• What is Unconscious Bias in Recruitment?
• Am I Being Bullied at Work? 12 Signs of Bullying in the Workplace
• Unconscious Bias Online Training

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This article will define employee engagement, explore why it is important and provide you with 10 employee engagement strategies to utilise in 2025. 

What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement refers to an employees’ emotional investment in, and enthusiasm for, their work and workplace. It is a broad concept that encompasses many different aspects of an employee’s working life. The more engaged an employee, the higher their morale, productivity and investment in your business’ success.

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report found that businesses with highly engaged employees greatly outperformed those with disengaged teams. 

Those with highly engaged employees experienced:

• 78% decrease in absenteeism.
• 18% increase in sales productivity.
• 23% increase in profitability. 

Employee engagement has an undeniable impact on the success of a business. As such, it is important to understand and recognise the different levels of employee engagement in order to identify areas for improvement. 

Gallup identifies three levels of employee engagement:

Actively Engaged: These star employees are the backbone of your business. They are passionate about their work and are dedicated to you and your goals. They feel valued and appreciated and therefore motivated to work hard to help your business grow. 

Actively engaged employees will:

• Take the initiative and actively seek out new challenges.
• Demonstrate positive behaviours to the rest of the team thereby inspiring others.
• Feel comfortable expressing concerns and proposing solutions.

Not Engaged: These employees see your business in a relatively neutral way. Whilst they care about their work, they are unlikely to go above and beyond expectations and lack the motivation to seek out further opportunities or challenges. 

Not engaged employees will:

• Rarely do more than is required. 
• Show little interest in personal or professional development. 
• Keep concerns to themselves in order to ‘save face.’ 

Actively Disengaged: These employees are unhappy, unmotivated and unsatisfied. As such they are emotionally disconnected from their work and by extension your business. They are resentful and their negative attitude can be infectious, spreading discontent across the team. 

Actively disengaged employees will:

• Do the bare minimum. 
• Ensure that their discontent is known across the business.
• Highlight concerns without proposing solutions. 

Businesses can often overlook the corrosive potential of actively disengaged or not engaged employees. However, these employees can slowly erode your company culture, leading to issues such as high turnover, presenteeism and low morale. 

Types of Employee Engagement 

In 1990, psychologist William Kahn identified three principal aspects of employee engagement; cognitive, emotional and physical. Kahn argued that by engaging employees in these ways they feel supported in their role, like their work is worthwhile and that they are valued. These three aspects remain an important part of employee engagement theory today.

The Importance of Employee Engagement

Engaged employees are integral to your business’ growth and productivity. They are happier in the workplace and consistently go above and beyond to actualise your business’ goals. They are productive and take pride in their work and your business naturally benefits from this mindset. Simply put, employee engagement can make or break your business and so its importance cannot be overstated.

Benefits of high employee engagement include:  

• Greater job satisfaction. 
• Increased creativity.
• Improved resilience.
• Improved performance.
• Increased productivity.
• Higher retention rates.
• Collaborative teamwork.
• Decreased absenteeism.
• Better customer service.
• Higher profitability. 

Looking to Learn More?

Our wide range of Business Essentials Courses covers the fundamentals that every business needs to be successful. Our courses such as Communication Skills and Leadership and Management will teach you the skills to foster a supportive work environment thereby improving employee engagement. 

10 Employee Engagement Strategies

Your workplace cannot function without your employees and so it is vital that you get employee engagement right. An employee engagement strategy enables you to be deliberate about engaging your employees. A successful strategy will utilise a wide range of practices and should have a multi-pronged approach that encompasses practices across your entire business. 

Here are 10 employee engagement strategies that you can implement in 2025:

1. Measure current engagement levels. 

Before you can improve employee engagement, you need to know how engaged your employees actually are. Whilst there are recognisable traits of the different levels of employee engagement, it is important to get this information directly from your employees. You might think that your hard worker who always comes in on time is actively engaged, but a simple survey or informal 1-2-1 might reveal that they are not engaged at all and are biding their time till something better comes along. 

2. Encourage employee feedback. 

After gathering the necessary information from your employees, keep that channel open. Feedback isn’t a one way street and by asking your employees for their feedback you are showing that their opinion matters. This feedback could by gathered by using a 360 degree feedback template, an anonymous feedback box, or a monthly ‘town hall’; regardless of how you do it, listen to your employees, engage with their feedback sincerely  and utilise what you learn to make a positive difference.

3. Foster clear communication.

Employees can often feel like their concerns won’t be heard or acted upon and so keep issues to themselves. This silence can quickly become resentment that spreads across your business. Encourage clear communication that lets your employees openly voice their concerns. Clear communication also ensures that your employees understand their role, what is expected of them and how that aligns with your business’ goals. 

4. Provide opportunities for growth. 

A clear path for professional development shows your employees that there is room for growth within your business and that their hard work will lead somewhere. By investing in their growth, your employees will feel like valued members of your business. Take the time to consider what training would be best for their individual professional and personal development with a training needs analysis. There can be serious consequences of a lack of training, so take the time to invest in training and by extension your employees’ future. 

5. Recognise and appreciate accomplishments.

Recognition boosts self-esteem and feelings of personal competency. When your employees feel that their hard work is being noticed and appreciated, they are more willing to continue that hard work. Recognise your employees accomplishments with day-to-day ‘shoutouts’ or company-wide recognition schemes. However, not all of your employees will want to be recognised in the same way so diversify your recognition systems to ensure that appreciation remains genuine and meaningful to each employee.

6. Encourage a good work-life balance. 

Juggling home life and work life is a universal struggle, however actively encouraging a good work-life balance shows your employees that you care about their personal well being both inside and outside of the office.

Encourage a good work-life balance by:

• Setting realistic goals that reflect your employees’ workload and resources.
• Offering flexible and remote working options so that your employees’ feel empowered to manage their own time.
• Reminding your employees to take regular breaks throughout the day and to utilise their annual leave throughout the year to rest and recharge.

7. Provide incentives.

Motivate your employees to go above and beyond by rewarding their extra effort. Employee incentives encourage your employees to push themselves harder to reach a specific goal. This boosts morale when they achieve the goal and creates a sense of satisfaction at a job well done. Incentives can range from a one-off bonus to additional annual leave, however it is important to take the time to personalise the incentives where possible. If your sales team aren’t interested in rugby, tickets to Six Nations probably aren’t the best incentive for them to reach those quarterly targets.  

8. Show respect.

Everyone wants to feel respected in the workplace and as a key driving force behind your business’ success, so too do your employees. A respectful workplace is a positive workplace and one in which your employees feel comfortable and confident presenting creative and innovative ideas. Show respect at all times, lead by example and create a culture of mutual respect amongst your employees.

9. Foster a sense of purpose.

When employees have a sense of purpose they feel that their work is important. Ensuring your employees have a ‘why’ enables them to find their work meaningful and clearly see how it supports your business’ goals. Creating a sense of shared purpose across your team further increases employee engagement as colleagues come together to work towards a common goal. 

10. Set SMART goals.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. If goals are too vague and unrealistic, then your employees can quickly become demotivated and therefore disengaged. Setting SMART goals fosters a growth mindset and helps your employees feel better prepared and capable to face future challenges. To learn more, read our article on how to write SMART goals for your employees. 

Employee engagement is not a new concept and as working life continues to shift and adapt to modern needs, it only continues to grow in importance. By investing in employee engagement you are investing in your business’ future success. Your employees are one of your greatest assets and by proactively focusing on employee engagement you will improve morale, productivity and profitability. 

