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Are leaders born, or are they made? While we could spend all day posing arguments for both sides, it&rsquo;s probably more worthwhile to focus on what actually&nbsp;makes a good leader.
And, for this article, take a look at the behaviours that are associated with bad leadership. For it makes much more sense to rid yourself of those negative traits before trying to adopt some shiny new ones, right?&nbsp;
Here are some of the most important things NOT to do, if you want to be seen as an admirable, approachable and inspirational leader.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Don&rsquo;t Be Overly Self-Indulgent</h3>
While this may seem like an obvious one, it can be easily forgotten when it comes to promoting yourself as a business. If you&rsquo;re the business owner, don&rsquo;t take all the credit for the things your team has worked hard for.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re telling the world (aka LinkedIn) of a recent achievement, tag your team and say thank you. Simple gestures like this will not only boost your team&rsquo;s morale - they set the tone for the supportive work culture you want to create.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Don&rsquo;t Act As a Superior - Act Like a Colleague</h3>
A little humility goes a long way when it comes to leadership. If you feel the need to dominate your team as a superior, you&rsquo;ll likely get subpar results. Interrupting people, talking down ideas and showboating are signs of a &lsquo;boss mindset&rsquo; taken too far, and can leave your team feeling intimidated. This in turn will kill their creativity, deter them from speaking out about important issues, and wipe out any loyalty they may have had for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Don&rsquo;t Assume You&rsquo;re Always Right</h3>
&ldquo;True leaders are the first to admit that they don&rsquo;t know everything and that they need help&rdquo; - Bill Byrd.&nbsp;
These are words to live by for every leader - not just in business, but in sport and life in general.&nbsp;
Always be open to feedback from your team. Welcome disagreement and company criticism with open arms - you have no idea how vital those opinions could be to the health of your business down the line.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Don&rsquo;t Be a People Hoarder</h3>
This is one of the toughest pills to swallow for a leader. All too often, the &lsquo;higher-ups&rsquo; in a company will prevent their best talent from progressing their career for fear of losing them. This leads to anger and frustration, which is likely to hurt the company a lot more than if the employee had been shown support.&nbsp;
Instead of feeling betrayed, forsaken or bitter about your worker leaving, tell them how much their presence has meant to you. You have no idea how that same person could repay you for your respectfulness in the future.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Don&rsquo;t Be Afraid</h3>
At the risk of sounding clich&eacute;, we&rsquo;ve put &lsquo;don&rsquo;t be afraid&rsquo; on this list because of its irrefutable importance. At the end of the day, leadership is all about taking risks, venturing where others haven&rsquo;t, and giving others the courage to go there with you.&nbsp;
There is no certainty in the world of business - or life, for that matter - and true leadership requires a degree of responsibility that most people don&rsquo;t want to deal with. Courage is perhaps the most admirable and identifiable trait of all great leaders, and it&rsquo;s the thing that history&rsquo;s most prominent leaders are remembered for.&nbsp;
So lead by example, inspire your team with your unwavering belief in them and yourself, and become the fantastic leader you&rsquo;ve always wanted to be.
&nbsp;
For more leadership tips and advice on how to create a positive and supportive work environment, visit our&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://spacehr.co.uk/blogs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blog.</a>

Want To Become a Fantastic Leader?

In 2020, a whopping&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/one-in-five-brits-quit-their-job-due-to-toxic-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one in five</a> British workers quit their job due to &lsquo;toxic workplace culture&rsquo;.
But what exactly qualifies as &lsquo;toxic culture&rsquo;, and how does an unhealthy working environment develop?
&nbsp;
<h3>What is a Toxic Culture?&nbsp;</h3>
According to Greg Barnett of&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.predictiveindex.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Predictive Index</a>, a workplace culture is &ldquo;typically considered toxic when trust, psychological safety, and employee morale degrade to unhealthy levels.&rdquo;
Affecting productivity, mental health and employee engagement, toxic cultures are incredibly dangerous for both companies and employees, with symptoms spreading through a workforce quickly if not treated.
Examples of a toxic culture could include a workplace where employees are chronically stressed, overworked, or feeling bullied by their boss. And in most of these cases, the problem boils down to a lack of communication and trust between those in the&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/blogs/organisational-structures---where-do-you-fit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">workplace hierarchy</a>.&nbsp;
Due to this sense of distance between employees and their leaders, staff turnover in toxic workplaces tends to be exceptionally high. This is because those who feel disregarded, abused, or exploited by their managers, often would rather leave a company than file a complaint, mostly due to a lack of trust that their issues will be resolved.
It&rsquo;s not hard to see how a toxic culture can have a huge negative impact on the performance of a business. It&rsquo;s estimated that a &lsquo;poor company culture&rsquo; costs UK companies an eye-watering&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/resources/culture-economy-report-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">&pound;20.2 billion</a>&nbsp;every single year.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>How Does a Toxic Culture Develop?</h3>
Sadly, there are many ways in which a toxic culture can develop in a workplace. And while the &lsquo;root cause&rsquo; of the problem may vary from case to case, it&rsquo;s generally a lack of communication that exacerbates and conceals the problems.&nbsp;
When companies don&rsquo;t take the time to gather employee feedback; negative, or even abusive behaviour is allowed to go unnoticed and unaddressed. It can spread like a cancer throughout an organisation.
It&rsquo;s important for companies to send out&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/blogs/how-can-employee-feedback-change-your-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">anonymous employee engagement surveys</a>. Surveys can give early warning signs and red flags, of where problems are beginning to emerge. Low engagement teams, or concerning written feedback can provide opportunities for businesses to jump in early where the culture is becoming toxic, or employee engagement has dropped.&nbsp;
Where a toxic environment has already formed, simple measures like this enable a company to identify and rectify the signs of a toxic work environment. There are some huge red flags to watch out for, for when a toxic culture has already set in:&nbsp;
Here are a number of common red-flags of a toxic workplace:
<ol>
<li>Abusive managers who shout at or speak condescendingly towards employees&nbsp;</li>
<li>A general feeling of &lsquo;policies and/or profits over people&rsquo;, where workers feel disregarded or exploited</li>
<li>Micromanagers who continually intervene in others&rsquo; work</li>
<li>Extremely negative and unsupportive performance appraisals</li>
<li>Any form of discrimination and lack of diversity</li>
<li>A failure to recognise and reward employee achievements</li>
<li>Harassment&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
This isn&rsquo;t an exhaustive list, but if you recognise any of the above signs in your workplace or business, it&rsquo;s time to:
a.) leave (if you&rsquo;re an employee)
b.) do something about it (if you&rsquo;re an employer!)
&nbsp;
<h3>How to Gather Evidence of a Toxic Workplace Culture</h3>
You may be thinking it&rsquo;s difficult to quantifiably gauge the health of a workplace culture. After all, we&rsquo;re talking about people&rsquo;s feelings &ndash; and feelings are subjective, right?
To understand how it feels to work in your business, it can help to gather quantitative data about your company's culture. Here are just a few ideas of how you can approach this:&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Carry out regular employee engagement surveys</h4>
Employee engagement surveys can offer a wealth of measurable data, such as eNPS score and information through real-time feedback from current employees. They&rsquo;re most effective when carried out regularly. Quarterly surveys mean you are checking in with your team on a regular basis, whilst leaving enough time to action feedback and build trust in the process. Ten Space offers an innovative and anonymous method of surveying through Whatsapp, which delivers an engaging way to survey your team.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Check your company&rsquo;s reviews on&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Glassdoor</a>&nbsp;</h4>
<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Glassdoor</a>&nbsp;is an extremely useful (and free) platform through which employees, current and former, can leave honest reviews about their work experiences, and rate a company out of 5. Whilst engagement surveys results are likely to be shared within the business only, Glassdoor is a more public way of sharing feedback.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Keep an eye on your staff turnover and absenteeism</h4>
Employee turnover and absence rates are a dead giveaway of a toxic workplace culture. According to Monster, the average employee turnover rate in the UK is currently&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.monster.co.uk/advertise-a-job/hr-resources/workforce-management-and-planning/staff-retention/what-is-the-ideal-employee-turnover-rate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">15%</a>&nbsp;a year. And while not all staff turnover is bad, you might want to keep a closer eye on your culture if your turnover rate is much higher than this.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>How to Prevent a Toxic Culture From Developing In Your Workplace</h3>
While there&rsquo;s no &lsquo;perfect&rsquo; way to shape your culture, there are a number of vital ingredients you&rsquo;ll need to cultivate a healthy working environment.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Listen to your employees</h4>
The first thing you need to consider is employee feedback. Right now your employees could be holding the answers to most, if not all of your problems. They&rsquo;re the driving force behind your entire company, and if&nbsp;they&rsquo;re not happy, how can you expect your customers and clients to be?&nbsp;
Take advantage of the insights employee engagement surveys can offer, and target the root causes of a toxic culture before one can develop. You can check out&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Space HR&rsquo;s powerful, stylish and easy to use platform</a>&nbsp;to get all the insights you need to keep your employees happy.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Foster great leadership</h4>
As toxic cultures often stem from miscommunication and bad leadership, it&rsquo;s crucial to instil great leadership skills in your managerial teams. Of course, great leadership comes in many different forms, so knowing&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/blogs/want-to-become-a-fantastic-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">what makes a bad leader</a>&nbsp;is key to preventing toxic behaviour from festering.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Develop trust&nbsp;</h4>
Trust is a key element in any healthy organisation. Trust is built from operating transparently; doing what you say you are going to do; and doing the right thing, always. A lack of trust in an organisation can quickly slow it down and impact on performance.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>Employees first&nbsp;</h4>
Finally and most importantly, always put your employees at the heart of your business. Without them, you have no brand, no clients, no service to deliver. Putting your employees at the heart of every business decision you make is the key to ensuring that your culture remains healthy and thriving.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;re committed to creating healthier workplaces through innovative technology and employee engagement surveys. For more information on how our platform can help your business thrive, visit our website, or&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">get in touch</a>!&nbsp;

