Oct 5, 2023 | IT, Tips, Well Being
Love it or hate it, most of us engage in banter’s gentle conversational teasing in some form be it with friends, family or colleagues. Exchanging personal digs and satirical jibes has long been a staple form of social communication and when used correctly it has the power to raise a smile, defuse tension, ease confrontation and even forge friendships.
By its very nature banter walks a fine line between playfulness and insult so small wonder it can easily result in conflict. In most cases, light-hearted, playful mickey-taking between friends and colleagues is taken in good humor however, these remarks are highly subjective and open to wide-ranging interpretation. After all, a joke at someone’s expense will always have the potential to deeply offend.
So how do we know when it’s gone too far? Well, banter can start to become bullying when both parties no longer engage equally. At best, a well-intended comment can backfire and insult forcing an apology. At worst, the intention behind the comment may be hostile signaling a deeper issue. Frequency and repetition can worsen things and magnify them even further should a complaint fail to stop it.
The darkest side of banter occurs when the offending party uses it to justify aggressive behavior often involving innuendo, prejudice or humiliation. For example, a tribunal, during the Minto v Wernick Event Hire Ltd case, found a man guilty of sex discrimination and harassment. He tried to brush off his derogatory and sexually driven comments as “only banter” when in fact the complainant was so appalled she took him to court.
So how risky is banter and as concerned Managers, what can we do about it?
Here are 5 ideas we believe will help:
Easily the first port of call. It should go without saying that your company will have staff behavior, anti-bullying, equality and diversity policies but are you familiar with them? Have a good read and arm yourself with the rules to help you identify dangerous or discriminatory behavior and structure any informal or formal conversations.
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Education & Consequence, Not Control
You will never control people or the impulsive comments they make so don’t even try. Becoming a dystopian-style anti-banter cop will cause more problems than it’ll solve and cause stress and hypersensitivity all over the place. Instead, focus on regular staff education sessions to help people understand company policy, the impact of ‘banter gone wrong’, bullying, and the consequences of failing to adhere to the rules.
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Cultivate A Culture of Respect, Fairness, Ethics & Diversity
In your department, though ideally the entire company, establish a philosophy of trust. Trust will form a cultural foundation to encourage people to listen, help, and above all care for each other. There are so many benefits to this approach (totally another blog) but of course this includes lowering the chances of banter becoming bullying.
Don’t wait for a complaint. If you spot someone suffering a disproportionate stick for something try to stamp it out. Most people will tolerate a great deal before they make a complaint but that doesn’t mean they’re enjoying it. Not only will you earn their respect by delicately intervening but you’ll almost certainly see their mood and performance improve too.
Empower junior managers, team leaders and senior staff to reinforce the rules, spot risky banter and support anyone on the receiving end of any negativity. They can choose to escalate it if necessary but in most cases the issues will fizzle out. Most importantly, the more people banging the drum, the quicker your culture will change.
In conclusion, most of the time banter is harmless however, to avoid any problems we need to be proactively aware of what people are saying to each other and be ready to step in when needed with quiet words or disciplinary action. Focus on education and develop a positive culture of trust and respect to encourage better communication and empathetic decision-making.
Good Luck and Happy Bantering!
Check out Langley James’ resources and articles on a range of business topics: https://www.langleyjames.net/blog
To find out why so many companies turn to Langley James for support in fulfilling their IT recruitment needs, call and speak to one of our specialist consultants today on 0207 788 6600.
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Jan 24, 2022 | IT, Management, Well Being
The 4-day working week has been getting a lot of publicity recently. With some companies signed up to a 6 month trial, and more companies embracing flexible working, what does this mean to you?
It’s been almost 2 years now since we all picked up our desks and relocated them into our homes. But now, as we approach the end of restrictions, the want to be back in the office is returning. However, not full time! According to a recent report, 57% of the UK workforce want hybrid working options. And rather surprisingly, and in a shift from last year, just 5% want to work from home full time. So, the physical workplace is making a return. And then the 4-day week conversation start!
We look at the pros and cons of a 4-day week and what it means for your IT teams.