Further Resources:

• Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill: Recruitment Strategies
• Training Needs Analysis: Free Template
• Business Essentials Courses

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The theory behind this approach is straightforward: Whilst hard skills can easily be taught, soft skills are usually more innate. 

In this article, we will explain in more depth what it means to ‘hire for attitude, train for skill’, delve into the importance of soft skills in the workplace, and offer our tips on recruitment strategies for how to hire for attitude. 

Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill Meaning

The phrase ‘hire for attitude, train for skill’ essentially suggests that finding candidates with the right soft skills, such as a good mindset and approach to work, and that fit into your company culture, is more important than finding talent with specific technical skills. It’s a form of values-based recruitment strategy where personal attributes are prioritised over a performance-based skill set. 

Whilst this doesn’t mean you should ignore hard skills altogether, the concept is that if you hire candidates with the correct attitude, they will be able to learn the necessary skills for the role. 

Some of the most common reasons for new hires to leave a company are a lack of coachability, low levels of emotional intelligence, motivation, and bad temperament. Notably, these are all attitude-based issues. Thus, hiring for attitude can help to prevent these common problems from the very beginning. Ultimately, it’s far easier to teach a skill than it is to change a person.

By hiring people who comfortably align with your company brand, it’s possible to reinforce your individual company culture with each new hire who is a great fit, resulting in a workforce that is happier, more engaged and ultimately more profitable.

Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace

Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterise relationships with other people and complement hard skills in the workplace. As such, when we speak about hiring for attitude, we essentially mean prioritising candidates who have desirable soft skills. 

Soft skills are critical for success in most careers, as they’re the driving force of an employee’s, and therefore a business’, growth and adaptability. Although not quantifiable, soft skills are an essential resource that can vastly increase efficiency, team-building, and innovation in the workplace.

92% of talent professionals believe that soft skills are just as important, if not more important, than hard skills, however only 37% of employers feel that their entry-level employees have the necessary soft skills. Prioritising soft skills in the hiring process can help to repair this disconnect. 

Examples of some of the most essential soft skills for the workplace include:

• Communication.
• Adaptability and Problem Solving.
• Responsibility and Leadership.
• Teamwork.
• Critical Thinking.
• Positive Attitude.
• Creativity.

To read in more depth about what soft skills are and to find further examples, read our full article on Soft Skills in the Workplace.

In contrast, hard skills are concrete quantifiable abilities acquired through education or training, for example coding, finance, software development, or data analysis. Whilst the ‘hire for attitude’ mantra focuses on prioritising soft skills, you can read more about hard skills in our Hard Skills in the Workplace article. 

So why are soft skills arguably more important? Well, some experts have likened hard skills to being like a race car, whereas soft skills are the driver. Whilst it’s important to have knowledge and abilities relevant to a role, it’s personal qualities, soft skills, such as resilience and drive that will determine how far somebody goes and how fast they get there. 

Additionally, soft skills are becoming increasingly important in the modern world as workplaces change over time. As processes become more automated, with machines able to replicate certain hard skills and optimise manual processes, the role of soft skills becomes ever more vital. After all, with many organisations using the same new technology, it’s a team’s judgement, creativity, and innovation that will help to maintain an edge over competition and adapt to new ways of working. Furthermore, with increasingly flexible working arrangements (e.g. working remotely, hybrid, or at different times) and more diverse staffing, strong collaborative and communication skills are more crucial than ever to ensure a team’s success. 

In summary, hard skills are no longer enough to thrive in the modern world of work.

How to Hire for Attitude: Recruitment Strategies

Whilst the method of recruiting for attitude seems simple in theory, it’s understandable that your current hiring process may not currently be set up to facilitate this. After all, traditional methods of evaluating candidates, such as CV’s/resumes, are often focused more on hard skills and experience than personality traits. 

Fortunately, there are a few easy steps you can take to cater your recruitment process to finding out more about a candidate’s characteristics and soft skills in addition to their hard skill set. 

Identify the Attributes of Your Top Performers and Prioritise These Traits in Candidates

Think about who your top performing employees are in the company, and ask yourself why they have been so successful. What soft skills do they have that has led them to being a high achiever? Whilst this will differ from role to role, you should be able to identify what traits lead to success in the job you are hiring for. 

Once you know the kind of attitude and attributes you’re looking for, you can create interview questions that aim to reveal whether a candidate displays these soft skills, and follow up with those that do. 

Encourage Candidates to Tell Stories About Themselve

An open question will always lead to you learning more about someone than a closed one. This is also true in interviews. The more you can get a candidate to speak candidly about themself, the better you will understand their attitude and whether this fits in with your company culture and job spec. 

To encourage storytelling within an interview, try to incorporate plenty of situational or behavioural questions, such as asking about a past event, success, failure, or problem they’ve overcome. When candidates tell a story referring to real life situations, this will tell you far more about them than asking them to list their character traits directly. This is because it’s much harder to lie or to be superficial when referring to real-life examples. 

You can learn more about storytelling in interviews in our article on How to Use the STAR Method. 

Advertise Your Culture to Attract the Right People

Often people apply to roles that they believe will suit them or that look desirable in terms of workplace culture or benefits. Thus, the more you advertise who you are as a business, e.g. your morals, mission, and management, and what it’s like to be an employee at your company, the more you will attract people who identify with what you’re offering. This reduces the likelihood of hiring someone who isn’t a right fit, as these people are less likely to apply in the first place.

Be Proactive

Hiring people with the correct attitude to fit well into your company culture isn’t always about waiting for the right candidate to show up. If you meet someone who has great qualities that you believe would benefit your team, why not approach them? Understandably, they might not always be in a position to start a new job, but equally they may just say yes!

Observe Your Candidate Outside of the Interview

An interview is essentially a performance where a candidate is understandably trying to come across in the best way possible, but sometimes this can make it difficult to glean their true personality. It can be helpful to consider the interview as starting the moment a potential hire walks through the door, not just in your formal conversation with them. For example, how do they treat other members of staff on the way to your office, and do they strike up conversation with other applicants? These moments when a candidate isn’t aware they’re being observed may differ to how they present themselves in an interview, and can be the most telling as to whether they’ll fit your company culture. 

How to Train for Skill

Once you’ve hired someone with a great attitude and soft skills that fit well with your company culture, how do you then go about ensuring their hard skills are equally up to scratch? As mentioned, it’s far easier to teach someone a skill than it is to change who they are innately. 

As a manager or employer, it’s recommended that you create a Training Needs Analysis to identify any gaps in your employee’s skills or knowledge, and establish how these gaps can be filled.

If you’ve hired someone with soft skills including a strong work ethic and tenacity, they should easily and willingly be able to pick up more technical proficiencies. But what are the most effective methods of ensuring a new hire gains the correct hard skills needed to do their role? 

Here are a couple of suggestions to build into your onboarding process:

Encourage the Use of a Personal Development Plan

To avoid a lack of progress, it’s important that a new hire knows exactly what skills they need to develop, how they will go about doing this, and when they should have acquired these skills by. Having a Personal Development Plan (PDP) is crucial to accomplishing this. A PDP is a method of focusing goals into achievable steps, which helps to keep track of personal development. 

Learn more about the benefits of PDP’s, and download our free editable template, in our article, A Personal Development Plan (PDP) Guide & Template.

Using Online Training

Online training is a highly flexible and accessible form of learning a new skill or developing existing ones. One major advantage to this form of learning is that it can be done at any time or place, meaning a new hire can learn the hard skills needed to excel in their role outside of working hours or in small sections rather than one long training day, and can learn from the comfort of their own home if they choose. 

Looking for Online Training?

