She was eating a dead leaf!

Sometimes I get five minutes to myself. If I do the place I want to be is in my garden watching my two bunnies, Dyson (he hoovers up the food) and his bunny wife Truffle.

I had one of those 5 minutes this afternoon and me and my coffee sat in the garden watching the bunnies. They have the run of the garden when I am home and Truffle was first out to explore. Within minutes she’d found a dried leaf that must have been on the floor since Autumn. So what does she do, she eats it.  There is no explanation why Truffle would eat a dead leaf.

It got me thinking about what your staff do where there is no explanation:

Why are you doing that?

Why would you say that?…

I bet the list is a long one.

Its a fact that running an Early Years setting can be challenging. The easy bit is the children – am I right?

Staff say and do things you can’t explain. I feed my bunnies the most expensive single pellet food on the market plus Timothy Hay yet they eat a dead leaf that’s been on the ground 6 months! I can’t explain why they do this and neither can we explain why your staff will do and say certain things at work.

As an employer knowing how to respond takes skill and practice.

Remember We Respond not React

Not showing the other party what you are thinking helps you to remain in control.

So the next time someone asks for Friday off on Thursday afternoon, take a breadth and say you’ll “happily have a look but it’s unlikely as its tomorrow.”

The next time your staff member writes on Facebook that they can’t wait for Friday, breathe and reflect that who isn’t looking forward to Friday.

You will offer a job to someone who’s perfect and then they will email 2 days later to say they’ve accepted an alternative offer. Breathe and move on.

Important- Where you place your attention is where the magic happens.

Don’t let yourself get flustered by what your staff say and do, you can’t control what they say, but you can control how you respond to it.

If you feel you need any help with any aspect of HR or employment law please call us on 01527 909436