PRO – The 4-day week and its impact on productivity
You may think that a day less in the office, means losing 8 hours of productivity. In the most cases, this is a total myth! Reducing the working week to 4 days has proven to increase productivity by as much as 40%! There have been numerous pieces of research and reports that support the reduction in the working week. The idea of having 3 days off during the week, instead of just 2, is to regain some work life balance. Your team are more refreshed, have better mental health and will be more productive as a result.
Did you know that the average person is only productive for 3 hours in an 8 hour day? 3 hours! This is the thinking behind a 4-day week. If your IT team is only being productive for 15 hours a week, cutting down to 4 days in theory makes them productive for 4 hours a day. You may think that this is a crazy concept. And we know that for a slim minority who can focus for 8 hours solid, a 4-day week just won’t work. However, for the vast majority it will.
TOP TIP – When someone is focused on their work, an interruption can cost them dearly. Did you know that when you are ‘in the flow’ and someone interrupts you, it takes you 23 minutes to get back into the flow? Whether it’s your emails, phone calls, or just general office chat, minimising interruptions will make your team more productive.
if you want to find out more about this subject, we highly recommend listening to the podcast – The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett. In particular the session with Johann Hari on How to fix your focus and stop procrastinating.
PRO – A key driver for talent retention and happiness at work
Flexible working has always been a key retainer. And none more so in IT teams, particularly when it comes to development roles. With reports of over 60% of UK professionals wanting to change roles this year, 24% site the lack of flexible working for their reason to move on. The labour market, and in particular IT, is experiencing a skills shortage like never before. The UK has lost over 600k people from its labour market, and this means that we need new ways to attract the best people to your business. Being able to offer a more flexible work pattern, or indeed a 4-day week is definitely a perk that will persuade people to not only join, but to stay with your business.
Introducing a 4-day week can also help increase loyalty within your business. When we have more time to do the things that we love, we become happier in ourselves. Therefore, giving your teams that extra time off will mean that they are more committed to you. Studies have shown that it also helps to reduce absence. Those long weekends really do have a positive impact on our wellbeing.
CON – It’s not for everyone!
The 4-day week is only possible if you business is able to adapt to this new way of working. How do you decide what day people have off? Is it all together, or would it be allocated on a rota. This is something to seriously consider. It won’t work for every business, just in the same way that it won’t work for every employee. Some employees are naturally more productive than others. Some are able to be productive for 7 or 8 hours straight! These are the people that a 4 day week would have a negative impact on.
They are your team members that will be more prone to working longer hours in the 4 days and increasing the likelihood of work-related stress. This is an important thing to manage as the wellbeing of your team should be a key priority in 2022. Longer hours can also mean that mistakes will be made too as people rush or get jaded from a long day.
Are you recruiting?
If you are recruiting into your IT team and want some insight and advice into how to attract the best candidates, get in touch. We’ve been helping companies attract fantastic IT candidates for over 20 years and we’d love to do the same for you. Get in touch with our team today on 0207 788 6600 / 01244 566 442
Mar 27, 2020 | Tips, Well Being
Lock down. Home Bound. Stuck. For many of us, life looks completely different to how it was just a few weeks ago. Home working or furloughed, being sat on a sofa isn’t exactly brilliant for our health. It’s hard too – Surrounded by creature comforts, unending visual entertainment, apps, food and drink, we can all be forgiven for taking a little time to relax and indulge in the face of stress.
But what happens if we’re at
home for weeks, months even? What price will we pay for overindulging?
It’s important we do what we
can to replace or improve body movement or face an inevitable dip both in mental
and physical health. In short, doing nothing for a sustained period of time
will make us sad, fat and prone to new health concerns.
We asked our colleague and
former Manager of Beth Tweddle Gymnastics, Lauren Caldwell, what 5 things we
can do to stay fit at home and make the most of our daily exercise allowance.