We have over 180 comprehensive courses that can help to upskill your team. Discover our range of Business Essential courses to teach fundamental skills for any company, or browse one of our industry focused course categories such as Health and Safety, Education, or Food Hygiene.

Shadowing Other Team Members

Chances are, you already have established employees within your company who have the hard skills that a newer hire is looking to acquire. If this is the case, use your internal talent to help pass on their skills and knowledge. This is an affordable form of training and will benefit the trainer, who will develop their communication and leadership skills, as well as the individual doing the shadowing. 

Although these examples give a taste of the best ways to ensure all your employees are gaining and developing the hard skills needed to succeed in their role, you can find more expert ideas in our full article on 6 Ways to Upskill Your Employees.

Hiring for attitude and training for skill is a recruitment mantra that aims to remove some of the most common issues with new hire retention rates and ensure you establish and maintain a strong workplace culture with employees that are a great fit for your business. Hiring for attitude works on the basis that soft skills are essential for success in business, but are hard to develop, whereas hard skills can easily be taught to someone with the correct attitude. 

Further Resources:

• Soft Skills in the Workplace
• The Consequences of a Lack of Training in the Workplace
• 6 Ways to Upskill Your Employees
• A Personal Development Plan (PDP) Guide & Template
• Hard Skills in the Workplace

The post Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill: Recruitment Strategies appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we’ll look at what hard skills in the workplace are, outline the top hard skills that employers often ask for and help you learn more about how to enhance your hard skills as part of your continuing professional development.

What are Hard Skills in the Workplace?

Hard skills are the technical proficiencies you need to perform a particular job role. Without hard skills, you’d be unable or unqualified to do the job in question. For example, a hospital doctor must have hard skills in biology and a degree in medicine, whilst a carpenter must have hard skills in woodwork and the ability to install cabinets.

Hard skills are obtained through education, training or hands-on experience and are practical skills that you can physically prove, such as with a certificate, qualification or demonstration. Employers will require you to have particular hard skills for particular roles in order to perform the tasks needed.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are your non-technical skills and abilities, personal qualities, workplace behaviours and personality traits. Unlike hard skills, soft skills aren’t quantifiable. You can find out more about soft skills with our article: Soft Skills in the Workplace.

The Importance of Hard Skills

Hard skills are important because, without them, you wouldn’t be able to perform your job role proficiently or safely. Hard skills are vital for ensuring you are capable of carrying out a role.

For employers and hiring managers, hard skills show that you are qualified for a particular job. Without the necessary hard skills, you’re unlikely to be considered as a candidate when responding to a job ad.

To prove your hard skills to an employer, gather together your certificates and qualifications to use as evidence of your training and knowledge. If your hard skills have been learnt from practical, hands-on experience, then ensure you’re able to demonstrate your abilities, either through a demonstration, links to past work experience or a training certificate. Make sure your hard skills are highlighted on your CV and cover letter when applying for a role.

Top Hard Skills Employers Look For

The popularity and need for specific hard skills changes over time: in the past, it was vital to have a hands-on ‘trade’ to set you up for life whereas, in today’s job market, the focus is much more on computer skills, your ability to use technology and marketing. Here are 30 examples of hard skills employers look for at the moment:

1. Accounting.
2. Advanced first aid.
3. Basic life support.
4. Budget management.
5. Business development.
6. Computer programming.
7. Computer software knowledge.
8. Copywriting.
9. Customer relationship management (CRM) software.
10. Customer service skills.
11. Cyber security.
12. Data analysis.
13. Design.
14. Digital marketing.
15. Engineering.
16. Finance.
17. Financial analysis.
18. Foreign languages.
19. Graphic design.
20. Management skills.
21. Marketing.
22. Project management.
23. Recruitment.
24. Sales experience.
25. Sales management.
26. Search engine optimisation (SEO).
27. Social media skills.
28. Social media marketing.
29. Software development.
30. User experience (UX).

The modern world has a big focus on technology and this is subject to constant change and upgrade, so being digitally literate is essential for obtaining a new job role, no matter the industry you work in. Employers often want candidates to be fluent in specific technologies and software, so provable hard skills in any of the following areas would be highly sought after:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Atlassian JIRA.
• HTML.
• JavaScript.
• Linux.
• Microsoft Access.
• Microsoft Azure.
• Microsoft Office (such as Excel).
• Oracle Java.
• Python.
• System Applications and Products (SAP).
• Structured Query Language (SQL).

Of course, this list of technologies is not exhaustive and there are many more – take a look at the companies relevant to you and see which ones they require.

How to Develop Hard Skills

Everyone has the ability to develop hard skills if they put in the work, have a growth mindset and dedicate themselves to learning. There are various ways that you can develop hard skills, such as:

1. Online training courses – obtaining a certificate from an e-learning course shows you are proficient in a particular subject. There’s no limit to how many online course certificates you can obtain.
2. In-person training courses – proficiency can also be shown via a certificate from an in-person training course, which will also include hands-on experience.
3. University degrees – there’s an endless range of degree topics you can choose to study, some more job-specific than others. Some of the UK’s most popular degrees include medicine, law, engineering, computer science and business management.
4. College courses – colleges are a great place to obtain hard skills qualifications, especially if there’s a particular course or diploma you want to work towards in order to apply for a specific job role.
5. Apprenticeships – apprenticeships are ideal for learning hard skills as they are usually hands-on placements in real-life workplaces.
6. Work experience – taking up some voluntary work experience is a great way to bolster your CV and demonstrate that you can use your hard skills in a real-life working environment.
7. Self-taught education – whether you choose to study with online articles, YouTube videos or library books, there are many ways to teach yourself hard skills without the need to attend a training course.

Hard Skills Training

Obtaining a certificate from an online training course is a great way to prove your hard skills to future employers. Take a look at some of our most popular online courses via the links below and start developing your hard skills today:

Health & Safety:

• Health & Safety Training
• Asbestos Awareness Course
• Working at Height
• COSHH Training

Food Hygiene:

• Level 1
• Level 2 for Catering
• Level 2 for Manufacturing
• Level 2 for Retail
• Level 3 for Catering
• Level 3 for Manufacturing
• Level 3 for Retail

Safeguarding Children:

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3

Safeguarding Adults:

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3

Looking for More?

If you’ve not found what you’re looking for in the courses listed above, then take a look at our full range of online training courses and see which topics catch your eye. You could have a new hard skills certificate for your CV by the end of today!

Hard skills are essential in order to carry out a job role safely, effectively and efficiently. Employers will always look at your hard skills on your CV as they’re essential criteria for work so, if you feel that your hard skills are lacking, look to develop them with further study and a growth mindset.

Further Resources:

• Business Essentials landing page.
• What is CPD? A Guide to Continuing Professional Development
• Transferable Skills: What Are They and Why Are They Important?

The post Hard Skills in the Workplace appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

What are Soft Skills in the Workplace?

Soft skills are sometimes referred to as interpersonal skills or people skills, and they’re the abilities you have that enable you to excel in a professional work setting. Soft skills are all of the attributes, qualities and personality traits you have in addition to the qualifications and certificates you hold.

Strong soft skills enable you to collaborate with teammates, manage your time well, communicate clearly, connect with others and navigate the workplace with ease and with success.

Soft skills in the workplace are non-technical skills, i.e. you don’t need them to be ‘qualified’ for a specific position. They are usually transferable skills that can be used in any work setting and any job role, so highlighting them on your CV is a must. Soft skills are also relevant at all job levels, whether you’re applying for your first job ad or are looking to climb the ladder as a top-level executive.
Anyone can develop soft skills: many of them you’ll already possess and some are ones that you’ll need to learn and improve on.

Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace

Soft skills aren’t just essential for getting a new job; they’re also important in the workplace throughout your career. Success at work requires more than just a strong technical knowledge of the role – it also requires you to be adaptable, resilient, good at problem-solving and an excellent communicator, to name a few. These soft skills and personal qualities are the foundation for professional achievement.

Soft skills are important in the workplace because they:

• Increase your productivity and efficiency.
• Demonstrate your initiative and proactivity.
• Help improve the company culture.
• Create stronger professional relationships.
• Lead to more creative solutions.

Furthermore, people with strong soft skills have been proven to enjoy greater life satisfaction and can earn up to 12% more than their peers.

Top Soft Skills Employers Look For

Here are 20 highly-desirable soft skills that employers look for when hiring the right candidate:

1. Adaptability – being able to change the way you think is an important soft skill to have, as it allows you to accommodate new ideas, change your method of communication or learn new ways of working without hesitation and without stress.

2. Communication – communication skills include all types of communication methods, from verbal speaking skills, non-verbal communication and written words to digital communication, presentation skills and public speaking in the workplace. A good communicator is able to express their ideas and feelings clearly, as well as listen to and understand those of others.

3. Conflict resolution – being able to respectfully and effectively solve a problem between people is a strong leadership soft skill to have. Those skilled in conflict resolution and conflict management can present solutions and options in a respectful way and will take into account everyone’s opinions and feelings.

4. Creativity – alongside being creative in the traditional design sense, creativity at work is also a type of problem-solving and is about coming up with a variety of different solutions to all kinds of situations. A creative person is able to present ideas, innovate solutions and brainstorm with teammates.

5. Critical thinking – critical thinking in the workplace refers to the ability to analyse information and come to an informed decision. Critical thinking skills are essential for managing risks, considering all outcomes and making educated choices. It’s also a type of problem-solving.

6. Decision-making – having strong decision-making skills is particularly important for managers and leaders, as confident decisions are vital for the progression of a team or company. If you have good decision-making skills, then you’re able to choose the best course of action in order to achieve set goals. 

7. Dependability – dependability refers to your willingness and ability to follow through on what you’ve said you’ll do. It means being consistent and reliable, meeting deadlines, being punctual and helping others when they need you.

8. Digital literacy – digital literacy in the workplace means being fluent in digital technology, including the internet, mobile devices, digital tools and computer software. In today’s world, where remote working and remote communication are so prevalent, digital literacy is an essential soft skill to have, not just a desirable one. Furthermore, as the technology used in the workplace is subject to constant change and upgrades, you must be able to adapt to new technology at the drop of a hat.

9. Empathy and compassion – empathy and compassion are key components of emotional intelligence – the ability to recognise and understand your own and others’ emotions. Empathy and compassion are essential skills for encouraging teamwork, building strong relationships and giving feedback.

10. Intercultural communication – intercultural communication in the workplace refers to your ability to effectively talk with people from different religious, social or ethnic backgrounds. Different cultures have different communication styles and this is something you’re particularly likely to encounter if you work remotely with people around the world. Strong intercultural communication skills help you to bridge the gaps between workers, improve inclusion and get the best out of everyone.

11. Leadership qualities – leadership skills in the workplace are important if you want to inspire and influence others to achieve their goals. A good leader can set a vision, communicate the vision well to their teammates and encourage success. Other leadership qualities that are useful to possess are strong coaching and mentoring skills.

12. Metacognitive skills – put simply, metacognition in the workplace is your ability to learn new work skills and is part of developing a growth mindset. A person with metacognitive skills is self-aware, recognises what they do and don’t know and can identify opportunities to learn. They understand their thought processes and know how best to take on board new information.

13. Networking – being able to network well, whether it’s in-person or online, is a vital skill for developing your relationships and your career. Good networking skills enable you to build connections with others and proactively maintain business relationships.

14. Organisation – organisation skills go hand-in-hand with time management skills, as both are needed to ensure reliability, punctuality and productivity. An organised person is able to keep a diary, prioritise tasks, manage deadlines and stay on top of work.

15. Positive attitude – maintaining a professional attitude in the workplace and staying positive is important for being resilient in the face of challenges, interacting well with colleagues and staying motivated to work. Someone with a positive attitude is able to look for opportunities in difficult situations and doesn’t just give up.

16. Problem-solving – problem-solving in the workplace means thinking outside of the box to come up with solutions to challenges. Good problem-solving skills will help you to analyse situations, research possible solutions and establish procedures to prevent issues from occurring again.

17. Teamwork – teamwork skills in the workplace are vital for all types of job roles in all types of organisations. Being able to get along with others, communicate with people well and collaborate to achieve shared goals are essential soft skills to possess, and will show that you’re able and willing to support others, respect others’ ideas and contribute towards the team’s success.

18. Time management – time management is an important soft skill for most workplaces and shows that you’re organised, disciplined and able to avoid distractions. People with good time management skills are more reliable and efficient workers.

19. Work ethic – maintaining a strong work ethic in the workplace shows that you’re committed to the role and can be relied upon to get the job done. Someone with a good work ethic is consistent, accountable and adaptable and is always seen as professional.
20. Writing skills – professional writing in the workplace is the ability to communicate effectively through the written word, whether it’s an email, marketing content or internal notification. Possessing strong writing skills means your content is free from spelling and grammar errors, is concise and readable and is understandable by the target audience.

How to Develop Soft Skills in the Workplace

It’s likely that you already possess many soft skills that you can highlight on your CV but, if there are ones you’ve identified as needing improvement, then you can work to develop your soft skills with time, dedication and an open mind. Everyone has the ability to learn new soft skills.

To develop your soft skills in the workplace, the best place to start is by looking at the list of skills above and determining which ones you want to work on. Then you can start your research into each specific skill and look at what you need to do to develop them.

In the workplace, a personal or professional development plan (PDP) can help you to identify the specific soft skills you want to develop. The articles below provide you with more information on creating a PDP:

• Writing A Professional Development Plan – Example & Template
• Personal Development Plan (PDP) – Guide & Template
• What are Personal Development Goals for Work?

Soft Skills Training in the Workplace

Your current workplace may offer training in specific soft skills, so be sure to take them up on the offer when it arises. Workplaces often run workshops in key topics such as presentation skills, time management and computer skills to help develop your knowledge and to ensure their workforce is skilled and competent.

Need a Training Course?

If you’re looking to take further training in soft skills and want to gain some all-important certificates for your CV, then take a look at our Business Essentials online training courses and see what you could learn today.

Soft skills in the workplace are essential for job seekers and current employees alike. Hiring managers actively look for soft skills on your CV and will prioritise those people who can demonstrate a range of personal qualities and attributes, alongside their professional qualifications.

Further Resources:

• Business Essentials landing page
• What Excel Skills are Employers Looking For?
• What is the Importance of Digital Skills in the Workplace?
• Transferable Skills: What Are They and Why Are They Important?
• Hard Skills in the Workplace

The post Soft Skills in the Workplace appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

This article provides advice for employers, leaders and anyone else looking to interview virtually within their workplace about how to conduct a video interview smoothly and successfully.

What is a Video Interview?

A video interview, also known as a virtual interview, is a great way for you to interview candidates from afar. As more and more companies extend their talent search further afield, video interviews offer you a meaningful way to interact with potential hires who are located outside of your workplace’s immediate catchment area, and without the hassle that can come with a face-to-face interview.

Top Tip

These days, as people increasingly turn to roles that involve remote working or hybrid working, a video interview can be an invaluable tool for reaching the best candidates, no matter where in the world they’re located.

