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05Sep

International Day of Charity

Background

International Day of Charity is celebrated globally on the 5th of September on an annual basis.

It was founded through a Hungarian civil society initiative with the support of the Hungarian Parliament and Government in 2011. In 2012, International Day of Charity was declared as an official event by the United Nations General Assembly.

According to the United Nations: “The date of 5 September was chosen in order to commemorate the anniversary of the passing away of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 ‘for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace’”.

Why is International Day of Charity important?

According to the United Nations: “Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies.

Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection. It assists the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. It also promotes the rights of the marginalised and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations.”

Charity is one of few ways to help people and countries in need of help, as a result of:

Natural disasters,
Poverty,
Lack of food, water and access to other basic necessities.

How do I join in International Day of Charity?

You can join in International Day of Charity by:

Sharing on social media – By sharing this article and other articles and information which details why International Day of Charity is so important and what you, your family or your business are doing to join in today. By doing this you will also encourage others to join in and to provide support.

Join an event hosted by a local charity – You can check with your preferred charity if they have organised any local events and join in the festivities or make a family day out of it.

Volunteer to help – You can help your local charity organisations by volunteering in a capacity where both your personal and professional skills can be utilised to aid the work that your local charity is focused on.

Donate to charity – By donating to a charity, you are supporting them and assisting the charity with the work that they do. If you have a charity day at work you can organise an event in order to collect money for charity.

24Aug

How to have awkward chats as a line manager?

Trudy TongGeneral, HR

Do you need to have an awkward chat with an employee, but unsure where, and how to begin?

Whether it’s about addressing decreased performance or inappropriate comments, the burden largely of having the awkward conversation falls on the individuals line manager. It may seem awkward or uncomfortable at first, but addressing matters with the individual can have many benefits.

In this article, we’ll explore how best to approach having difficult conversations with employees, especially those which may carry an element of risk. With a step-by-step guide, you as a line manager can address many of the workplace issues through a conversation, and help to create a much more positive, and healthier working environment.

What are difficult conversations?

In a workplace, a difficult conversation is one in which you have to manage both emotions and information in a sensitive way in order to deal with an issue.

The most common types of conversations that tend to be a cause of concern for both line managers and business are:

Decreased employee performance
Inappropriate behaviour
Complaints and grievances
Addressing conflicts
An employee not adhering to the values and policies at their workplace

Why are difficult conversations so important?

As humans, we tend to avoid hard to handle conversations both in our personal and work lives. However, not being able to deal with a difficult issue head on can end up creating an environment of dread and anxiety.

As a manager there are two reasons to embrace difficult conversations. First, they set the tone that there is nothing we can’t discuss and/or handle together. Second, difficult conversations set the foundation for an honest and open work environment that thrives on focusing on the goals, not the problems.

That’s why it’s so important to learn, and follow, the proper steps to having difficult conversations with your colleagues. If your business has an HR team and/or HR policies in place make sure you consult them to ensure you are following the correct HR procedure to have any conversation necessary. HR professionals are on hand to guide managers on how to have any difficult conversation while keeping with HR’s core principles: empathy, discretion and professionalism.

In the next few sections, we’ll outline what to do before, during and after your conversations and how you can ensure these conversations go as smoothly as possible and you achieve an outcome which addresses the issues but more importantly ensures that corrective measures are in place going forward.

Before the conversation

Schedule plenty of time for the conversation, and prepare what you are going to say. Allow for breaks to gather and reflect on your thoughts and approach.

Points to think about prior to your conversation:

Check your facts and gather relevant documents. This is also a good time to review any relevant Company policies or rules that concern the situation, liaise with the HR Department in your business to ensure you are following the procedure correctly.
Take a moment to try to see the situation from your employee’s perspective. Proceed with an open mind and empathy. It is important to not make any definitive assumptions.
What outcome do you want? What possible solutions can you propose to resolve the matter?

During the conversation

Beyond the prep work, there’s a lot you can do to make sure you’re setting yourself, and your employee, up for success.

