Member Article

HR expert pleads with UK SMEs to stop ignoring the elephant in the room

An HR expert has published a book urging SMEs to widen their focus and face up to the elephant in the room as the UK economy begins to recover from the pandemic.

Donna Obstfeld, who runs DOHR with her team of experts in Borehamwood, Herts, fears that as the economy begins to pick up, many small businesses may understandably be tempted to focus more on returning to “business as usual” or restoring the bottom line.

However that focus may come at a price, warns Donna;

As a business owner myself, I totally understand the many different plates that we all have to spin and for many, the biggest focus will be on sales and marketing. I get it. However, I would urge responsible business owners to invest as much time and effort into their HR, afterall, it is their people who will be at the heart of any recovery.

Donna’s book “The Elephant in the Room” will be published on 7th February and over 24 entertaining and thought provoking chapters covers a wide range of HR elephants from body odour and Brexit to the challenges around Mental Health, Abuse, Discrimination and the new world of work in a post-covid world.

Donna explains;

I’ve written this book in a light-hearted way but the topics covered are crucial to tackle and proactively get to grips with for any small business owner. I’ve called them “elephants” because they are frankly ignored far too often and indeed the elephant-eyed among readers may even spot our company mascot “Frank” is one of their species.

In all seriousness though, now is the time to tackle this. Consider the impact of remote working, where many employees have been isolated and felt less able to reach out for support and advice. Similarly, what about those who are new to the team but have not even been to the office since starting may require extra support?

For many people, being able to work from home has enabled them to achieve better work-life balance. For some, this has been by cutting down the commute time, for others, it has been getting a good walk in during their lunch hour and for others it has been the ability to be at home when the kids get back from school.

For some, the solitude of working from home has been unbearable. Perhaps due to the lack of human contact, or the lack of proper work space; these people are desperate to get back to the office and to their normal routines. As responsible business owners we all need to ensure that we are focusing on our biggest asset and that is our people. Hopefully my book will help to steer people in the right direction.

The Elephant In The Room is available from Amazon priced at £14.99

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mac Watson .