories in mind, we are doomed to return to the same damaging scenarios. Without them we lose what nourishes us, what makes us happy and what we hold onto of one another.

Hold your memories in your hearts and never forget what really matters to you.