United Welsh’s Post

***Morleys Staff Conference 2024 Highlights*** We packed a lot into our all company conference this month! Newly appointed Managing Director Adam Smith shared his vision for the exciting future of the business. Marketing Manager Janinne Taylor talked through developments from the last 6 months and gave insights on what's to come. And we launched our company values, presented the Employee of the Season 2024 award and took part in the Morleys Olympics! 🏅 Check out our video highlights! #morleys #staffconference #businessupdate #teambonding #EmployeeAppreciation

We’re delighted to announce that The Rank Group plc (‘Rank’) has renewed their partnership with 55/Redefined as an Age Accredited employer for the third consecutive year, confirming their commitment to inclusivity in their organisation for over-50's talent. Rank is one of the great names in British entertainment. Their brands include Grosvenor Casinos, Mecca Bingo, Enracha, with licenced venues that bring people together for fun and laughter in more than 100 communities. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace is a key focus for the Group as part of their wider ED&I programme. Welcoming over-50's talent is helping them to attract and retain new employees and lead the way in embracing the many benefits of a multi-generational workforce. Hazel Boyle, Chief People Officer at Rank said; "We value developing talent of any age on their growth journey and our accreditation with 55/Redefined demonstrates our continued commitment to building an inclusive work culture, based on respect and fairness for all. Rank is a place where anyone can work, win and grow." If you’d like to join the growing number of 55/Redefined Age Accredited Employers, please contact Simon Long or email hello@55redefined.com #agediversity #over50’s #consulting #rank #creativity #innovation #futurism

It's only a week until the PIBAwards are celebrated at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hull - an exciting evening for many employees in the region. People in Business Awards shortlist announced with more nominations than ever! You can find out more on this guest editorial, about who's on that list and additional information in the latest edition of our business publication. https://lnkd.in/e-whJtFP #Hull #yhbusiness #awards #localbusinesses #businessnews

An inspirational session at Sunderland AFC - as part of the North East Chamber of Commerce Knowledge Programme, sponsored by NCG - Enabling High-Performance Workplaces Nicola Leyden spoke about the need for authenticity and being consistent. Jeanette Matthews emphasised playing to people’s strengths and the importance of being optimistic. Gerard Garvey shared the power of connecting people across a large organisation by harnessing a common purpose. Nikki Hutchinson spoke of the importance of learning from losing, to build resilience For Su Cumming building the right infrastructure and recruiting the right people has been key. Marcus North spoke of using an exciting vision to help pull together a team from scratch within weeks. Steph Libbey recommended not reacting too positively or negatively after results – instead to look to the underlying performance. Melanie Reay spoke of the importance of frequently reviewing performance as a team (something the panel agreed Sports Teams do much better than Business Teams) - beware of Mel and her tennis ball!! Thanks for Lisa Burt for asking the questions Also, a shout-out to Tom Clarke who was a great discussion partner during the breaks. Catching-up with Lewis Cann who spoke about the power of being vulnerable as a leader (he certainly is a great role model). Lovely to meet Judith Armatage another passionate member of the great Talentheads Team. Finally, thanks to Clare McCabe for recommending this session to me. Big takeaways for me ⁃ Leaders need to work hard to create a high-performance environment  ⁃ All these leaders had a clear vision for their organisation and were able to communicate this with clarity and passion. ⁃ They all believed in people and were living their words - All talked about establishing trust and being open (indeed everyone was very open with their experiences). ⁃ Interestingly there were many similarities but I was struck by the fact that each Leader made decisions based on what was right for their organisation ….. if you want to create the right environment it’s not just a case of copying others and ticking a box, it needs to be right for you and your organisation – you can’t fake it.

RECOGNITION - Please scroll down Recognition plays a crucial role in the satisfaction and motivation as an independant distributor with UW, especially as we help families save money as well as help people get residual income from home working whatever hours suit you. When people are recognized for their efforts, it not only boosts their morale but also reinforces the importance of their work. This kind of acknowledgment can be a significant factor in job satisfaction and personal fulfillment, something that might not be as prevalent in larger organizations like the NHS. In the NHS, the vast scale and structure can sometimes lead to individual contributions being overlooked, making it challenging to receive personalized recognition for one's efforts. I have worked in the NHS for 40 years with ZERO recognition and lots of hassle and challenges. Working in a setting where your work in helping families is regularly recognized can be more rewarding and impactful than in larger, more bureaucratic environments. Please message me if you want to be part of a massive team of positive individuals who want to help each other and keep each other motivated and get recognition at every new achievement. It is so fulfilling, being paid once and then every month there after is massive and this residual income (like music royalty) is also willable. David 07486 311 492

With the Euros in full swing and Gareth's Southgate's team coming under increasing criticism, the finger of blame will undoubtedly always be directed towards the Manager, because he after all picked the tactics and players on the pitch. If we draw a similarity between a football team and a business, team selection works in a very different way. Even in the smallest of companies, employees are empowered to make recruitment decisions, being involved in the shortlisting process and interview stages. But consider how this would work in the England squad? What if Harry Kane was empowered to select the other forwards that he wanted on the team. Would Kane ensure that he picked the best players in the interest of the team, or the best players that worked alongside him? What if there was a big name in English football who was scoring more goals each week than Kane? Would he select this player in the risk that they may outperform him on the pitch? I think it's fair to say that if you pose this question then the majority would indicate team selection has to remain with the Manager to avoid any form of bias. Despite knowing this, the majority of businesses empower staff to make recruitment decisions. Human instinct will tend to ensure that bias and self-interest prevail. With that thought in mind, how many great people are you turning away each day? How many future stars that are deemed as a threat to the recruitment team are ignored or discounted because they may be 'over qualified'!  What's the solution? Most companies try to create a degree of impartiality by ensuring that an HR role plays a part in hiring new people, acting as an impartial member in the recruitment process. Alternatively, the CEO could be used in every recruitment stage but the larger the business, the more impractical that becomes! Our recommendation is to engage with an independent external source, one that will proactively look for the best person to complement your existing team and work alongside the existing players. If we find someone better than the hiring manager, then we can flag that so entities are fully aware of their options. Contact us today to find out more. https://lnkd.in/eVSam5zi

