For some people Black Friday and Cyber Monday are seen as a chance to bag a bargain, and this could cause some unexpected headaches for HR. So, what are some of issues you may find it helpful to have on your radar?
- Misuse of company devices/internet / company time
- Employee distraction
- Delivery issues
Misuse of company devices/internet/company time
Employees may be tempted to hunt down some deals using your company resources or to do so on Company time. If such activity is permitted in your organisation, then it will simply be a case of business as usual. However, you may want to remind employees in advance if there are any conditions attached to such permission, e.g reasonable use and some guidance as to what that looks like in practice, to make sure that the balance between work and personal activity remains appropriate.
If personal use of company devices, internet or company time isn’t permitted in your business, it’s important to ensure you have a clear policy in place and that this is reflected in practice, e.g. managers leading by example. If it’s been a while, you may want to take the opportunity to give employees a gentle reminder of the workplace rules, particularly if you have hybrid or remote workers.
If you suspect an employee has breached your rules the first step will often be to carry out an investigation. If you have concerns about an employee’s conduct, please get in touch for advice on the situation in your business.
Employee distraction
If you allow some use of personal mobile phones or company devices during working hours and you find it is causing more distraction than usual, e.g. employees spotting and discussing bargains leading to more ‘chat’ than work, you may want to tackle it fast with a quiet word – but is this allowed? Absolutely, and in many cases, it will be the simplest and most effective way forward, often being all that’s needed to get things back on track.
However, if you feel the matter is more serious or it persists, please reach out for help.
Delivery issues
In many cases, employees having items delivered won’t impact your business, with employees being able to have them delivered to their homes outside working time, left in a safe place or using alternative arrangements.
That said, you may get the occasional delivery-related request – particularly as we get closer to Christmas and delivery slots become scarcer. If an employee wants time off to wait in for a delivery and you are agreeable to accommodating this, it could be agreed that the time off would be taken as annual leave (if the employee has sufficient holiday left to cover it) or, depending on your contracts of employment / past practice, unpaid leave or making up the time. If you have hybrid working in your business, you may receive a request to swap an office day with a home working day to facilitate a delivery. In this situation, you should check your policy to see what is permitted as well as past and general company practice.
Received a request from an employee you’d like some advice on? We are here to help, so please get in touch.
If you have any HR matters you would like assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact us as we are happy to help.