What It Is and How You Can Prevent It In Your Workplace?

Toxic Culture

We&rsquo;ve all wanted to leave work early at some point because the sun is shining outside. But does the weather have a direct impact on our performance or engagement?
It may seem like a radical concept, but the weather actually has a profound effect on our cognitive state. Our ability to focus, solve problems and remain engaged throughout the day can all be swayed by meteorological affairs. Let&rsquo;s explore the different ways in which the weather can impact employee engagement rates.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>The Impact of Good Weather</h3>
It&rsquo;s no secret that little doses of sunlight can do wonders for our mental and emotional health, and can help us stay positive. In fact,&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-explores-effects-morning-weather-people.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">studies have shown</a> that the better the weather is in the morning, the more motivated and happy employees feel throughout the day at work. And while these things are all fantastic for productivity and employee engagement, there can always be too much of a good thing!&nbsp;
A study conducted by Andrews Sykes found that&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.andrews-sykes.com/info/office-beach-heatwave-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">30% of office workers</a>&nbsp;exceed their lunch hours by almost 13 minutes during the warmer months. That adds up to a 4.3 hours per month, if you&rsquo;re wondering! On top of this,&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.andrews-sykes.com/info/office-beach-heatwave-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a third of these workers</a> also admitted that being inside on a sunny day makes them feel trapped.&nbsp;
Great employee engagement happens when employees are happy and they are channelling that happiness towards the goals of the business. So whilst great weather can improve employee mood, they might like to be having a great time elsewhere! So how can you combat the negative effects of great weather on employee engagement?&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Temperature Control&nbsp;</h3>
We may be stating the obvious here, but you should never underestimate the power of air conditioning on a hot summer&rsquo;s day.&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/weather-heatwave-air-conditioning-hot-stop-brain-working-harvard-university-a8440986.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Studies have shown</a>&nbsp;that hot rooms without air con can prevent the brain from working properly. This, of course, has many negative implications for employee morale and satisfaction. You should always keep effective temperature controls in place to ensure optimal concentration, productivity and employee engagement.
&nbsp;
<h3>Relax the Dress Code</h3>
Nothing is quite as uncomfortable as feeling overdressed in a hot room. Frankly, it&rsquo;s no surprise&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.andrews-sykes.com/info/office-beach-heatwave-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a third of workplaces</a> with formal dress codes reported arguments among colleagues about room temperature. Of course, no one likes workplace conflict, and situations like this are terrible for staff morale.
But can casualwear really make a significant difference? Well, yes. One study found that&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.andrews-sykes.com/info/office-beach-heatwave-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">16% of staff</a>&nbsp;who were able to opt for casualwear were willing to work overtime in warmer weather (as opposed to the 3% who were stuck in formal attire). Smart-casual just got a whole new meaning!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>The Impact of Bad Weather</h3>
Just like great morning weather sets employees up for a positive day at work, gloomy morning weather has the opposite effect.&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-explores-effects-morning-weather-people.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IAAP reported</a> that employees felt fatigued and unsatisfied when faced with gloomy scenes outside their windows at the start of the day.
It&rsquo;s important to remember also that when the sun disappears, we can struggle to get enough&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.myhrtoolkit.com/blog/weather-to-motivate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vitamin D</a> - that which activates our &lsquo;feel-good&rsquo; chemical, serotonin.&nbsp;
So what&rsquo;s the answer? How can you win in this constant battle with the weather as an employer?
&nbsp;
<h3>Natural Light is Key</h3>
It&rsquo;s worthwhile letting in as much natural daylight into your office as possible. Allowing employees to sit near a window will allow them to catch some rays (if the sun decides to make an appearance). Window seats are the prime real estate of the office environment, and multiple studies have shown that sitting near a window can&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/better/pop-culture/sitting-window-can-boost-your-productivity-ncna873991" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reduce drowsiness by 10%.</a>
So there you have it! Those are the different ways in which the weather can have an impact on your team&rsquo;s engagement rates and productivity. Of course the weather isn't the be all and end all of employee satisfaction, and there are many other factors at play.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re serious about improving your working environment, check out our&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a>. We&rsquo;re helping businesses keep their teams engaged with cutting edge technology that can boost employee morale, productivity, and satisfaction.