Here are a few tips on how to achieve the most out of your difficult conversation:

State the issues and provide examples. State the impact that the problem may be having on the wider team and the business.
Show you care. Put aside your view and let the employee explain their side of the story.
Confirm and clarify your understanding of what they have said and validate them where appropriate.
Reassess your position. Take this chance to clarify your position without minimising theirs. Has your position changed based on the information they provided?
Work with the employee to develop solutions and together agree on a way forward.

After the conversation

Take some time, and debrief HR and/or a senior manager. At this stage share your thoughts too.

Most importantly, it is vital to note from a both ethical and confidentiality point of view, that the matter is not discussed with any other employees.

It is important to follow up with the employee after a difficult conversation has taken place, this reassures them that you are there to provide support and guidance as. Some pointers to keep in mind may include:

Taking a one-to-one moment to tell your employee that you appreciated the conversation you both just had.
In the days that follow, offer your employee the chance to ask any follow up questions, or continue the discussion if needed.
Celebrate positive progress promptly, to keep them both focused and motivated. Don’t let their hard work go unnoticed.

Creating a culture at the workplace where all categories of feedback are welcomed is not easy, but the resulting accountability drives dedication and willpower within the team that wouldn’t otherwise be realised.

Reshape HR is here to assist. We work with a variety of clients based across the UK, so if you are looking for HR or Payroll support or simply looking to run something past us, please do get in touch with us via:
T: 0141 471 5510
E: info@reshapehr.com
W: reshapehr.com

10Aug

Menopause at the Workplace

Liam CarmichaelGeneral, HR

According to Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce. The average age for a woman in the UK where menopause starts to affect them is, 51. However, it can be much earlier than this, naturally or due to surgery, or illness and symptoms can start many years before menopause, this is called the perimenopause phase.

As more employees go through the menopause during their working lives, employers and line managers need to be aware of the impact this can have on an individual at their workplace.

Some common symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:

Sleep disturbances, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable
Hot flushes (sudden surges of heat usually felt in the face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy)
Changes to your mood, anxiety and/or depression, memory loss, mood swings, low self-esteem and reduced concentration
Irregular periods
Muscle aches and joint pains
Weight gain
Headaches
Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) including cystitis
Skin changes including dry and itchy skin.

Understandably, any of these common symptoms would impact your day-to-day life, including at your place of work. Therefore, it is important for line managers and employers to be aware of these symptoms and how the effects of menopausal symptoms could affect an employee’s work.

According to research from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, three out of five (59%) working women between the ages of 45 and 55 who are experiencing menopause or perimenopause symptoms say it has a strong impact on their lives and has a negative impact on them at work. Of those who were affected negatively at work, also reported the following issues:

65% said they found it more difficult to concentrate
58% said they experienced more stress
52% said they felt less tolerant with clients and colleagues
30% said they had taken sick leave days due to their symptoms, but only 25% of them felt able to tell their manager the real reason for their absence

Supporting employees through menopause – what should line managers and employers be doing?

The role of line managers in supporting people experiencing the menopause transition is critical. They are normally the first point of contact if someone needs to discuss a possible health concern, or needs an adjustment to their work or work schedule to enable them to perform to their fullest potential.

The degree of trust you build with employees determines how willing employees suffering from menopausal symptoms are able to discuss any support or adjustments they need at work. Simple management techniques you can adopt that can make a big difference include:

Build relationships based on trust, empathy and respect.

This will make it much easier for an employee to feel comfortable about raising a potential health issue, like menopause.

Consistent and informal one-to-ones with employees can provide the setting for a conversation about any changes to someone’s health concerns, including menopause.

This will help to create an open and inclusive culture and environment that encourages people to raise any concerns

Don’t make any assumptions – everyone has different experiences, so take your lead from the individual

Some actions employers can take to ensure that they are supporting employees affected by the symptoms of menopause:

Positive messaging – employers should make sure menopause is treated as a medical issue and highlighted as such. Guidance for both employees and line managers on dealing with the menopause and symptoms should be openly available within the workplace.

Various channels for support – Some people may feel uncomfortable going to their line manager (particularly if they are of the opposite gender), and the topic of menopause may be more difficult to raise for employees who are transgender, non-binary or intersex. Therefore, various channels of support should be available.