Benefits of Virtual interviews

There are many benefits to video interviewing, some of which include:

• It’s less likely that the candidate will need to take time off work to attend the interview, as they take up far less time than conventional face-to-face interviews
• You can host the interview at any time, including outside of normal working hours, at a time best suited to each candidate.
• You can record virtual interviews and replay them later. Never underestimate what you can learn from a second look.
• No one has to pay travel or hotel expenses.
• Unlike a phone interview, you can read body language and facial cues when watching the candidates on screen.

Disadvantages of Virtual Interviews

However, there are also some obstacles you may need to overcome when interviewing virtually:

• Both you and the candidate need a reliable internet connection, webcam and microphone. Ahead of the interview, make sure that each candidate has access to the technology and software they need to attend the interview, so they’re not at a disadvantage.
• Unexpected internet connectivity problems could cause delays or make it hard to communicate.
• Distractions such as bad lighting, cluttered surroundings, noise and other people in the room can detract from the video interview and what is being said.

Types of Virtual Interviews

There are two main types of virtual interviews that you can choose between: one-way interviews and two-way interviews.

One-way Interview

A one-way video interview, or ‘pre-recorded’ interview, is where the interviewer isn’t present on screen. In this scenario, the interviewer gives the candidate a series of set questions in advance and the candidate responds by recording and submitting their answers. The candidate can have multiple takes at recording their answers before sending them to you. 

As an employer, a one-way interview can be useful because it means you’re able to review each candidate’s answers in your own time. You don’t need to schedule a specific time slot to speak to the interviewees and can attain answers to some of the more general questions (such as ‘why did you apply for this role?’) before arranging a more formal face-to-face interview. One-way video interviews are useful for pre-screening multiple candidates during the selection process.

Two-way Video Interview 

A two-way video interview, or a ‘live’ interview, is where the interviewer and candidate are ‘face-to-face’ and can see each other on a platform such as Microsoft Teams, Skype or Zoom. Two-way interviews are more common than one-way interviews.

In a two-way interview, both the interviewer and interviewee log in to the same video call and the questions are asked and answered on the spot. There’s no chance for the candidate to redo their answers and it often requires them to think on their feet, just as they would if the interview was in person.

Need a Course?

Our Interview Skills Training for Managers has been designed to help managers increase their confidence when hiring by detailing the recruitment process from start to finish.

Virtual Interview Tips for Employers

There are many rules that apply to virtual interviews the same as face-to-face, for example, you still need to dress professionally and prepare your questions in advance. With a video interview, however, there are various other elements to consider that you may not have thought about before. A few of these are listed below:

1. Pick a quiet, well-lit location
This reduces the chance of distractions and ensures that what your candidate can see behind you looks welcoming and professional. You may have to move furniture around to create a backdrop that looks appealing on screen – aim for somewhere plain and with good lighting, without distracting clutter or people.

2. Prepare the environment
Candidates will be assessing your business from what they can see so, to create a good impression of your business: 

• Avoid empty meeting rooms as they will create an echo. Plants and soft furnishings absorb sound and will stop echoes from happening.
• Inform your colleagues when the interview is going on and where so that they don’t interrupt.
• When you set up the webcam, make sure it’s an arm’s length away from where you’ll be sitting and at eye level. The candidate only needs to see your head and shoulders.

3. Figure out your tech
Before the interview, practise the call with a colleague to make sure everything works. Test your video call software, camera, microphone and background and make adjustments where needed. Avoid using a tablet or phone for the interview if possible as they don’t have the capabilities of a computer or laptop.

4. Turn off distracting or noisy background apps
Whether the computer you’re using for the interview is your personal or work one, make sure that any applications with alert noises are switched off, so they don’t interrupt your virtual interview or cause a distraction.

5. Dress appropriately
Even though the candidate might not be able to see all of you, you should still dress as if the interview were face-to-face. This means dressing appropriately and professionally.

6. Speak clearly
Speak slowly, loudly and clearly when doing a virtual interview as connection problems and background noise can sometimes make communication harder. Try to focus on your screen rather than on your notes, too, so that the candidate can see your facial expressions. It can help to have another person present to take notes so that you’re not trying to multitask.

7. During the interview, sit still
Figure out before the interview if you’re going to sit or stand. Equally, make sure you have everything you need so you’re not reaching around or disappearing off screen. Have the candidate’s job description, your questions and their CV on the table in front of you.

8. Sort out a backup plan
Things do go wrong, so make sure you have the candidate’s phone number to hand during the video chat so that you can call them if you need to.

Conducting interviews through video can be a great change of pace and open up opportunities for all sorts of candidates. As with all interview styles, there are pros and cons, so it’s important to get your video interviews set up and running right to ensure you get the most out of the process.

What to Read Next:

• Making the Right Hire: Interview Assessment Template for Employers
• Interviewing Skills Quiz
• Should You Really “Hire For Attitude, Train For Skill”?
• How to Stand Out in a Virtual Interview: Preparation Tips

The post How to Conduct a Successful Video Interview appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In the past, many people worked for the same employer for their entire career. Nowadays, the situation is very different, with life assurance firm LV reporting that UK workers change jobs on average every five years.

As a result, we all need to develop our knowledge and skills throughout our working lives. Continuous learning has become the norm. Upskilling (refreshing or developing skills to keep up to date with technological and business developments¹) and retraining (the process of learning a new vocation or skillset¹) are both essential elements of a successful career. 

This article examines the importance of transferable skills in today’s rapidly changing jobs market and considers:

• What we mean by transferable skills.
• Real-life examples that illustrate transferable skills in practice.
• Why transferable skills are so crucial for individuals and employers.
• Strategies for developing transferable skills.

What Are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are abilities and talents which are relevant to a wide range of different jobs and industries. Given the current pace of change, they are the skills that will be most critical for your future career success. 

Transferable skills can be ‘hard’ skills (objective abilities that can be taught and measured – for example, data analysis²), or ‘soft’ skills (sometimes referred to as ‘interpersonal’ or ‘people’ skills, these are subjective and harder to measure – for example, teamwork²). 

According to the Niagara Institute, the top transferable skills which appear consistently in studies and articles are:

• Adaptability and resilience.
• Critical thinking.
• Initiative.
• Resourcefulness.
• Creativity and innovation.
• Leadership.
• Emotional intelligence.
• Communication.
• Teamwork and collaboration.

It can sometimes be difficult to think of real-life examples that demonstrate our transferable skills, as we often use these skills without realising it. For example, putting yourself in the customer’s shoes when dealing with a complaint is an example of showing empathy, which is a type of emotional intelligence. Similarly, understanding your own emotional response to situations and considering how your behaviour affects others is an example of self-awareness, another form of emotional intelligence.

Transferable skills can be developed in other ways, such as at school, college, or university, through voluntary work and placements, and even in social settings – for example, helping to organise events and playing an active role in a community group.

More real-life examples of transferable skills include:

• Adaptability and resilience – how do you adjust your plans when circumstances beyond your control lead to delays – for example, being unable to get hold of goods and materials?
• Critical thinking – how do you approach problems in your day-to-day work – for example, deciding on the most suitable parts to use when fixing a plumbing issue?
• Initiative – have you ever resolved a problem before you’ve been asked to do so? Initiative is about independently assessing the situation and coming up with solutions. 
• Resourcefulness – this is similar to initiative – for example, are there times when you’ve been short-staffed and had to think on your feet to find ways to maintain high levels of customer service?
• Creativity and innovation – have you ever suggested changes to an existing process which have led to improvements for the business and its customers? 
• Leadership – if you’re not in a role where you lead or manage a team, are there other activities which you organise – for example, team celebrations, company Christmas parties, and fundraising events?
• Communication – can you think of a situation when you used ‘active listening’ skills to identify a customer’s wants and needs – for example, providing high-quality care to service users in a health and social care setting?
• Teamwork and collaboration – can you identify a time when you stepped in and helped a colleague who was struggling to do something?

