Weekly roundup: Events, training and 4-day weeks

This week in HR news, we’re approaching Christmas, and there seems to be some mixed feelings about company events. Training also popped up, and a milestone for the 4 Day Week campaign.

The ‘fun’ police

As seen in the Human Times 30 November bulletin, forcing “fun” on employees can have damaging consequences.

Business Insider reported on French consultancy Cubik Partners reportedly firing an employee in 2015 for not participating in the company’s team building activities and drinking sessions.

The employee subsequently took his ex-employer to court. Cubik Partners said the worker was fired due to “professional incompetence”.

The Court of Cassation ordered Cubik Partners pay the victim €3,000 and will continue the investigation into his damages claim.

Grinch season

With the silly season approaching and work Christmas parties popping up, employees would surely have their minds on celebrating the end of the year.

Well apparently, not. As reported by HR News, CareerWallet has conducted a survey which found that 94 per cent of workers would rather company Christmas party budgets be spent on employee bonuses. HR News says this is due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The report also found that 10 per cent of staff said the work Christmas parties were one of the worst parts of their job, as they’re forced to socialise with colleagues, and 23 per cent said that fellow employees were a main reason for not enjoying work.

For those who may not be too keen on attending an in-person work Christmas party, HR Leader notes that virtual venue program Orbits is launching Festive Fireside, to allow companies to host virtual end-of-year events. To read more on Orbits, see HR Leader’s previous article.

Why it’s better to train than hire

According to People Management, training existing employees to become HR managers costs 76 per cent less than hiring outside the company.

The ILX study referenced by People Management noted that upskilling costs an average of £3,107 (AU$5,519), whereas hiring a new HR manager costs an average of £13,079 (AU$23,241).

The head of global clients for EMEA LATAM at LinkedIn, Becky Schnauffer, said in People Management’s article: “Businesses must recognise that upskilling is key to responding quickly to changing market conditions. This is why upskilling programmes are a critical investment.”

DEI training can engage staff

HR Dive discussed how providing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) lens to manager training can help improve employee engagement.

According to HR Dive, with Gen Z entering the workforce, there is a stronger push for DEI. This is paired with Stanford University’s research that home working has allowed for more workplace inequity. These inequities were recently discussed in an article by HR Leader.

The article says that having a stronger focus on DEI will allow for companies to connect with an evolving work culture, engaging employees, which has been shown to improve productivity, retention, happiness, and overall company success.

Train the trainers

As seen in a SHRM report, training staff to, in turn, train other staff is a strong path to company success.

The article references LinkedIn’s 2022 Workplace Learning Report, which says that employees want “opportunities to learn and grow” at their company.

Director and search marketing expert at Straight Up Search, Jamie Irwin said in SHRM’s article: “[Training the trainers] provides a way for employees to develop new skills and fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility for the company’s training program.”

According to SHRM, this develops employee leadership skills, communication, listening, and overall business intelligence.

100 companies take the four-day work week plunge

One of the biggest stories in HR news this week is the 100 UK companies that have decided to begin a permanent four-day work week campaign.

As reported by The Guardian, around 2,600 staff will be participating in their companies’ decision, which campaign group 4 Day Week hopes will catch on, and influence other workplaces.

Marketing company Awin is one of the organisations participating. The CEO of Awin, Adam Ross, said in The Guardian’s article: “Over the course of the last year and a half, we have not only seen a tremendous increase in employee wellness and wellbeing but concurrently, our customer service and relations, as well as talent relations and retention also have benefited.”

The Guardian notes that 88 per cent of companies have reported the policy change is going well, and 95 per cent say productivity has remained the same or increased.