The impact of good weather on employee engagement

The Strange Effects Weather Can Have On Employee Engagement

Leaders have a significant impact on just about every aspect of an organisation, including everything from culture and core values to engagement and retention.
One of the main ways leaders impact engagement and retention is through the employee experience. They are the biggest impact on what it feels like day to day to work in an organisation.&nbsp;
💡 As many as <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/">57% of employees</a> quit because of their boss.
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">What is Employee Experience?</h3>
The employee experience is the interactions an employee has with people, systems, policies and the physical &amp; virtual workspace. Both the small details of day-to-day work and the periodic events and transitions matter.&nbsp;
From the moment someone looks at your job opening, to the moment they leave your company, everything that your employee learns, does, sees and feels contributes to their employee experience.
Ultimately, it&rsquo;s their experiences &ndash; positive and negative &ndash; that will impact how hard they work, how much they collaborate or whether they are invested in improving operational performance.
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">How Leaders Shape Employee Experience</h3>
A leader plays a crucial role in shaping and enhancing the employee experience within an organisation.
💡 74% of employees believe <a href="https://www.hr.com/en/resources/free_research_white_papers/the-state-of-employee-engagement-in-2018-mar2018_jeqfvgoq.html">leadership</a> is the biggest influence on engagement. They are also the key to scaling a great culture, through their teams.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/BnWQrb6NWbPwCZ3qek0mRlGvZtrp3qZD5orQ747H3Ktxmt5rEOLtDXKbwnpowcd-xpWrrLwVEcG89QH6jnuOH52elB0nr6x-x8gKs9dcK6s_3CrZ0krsJfWgghVvqKk2HRaU9_nNREQaiyip7BB9IZI" width="494" height="330">
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Setting the Tone</h4>
Leaders set the tone for the workplace culture. They establish the values, expectations, and behaviours that guide employees. A leader who promotes a positive and inclusive culture can contribute to a better employee experience.
The opposite is also true, we can see in our engagement surveys where a leader isn&rsquo;t engaging their team and the impact that has on all members of the team.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Communication</h4>
Effective leaders communicate clearly, transparently, and frequently with their team members. Open and honest communication helps build trust and fosters a sense of belonging among employees, which can enhance their experience.
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Support &amp; Development</h4>
Leaders who provide opportunities for employee growth and development, as well as offer support and guidance, can contribute to a more satisfying employee experience. This includes mentoring, coaching and providing resources for skill-building.
One of the most common gaps we see in engagement and fulfilment of employees, is lack of clarity on employee career development. They often look to leaders to help them develop and build their careers and can become frustrated if they don&rsquo;t receive the guidance they are looking for.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Recognition &amp; Feedback</h4>
Leaders who recognize and appreciate their employees' efforts and provide constructive feedback create a more positive work environment. Acknowledging and rewarding achievements can boost morale and motivation.
It can be as small as a heartfelt &ldquo;thank you&rdquo; or having influence of remuneration and pay. The key to scaling a culture of recognition often lies with people leaders.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Team Building</h4>
Building a cohesive and collaborative team is a significant part of the leader's role. Leaders who foster a sense of community and belonging among their team members contribute to a positive employee experience. 
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">What HR can do to Support their Leaders</h3>
Human Resources plays a critical role in supporting leaders to create a better employee experience for their teams.
Additionally, leaders and HR tend to have overlapping goals such as performance, retention or wellbeing. Meeting those joint goals benefits HR, the leaders and the company.
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Training Opportunities</h4>
HR can design and implement leadership development programs that provide training and resources to help leaders enhance their leadership skills. These programs can cover topics such as managing careers, communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and team building.
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Coaching &amp; Mentoring</h4>
HR can provide one-on-one coaching or mentoring for leaders who may need additional support in their roles. This personalised guidance can help leaders identify their strengths and areas for improvement.
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Regular Check-Ins</h4>
HR can schedule regular check-ins with leaders to discuss their challenges, successes, and areas where they may need support. These meetings can help HR identify and address leadership issues proactively.
&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Employee Feedback</h4>
HR can gather feedback from employees through surveys, focus groups, and other feedback mechanisms. This information can help identify areas where leaders can improve and where the employee experience can be enhanced.
Having clear, regular and relevant data in this area can be a powerful way to drive a culture and engagement strategy and shape employee experience.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Leadership &amp; Employee Surveys</h3>
Employee surveys provide valuable feedback from the people who work directly with leaders. This feedback can offer insights into the leadership strengths and areas for improvement that leaders themselves may not be aware of.
Employee surveys can measure the impact of leadership on various aspects of the employee experience, such as job satisfaction, engagement, and overall morale. This data can help leaders understand their influence on the workforce.
Surveys offer a structured and often anonymous way for employees to express their opinions. This anonymity can encourage honesty, as employees may be more willing to share their thoughts without fear of reprisal.
&nbsp;
The Ten Space Survey Platform helps leaders understand what is driving, or holding back engagement in their teams. We do this through frequent, bespoke engagement surveys, designed to get to the heart of culture and engagement.
Our employee feedback surveys allow teams to be grouped, so you can see what is working for each team and where you might need to take a new approach to ensure you&rsquo;re getting the maximum engagement and performance boost for your efforts.
This gives leaders the chance to listen to their team, understand the problems in the organisation and work on changing things for the better.
Our dashboard gives you instant insights. We provide tools and support to help you with reporting. These enable you to take the feedback to your leaders quickly and effectively.&nbsp;
Start your journey to high engagement with us by <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/contact/">getting in touch</a>. Or check out how we&rsquo;ve helped others create incredible workplaces in our <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/case-studies/">case studies</a>.

Leaders have a powerful impact on culture and engagement in an organisation - good and bad!

The Role of Leadership in Employee Experience

Last week our new website went live&hellip;.. hooray!&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve been waiting for the opportunity to tell the world about how amazing Space HR and our platform for Employee Engagement is and now we&rsquo;ve finally done it. I&rsquo;ve got a website that I can be really proud of.&nbsp;
My new website helps me convey the proposition of the business, talk about our amazing technology and showcase some of the great work we&rsquo;ve been doing with some great clients! It feels like all the hard work is starting to make sense and pay off.
I&rsquo;ve learned some pretty incredible things whilst building this website. It&rsquo;s made me think about things that I haven&rsquo;t really thought about before and its tested my skills and my knowledge as a business leader. I had a website already which was fine, but this new one is critical. It&rsquo;ll set a precedent for all my future websites to follow because it&rsquo;s the first one that talks explicitly about the Space HR Employee Engagement platform.&nbsp;
So if you&rsquo;re building a website, whether its your first or your fifth, here&rsquo;s a few of things I learned. Maybe it&rsquo;ll help you avoid a few pitfalls that I navigated along the way&hellip;.
&nbsp;
<h3>1. Building a website is hard!</h3>
Where do you start - genuine question? Well you (sadly) don&rsquo;t start with design that&rsquo;s for sure! I started with a lot of soul searching. I started asking myself some deep questions about my business such as;
&gt; Why does Space HR exist?
&gt; How do we differentiate from the competition?
&gt; What do we offer?&nbsp;
&gt; What is our mission, our vision, our values?
&gt; Who are our target customers?
&gt; How do we benefit our customers?
Once I had this down, it became a lot easier to start writing from a position of conviction and understanding based on the business I wanted to create.
&nbsp;
<h3>2. Put your customer first&nbsp;</h3>
You&rsquo;re not trying to win awards, you&rsquo;re trying to win customers. (Although if there are awards going, I&rsquo;ll take a few please!). Write your copy with your customer in mind and answer the questions that they would ask. These could include;
&gt; Is this product for me?
&gt; Why do I need this product?
&gt; What am I actually buying?&nbsp;
&gt; What is the cost?
&gt; Why you and not your competition?
&gt; What do I do next?
Then break the answers down and serve them back on your pages. Pretty obvious stuff really (once you know that&rsquo;s the aim!). But don't underestimate how long (and how many versions), it might take you to get this right!
&nbsp;
<h3>3. Align with your Category</h3>
I also did a lot of competitor research, but not because I wanted to steal their ideas. I had to make sure I was aligned with my competition so it was easier for my customers to enquire/buy. I needed to think like a customer.&nbsp;
I asked myself the same questions as in point 2 above, to see whether they achieved this. I also put myself in the mind of a customer who gets two quotes through from two suppliers. How do you begin to compare the two if they&rsquo;re wildly different in price, product, proposition, service etc? Answer-you don&rsquo;t. Do some benchmarking, make sure you are aligned with your category. If not, you might end up being discounted or discredited by your customers.
&nbsp;
<h3>4. Building a product website is really hard</h3>
Underpinning Space HR, is a platform that&rsquo;s designed to build a more engaged team. This is our product and with it comes a lot more information that makes the job of building a website even harder. There was a lot more to think about in terms of showing the platform off and talking about the product features that really make us awesome.
Focusing on benefits rather than features was crucial, as was keeping the amount of information just right to keep my audience engaged and not overloaded with info. After all, I can explain more once they&rsquo;ve enquired!
&nbsp;
<h3>5. Write, re-write, burn it and write again</h3>
I must have written about 6 drafts of content for my new website and even then it there was a lot of iteration when it came to building web pages. The first draft involved writing everything I&rsquo;ve ever known about Employee Engagement ever! As you can imagine, it got pretty boring pretty quick and I gave up this approach. Then I did a whole draft of content that explained my entire proposition, but again it was boring.
Less is more when it comes to website copy, knowing what to include and what to leave out is where the real skill is.&nbsp;I&rsquo;m more than sure our site isn&rsquo;t perfect and I will continue to change my website as it develops. Keep iterating as you learn and your copy will refine into something that starts to sound like you.
&nbsp;
<h3>6. Be more genuine&nbsp;</h3>
Just when I though I was happy, I realised it just didn&rsquo;t sound like me. I took a hatchet to my last draft of copy and took out loads of things that either didn&rsquo;t sound like me or that sounded really boring and generic. Clearly I had to leave some more obvious stuff in there, but if it didn&rsquo;t speak to anyone, it probably got the axe.
I&rsquo;m still a small business and until I&rsquo;m a huge corporate, being genuine and unique is something I can continue to be. It&rsquo;s pretty brave to put a huge picture of yourself on your product website! But it isn&rsquo;t just a product, it&rsquo;s a product supported and loved by me!&nbsp;
To round this blog off,&nbsp;I hope you love my new website. It&rsquo;s been a challenge and an amazing experience getting it live. Have a proper look through it,&nbsp;please offer feedback and refer it to your network too!
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;d like to know more about how Space HR deliver Employee Engagement to companies throughout the UK, contact victoria@spacehr.co.uk

