For the folks in the retail industry, the term time banking would not be new but for the benefit of others; the original term for time banking is used to describe bartering services for other benefits other than money.

On Monday, 15 June 2020, Straits Times published an article titled “Pay now, work later” talks about how employees are faced with the situation where they have to “return the working hours” through overtime and in some cases employees can’t take leave or have their annual leaves reduced.

Some employees have also complaint that they felt that employers had resorted to unfair cost-cutting measures, including wage cuts, retrenchment and work redeployment during this period and now with some being hit by this, more employees are feeling disgruntled.

Here are a 4 areas employers and HR practitioners can mediate the situation and manage unhappy employees:

1. Don’t assume the problem is taken care of

The biggest mistake you can make is assuming the problem is taken care of after you passed down the information. Failing to handle the situation correctly and then failing to follow up can lead to a multitude of other problems.

2. Keep the atmosphere positive

Show that you are proud of the team and workplace. Indulge in motivational talks and in building team spirit. Create a positive work culture in the organization by focusing on details such as listening to feedbacks, expressing recognition and maintain optimism even during tough times.

3. Approach the subject with empathy

Be aware that the disgruntled employee is likely not trying to make life difficult for you – they probably want to do well and there are some obstacles in their way. If they want to do well, and you want them to do well, then you have something in common and that commonality is a great place to start from.

If there is a need for employees to take off due to personal exigency, employer should show empathy and allow time off if required.

4. Communicate

No relationship can thrive in without good communications. Management must focus on being fair and take efforts to dispel any misconception about mistreatment at workplace.

Good communication between a employers and employees is essential for a positive working relationship. Employees need to understand what you want them to accomplish, but you also need to have an idea of what they expect from you.

The key to good communication is to be clear and direct. If there are issues, don’t avoid them and pretend they don’t exist. Address them head-on and make it clear why it’s an issue. Especially if you are carrying bad news, it’s much better to be direct with your words.

About Enable Consulting

Established in 2013, enable Consulting is a specialised HR solutions provider for small and medium-sized enterprises.

We believe that having a strong and robust HR function is a key driver for continuous growth in any successful business. It is on this belief that we have built many successful partnerships with clients across different industries.

We are a people business and it is our talent pool that defines us. Each and every one of our consultants is highly professional with many years of experience in HR management and services.

Our Consultants are PMC certified to further be able to help local SMEs improve and optimise their HR operational efficiency through Singapore Grants. enable is about offering affordable, high value adding solutions to improve business performance; while at the same time nurturing and inspiring a fair and respectful working environment. But above all, enable is about enabling you.

Contact us for a non-obligatory Q&A consultation today

News Aggregation (22 June 2020)