Why Are Transferable Skills Important?

Job vacancies in the UK are at record levels, with the number of vacancies exceeding one million for the first time since records began in 2001. It can be tempting to think that transferable skills are somehow less valuable than technical skills; however, research shows that transferable skills are increasingly attractive to employers and highly sought after. 

For employers, transferable skills signal that someone is more likely to make a positive contribution from day one, as they can put their skills to use across a range of job roles and industries. For example, communication skills developed through dealing with customers in a hospitality environment can be applied to a different sector, such as working with children and young people in an education setting. 

Employers will still need to provide job-specific training and support – however, individuals can draw on their prior experiences when they encounter unfamiliar situations and apply transferable skills to deal with challenges they face. This is good for the individual’s own professional development and is also beneficial for employers, as it can improve productivity and reduce training costs.

According to a 2019 UK government survey, employers spend an average of £2,540 annually on a new trainee, compared with an average of £1,530 on an existing employee. With the survey also showing that lack of funds is a significant barrier to providing more training, it’s no surprise to learn that transferable skills are in demand. 

The reality is that everyone benefits from developing transferable skills. In the current climate, there are signs that employers are becoming more flexible and adaptable when recruiting staff. Considering an individual’s transferable skills during the selection process is one example of this and striving to find the ‘perfect fit’ may not always be realistic, or necessary.

However, even though vacancies are at an all-time high, there is still stiff competition for some roles. Highlighting your transferable skills during the application process, and providing real-life examples that show where you have demonstrated these skills, will help you to stand out from the crowd. It could even mean the difference between securing your dream job or missing out. 

Research also reveals that technical skills are becoming obsolete increasingly quickly with the ‘half-life’ or longevity of skills falling to around five years. Developing transferable skills such as adaptability and resilience will foster the mindset and attitudes that will enable you to acquire and master new skills throughout your career, regardless of job role or industry. As skills needs continue to evolve and change, the importance of transferable skills should not be underestimated.  

How Do I Develop Transferable Skills?

The good news is there are a whole host of ways to develop your transferable skills. These include learning ‘on the job’, formal education programmes, and online, face to face, or blended training courses. 

Need Training?

We offer a range of online Personal Development Courses, including transferable skills such as Communication Skills and Leadership and Management.

Self-assessments and checklists are a great way to reflect on your strengths and identify areas for development. You could also try writing a Professional Development Plan to help you set goals and objectives. Giving yourself targets to work towards keeps you motivated and helps you to recognise and celebrate your achievements along the way. 

Here are more practical suggestions to help you develop specific transferable skills:

• Adaptability and resilience – work on your mental fitness. When things don’t go according to plan, it’s human nature to feel disappointment. Techniques like mindfulness and positive affirmations can help you to maintain a sense of perspective and bounce back quickly from challenges. Our article on Resilience in the Workplace is a good starting point if you want to learn more about this. 

• Initiative – focus on solutions. When you’re faced with a problem or an unfamiliar situation, first try to think of different ways to resolve this yourself, weighing up the pros and cons of each option. Then, present these to your manager and decide together on the best course of action.

• Leadership – go above and beyond. Ask your manager to give you extra responsibility, such as the opportunity to manage a particular project or piece of work.

• Teamwork and collaboration – seek out opportunities beyond your own team. Volunteer for projects and tasks which require you to work with colleagues from other teams and departments. This will also help to improve your communication skills. 

If you’re looking to progress to a new role, or change careers altogether, remember to include transferable skills on your CV. Give concrete examples of when and how you’ve used particular skills, focusing on how this helped you to achieve successful outcomes. If you’re writing a CV for the first time, our article contains lots of useful advice and tips.

Transferable skills continue to develop throughout our lives and careers, so it can be helpful to build up a portfolio of evidence from which you can select the examples that are best suited to the role you’re applying for. 

Transferable skills are vital in today’s fast-changing jobs market. Hopefully this article has clarified some of the main transferable skills that employers are looking for, and helped you to understand how to demonstrate your own transferable skills when applying for jobs.

Further Resources

• Communication Skills Online Training Course
• Leadership and Management Online Training Course
• Resilience Training Online Course
• What Excel Skills are Employers Looking For?
• What is the Importance of Digital Skills in the Workplace?
• What Does it Mean to be a T-Shaped Employee?
• A Personal Development Plan (PDP) Guide & Template
• Soft Skills in the Workplace
• Hard Skills in the Workplace

References

1. Educating for the modern world – Learning for life https://www.cbi.org.uk/media/5723/learning-for-life-report.pdf
2. Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What’s the Difference? https://www.thebalancecareers.com/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills-2063780

The post Transferable Skills: What Are They and Why Are They Important? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

The hospitality industry comes with a fair set of challenges and your interviewer will be looking to find out how you would handle this in a time sensitive and, often, high pressure environment. Our hospitality experts have used their decades of experience, on both sides of the interview process, to give you an idea of what you might be asked and what to demonstrate in your answer.

This guide is primarily designed for those being interviewed. However, the suggested questions will also be useful to employers and show what to look out for in an answer.

Use the links below to find the interview tips most relevant to your hospitality role:

Interview Questions for Bar Staff
Interview Questions for Waiters and Waitresses
Interview Questions for Chefs
Interview Questions for Hosts

Let us know how your interview goes and feel free to suggest questions and answers from yours!

Interview Questions for Hosts

A host is the first face the guests see when they enter a restaurant. They need impeccable organisation skills and a warm demeanour as this will be the customer’s first impression of the restaurant itself.

Question: Could you tell me about a time when a booking arrived, their table was not ready and there were no available tables to use?

Answer: In this scenario, there are a few best practice ways to respond and keep guests feeling happy. Some good reactions are to:

• Explain the situation and be honest. If the table before were late arriving they should have been told that the table would be required at 8pm.
• Offer some complimentary drinks and sit them in a waiting area or bar.
• Whilst they are waiting they should be offered menus to look at so that they do not have to wait again when they get to their table. And if everyone has decided, their order can be taken whilst they are waiting.
• Discount may be applied at the end of their meal if it’s required (but, hopefully, your hospitality as a host will have rectified the issue by now).

Question: Can you describe how you prepare for an evening as a host?

Answer: All businesses are different, and every host has their own way of doing things. Generally, though, good hosts will mention things like:

• Having an up to date table plan – either a handwritten or electronic one. Bonus points if you mentioned how you’d make quick adjustments.
• Knowing what’s on the menu.
• Organising a break plan for staff.
• Stockpiling pens and pads.
• Making sure menus are clean and correct.
• Communicating any special table requests well in advance to waiting staff and kitchen.
• Making sure that allergen information is to hand.
• Ensuring entry points are clean and inviting.

You could mention times in your life where organisation has been helpful to consolidate your answer with experience.

Question: Two starters are ready to go. You’ve got a Vegetable Soup and Moules Mariniere. What items should also be on the table to eat the dishes correctly?

Answer: Any host worth their table salt should know you’d need to bring a soup spoon, an extra dish for mussel shells, and a finger bowl filled with lemon and hot water. The interviewer may ask this question about a variety of dishes that require extras so it’s a good idea to look at their menu and think about this in advance.

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Tips for a Hospitality Interview

During the interview, take a step back and remember to take a breath. It’s fine to be nervous – if anything, it shows you care about the role.

It’s better to answer the questions with anecdotes or stories as it shows you’re using your experience to make informed decisions about what you would do. Even if you’re new to the role, think about other roles or experiences you’ve had where you’ve had to use similar skills and use that as an example.