Our CEO Victoria shares her experience on building the new site

The New Website Is Live!

Impactful employee recognition goes beyond praise. True recognition acknowledges hard work, motivates individuals and creates a positive work culture.
Recognition (or lack of it) is a topic that comes up a lot in our <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/blogs/what-is-employee-engagement-/">employee engagement</a> surveys. Employees definitely have a view on whether organisations are getting it right or not!
Employee recognition done right is easy, but it&rsquo;s not simple!&nbsp;
Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a project, felt proud of your work, and succeeded? That sense of accomplishment is incredible, but it becomes even more powerful when others recognise your efforts. Building a culture of recognition to drive engagement, is about creating this feeling across all employees, over and over again.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">What is Employee Recognition?</h2>
Employee recognition refers to the act of acknowledging and appreciating employees' contributions, efforts, and achievements in the workplace.&nbsp;
It can take various forms:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Verbal appreciation
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Public acknowledgement
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Monetary rewards
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Promotions
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Opportunities for growth &amp; development.&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>
It&rsquo;s a strategic practice that aims to motivate employees, boost morale, foster a positive work culture and ultimately drive organisational success.&nbsp;
Employee recognition recognises the value and impact of employees' work, creating a sense of belonging, purpose and appreciation within the workforce.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/W-tshrRp4X6MLRPZsw1ZigfTDFeT23gWDzwTx5aH44UdYO3tFsY7A0yow0VoiMfJgvev8KwaQ4mtwAIryt6ZDB014n8xxgG3SGg9nYIrJnBP-zUs0yPM3xAy--KmKS5kDi-4PFO2GPnfZWZTEqNGMgQ" width="450" height="301"> 
<h2 dir="ltr">Why is Employee Recognition important?</h2>
💡 <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/generation-z-and-millennials-seek-recognition-at-work.aspx">79% of employees</a> say an increase in recognition rewards would make them more loyal. From loyalty comes employee retention!&nbsp;
When employees feel valued, they&rsquo;re more engaged, motivated and likely to go the extra mile for their organisation.
Employee recognition fosters a positive work culture by creating a sense of appreciation and value among the workforce. This, in turn, enhances employee engagement, teamwork and collaboration.&nbsp;
It also plays a crucial role in retaining top talent. When employees feel recognised and appreciated, they are more likely to stay with their current employer, reducing turnover rates and the <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/blogs/the-cost-of-low-employee-engagement-/">associated costs</a>.&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Recognition makes people feel valued</h4>
💡 Feeling valued at work is linked to<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-resignation-labor-shortage-workers-thinking-about-quitting-joblist-report-2021-10?r=US&amp;IR=T"> better physical and mental health</a>.&nbsp;
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8yLm5O82YT8ViQTtU7FpQVoX_elugD7DZQrBW0gBRuZCnE6-SHiz33Xv07aYuOdidZkY-Bne_dc7d2Hs937KFRQ0mxUB_8wGgy_uORVy5DQriDvYbRE1osos10BBMRnbnSuctYxo3HN9jRD71yOe9jg" width="261" height="261">
Employees need to know that the company they work for doesn&rsquo;t just care about sales revenue and profit.
People need to form lasting connections to the colleagues they work with and the work that they do. Knowing that their contribution is valuable to the organisation is a key part of this.&nbsp;
But don&rsquo;t just recognise the heroes!
Employees can see how much you value them from what you celebrate. If you&rsquo;re celebrating business wins without any acknowledgment to the people who gained those wins, then employees can quickly feel underappreciated.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also important that you don&rsquo;t forget about those people who deliver for the business day in, day out, even if they aren&rsquo;t chalking up revenue on the leaders board.&nbsp;
<h4 dir="ltr">Recognition builds employee engagement</h4>
💡 Employees are <a href="https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/importance-of-employee-recognition">2.7 times more likely</a> to be highly engaged if they believe they will be recognised for their contribution.
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/uzFJ4iQnVctE5aU3fNx1x1dMG78POriIrF0F7tg5IT1ITQYgjiwayerGu8pgMbwV7e2zrveFUFFczGklnwUtCY_1CDSo0M_mCkLeTSnlkJbgVHn7p6w7cqd7znxzPs-Gqj63M0DfWq5rx6LFZ2lUMqA" width="273" height="272">
Taking employees for granted is a sure-fire way to drop down the levels of employee engagement.
Engaged employees outperform those that aren&rsquo;t. In fact, companies with high employee engagement are <a href="https://blog.smarp.com/what-is-the-true-cost-of-poor-employee-communication">21% more profitable</a>.
You can find out how engaged your teams are by conducting an <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/blogs/how-to-measure-employee-engagement/">employee engagement survey</a>. These surveys can cover areas such as: connection, leadership, fulfilment and wellbeing of your team.
At Ten Space, we&rsquo;ll often build in direction questions to our surveys, so we can understand if employees feel that recognition is fair, or that it&rsquo;s motivating them to achieve more. Often there is a difference in feeling from one team or demographic to another.&nbsp;
There isn&rsquo;t one solution to making people feel recognised. Sometimes it&rsquo;s a heartfelt &lsquo;Thank you&rsquo;, sometimes it&rsquo;s an early finish and sometimes it&rsquo;s a bonus payment or a career move.
Like compensation and benefits, you might need to make it personal to the individual to get it right. Don&rsquo;t assume everyone sees recognition in the same way.&nbsp;
You need to be aiming to make the individual feel recognised and build up a recognition culture at the same time.
<h4 dir="ltr">Recognition increases team performance</h4>
💡 Businesses who give individual or team recognition see a <a href="https://www.zippia.com/advice/employee-recognition-statistics/">14% increase</a> in performance.
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jRPrV8mk6am3MNY6nysYNR--Bm6sCh_QlTmZQHOGp0ah9c3ULLQMNuxNbbWL0RPkTca5uANgjHKL0wyvfn4B6e6Byw9fPQpRCjFEZtB0z6N4C7YEq3ptnZO3IhtFSNli1-v9UsnaLHtX9RQylfH74aU" width="268" height="267">
Recognition leads to increased motivation, a sense of pride and increased self-confidence at work.&nbsp;
Companies that actively recognise and reward their employees are more likely to see increased levels of accountability, responsibility and leadership initiatives. In short, higher performance.&nbsp;
Aim to have an impact.
Thank yous never get old, but free lunches on a Friday can quickly become the norm and expected. Make sure you&rsquo;re not giving out recognition just to tick the box, you need to actually mean it.&nbsp;
You may need to rethink your approach on a regular basis, to make sure that it continues to have the effect of creating an engagement boost in individuals or your teams.
&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Check it&rsquo;s working</h2>
Make sure you're checking that recognition is working in your business. Employee feedback is a great way to do this.&nbsp;
Ask your employees whether they feel more engaged and valued due to the recognition they&rsquo;ve been receiving. By doing this, you can ensure that you&rsquo;re on the right track and make adjustments and changes if not.
You&rsquo;ll know when it&rsquo;s time to switch it up and try something new, as recognition will become background noise.&nbsp; 
At Ten Space we create bespoke surveys which allow teams to share their honest feedback anonymously.&nbsp;
Our employee feedback surveys allow teams to be grouped, so you can see what is working for each team and where you might need to take a new approach to ensure you&rsquo;re getting the maximum engagement and performance boost for your efforts.
This gives leaders the chance to listen to their team, understand the problems in the organisation and work on changing things for the better.
Our dashboard gives you instant insights. We provide tools and support to help you with reporting. These enable you to take the feedback to your leaders quickly and effectively.&nbsp;
 Start your journey to high engagement with us by <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/contact/">getting in touch</a>. Or check out how we&rsquo;ve helped others create incredible workplaces in our <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/case-studies/">case studies</a>.