Here’s what she had to say:
Couch to 5K
Often when trying to get into
exercise, we can overdo it, feel defeated and give up when we’re just getting
started. Couch
to 5K works because it starts with a mix of running and walking
that gradually builds up your fitness and stamina. You can follow the programme
through a podcast that talks you through each run as you go, or use their
clever app that tracks your progress, coaches you through each run and allows
you to listen to your own music while you do it.
Already a major hit in the UK,
the Couch to 5K plan involves 3 runs a week, with a rest day in between and
different schedule for each of the 9 weeks. It’s a really good place to start
if you’re not used to running and want to make the most of getting outside once
a day!
NOTE: Remember to maintain
social distancing rules when outside.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval
Training)
This type of training can be
done with little to no equipment and you only need a small space – ideal for a
lockdown!
HIIT is a cardio session split
into short bursts of focused hard work. The simple idea of high-intensity
training is to raise the intensity of your cardio.
The great thing about HIIT is
that it will only take up a small amount of your time, just 30 minutes max. It
is recommended to have a day’s rest in between each HIIT workout to avoid
overtraining which can result in injury.
There are hundreds of personal
trainers on Instagram and YouTube posting HIIT workouts that you can try. Take
a look!
ZUMBA
Zumba is a well-known fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves aimed at improving cardiovascular fitness. This is seriously fun and wonderfully entertaining. If you’re into dance – and even if you’re not – you will have a lot of fun with Zumba. You’ll find vast libraries of Zumba instruction videos on YouTube and other streaming sites, so find one for beginners and give it a try!
Yoga
If you’re looking to add a bit
of zen to your social distancing, yoga is a great way to reduce stress and calm
the nervous system while improving flexibility and helping to maintain a
balanced metabolism.
The fundamental purpose of
yoga is to foster harmony in the body, mind, and environment. Yoga claims to
offer a complete system of physical, mental, social, and spiritual development.
Again, there are loads of video
tutorials online to suit your ability, from beginners to advanced. If you can, you
should use a yoga mat (or something similar) to avoid any carpet burns. If you have
one, you could use a camping mat instead!
10K Step Challenge
Fun fact: The idea that humans
must take 10,000 steps a day came from a marketing campaign.
In 1965, a Japanese company chose
to name their pedometer ‘the 10,000-step meter’. It’s widely believed this name
was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks sort of like a man walking. There was no science
behind it, just a great gimmick.
That being said, it is still
true that taking 10,000 steps a day will help you burn an extra 2,000-3,500
calories per week. To put that into perspective, 1 lb of fat equates to around
3500 calories so this could be a good way to help keep the weight off whilst we
are under these Covid-19 restrictions!
10K sounds like a lot, but you’d be amazed at how many steps you will clock up in a short space of time – even just walking around your house while you’re on the phone will make a dent in that total. You can use your phone to track your steps, and there are number of fitness trackers you can buy online for relatively little money. We wouldn’t recommend manually tracking your steps though; you mind find it somewhat stressful! 1…2…3…4…
So, there you go. 5 ways to
stay fit, have fun and keep occupied at home. When you’re done, by all means,
fire up Netflix and melt back into your sofa… mmm boxsets…
Stay Safe!
Feb 4, 2020 | Well Being
It’s Sunday night. You’ve spent much of the day in your jim-jams binging box sets, but you’ve just crossed that uneasy 6pm line between the weekend and Monday eve. Thoughts of work creep in and interfere with your chill. Wide-eyed you suddenly remember the work you bailed on in favour of a Friday afternoon wine. Anxiety strikes and you start to fear the coming dawn.
It’s OK, we’ve all been there. But, what now?
First things first, calm down. Sure, it would’ve been better if you’d met your deadlines, but you’ll be a model of focus and self-control with these 5 clever tactics to help you form a fast and highly effective plan for fighting off the dreaded Sunday night fear;
1: Focus
The biggest waste of time right now is panicked, anxious, self-critical thought. Woulda, coulda, shoulda nonsense offers no value or solutions. Take a deep breath and decide right now to focus on an action plan instead of paralysing thought-analysis.
(exhale) Game face time.