Doing this shows you’re genuine and able to adapt to a new environment, both of which are important in a busy restaurant, bar or pub.

Overall, try and enjoy the interview experience. Even if it doesn’t go as you’d hoped, it’s still a really valuable experience. You can draw on what happened in the interview and use it to improve for next time.

Good luck!

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Further Resources

• Preserving the Art of Hospitality in a Post-Brexit World
• How to Handle Customer Complaints in Hospitality
• Restaurant Hospitality Quiz
• Interview Questions for Waiting Staff
• Cellar Cleaning and Maintenance Schedule for Busy Pubs and Bars
• Interview Questions for Bartenders
• Licensing Law Awareness: Do You Know How to Spot a Fake ID?
• Online Food Hygiene Training

The post Interview Questions for Hospitality Staff appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In particular, you should understand what separates contractors and employees from one another. Many businesses rely on contractors to carry out one-off or infrequent tasks, and although they don’t work for you full time, you still have legal duties to fulfil if you plan to hire them.

This article defines the key differences between contractors and employees. It explains which you may need for certain roles and provides an overview of how to properly comply with the law when you do choose to hire contractors.

What’s the Difference Between Contractors & Employees?

Contractors and employees differ in numerous ways. Employees have permanent positions in a business, meaning they have certain employment rights, the company sets their tasks, and they primarily work for you. A contractor, on the other hand, typically works on a temporary basis and has fewer rights, but they have greater control over their work: they control the time, place, nature, and cost, and can work for numerous businesses at once.

More specifically, the main differences that separate contractors from employees are set out in the table below.

As this table shows, a company’s responsibilities regarding employees and contractors do differ in many ways. However, many of your legal duties still apply, such as health and safety. Therefore, if you plan to hire contractors, you must properly communicate and coordinate with them about safety measures.

Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)

Self-employed contractors and subcontractors who carry out construction work must take note of CIS. It requires contractors to register for the scheme and deduct money from subcontractors’ payments, so they can pass it on to HMRC. Subcontractors must also register.

For more information, visit the government website.

Zero Hour Workers

It’s important to not confuse contractors with zero hour workers, which refers to a casual agreement between employers and people who carry out work for them. In a zero hour contract, the employer does not guarantee the person a set number of hours. Rather, they offer work as and when it’s available. The zero hour worker can either accept or reject these offers as often as they want. They can also have more than one zero hour contract at once if they choose.

If they accept work, they are entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage. They will also accrue certain rights, such as holidays and rest breaks, depending on how much work they carry out over time. However, they are always entitled to other statutory employment rights, such as protection from discrimination. Also, unlike contractors, they must carry out the work themselves, so cannot send someone to do it for them.

You can find out more with our Definitive Guide to the Zero Hour Contract and on the government website.

Do I Need A Contractor?

Hiring contractors is ideal for occasional, short-term tasks, such as maintenance work on a building or equipment. It’s also useful for when you need a set amount of work carrying out and you won’t have more available once it’s complete, such as creating a new website. Furthermore, certain work must be carried out by people with appropriate licensing. For example, gas engineers must be Gas Safe registered to legally work on gas appliances.

Examples of jobs that suit contractor work include:

• Building and construction.
• Roofing and plumbing.
• Decorating and remodelling.
• Electrical engineering.
• Bookkeeping and accounting.
• Machinery inspection and maintenance.
• Architectural work.
• IT work, such as hardware or software troubleshooting.
• Freelance work, such as copywriting or building a website.
• Translation work.
• Gardening.

This is far from an exhaustive list. However, it gives you an idea of the types of jobs that suit contractual work more than full-time employment, as you usually only require them intermittently.

It’s also worth remembering that contractors are usually specialists in their field of work and may have many years of experience. This means that hiring them for specific, intermittent work is ideal. They can easily get on with the work and you can feel confident that they’ll complete it correctly.

That doesn’t mean you should just leave them to it without any input, however. You still have a duty to manage their safety while they’re on your premises, as they may not be aware of the risks that are specific to your premises.

Need a Course?

Our Managing Contractors Training explains exactly what your business and contractors are required to do regarding health and safety procedures. It discusses how to consider the risks associated with contractors’ work and create an appropriate plan to control them.

Tips for Managing Contractors on Site

Contractors have a certain level of responsibility for their own health and safety while they work for you. For example, they must control the risks they create when carrying out the work and must ensure they receive the right training to do so safely. However, your organisation still has essential legal duties that it must fulfil to manage contractors’ health and safety. This is because the contractors won’t be aware of the specific hazards in your workplace and the safety procedures that they need to follow. Similarly, you likely don’t know what exactly their work entails, what hazards it may generate, and how you may need to adjust your safety measures accordingly.

This is why it’s so important to properly communicate and coordinate with them about the work. It takes both of your input to fully control the risks.

Therefore, you should keep the following in mind when managing contractors:

• Under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, employers of workplaces must manage health and safety risks on their premises. This includes those posed to contractors. They must provide them with health and safety information about their premises and coordinate with them to implement appropriate measures.
• You must establish a safe system of work together with contractors. Doing so ensures everyone knows exactly what needs doing and how to effectively manage any risks involved.
• Check that they have the appropriate training and licencing where needed to carry out their work safely and legally.
• You need to share information about health and safety risks. For example, you should exchange health and safety policies and the key findings of your risk assessments. You should also notify them of any major hazards and safety procedures in your workplace. This includes PPE-mandatory areas and any parts of the building that have asbestos.
• Inform them of your emergency procedures, such as what to do during a fire, and give them a site induction.
• Create a permit to work for certain high-risk work. This ensures everyone thoroughly considers risks, follows safety procedures, and hands over work where needed.
• Assign a site contact who can oversee the contractors and keep in touch with them. Contractors should know to contact this person if they have any issues or need to stop the work. Likewise, the site contact should order work to stop if there are major health and safety concerns.

Whatever type of work you need contractors for, you must not overlook your legal duties. This is crucial to keep all contractors and employees safe, and to ensure that work is completely safely and smoothly. This, in turn, keeps your business productive and successful.

What to Read Next:

• Online Health & Safety Training Courses
• Fire Risk Assessment Template
• Toolbox Talks: Guidance and Resources

The post What are the Differences Between Contractors and Employees? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

The contents of this article are: 

• What is Unconscious Bias?
• Types of Unconscious Bias
• How to Overcome Unconscious Bias

What is Unconscious Bias?

Unconscious or implicit bias refers to when you form a quick opinion about a situation or person without being consciously aware of it. Our brains form biases by using knowledge about social situations, attitudes, cultures, stereotypes, emotional reactions, and more. We learn these through experiences and exposure to media throughout our life.

In recruitment, unconscious bias can significantly skew your judgement. While it is important to use your experience to assess applicants, it’s a problem when you’re influenced too heavily by your assumptions, expectations, and preferences.

Need Unconscious Bias Training?

Our Unconscious Bias Training will give you the skills that you need to recognise your own prejudgements and learn how to manage them. By the end of the training, you will be confident in identifying and overcoming your own implicit biases.

Even if our mind frames a bias positively, it can still lead to unfair favouring. For example, if you prefer a candidate who went to University because you associate it with intelligence, it’s still a harmful unconscious bias. A background of higher education doesn’t automatically mean they are more intelligent than other candidates.

Reining in your biases makes recruitment tough for sure. First impressions and gut feelings count for so much during interviews. But preventing unconscious bias is vital, as it can lead to unfair, inaccurate judgements, overlooked talent, or at worst discrimination.