Using the power of recognition to drive success and increase retention

The Importance of Employee Recognition

It&rsquo;s one of the golden questions of the corporate working world - does giving an employee a higher salary increase their engagement? While we wish a straightforward &lsquo;yes&rsquo; or &lsquo;no&rsquo; could conclude the matter, it&rsquo;s not all that simple.&nbsp;
Like most things in the world of work, there are a number of factors at play that affect engagement rates - salary is just one of them. In some situations, a higher salary can indeed increase employee satisfaction, but that&rsquo;s not always the case, as we&rsquo;re about to discuss.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>The Link Between Salary and Employee Engagement&nbsp;</h3>
It&rsquo;s easy to subscribe to the belief that paying your team more will lead to higher rates of satisfaction, and therefore engagement. Money can&rsquo;t buy happiness, of course, but it&nbsp;can buy a certain degree of comfort, and isn&rsquo;t that close enough?
Money worries inevitably lead to&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/blogs/how-to-spot-the-warning-signs-of-stress-in-your-team-and-what-you-can-do-to-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stress</a>, depression, sickness and workplace conflict - things no employer wants to see their team suffer from. A 2018 study by Salary Finance found that a whopping&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://us.salaryfinance.com/uk/blog/healthy-attitudes-to-mental-health-in-the-workplace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">40% of UK employees had money worries</a>&nbsp;- an abysmal statistic that&rsquo;s undoubtedly been amplified by the pandemic. The study also found that employees who were stressed about money were 2.2 times more likely to look for a new job, and were 7.6 times&nbsp;less likely to complete daily tasks.&nbsp;
Of course, none of this is good for your work culture, productivity or employee engagement rates. But it would be a mistake to assume that handing out pay rises left, right and centre will solve all of your problems. More often than not, higher paid jobs lead to increased amounts of stress, as concluded by a study conducted by&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.agencycentral.co.uk/articles/2016-10/does-stress-rise-with-increasing-salaries.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Agency Central</a>. This is because employees who are paid more often bear the brunt of increased responsibility.
And if working conditions are already poor, their shiny new salary isn&rsquo;t going to make them feel any better.&nbsp;
The truth is, your employee engagement rates are affected by a number of factors, including working conditions, career progression, recognition, office relationships,&nbsp;as well&nbsp;as monetary reward. And although this isn&rsquo;t an all-encompassing list of factors, it gives you an idea of other components that are easily overlooked by employers trying to boost engagement rates.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>So How Can You Boost Employee Engagement Rates and Satisfaction?</h3>
<h4>An Increased Salary May Not Go Amiss</h4>
Although everyone has their own idea of a &lsquo;salary sweet spot&rsquo;, the polls suggest that&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://us.salaryfinance.com/uk/blog/healthy-attitudes-to-mental-health-in-the-workplace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">most people aspire to earn &pound;44,500-&pound;58,500</a>&nbsp;per annum to eradicate money worries. Paying your employees more&nbsp;can have a positive impact on their productivity, happiness and engagement rates, but consider or workplace factors too.&nbsp;
<h4>Improve Communication With Your Employees</h4>
Like with any other relationship, communication is key to fostering healthy workplace connections and levels of satisfaction. Invite your team to&nbsp;tell&nbsp;you what&rsquo;s going on, rather than playing the guessing game (because it never works).&nbsp;Our easy&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">employee engagement survey</a> is the ideal way to capture employee feedback.&nbsp;
<h4>Consult Our 5-Step Strategy to a Highly Engaged Team&nbsp;</h4>
We&rsquo;ve done the hard work for you and designed a comprehensive strategy that&rsquo;s ready to implement into any workplace. Discover the first step by clicking&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/blogs/5-steps-to-a-highly-engaged-team---part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>&nbsp;and get to work building a highly engaged team. For more HR resources and tips on boosting employee engagement rates, check out&nbsp;<a style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(16, 60, 192);" href="https://www.spacehr.co.uk/blogs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our blog</a>.&nbsp;

