Teryl @ Work

Resignation – avoid burning those bridges It has been a great pleasure working with a colleague like you. Now, you are off to your next big challenge! Good luck and farewell! Isn’t that what we all want to hear when we leave?  We were appreciated and we will be missed. The need for all parties to maintain professional conduct in the event of resignation is critical, particularly now when we are working within an unsettled socio-economic climate. Employees should avoid damaging relationships, and employers need to adopt a neutral approach and ensure that there are policies and processes that enable the separation to be objectively handled.  For example: ·        A formal resignation letter is required ·        A formal acceptance of resignation is issued confirming any special conditions ·        An exit interview takes place ·        Handovers are planned and executed Our HR team advise those who resign their position to adhere to a few golden rules. Failu

Working at home – Lifestyle AND Career Choice It’s becoming easier.   Technology enables working from anywhere.   Go into any coffee shop and see the number of people working at laptops, holding meetings and sharing cell phone business conversations with the world at large… But if you work for a corporate and are planning a big career, do the advantages of missing the daily commute and the noise and buzz of open plan space outweigh the disadvantages? I do not believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder in the work environment.  In fact, just the opposite. Teams work because they are close together.  You don’t build ability in a sports team by everybody practicing in separate venues and coming together five minutes before a match.  The same goes for a choir. Or is that changing with social media?   Are people able to build up great team spirit and work effectively without proximity? I think it’s possible unless the model is not consistent.   So if you have a tea

3 things to do BEFORE you sign your new employment contract 1.        Consider additional costs you might incur so that you know what take home pay is the basis for negotiation ·          Benefits you might be losing eg Canteen ·          Distance from home o     Higher transport costs o     Additional child care costs for earlier drop off/later collection 2.        Ask to see a copy of a payslip ·          Most companies will be happy to do this to ensure there is a clear understanding of take home pay ·          The time to negotiate your new salary is before the contract is drawn up.   Backwards and forwards paperwork and mail is time wasting and annoying.   It starts the relationship off on the wrong footing.  If you are not happy with the nett pay on the “demo” payslip, don’t just drop the conversation.  If you are interested in the position, tell them your concerns, and ensure that the potential new employer has an opportunity to revise their first offer.

or sign a new contract… 1.         Confirm your notice period ·          A lot of companies allow 30 days from date of resignation, but many ask for a calendar month 2.        Check your restraints ·          If you are joining a competitor ·          If you are joining a client 3.        Find out when your last payment will be transferred ·          Companies have been burned by paying over on the 25 th , and people not returning, so they may delay payment transfer until the last official working day, or even the first day of the following month.  You may need to make special arrangements regarding debit orders …. Both your current company and your new one deserve to be fairly treated.   Knowledge of the policies makes this possible. Even if the policies don’t make sense to you, you agreed to them when you signed your contract. HR managers will tell you how many great working relationships are damaged because people don’t follow policy when resigning.