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Types of Unconscious Bias

Below are 9 common examples of unconscious bias in the workplace, particularly in recruitment. By improving your awareness of the various types, you’ll become more self-aware of your personal biases. You’ll strengthen your ability to make fairer, more informed decisions during recruitment that ensure you hire the best people for your business.

Affinity Bias | Attribution Bias | Beauty Bias | Conformity Bias | Confirmation Bias

Contrast Effect | Gender Bias | Halo Effect | Horns Effect

Use these links to jump to a certain section of the article.

Affinity bias

Affinity bias refers to when you unconsciously prefer people who share qualities with you or someone you like. It occurs because your brain sees them as familiar and relatable, and we all want to be around people we can relate to.

For example, if an applicant went to the same school as you or they share similar hobbies, you’re more likely to prefer them over other candidates.

Recruiting people with similar qualities is a no brainer. For the best culture fit, businesses should aim to recruit likeminded people. But you’re not looking for a new best friend. Affinity bias can cloud your judgement of which candidates are most appealing to the whole business. It may cause you to hire fewer diverse personalities, which means less creative views and approaches to work.

Plus, it’s simply unfair. While an applicant may not be like you, they could be just as talented and friendly as those that are.

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Attribution bias

Attribution bias refers to how you perceive your actions and those of others. It stems from our brain’s flawed ability to assess the reasons for certain behaviours – particularly those that lead to success and failure.

We generally attribute our own accomplishments to our skill and personality, and our failures to external factors – to hindrances that we believe are beyond our control. We are less likely to blame and find fault in ourselves.

However, this perception often reverses when we view other people. When they do something successfully, we’re more likely to consider them lucky or benefited by someone else, and more likely to attribute their errors to poor capabilities or personal qualities.

In recruitment, this can skew your view of a candidate’s performance. It can make you focus too hard on their faults, minimise their accomplishments, and potentially disregard a talented candidate.

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Beauty bias

We all unconsciously notice people’s appearances and associate it with their personality. Appearances are important, particularly in a workplace setting, as they reflect on professionalism and self-awareness. However, many of us judge others too harshly based on their physical attractiveness.

It’s unfair to think that a person doesn’t make ‘enough’ of an effort with their appearance, or that they put in ‘too much’ effort. This can lead to assumptions about their personality and skills. You can’t assume that a person who dresses professionally and tidies their hair is an all-around organised person. The opposite could easily be true.

Other times, you may unconsciously dislike certain features in a person. Maybe you think they’re too short, that they have poor posture, or they don’t have an expressive face. These may stem from a subconscious, stereotypical view of what a successful or friendly person looks like.

These assumptions may cause you to unfairly favour ‘attractive’ people during recruitment, despite the fact that we should embrace physical diversity and never judge a book by its cover.

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Conformity bias

Conformity bias happens when your views are swayed too much by those of other people. It occurs because we all seek acceptance from others – we want to hold opinions and views that our community accepts.

In recruitment, conformity bias is common. When a majority of the group shares an opinion about a candidate, you usually decide to agree with them even if your original opinion differed.

Chances are, if most people feel strongly about a candidate, it’s because they all noticed something similar. A unanimous view is less likely to come from a place of bias. However, you shouldn’t let it prevent you from voicing your opinions and views. Your opinions may draw attention to facts about a candidate that others didn’t spot.

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Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias refers to how people primarily search for bits of evidence that back up their opinions, rather than looking at the whole picture. It leads to selective observation, meaning you overlook other information and instead focus on things that fit your view. You may even reject new information that contradicts your initial evidence.

For example, let’s say a candidate arrives 10 minutes late. You assume that they lack organisational skills, so throughout the interview you selectively focus on anything that backs up this idea. For instance, you focus on the fact that their CV lacks examples of self-managed projects.

Most people subconsciously slip into confirmation bias because they seek confirmation that their initial assessment of a person is correct. We even do it to back up other unconscious biases, so it’s important to keep it in check. Otherwise, you may unfairly decide to not hire a candidate based on your faulty assessment.

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Contrast effect

This type of bias occurs when you assess two or more similar things and compare them with one another, rather than looking at each based on their own merits.

The contrast effect is common in recruitment. When you receive dozens of similar CVs, it’s useful to compare applications to narrow down your choices.

However, the contrast effect can make you judge too harshly and set your standards too high. It can make you overlook the fact that you’re looking for people who can fit the role. You’re not assessing who can submit the most flawless CV or make it through the interview without a stutter.

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Gender bias

Gender bias is simply a preference for one gender over the other. It often stems from our deep-seated beliefs about gender roles and stereotypes.

In recruitment, gender bias can cause you to unconsciously lean towards a candidate based on their gender and the qualities you associate with it. For example, you may subconsciously think a man better fits a physically demanding job.

In particular, gender bias occurs because we favour people that we can relate to, especially those of the same gender. We often connect with them easier because of shared gender-specific physical and emotional experiences.

Even from the moment your job advert goes live, you may inadvertently favour one gender over the other. Certain terminology appeals more to men than women and vice versa.

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Halo effect

The halo effect occurs when we focus on one particularly great feature about a person. You view everything about the person in a positive, ‘halo’ light, which makes you think they’re more perfect than they are. Similar to affinity and confirmation bias, this makes us overlook other information. It skews our opinion of other aspects, including negative ones.

In recruitment, you need to prevent the the halo effect from blinding you. Otherwise, you may hire a candidate that, once the halo glow wears off, is actually not as fit for the role as you thought.

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Horns effect

The horns effect is the opposite of the halo effect: you focus on one particularly negative feature about a person, which clouds your view of their other qualities.

For example, if a person uses a particular turn of phrase you dislike, you may suddenly dislike everything else they say.
In recruitment, you need to avoid concentrating on aspects you personally dislike. One mistake or flaw does not represent them as a whole.

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How to Overcome Unconscious Bias

Now that you understand the meaning of unconscious bias and recognise the various types, you’ll start noticing when you slip into these mind sets.

However, people find it difficult to go against their subconscious values and opinions. Completely rerouting your biases is a much greater challenge than simply noticing them.

Use the following strategies to counter your unconscious biases:

• Take your time during decision-making processes. Making the right pick is more important than making a fast pick to save money and time, so you should avoid snap judgements or opinions. Instead, make sure you fully assess each candidate’s capabilities and keep an open mind. Remember: the things you value in a person may differ from those of someone else in the business.
• Think about each person as an individual. You should avoid comparing one candidate to another and should judge each based on their own merit instead. To prevent selective observation, look at them from all sides and justify your assessments with varied evidence.
• Include a variety of people in recruitment processes. Other people’s views and input help you spot and address your own preconceptions, which in turn helps reduce recruitment bias.
• Change your outlook to prevent attribution bias. Everyone should aim to assess others more positively – to give credit where it’s due and not magnify shortcomings.
• Be honest with yourself. It’s okay to have biases – we all do. It doesn’t make you any less of a person. What’s important is that you control them and actively look for ways to expand and revise your views. Be open to change.
• Improve everyone’s awareness of equality and diversity. You can take training courses that teach people the benefits of a multicultural workplace. It helps you recognise any biases you hold that go against building an equal, diverse team.
• Write down your opinions and impressions of applicants. Doing so helps you compare and collate ideas with others in the group, as well as question your own biases and the opinions of others. This reduces conformity bias and helps you gain a well-rounded view of candidates, which in turn allows you to reach a fairer, unanimous decision.

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What to Read Next:

• How To Deal With Anxiety at Work
• How to Start a Presentation For An Interview
• Unconscious Bias Quiz
• Unconscious Bias Training Course

The post What is Unconscious Bias in Recruitment? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.