The Impact of Salary On Employee Engagement

In today&rsquo;s fast-paced business world, organisations are under constant pressure to evolve, grow and expand. Revenue and profit will always be the most tracked measures of success in any profit-making organisation.
This need for growth and the focus on the bottom line, can often appear to come into conflict with other critical objectives, such as improving the employee experience. Occasionally this can even raise its head in the relationship between Operations and Human Resources (HR). HR &amp; People teams are responsible for ensuring that employees are happy, motivated, and engaged in their work, delivering at their best. Shaping up the EVP to make the organisation an attractive place to join and an even better place to stay. This involves providing a positive work environment, opportunities for development and growth, and shaping compensation and benefits. HR&rsquo;s ultimate goal is to create a workforce that is not only productive and high-performing, but also engaged, satisfied and fulfilled. Operations often have the same outcomes around productivity and high performance, but come at the challenge from a different angle, with different key performance indicators attached to their success. Operational teams are often focused on streamlining processes, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency. With time, cost and quality measures always in clear view.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">A Win-Win</h3>
Whilst the time and money spent on employee experience can sometimes feel at odds with the revenue protection of Operations teams - the focus on employee engagement is actually a win-win for all.&nbsp;
Consider, Operations pushing for longer working hours or increased productivity from each employee. HR teams may use data and insight to be able to explore the true impact and make a more informed decision. Using data such as employee feedback insight, coupled with sickness statistics can create a solution which achieves both aims. Protecting the business from longer-term hidden costs of employee burnout or turnover. Similarly, HR advocating for policies such as flexible working hours may open up new opportunities for resourcing and talent pipeline to fuel operational efficiency.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Ghost of HR Past</h3>
HR departments have often struggled to prove their Return on Investment (ROI) to the rest of the organisation. This was largely due to the lack of available data and insights that could demonstrate the impact of HR initiatives on the bottom line.&nbsp;
One area where HR teams have historically struggled to demonstrate ROI is in employee experience. Advances in technology and data analytics have enabled HR teams to access the tools and data needed to demonstrate the ROI of these initiatives more effectively.&nbsp;
For example, employee engagement surveys can provide HR teams with valuable insights into employee satisfaction and help identify areas for improvement. This data can then be used to develop targeted interventions that address specific concerns, risks and improve employee satisfaction, ultimately leading to increased productivity and profitability.
Similarly, leadership development programmes and training and development initiatives can now be evaluated more effectively using insights such as engagement levels, employee retention rates, promotion rates, and performance data.
By leveraging data and aligning with Operations teams on common goals, HR departments can demonstrate their value as strategic partners in driving business success. Together, these teams can make a compelling case for the time and money spent on initiatives that improve the employee experience and drive productivity.
&nbsp;
HR Partnering Operations If you feel you have more work to do to add proactive value into your operational teams, here&rsquo;s where to start:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<h4 dir="ltr" role="presentation">Communication</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Establish clear communication channels between the teams and encourage collaboration. This can help identify areas of overlap and enable both departments to work towards common goals. The HR business partner model was designed for this purpose, to ensure that HR remains close to those they impact.&nbsp;
Teams who communicate effectively in the workplace may see as much as a <a href="https://pumble.com/learn/communication/communication-statistics/">25% increase</a> in their productivity.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<h4 dir="ltr" role="presentation">Collaboration</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Focus on engagement strategy to ensure employees are motivated and engaged, to support in supercharging the team, improving productivity and driving growth. Operations can help HR by providing the resources and support necessary to implement policies and initiatives that improve employee experience.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<h4 dir="ltr" role="presentation">Clarity</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Create a culture of transparency and accountability, where both Operations and HR are held responsible for achieving their respective objectives and there is clarity on the common end goal. This can help ensure that decisions are made with the best interests of the organisation in mind and that gaps in priorities are resolved in a constructive manner.
A strong culture is crucial to attracting and retaining high-performing people in today's competitive business environment. This is especially true during times of economic uncertainty, where organisations may face pressure to reduce costs and cut back on resources.
<a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-core-beliefs-and-culture.pdf">88% of employees</a> believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success.
It&rsquo;s important to create a culture that fosters employee engagement and provides opportunities for career development and growth. By investing in employee development and creating a positive work environment, organisations can retain their top talent and maintain business continuity.
By actively listening to employees and incorporating their feedback into decision-making processes, organisations can create a culture of trust and transparency. This, in turn, can lead to higher levels of engagement and increased productivity. HR teams can use tools such as employee engagement surveys and pulse checks to gain continual insights into employee sentiment and identify areas for improvement.
&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Employee Feedback</h3>
By establishing clear communication channels, encouraging collaboration, and promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, organisations can find a way to combine the priorities of Operational and HR teams to achieve long-term success.
Employee engagement surveys can be a really powerful tool to support both teams with data and insight. With reliable employee feedback, organisations can get to the root of what&rsquo;s holding them back and solve the problem before it progresses.
With the Ten Space platform, you can target specific problems by segmenting data into teams, creating bespoke question sets and sending the survey out at the best possible time via the most accessible channel.&nbsp;
For more on how our surveys can help your organisation, visit: <a href="https://www.tenspace.co.uk/solutions/employee-engagement/">https://www.tenspace.co.uk/solutions/employee-engagement/</a>
<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>
<h3 dir="ltr">Our guide to &lsquo;Next Level Employee Engagement&rsquo;:</h3>
We have put together a more detailed guide with hints and tips for taking your employee engagement to the next level.
<a href="https://info.tenspace.co.uk/next-level-employee-engagement">Click here to access the full guide</a>.
At Ten Space we work with our clients to amplify employee engagement, retention and performance.
Taking it to the next level, we can help you explore your employee&rsquo;s journeys to ensure you&rsquo;re optimising every part of the employee experience. Protecting the time and money you spend in areas such as onboarding, leadership development, rewards and benefits; helping you demonstrate ROI for the HR team on the activities you deliver.
&nbsp;
Contact us to help your teams deliver the future of your business: enquiries@tenspace.co.uk

The goals of HR and operations teams can sometimes feel at odds, but creating a “win-win” around common goals supports superior business success

The HR & Operations “win-win”

There&rsquo;s a lot of noise on social media about whether businesses should advertise salaries on job adverts.
There&rsquo;s a growing fatigue amongst job seekers, weariness of spending time applying for roles, sharing details about themselves and not getting much in return.
Evidence suggests that businesses who put salaries, or salary ranges, on an advert will receive high volumes and better quality applications.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/job-description-heatmap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">61% of job seekers</a> state that salary was the most important part of the job description for them.&nbsp;
Often the reason provided by organisations for not adding salaries to adverts is &lsquo;we want to see who is in the market and we don&rsquo;t want to put off more experienced candidates&rsquo;. However, it is often more likely that organisations just aren&rsquo;t in good enough shape to be completely transparent with salaries externally.&nbsp;
If you want to start advertising salaries openly, proceed with caution. If you have inequalities in your pay, advertising externally is likely to shine a light on them. Inequalities of pay get to the heart of what employees consider to be &ldquo;fair&rdquo; in an organisation. Even the best written organisational values can start to unravel if employee&rsquo;s don&rsquo;t believe their basic needs, such as fair remuneration are being met.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Draw on data&nbsp;</h3>
Collate a list of salaries and look at how you are paying people across the group. This exercise is about identifying trends in the data to reveal biases or inequality.
With the data, ask yourself;
<ul>
<li>Are you clear on what a fair salary is for each role internally?</li>
<li>Are you clear on what a fair salary is for each role externally?</li>
<li>Is anyone overpaid? How did that happen?&nbsp;</li>
<li>Who is underpaid? How did that happen?&nbsp;</li>
<li>If you need additional budget to address inequalities, where can that come from?</li>
<li>Are you at risk of any claims? How can you mitigate this?</li>
<li>Are you at risk of losing great talent,&nbsp;</li>
<li>Are you at risk of failing to recruit the talent you need?</li>
<li>Can you afford to do this?</li>
<li>Can you afford NOT to do this?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3>Implement a grading / salary framework</h3>
Many larger organisations have a job grading / salary framework. Some just provide general guidance. Others provide very precise guidance of what salary is attached to each role.
The advantage of a framework, or some structure like this is that once you have placed everyone in the framework, you can use this to ensure that there is no future drift.&nbsp;
It is possible to introduce a framework like this without a formal job grading methodology behind it. Although it&rsquo;s likely that this kind of methodology will become more appropriate in a larger organisation where it can help to strip a role back to its component parts to be able to compare it.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Supporting your leaders and managers to have conversations about reward&nbsp;</h3>
If you&rsquo;re going to advertise salaries externally, it is likely that leaders and managers will get asked questions. For their own credibility, they need to be able to tackle these conversations confidently.
Talking about salary, reward and careers is a skill. It may be that you need to invest in upskilling your people managers in this area to support their conversations. Inexperienced line managers can get themselves into all kinds of hot water by being underprepared for these conversations!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Is it worth it?&nbsp;</h3>
Advertising a salary is likely to have an instant impact on the volume and quality of applications you receive for vacancies you advertise. If advertised on social media your adverts, without salaries attached, can attract a lot of negative attention too.
But doing the groundwork to be confident to advertise salaries externally, it will also have an impact on your existing team. It&rsquo;s been reported that when there is a pay gap perceived amongst employees (whether there actually is a gap or not) it results in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/new-report-pay-transparency-may-be-key-to-keeping-your-employees-in-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">16% decrease</a> in their intent to stay in an organisation. This makes for a pretty compelling argument for pay transparency in your organisation.&nbsp;
Taking this action will shift your culture and engagement. But if you get it right, it&rsquo;ll be hugely positive for any organisation and likely contribute to finding and retaining the best talent.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;d like to talk to Ten Space, about how we can support you during this cultural change, get in touch! www.tenspace.co.uk.&nbsp;

What do you need to do to be transparent with salaries internally and externally?

The groundwork to advertising salaries on job adverts

How BEAM Fieldwork increased their survey completion rate to 94% by creating action plans using feedback  gathered by Ten Space

Case Study

Following a successful HR career, Victoria saw the opportunity to build a pragmatic product for HR teams to fall in love with. Her mission to ‘create incredible workplaces through highly engaged teams’, is underpinned by the technology and service delivered by the Ten Space team. 