For example, a designated menopause point-of-contact within the business or HR department for employees and their line managers.

Flexibility – Working arrangements should be in place to ensure they meet the needs of menopausal employees. Some may need to leave the workplace suddenly if they feel unwell, and/or may need a desk fan to help with hot flushes. They may also require more breaks throughout the day.

For example, employers should avoid penalising employees who need to take more frequent bathroom breaks.

Menopause policy – Some businesses (who don’t already) may want to consider putting in place a standalone policy covering menopause. This should contain information such as directing employees to relevant support channels or to HR where they believe reasonable adjustments to their workplace or working hours could be helpful.

Employment law and menopause

Menopause at the workplace is covered by certain pieces of legislations to protect employees:

The Equality Act 2010, which protects people from discrimination in the workplace, the menopause is mainly covered under three protected characteristics:

Age discrimination

Employees are protected from being treated less favourably because of their age. Given that menopause is typically age-related, if someone is being treated less favourably because they’re going through menopause, this in turn can be related to the age of a person.

It is also important for employers to note that age discrimination can affect young people who go through early or medically induced menopause.

Sex discrimination

Women who are treated less favourably than men can bring forward a claim for sex discrimination. Employment tribunals may find a case of direct discrimination if menopause symptoms are treated differently than any other medical conditions.

Employers should remember workplace jokes regarding menopause should be treated just as seriously as if it were about any other protected characteristic, as these jokes target women and so can lead to possible claims for harassment related to sex.

Disability discrimination

In some cases, menopause could be considered a disability.

The legal definition of “disability” requires a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term (at least 12 months) negative effect on your ability to do normal day to day activities.

Since some individuals may only experience minor symptoms, whereas others may experience more severe symptoms. Menopause symptoms have to be judged on a case-by-case basis, where serious menopause symptoms can constitute a disability.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty on employers to ensure, where reasonably practical, everyone’s health, safety and welfare at the workplace. This extends to the working conditions when experiencing menopausal symptoms.

There is plenty that employers can and ought to be doing to ensure that employees going through menopause are being fully supported, as the mismanagement of employees being affected by the symptoms of menopause can result in very costly disputes.

Here are the top three tribunal cases on menopause, according the Kuits solicitors.

If you found this article interesting, take a look at these similar topics:

04Aug

Cycle to Work Day

Liam CarmichaelGeneral, Other

Background

Cycle to Work Day is celebrated nationally on an annual basis.

Cycle to Work Day was founded by Cyclescheme to encourage individuals to cycle to work, according to Cyclescheme’s website: “Cycle to Work Day is absolutely for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t cycled in years or have never cycled at all. This is just about giving it a go.”

Cyclescheme was founded by Gary Cooper and Richard Grigsby. According to Cyclescheme: “Born out of passion for cycling as a practical and sustainable form of transport, Cyclescheme Limited was incorporated in February 2005, meeting the governments three cycle to work objectives: CO2 emission reduction, Congestion reduction, and improved public health and wellbeing.”

This year Cycle to Work Day will place on the 4th of August 2022. The hashtag used for this event is #CycletoWorkDay.

Why should I cycle to work?

There are multiple reasons why cycling to work can help you, we have listed a few below:

Saves money – Cycling to work will lower the amount of fuel you are using, which saves you money.

Lower your carbon footprint – by ditching your car, even if it is for one day, you are lowering the amount of greenhouse gasses that are entering the atmosphere, which lowers your carbon footprint.

You might enjoy it – you might enjoy the ride to work, no more traffic jams and you can enjoy the fresh air and maybe take a scenic route into work.

Lowers the risk of heart disease – According to an article posted on www.health.harvard.edu: “bike commuting was associated with a lower risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or cancer.”

What if I don’t have a bike?

If you don’t have a bike and would like to join in Cycle to Work Day, there are many ways to participate:

Hire a local bike – many cities now have pay-as-you-go bikes as a way to promote cycling, if you are unsure, get in touch with your local authority.

Visit a local bike shop – many small and big retailers have options which allow you to rent a bike for an occasion or a small period of time.