2: Get organised
With your newfound focus, list every incomplete task you can remember from last week and prioritise two things:
- Stuff your boss wants asap
- Stuff your whistle-blowing clients or colleagues want asap
This is what you need to do first to avoid the first wave of trouble. Everything else can wait.
3: Prepare some easy wins
Next up, let’s add achievement and progress to the plan for tomorrow. Go back to your list and look at:
- Jobs you’ve nearly finished
- Jobs that’ll take 5/10 minutes to complete
- Bigger jobs that you can start to demonstrate you’re “on it”
With the urgent stuff done, your ‘job complete’ list is about to look pretty impressive. Perhaps better than a normal day! Doesn’t that feel good?
4: Remember your successes
With a solid catch up plan now in place why not add a layer of self-care?
Let go of the ‘what I didn’t do’ worry and recall what went well. We give ourselves such a hard time, it’s important to celebrate the wins too. After all, if challenged you’ll want to run off your wins without hesitation.
This leads us nicely to the final part of your fear battle…
5: Reward yourself
No one will appreciate the effort involved to haul yourself from the brink of calamity so there’s unlikely to be gold at the end of your secret and suspiciously brown rainbow. Instead, bask in the smell of your own glory by rewarding yourself with an unusually elaborate lunch or special treat.
Phew! Panic over. In just five easy steps you’ve calmed down, worked out how you’ll meet deadlines, prioritise tasks and enjoy recent successes. Thinking about your achievements will improve confidence, reduce stress and get you back on track for a good night’s sleep and a productive week. Well done. Now to plan that fancy-ass lunch!
May 16, 2019 | Well Being
It’s Sunday night. You’ve spent much of the day in your jim-jams binging box sets, but you’ve just crossed that uneasy 6pm line between the weekend and Monday eve. Thoughts of work creep in and interfere with your chill. Wide eyed you suddenly remember the work you bailed on in favour of a Friday afternoon wine in the sun. Anxiety strikes and you start to fear the coming dawn. It’s OK, we’ve all been there. But, what now?
First things first, calm down. Sure, it would’ve been better if you’d met your deadlines, but you’ll be a model of focus and self-control with these 5 clever tactics to help you form a fast and highly effective plan for fighting off the dreaded Sunday night fear;
1: Stop overthinking
The biggest waste of time right now is panicked, anxious, self-critical thought. Woulda, coulda, shoulda nonsense offers no value or solutions. Take a deep breath and decide right now to focus on an action plan instead of paralysing thought-analysis.
(exhale) Game face time.
2: Get organised
With your newfound focus, list every incomplete task you can remember from last week and prioritise two things:
1 – Stuff your boss wants asap
2 – Stuff your whistle-blowing clients or colleagues want asap
This is what you need to do first to avoid the first wave of trouble. Everything else can wait.
3: Prepare some easy wins
Next up, lets add achievement and progress to the plan for tomorrow. Go back to your list and look at:
– Jobs you’ve nearly finished
– Jobs that’ll take 5/10 minutes to complete
– Bigger jobs that you can start to demonstrate you’re “on it”
With the urgent stuff done, your ‘job complete’ list is about to look pretty impressive. Perhaps better than a normal day! Doesn’t that feel good?
4: Remember your Successes
With a solid catch up plan now in place why not add a layer of self-care?
Let go of the ‘what I didn’t do’ worry and recall what went well. We give ourselves such a hard time, it’s important to celebrate the wins too. After all, if challenged you’ll want to run off your wins without hesitation.
This leads us nicely to the final part of your fear battle…
5: Reward yourself
No one will appreciate the effort involved to haul yourself from brink of calamity so there’s unlikely to be gold at the end of your secret and suspiciously brown rainbow. Instead, bask in the smell of your own glory by rewarding yourself with an unusually elaborate lunch or special treat.
Phew! Panic over. In just five easy steps you’ve calmed down, worked out how you’ll meet deadlines, prioritise tasks and enjoy recent successes. Thinking about your achievements will improve confidence, reduce stress and get you back on track for a good night’s sleep and a productive week. Well done. Now to plan that fancy ass lunch!
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