CEO / Founder

Ten Space is a team of experts in employee engagement, experience and technology. Our powerful survey platform and service helps HR teams build winning businesses.

<div>Right from the start our goal was always very clear. We wanted to help businesses be the best versions of themselves.So we combined technology, support and resources for HR professionals and business leaders to gain incredible insight.We’ve built a product that’s really easy to build into your current framework and delivers feedback from day one.</div>

Our platform is designed to help you understand the real problems in your business - fast!

Insightful articles, hints &amp; tips and company news

Featured Blog

Take our survey platform for a test drive and see what it can do for you and your business.

See how B-Secur used their 81% completion rate to inform engagement policies and strategies through Ten Space.

Featured Case Study

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Take our platform for a test drive and see what it can do for you and your business. Our team are here to answer all your questions.

Employee engagement is crucial for accountancy firms as it directly impacts productivity, client satisfaction and firm reputation. Engaged employees are more likely to go the extra mile to understand client needs, provide tailored solutions and build long-term relationships. High levels of engagement reduce turnover rates, saving recruitment costs and preserving institutional knowledge.
                

Measure employee engagement in accountancy firms through regular surveys assessing factors like job satisfaction, work-life balance and alignment with firm values. Include questions on communication effectiveness, career development opportunities and recognition. Analyse survey results to identify areas for improvement and gauge overall engagement levels.

 A great employee engagement platform will give you the data, insight and feedback you need to enact real change in your organisation. Using a third-party platform adds an extra layer of trust. By segmenting the data from engagement surveys, you can uncover valuable insights specific to different employee groups. You can find where your problems are coming from and create targeted actions.

How it works

<div><h3 class="heading pb-4">What is Employee Engagement?</h3>To put it in its simplest form: Employee engagement is the level of commitment, enthusiasm and dedication employees have towards their work and the organisation. Enhanced employee engagement reveals itself in employees reaching their full potential and delivering exceptional performance at work.</div>

Measuring employee engagement in your legal firm can be achieved through regular employee surveys. This first step is critical in gathering data that will help you make decisions. Ideally you should be surveying your business every month so you can quickly observe any drops in engagement and affect a plan quickly to resolve issues. Regular surveys provide the data you need to build a strategic engagement plan based on real information, not gut feeling.


Using an ‘engagement specific’ survey platform will help you gather data faster, more securely and more accurately. The right platform will also make it easier for people to submit their responses in a way that’s easy for them. You’ll be able to compare results over time to analyse trends. By segmenting the data from engagement surveys, you can uncover valuable insights specific to different employee groups. You can find where your problems are coming from and create targeted actions.

Once you’ve done your first survey, things will become instantly clearer. You’ll start to see the hotpots in your company by a variety of segmentation criteria such as team, location, gender, role and tenure. Open-ended feedback will often help provide a solution to the challenges you’re seeing. We’re always amazed how much insight a first survey provides to our customers from a high level right into the detail. Measuring consistent data-points over time will help gain a deep understanding of how to build your strategic plan.


Build your employee engagement strategy

<div><h3 class="heading pb-4">High engagement means higher performance</h3>Employee engagement is a critical activity for professional services firms. Retaining your high performing people will help you build a high performing legal practice. 

But if you don’t have a way to measure engagement and understand when engagement is dropping, you run the risk of losing your top performers and a potential domino effect of top talent.</div>

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learn more about employee experience &amp; retention

An easy-to-use platform to helps you capture employee feedback simply, safely and securely.

Survey using Email, WhatsApp and SMS. Easily reach your deskless mobile and remote workers with surveys so everyone can share their ideas and feedback.

Access your feedback as your surveys are happening. Clear results and insights.

The insights you need to prioritise, make decisions and track your impact. The data you need to help your team thrive.

<h5 class="heading mt-4 aos-init" data-aos="fade-down" data-aos-delay="40"> Take employee feedback to the next level</h5>If you're already gathering employee feedback but want to do more, we can show you how.

<div>The Ten Space survey platform does the hard work for you, reducing months of data collection and analysis into minutes.</div>

<div>Our survey platform delivers feedback surveys to gather responses back quickly for super-quick analysis and faster action.</div>

<div>Employee surveys, that allow you, your HR team and your leaders to focus on what they do best - building engagement and creating change.</div>

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Choose the plan that suits you

<ul><li>Access for up to 250 team members</li><li>Bi-monthly engagement surveys</li><li>Industry specific questions</li><li>Real-time results and analytics</li><li>Result segmentation, tracking &amp; comparisons</li><li>Suggested actions from experts</li><li><a href="/employee-engagement-model/">The Ten Space employee engagement model</a></li></ul>

<div class="text-center"><a>Find out more about advantage</a></div>

Fast and powerful engagement surveys

advantage

<ul><li>For all sizes of organisation</li><li>Advanced AI analytics</li><li>Build your own surveys</li><li>Distribution via email, WhatsApp &amp; SMS</li><li>Customisable data segmentation</li><li>Targeted surveys based on segmentation</li><li>Customised dashboards</li><li>Track key parts of the employee journey</li><li>Permissions based reports</li><li>Dedicated engagement managers to help you get the best results</li></ul>

For larger teams with dedicated requirements

enterprise

Build question sets unique to your business to get to the heart of the problem.

Set surveys to deliver when you want, to whoever you want, where you want.

Your business is comprised of lots of different teams that work in different ways.

Our platform is customisable to fit the needs of every part of your organisation.

Backed by artificial intelligence, our real-time dashboards give you the data you need to make informed decisions and take action quickly.

Simple, clear, easy to understand dashboards for faster desicion making.

Tag and segment data easily to identify areas of concern.

Get ahead by viewing results as they come in.

Confidently identify hidden meanings and discover trends.

Agile businesses need a flexible and inclusive approach.Ten Space gathers employee feedback via Whatsapp, SMS &amp; Email surveys so your people can respond on their terms.This leads to higher participation and a more inclusive experience, capturing the data from all your people, easily.

The Ten Space survey platform provides a data-driven approach for HR professionals to easily design, gather and analyse high-quality feedback. 

Listen to HR Director's Cut - insight into your dilemmas, conundrums and questions

Engage your team to deliver the future of your business today. From only £3 per employee per month. Whether you're starting your employee engagement journey or taking your people strategy to the next level, we can help.

Capture and utilise diversity data to enhance your culture. Capture diversity data in an efficient and safe way. Explore diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in your organisation. Ten Space supports your DEIB strategy. We can help you capture diversity data from your team in an efficent way to enhance your people data.

Elevate engagement. Retain talent. Supercharge performance. An engaged workforce helps businesses achieve so much more. The Ten Space survey platform captures the insights you need to understand employee engagement &amp; culture across your organisation. Take action &amp; drive change.

Create exceptional employee experiences. Optimise engagement. Supercharge your EVP. Let us take you on a journey.... Explore the experiences of your employees. Ten Space can help you to explore the journeys your employees take as they join your organisation, all the way through to when they leave.

Accelerate the performance of your teams to drive business performance. Explore what is driving, or holding back, your teams from delivering high-performance. We can help you explore high-performance in your organisation. Using our performance-focused surveys, we can help you uncover what is holding a team back from achieving their full potential.

Our monthly subscription fee includes our intuitive survey platform and wrap around service.

Ten Space fully supports your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) strategy in the workplace. We offer comprehensive solutions to help you efficiently capture diversity data from your team, thereby enriching your people data. Additionally, our platform enables you to explore the topics of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within your workplace culture, providing valuable data and insights to inform and enhance your DEIB strategy.