Is there any schemes that can support me with purchasing a bike?

There are many ways to purchase a bike:

Vouchers – from time to time, the government release discounted vouchers to financially assist the general public with their purchase, please speak to your local authority for further information

Salary sacrifice schemes – there are many different schemes out there, which allow you to spread the cost of a purchase through payroll sacrifice – please speak to your employer as there may be a provision which exists already for employees or to bring to their attention.

You can use Cyclescheme’s cycle to work scheme, where you can hire a bike for 1 year or 4 years, at the end of your hiring period, you can choose to pay an additional payment to keep your bike. If you would like to find out more about the cycle to work scheme, then please go to www.cyclescheme.co.uk/how-it-works.

How do I join in Cycle to Work Day?

You can join Cycle to Work Day by:

Cycle to work – Dust off your bike, check the tires and brakes and cycle to work, please remember to wear a helmet and use your arms to signal if you are going left or right. Why not encourage your neighbours and colleague to do the same and ride as a group?

Sharing on social media – By sharing this article and other articles and information about Cycle to Work day, you can encourage others to also cycle to work, and you can also post some selfies of your journey to work.

Join Cyclescheme’s Love to Ride community – According to Cyclescheme’s website: “All the cycling action will be happening in our free Love to Ride online community. You can sign up with Facebook, Strava or simply by entering your details, and then connect a smartphone app so you can log your rides.”

If you would like to join the Love to Ride community or would like to find out about Love to Ride, then please go to https://www.lovetoride.net/cyclescheme.

24Jul

Samaritans Awareness Day – 24/7

Liam CarmichaelGeneral, Other

Background

Samaritans Awareness Day is held nationally on the 24th July on an annual basis.

It was founded by the Samaritans to “raise awareness, that Samaritans are here to listen to anyone who’s struggling to cope, at any time of the day or night. Whether it is a virtual chitchat, or a picnic in the park, “Talk to Us” is one of the ways we raise awareness that we’re here – for anyone who needs someone to listen, 24/7, without judgement or pressure.”

The hashtag which is being used this year is #WeListen. Samaritans state: “Samaritans are here to listen 24/7 for anyone that needs us. But we’re also encouraging people to become better listeners.”

How do I join in the 24/7 Samaritans – The Big Listen?

You can join in The Big Listen by:

Pledge to become a better listener – According to the Samaritans: “Becoming a better listening can help you to support loved ones who may be struggling to cope. It can also help improve your relationships with family, friends and colleagues. You could help your loved ones open up about how they’re feeling by making some small changes to the way you listen.”

The Samaritans would like for you to pledge to become a better listener on social media such as Facebook or Twitter, they also have a page on their website which contains materials that you can use to post on your social media. If you would like to look at the materials and maybe use it for your pledge, then please visit https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/talk-us/downloadable-materials.

Sharing on social media – by sharing this article and other articles and information which details about why The Big Listen is important and how important it is to reach out to your loved ones.

Join one of the Samaritans events – Samaritans branches in the UK and Republic of Ireland hold local events to raise awareness that Samaritans are here to listen. If you would like to join one of the Samaritans events or you would like to search for your local Samaritans branch, then please go to www.samaritans.org/branches.

Check in on your family and friends – By checking in on your family and friends, you can help them to open up about how they are feeling and then assist them with their worries.

If you or anyone you know are going through a rough time and don’t know who to talk to, or require support, then please call the Samaritans at 116 123, which is a free service. If you do not wish to speak to someone on the phone, then you can send an email to jo@samaritans.org.

18Jul

Mental Health at the Workplace

Trudy TongGeneral, Other

While mental health in the workplace has become a hot topic in recent years, there’s no doubt some stigma still exists around discussing mental health in a professional setting. With the ongoing effects of the pandemic, increased remote working and blurring of lines between home and work life, addressing mental health in the workplace has become increasingly difficult.

Positive mental health at work helps us flourish in our roles, manage stress and improve our resilience. In the long run, it allows us to reach our highest potential.

What is causing the increase of mental health issues in the workplace?

