Craig W

Menopause and the workplace

Menopause and the workplace

World Menopause Day is on 18 October 2023, and with an increasing number of organisations implementing menopause policies, we thought we’d take a look at how menopause affects the workplace and what small businesses can do to manage this and support their employees....

How to manage work experience requests

How to manage work experience requests

Work experience is a great way for young people to gain an insight into the world of work and can play an important role in helping them to decide on the career path they wish to take. This blog aims to help you understand how you can manage a work experience...

Six Common HR Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Six Common HR Mistakes Small Businesses Make

At citrus HR, we support thousands of small businesses every month through their HR headaches, and often notice trends around the type of questions we’re asked; what we’ve spotted is there are Six common HR mistakes small businesses make. These mistakes fall under the...

6 ways upskilling can improve staff retention

6 ways upskilling can improve staff retention

When thinking about how to retain employees, it’s easy to see improved pay and conditions as the answer. However, this approach often has a limited shelf life, as employees quickly get used to receiving a new salary or benefit. It’s also not always affordable for...

What’s a probation period and why are they important?

What’s a probation period and why are they important?

The realisation that you may have made a bad hire is an unsettling one. Maybe the individual is turning out to be very different to how they came across in their interview. Or perhaps they professed to have more skills and experience than is proving to be the case. It...

The ultimate staff onboarding checklist

The ultimate staff onboarding checklist

We know that for employers, getting new hires to the point where they can start effectively contributing to the organisation takes up a lot of time and resources. However, having a clear onboarding process to follow will help new employees to become important and...

How to request a reference for a new employee

How to request a reference for a new employee

It’s always best to take a consistent approach when requesting references to help you avoid any claims of unlawful treatment. To request a reference for a prospective employee you should: Get written, detailed and signed consent from the prospective employee before...

How to give an employee reference

How to give an employee reference

When providing a reference for an employee, it’s important to: Get written and signed consent Be consistent in the types of information you give Avoid providing any information which could be disputed as unfair or incorrect Comply with data protection laws Mark all...

The recruitment process explained

The recruitment process explained

Recruiting the right people is rarely simple. Getting the right fit for the role, as well as your business, can be a really challenging and time-consuming prospect. The answer is to have a bullet-proof recruitment process. One that saves you time, and makes sure you...

7 ways to boost your staff retention

7 ways to boost your staff retention

Regularly losing staff is not only costly but also demoralising (for you, but also for the remaining team members). The worst-case scenario is that one leaver will trigger others to leave as well, and, as you can imagine, this doesn't feel good when you look at your...

Office Dogs – a force for good?

Office Dogs – a force for good?

  As we welcome our new (temporary) office dog, brought in by two of our colleagues, we got to thinking about the positives and negatives around employment when you bring an animal into the equation. Other than the foot space that a dog takes up, an animal like...

How to motivate staff to Blue Monday

How to motivate staff to Blue Monday

We’ve all heard that it’s ‘Blue Monday’ today. Although I’m sure that will remind many of a certain New Order song, it’s actually a reference to one of the most depressing work days of the year. How does it feel? Not great apparently. So how do you motivate staff to...