Ten Space equips companies with the necessary resources, tools, knowledge and information to create the ultimate diverse and inclusive workforce. Our platform offers analytics and insights that enable organisations to develop and implement effective DEIB programs. From setting goals on equality to attracting diverse candidates during the hiring process, we provide solutions that address gender, race, ethnicity, and other dimensions of diversity.

Leveraging our data capture platform, we ensure that the process of collecting DEIB data is efficient, safe, and secure. Our platform is designed to capture data in a clean and organised manner, ready for your analysis and utilisation.

With our DEIB focused surveys, we enable you to capture the essential data and gain insights that support your DEIB strategy. We can explore general engagement across different demographics, or we can specifically focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as central themes, allowing you to delve deeper into this critical area of culture.

As a trusted third-party platform that captures feedback anonymously, we provide a safe space for your employees to share their experiences and provide valuable feedback. This anonymity fosters an environment of authenticity and trust, enabling you to build an accurate and comprehensive picture of the insights you need to drive your DEIB initiatives.

We understand that your DEIB strategy is an ongoing journey, not a one-time event. That's why we help you regularly capture feedback and insights, allowing you to track your progress over time. By monitoring and analysing this data, you can demonstrate the impact and return on investment of your DEIB efforts, ensuring continuous improvement and advancement.

An engaged workforce helps organisations achieve their goals. Ten Space captures the valuable insights you need to build a positive culture through high employee engagement. Your people managers and leaders can easily identify and address those critical issues preventing high engagement and build a culture that everyone buys into.

Ten Space empowers organisations to unlock the full potential of their employee engagement strategy. By utilising our platform, people managers and leaders can leverage their knowledge, experience and approach to drive positive change throughout the workplace. Effective communication, addressing challenges and fostering a supportive culture are integral aspects of our platform, enabling you to build a thriving organisation that values its employees. With Ten Space, you have the necessary insights and data to prove the impact of your employee engagement strategy and continuously improve the employee experience.

"Ten Space help HR teams identify and resolve retention hotspots quickly. The data helps you improve every stage of the employee journey including hiring, onboarding, probation, reviews and exit interviews to continuously improve the employee experience and reduce retention risks"

<div><h3 class="heading pb-4">What is the Employee Engagement model?</h3>Some believe engagement is solely about having happy employees, but engagement goes beyond this. Enhanced employee engagement reveals itself when your employees reach their full potential and deliver exceptional performance at work.At Ten Space we use a simple model. It helps you explore engagement in your organisation. It shows you where you already excel and where you need to focus to improve.</div>

When your employees feel connected to the mission of the company, their engagement improves significantly. They find meaning and purpose in their work, knowing that their efforts contribute to something larger than themselves. They become more invested in the success of your organisation, leading to higher productivity, increased job satisfaction and a stronger sense of belonging within the team.

A great leader inspires and motivates their team members, earning their trust and respect. They provide clear direction, guidance, and support, allowing employees to perform their best and reach their full potential. A great leader creates a sense of empowerment, job satisfaction and loyalty among the team, leading to enhanced employee engagement and overall success.

 Employee engagement improves when your employees feel fulfilled in their role. When individuals find their work meaningful and aligned with their values, they are motivated to invest their time and energy into their work, going above and beyond to achieve goals. This positive mindset and attitude contribute to increased productivity, stronger teamwork and a happier work environment, ultimately enhancing overall employee engagement.

The highest-performing teams have one thing in common: psychologically safe workplaces. Psychologically safe workplaces promote healthier, more productive and more inclusive workforces. They also provide the environment in which innovation can thrive and people can perform at their best.

Ten Space is the platform to gather regular employee feedback. Every month, your employees are able to offer the feedback and insight you need to create positive change throughout your organisation.

The Ten Space engagement model underpins the data. It ensures a consistent approach to capturing feedback that can be measured over time. Our platform helps you build the perfect question set to understand the real issues preventing high engagement. 

 Ten Space does all the hard work, saving you days of admin. Questions are sent via email, WhatsApp or SMS and responses are gathered back in the platform. No matter where your employees are or how they work, there is always an easy way for them to provide their feedback. 

See responses as they're being submitted. Our dashboards display real-time information for you and your managers to access valuable insights at any time. This allows you to spend less time collating data and more time taking the actions that matter to build higher engagement.  

The Ten Space way

Retaining your best people is all about understanding the individual and collective journeys they're on. Ten Space allows you to predict retention issues before they occur and prevent your top talent from leaving.  

The Ten Space survey platform allows leaders to seamlessly follow their employees' journeys within the organisation, gaining invaluable insights into their professional growth and development. The platform provides a unique ability to monitor employee sentiment through live data streams from surveys, enabling leaders to make informed decisions to enhance workplace satisfaction.

All of your employees are on a journey. Even before they work for you, they're building an impression of your organisation through the hiring process. Common experiences for all employees may include hiring, onboarding, probation, promotion and exit. Ten Space allows you to unpack the employee experience at each stage of the journey, helping you improve the experience for future employees. 

Ten Space provides a highly customised in-depth feedback loop to understand which parts of your HR initiatives and processes could be causing retention issues. Our platform sends our feedback surveys at critical times to gather sentiment and understand feeling. At every step, you'll gain a true understanding of how employees really feel and what retention risks exist.

Ten Space makes the process of collecting feedback really easy. Our platform allows you to build and launch custom feedback loops that can analyse specific journeys being experienced in all parts of the organisation. You can customise your questions to gain a deep understanding of employee experiences. And our AI summaries make it easy to analyse retention hotspots at all times.

At any time, your HR team can log into Ten Space and view our feedback dashboards. Our customer success team will hold regular reviews and insights sessions with you, so you feel fully supported. We'll help you to get the most out of the insights you've captured and support you in taking the next steps to further enhance employee satisfaction. 

The Ten Space way

Ten Space assists you in exploring high-performance within your organisation. Leveraging our performance-focused surveys, we enable you to achieve your goals and unlock the full potential of your teams. Our platform helps you identify the unique qualities that make a team exceptional, empowering you to replicate and build upon their success. Analysing performance culture team by team in organisations where performance matters.

Ten Space equips you with everything you need to drive team performance and achieve success. By leveraging our platform, you can assess and enhance the culture, communication, management, individual commitment, projects and processes that contribute to team effectiveness. Through comprehensive performance evaluation metrics and insights, you gain a deeper understanding of your teams and can make informed decisions to drive improvement and productivity.

Utilising our performance-based question sets we’ll help you understand how to assess performance in organisation. We guide you by asking the right questions to extract the necessary insights on performance evaluation for teams. Whether your team operates in creative, technical, administrative, or sales-focused areas, we tailor the process to fit your team's specific requirements.

We assist you in segmenting your team data, enabling you to gain in-depth performance insights and understand the trends that impact team effectiveness. Our intuitive dashboard helps you quickly identify key insights from your results, allowing you to focus on actionable steps and next moves.

Harnessing the power of Ten Space as a trusted third-party anonymous platform, we provide a safe space for employees to share any challenges, barriers, or catalysts that affect their performance. This way, we foster a climate of openness, encouraging individuals to provide candid feedback that can uncover valuable insights.

We can help you integrate communication and training needs analysis into your surveys, allowing you to gather ideas and solutions directly from your team members. By capturing this information, you gain a clear understanding of work expectations and where your team would like you to focus your efforts to improve performance culture. There are no limitations or holding back when it comes to taking action.

Capture and utilise diversity data to enhance your culture.

Insights to understand the engagement and culture across your organisation

Identify and resolve retention hotspots in your organisation

Capture and utilise diversity data in an efficient and safe way to enhance your culture.  

Capture the insights you need to understand employee engagement &amp; culture across your organisation.

Create exceptional employee experiences. Optimise engagement. Supercharge your EVP.

Accelerate the performance of your teams to drive business performance

Build a high performing business powered by high performing teams

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