There are many factors to consider including the impact of the lockdown.
Some employees will be anxious about their family and friends.
Many will have suffered bereavements, often without the chance to say goodbye or attend funerals.
Fears about job security, returning to the workplace (including using public transport for commuting) and financial concerns.

However, there are still many other work-related factors that can harm mental health, such as excessive workload, financial difficulties, poor communication and workplace bullying.

Survey (see appendix 1)

A survey of employees from 129 UK businesses carried out by Wildgoose, which is a team building and virtual events business, discovered that:

Two in three people experienced worse mental health at work over the last year, compared to the previous.
One in three employees feel less able to raise mental health concerns during remote meetings.
86% of employees feel that their workplace is not a safe environment for employees to be open about mental health concerns.

What can businesses do to support employees with their mental health?

It starts with knowing the signs of mental health. Even with a healthy work culture in place, some employees may struggle with underlying mental health conditions, with or without the added stress of the pandemic.

It’s easy to miss some of the early warning signs of mental illness in the workplace. Common signs that you should look out for are:

Long-lasting sadness or irritability
Extremely high and/or low moods
Excessive fear, worry, or anxiety
Social withdrawal
Dramatic changes in eating and/or sleeping habits

Communicate more than you think you need to

Meet with employees often to check-in, not just regarding work, but also on how they are doing in general.

By simply asking an employee, if there’s anything that they need can be extremely impactful in showing you care, especially for employees who are more reluctant to ask for help.

Make sure you always keep your team informed about any business changes or guideline updates. Additionally, you can set expectations on workloads or projects and recognise that things may slide from time to time, but it’s how you manage these together as a team.

Make your team aware of mental health resources and encourage them to use them. Be aware that shame and stigma prevent many employees from using mental health benefits to seek treatment, so normalise the use of those services.

Encourage team support

An important part of a healthy work environment is a team that supports one another. As a line manager, encouraging working together as a team and participating in group exercises to de-stress can prove beneficial.

To help employees feel connected while they are physically distanced i.e., working from home, you can organise team-building activities for virtual socialisation, such as:

Trivia/game night
Group fitness classes
Virtual happy hour
Video show and tell
Book clubs

Both businesses and line managers need to make it clear that discussing mental health is important and nothing to be ashamed of. You should communicate that talking about mental health will lead to support and not discrimination. This could be achieved through normalising conversation around mental health in the workplace and actively encouraging discussion.

If you think your own mental health may be affecting your work, reach out to your line manager or HR team who will then be able to assist you further. You’re more likely to feel better knowing that you have a support group around you who can assist you.

If you would like to know more or take part in mental health events, take a look at our previous blog post on Mental Health Awareness Week for more information and resources.

T: 0141 471 5510
E: info@reshapehr.com
W: reshapehr.com

Appendix 1:

Within the finance industry:	The hospitality industry:	The communications sector – marketing, advertising and PR – saw the greatest impacts from the decline of social contact:
– 68% of employees had experienced increasingly poor mental health at work over the last year – Mental health absences were far higher in the financial services than others	– 64% increase in reported poor mental health in the last 12 months. – 100% of respondents to the survey agree that they don’t receive enough support. – 32% of employees feel comfortable raising mental health concerns.	– Two in five employees surveyed feel less able to raise mental health issues during remote meetings (despite nine in ten companies having a process in place for remote employees to raise their concerns). – 34% feel that a lack of in-person socialising makes mental health concerns harder to spot.

15Jul

World Youth Skills Day

Liam CarmichaelGeneral, Other

Background

World Youth Skills Day is celebrated globally on the 15th July on an annual basis.

The United Nations General Assembly established World Youth Skills Day in December 2014. The first World Youth Skills Day was celebrated the following year on 15th July 2015.

According to the United Nations website: World Youth Skills Day is “to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. Since then, World Youth Skills Day events have provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocation education and training (TVET) institutions, firms, employers’ and workers’ organisations, policy makers and development partners.”

What is Technical and vocation education and training (TVET)?

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO): “’Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is understood as comprising education, training and skills development relating to a wide range of occupational fields, production, services and livelihoods.

TVET, as part of lifelong learning, can take place at secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels and includes work-based learning and continuing learning and professional development which may lead to qualifications. TVET also includes a wide range of skills development opportunities attuned to national and local contexts.”

