If you could change one thing at your workplace - one policy or benefit, etc, anything at all, from safety issues to representation to general culture, pay, hours, duties, whatever, what would it be?
To put it another way, if you were going for a new job, what one thing would make you see a prospective new employer as progressive and staff-focussed?
Guess there will be quite a broad range of answers as some of us will work for huge faceless corporations and others smaller companies. I do a pretty run-of-the-mill job with virtually no benefits, so i’d say:
Pay all staff at least the National Living Wage.
Allow staff to pick their own set hours to accomodate things like childcare, second jobs, learning, partner’s hours, recreational stuff, etc.
Put in place a more sensible, mature sick day process, so no reasons needed, no culture of separating physical and mental health issues, multiple ways of contact, no pressure to return to work, etc.
An end to scepticism/mistrust of working from home arrangements and a move away from the idea that people should all be working in a big building together at all times.
This is a huge one here. Last week I had two calls that started at 7am and no-one batted an eyelid. Did that stop me getting the full “good afternoon!” treatment when I came in late on Friday? Reader, it did not.
Not even really kidding about the Americans. Literally 100% of internal issues I’ve had here have been wholly caused by American lawyers. They’re all utterly amoral absolute liabilities.
Being freelance I think there should be a system whereby when you’re hired the funds are put into a holding account and when the work is completed and approved the funds get released, a bit like People Per Hour. It’s ludicrous how many big companies will just sit on your money or treat paying you like a very low priority inconvenience.
I’ve scheduled a call for 5.30 am next Monday so my American boss won’t dial into it but the absolute madman has gone and accepted the invitation anyway.