Since the announcement of the finalists in this year’s EADT Suffolk Business Awards, I’ve been reflecting on the unexpected insights and learnings of being on ‘that side’ of the award process. For those who don’t know, we’ve been lucky enough to be on the recipient end of a judging panel (and to have emerged victorious twice). The very practice of allowing that external assessment of yourself and your business is, as so many of you know only too well, somewhat intimidating – no matter how sure you are of your business and your experience. This time, however, and having historically won the Customer Service category in both Suffolk and Norfolk, I felt incredibly honoured to be asked to judge this particular category. Initially, I found myself thinking ‘this will be a breeze’, and that I had nothing to fear or consider. What I found, however, is that it was far more of an opportunity for self-reflection and benchmarking than I might have considered prior to taking part. How can you not be faced with an entry or a conversation from a vibrant goal-setting business, and not find yourself looking at how this compares to what you do, or how you reached this point in the journey? I’m someone who has always been of the view that a child can teach an adult as much as the adult can teach the child – and I suppose this exercise is similar. I learned from their desire, entrepreneurship and their unique approaches to managing customer interaction. My takeaways for anyone considering being a business award judge: -           Do your homework on the business and seek to raise questions which are truly beneficial for your learning of them and their understanding of you. -           Be self-reflective (not selfish) throughout the process, considering whether the activity leads itself to more learning and development you might require. -           Embrace the chance to extend your network and relationships in directions you may never have considered. -           Take time to reflect on the process with your own colleagues or peers, being sure to bring to mind particular areas which now seem evident for your own business improvement or for your chance to become active in the art of mentoring. Good luck to all of the finalists from myself and the MAD-HR Ltd team. A reminder that you can see the announced shortlisted candidates here: https://lnkd.in/edD5AcNK #EADT #GROWBETTERTOGETHER #suffolkbusinessawards #suffolkbizawards

🌟🌟 Entering the Business Awards involves thought, reflection and a little work. What a valueable opportunity to gather and share insights about your business success. So what are you waiting for, enter now!

What does recognition look like to you as a lawyer? ⚖️✨ Being named a key lawyer in the Legal 500 and seeing our Employment department ranked in Chambers for the first time got me reflecting on what recognition means in our profession. Is it about pay rises and bonuses? 💰 Or being listed in top industry rankings as a well-regarded individual or team? 🏆 - is individual recognition more important, or does team recognition mean more to you? Perhaps, it’s the feeling that you’ve done the best job you can 👏 Or achieving the result your client hoped for 🎯 Maybe it’s your manager taking the time to acknowledge your efforts, or a simple “thank you” from senior leadership 🙌 Or is it sitting down with family or friends at the end of a long day, knowing your hard work is valued both professionally and personally? 👨👩👧👦💼 For me, it’s a combination of these - other professionals and clients recognising that I am doing a good job is important, but the most important thing for me is that my kids grow up with the impression that while I’ve achieved a lot in my career - I have always been there and present for them.

Here's an admission for you all: I am a Parramatta Eels fan, through and through. Born and bred on Eels territory, I started going to the games with my grandfather and dad from a very young age. Overnight, the Parramatta Eels National Rugby League Club sacked their head coach Brad Arthur (today is his 50th birthday, it seems). Whether they were right to end his employment is not the purpose of this post. Something I loathe is when an employee loses their job and "didn't see it coming". Unless there is a serious misconduct issue, or something else that means it would be unsafe or unwise to give the individual notice, it demonstrates a poor culture in an organisation. Since returning from New York, I must admit I'm not as dedicated to NRL as I was before I left Sydney. So, I can't tell you exactly why the Eels are not performing as well as their talent is expected to (although, my heart has still not recovered from the Grand Final loss of 2022). From where I'm sitting, it appears that the club has a poor internal culture. Which perhaps bears some responsibility for the lack of performance. The other thing is, this is a team sport. And you can get a sense of a culture that needs improving when all it takes is for one team member to be out for things to fall apart. No organisation or team can operate on the shoulders of one individual. It was never meant to work that way. So, Parra, if you'd like to get support around how the culture could be fixed, feel free to reach out to me. Or I'd happily recommend some of my peers. I'd love to see my team thrive sooner rather than later. I'd love for my nephew to be proud of the tradition in our family. And I'd really love to stop getting all the memes about how bad my club is, especially from my husband. What are your thoughts on giving an employee notice that their role is likely coming to an end? When do you think it's OK not to give notice for immediate termination (not including serious misconduct)? Edit: Someone sent me to Brad's interview on NRL360. He handled the questions and the situation so well, which reflects positively on him. The fact his players love him and he is so well-respected by his peers suggests there is more going on at the club than what is made public. Although, many fans believe Brad has contributed to the poor performance of the team and are keen to get a new coach. I don't have the answers, but when a leader is liked and respected by their team and peers, you really need to question where else the disconnect really is.