What role does technical and vocational education and training (TVET) play?

According to the United Nations website: “TVET can equip youth with the skills required to access the world of work, including skills for self-employment. TVET can also improve responsiveness to changing skill-demands by the companies and communities, increase productivity and increase wage levels.

TVET can reduce access barriers to the world of work, for example through work-based learning, and ensuring that skills gained are recognised and certified. TVET can also offer skills development opportunities for low skilled people who are under- or unemployed, out of school youth and individuals not in education, employment and training (NEETs).”

How can I raise awareness of World Youth Skills Day?

You can raise awareness of World Youth Skills Day by:

Sharing on social media – by sharing this article and other articles and information about World Youth Skills Day and why it is important.

Sharing your experience – sharing your journey is a great way to showcase the steps which you have undertaken to get to where you are. This can prove to be invaluable for someone who is just about to start their career

11Jul

Long Covid and its Impact

Liam CarmichaelCOVID-19, HR

What is Long Covid?

For many people, Covid-19 is a short and mild illness, usually lasting anything from one to two weeks.

However, for others, symptoms can persist and weaken their ability to go about their daily routine, sometimes for weeks or even months. This is known as “long Covid” and refers to the ongoing symptoms and effects of Covid-19 experienced by some people following their initial diagnosis.

Common symptoms may include:

Persistent fatigue
Shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing
Brain fog (cognitive challenges)
Autoimmune conditions
Insomnia
Dizziness
Depression
Anxiety

Long Covid and its effects may be more prevalent than you think. Therefore, it is very important for businesses and HR Departments to be aware of its possible impact on their workforce, and having relevant HR wellbeing policies in place which demonstrates support to the workforce. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that as of 6 January 2022, an estimated 1.3 million people (1.9% of the UK population) were experiencing self-reported long Covid:

One in five people experience symptoms lasting between 5 and 12 weeks.
One in ten people experience symptoms after 12 weeks or longer.

Supporting employees with long Covid:

Recovering from long Covid can be a lengthy process and thus it is important for businesses to be mindful of this and both assist and support their employees through this ongoing process.

Line managers can support staff members with long Covid at the workplace by:

Having regular wellbeing conversations to see how individuals are feeling
Reviewing appropriate level of work or things such reasonable adjustments and/or phased return to work, whilst they focus on their recovery
Providing access to wellbeing services such as an Employee Assistant programme (EAP)

What can you do as a business?

To help line managers to support employees best when working with long Covid, we recommend that businesses:

Provide guidance and training to increase line managers’ understanding and awareness of long Covid and especially how it impacts an individual’s health and their role

Train line managers on how to have effective conversations with employees returning to work following a sickness absence

Create a safe environment for open communication. Disclosing information about a disability or chronic illness, such as long Covid, may be intimidating for employees and can potentially result in a formal complaint. However, as a business if you have a more honest and transparent approach, it shows to the individual that the business is there to support them through the difficult times.

Structuring your team for support

There are a number of things which a team can do to support their fellow colleagues return to the workplace, and as a business you can aid this by:

Providing access to education and group training to help with understanding and recognising long Covid and its impact on individuals.

Prioritising wellbeing at work among the team through regular check-ins, and placing wellbeing on the team meeting agenda throughout the year.

Monitoring workload to ensure that absences or other reasonable adjustments do not affect the rest of the team, and therefore departments have the capacity and resources to provide compassionate and practical support to employees with long Covid.

Although recovery from Covid-19 can be long, many people improve with time, and treatments are improving as more is researched and known. Returning to work is part of the recovery process and may be a starting point for most individuals.

Failing to acknowledge or effectively manage an employee suffering with long Covid symptoms could leave an employer with a possible employment tribunal case, so it is crucial businesses invest in ways to support staff with long-term health problems, as well as becoming more involved in promoting healthy lifestyles in general.

Our recent article regarding Employment Law updates which came into effect in April 2022 provides guidance on statutory sick pay and other relevant employment law updates to ensure that you and your business remains compliant from a legal perspective and steer clear of any potential employment tribunal cases.

