It's All About People - 3rd April 2025

READ TIME - 4 minute read

This month, many businesses will feel the financial squeeze a little more tightly.
⬆️ The National Living Wage has risen.
⬆️ National Insurance changes are kicking in.
⬆️ And of course, there’s still the ongoing pressure of increased supplier, utility, and operational costs.

It’s a lot.

But if you’re reading this, we’re going to assume you’ve already planned ahead.
✅ You’ve done the number-crunching.
✅ You’ve adjusted your payroll. You’ve checked compliance.
✅So here’s the real question I want to ask you:

Are all the roles in your organisation truly needed – and are they adding value?Because when costs go up, efficiency has to go up too.

🔍 Now’s the time to look closely at:

• What each role is there to do

• How that role contributes to business goals

• Whether performance is where it should be

• And what happens if that performance isn’t there

Sometimes the answer is simple: a bit of support, some feedback, and off they go, performing better.

Other times? It’s more complex.

💬 Here’s what you might need to consider:

1️⃣Performance management

Are there people in your business who aren’t pulling their weight, and haven’t been for some time? You know the ones. It’s time to deal with it properly. Have a performance plan. Set expectations. Hold them accountable.

2️⃣ Job design

Some roles evolve over time and can become… muddled. Are there duplicated tasks? Gaps? Could things be streamlined, automated or shared? Sometimes a role isn’t underperforming – it’s just no longer right for the business.

3️⃣ Redundancy

This word often scares managers, but it’s a legitimate and sometimes necessary route.
If a role is no longer needed, or you genuinely need to cut costs to survive, redundancy could be an option.
Just make sure you go about it the right way – fairly, legally, and sensitively.

🧠 A little mindset shift can go a long way:

Instead of asking: “Who can we let go?”

Try: “How do we make sure every person here is making a positive difference?”

Because ultimately, when every role is clearly defined, well managed, and aligned with business needs –
👉 Productivity improves
👉 Engagement increases
👉 And value for money follows 

Need help with this?

You’re not alone. We are currently working with lots of of clients who are asking exactly these questions. Sometimes they just need a sounding board.
Other times, they want us to support with performance plans, restructures, or even running redundancy consultations.

Wherever you’re at – we’re here. If you’d like a quick chat – no charge of course simply book that here. We know things are tough out there, so if a quick chat would help, we’re here for you.

Best,
Emma

P.S. If you're a member of our HR Hub, then we have all the documents you need to managing performance and understanding redundancies in the Hub for you.

P.P.S.  If you are not a Hub member why not give it for FREE for a month. You can do that here.

Events to Join in the coming weeks (click on the links to join us)

^{HR Clinic - FREE to all. 10th April 12-1pm}

^{Lunch & Learn: Understanding and Enforcing Restrictive Covenants Support - free to all clients, £35+VAT for non-clients). 24th April 12-1pm}

^{Lunch & Learn: Managing Sickness Absence - free to all clients, £35+VAT for non-clients). 13th May 12-1pm}

^{HR Masterclass: unch & Learn: Managing Sickness Absence - free to all clients, £150+VAT for non-clients). 15th May 9.30am-12.30pm}

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