T: 0141 471 5510
E: info@reshapehr.com
W: reshapehr.com

08Jul

Imposter Syndrome at the Workplace

Liam CarmichaelGeneral, Other

“Everyone else knows what they’re doing except me.”

“If I can do it, anyone can.”

“I didn’t earn this, I just got lucky.”

If you’ve ever had similar thoughts or felt like an imposter at work, you’re not alone.

Many people are all too familiar with the experience of feeling ill-equipped to fill their own shoes, or lack internal acknowledgement of their own success. Research suggests these feelings affect 70 per cent of the population, however when it takes seed inside us, it often feels as if you’re the only person to ever have such destabilising feelings.

These feelings are known as imposter syndrome (IS), also sometimes referred to as imposter phenomenon. It is characterised by chronic feelings of inadequacy and fraudulence despite objective success.

Common signs

Some of the common signs of imposter syndrome include:

Undervaluing your performance
Attributing your success to external factors (i.e., luck)
Setting excessively challenging goals and feelings of failure when you fall short
Worrying you won’t live up to expectations
Avoiding seeking promotions

5 types of Imposter Syndrome

The Perfectionist – Perfectionists set unrealistically high expectations for themselves, therefore are never satisfied and often feel like their work could be better.

For this type, success is rarely satisfying because they believe they could’ve done it even better. However, that’s neither productive or healthy.

Celebrating achievements is crucial if you want to avoid burnout and nurture self-confidence.

The Superwoman/man – These individuals tend to push themselves to work as hard as possible. This often stems from an individual’s feelings of inadequacy, but the work overload may harm their mental health and their relationships with others

The Natural Genius – These individuals, like the perfectionist, set excessively high expectations and judge their own ability based on how easily and quickly they can succeed at a goal, even if it’s their first try.

The Soloist – These people often like to work alone and feel as though asking for help is a sign of weakness or incompetence. This can lead to tasks taking longer to complete because they’re hesitant to ask for help.

The Expert – Experts are always trying to learn more. They measure their competence on what and how much they know, even though they are often highly skilled, they undervalue their own expertise.

What can be done to overcome imposter syndrome?

Share your feelings

Hearing that an advisor or mentor has experienced feelings of imposter syndrome, can often help to both minimise and/or relieve them. So, reaching out, whether it is to a personal mentor, line manager or HR Department, can be extremely beneficial for combatting thoughts and feelings related to imposter syndrome. In fact, just finding out that there’s a term for these types of feelings can be an incredible relief for some.

Once you’re aware of the phenomenon, you can combat your own imposter syndrome by collecting and revisiting positive feedback and achievements.

Reframe your thinking

If you have long-held beliefs about your lack of skill or experience, make a realistic assessment of your abilities. Question whether your thoughts are rational and write down your accomplishments, then compare that with your self-assessment.

For example, your management team may decide to give you a raise which may result in feelings of guilt or stress, because you believe you don’t deserve it. However, this is where you should reflect and review as to why you may be are having these thoughts.

Embrace success

Try to celebrate even the smallest successes.

Invalidating any of your achievements as ‘not good enough’ fuels the feelings of not belonging. Resist that by listing your successes and allowing them to inspire you emotionally. Over time, this will give you a realistic picture of your accomplishments and help affirm your self-worth.

Many organisations now regularly acknowledge hard work publicly as a way to boost motivation, wellbeing and productivity. This can help individuals practise self-acknowledgement strategies to help tackle feelings of imposter syndrome. If you think you might be negatively affected by symptoms of imposter syndrome, try contacting your company HR Department for support and advice.

T: 0141 471 5510
E: info@reshapehr.com
W: reshapehr.com

22Jun

HR Starter Packages

Ehsan AhmadHR

We have launched some great value HR Starter Packages for SME’s, designed to meet their HR compliance, these can be found on https://reshapehr.com/service/hr-starter-packages/

If you are looking for HR support or simply looking to run something past us, get in touch with us via 👇🏽👇🏽:

↠ T: 0141 471 5510
↠ E: info@reshapehr.com
↠ W: reshapehr.com

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