New Year — New Job?

Happy New Year! When is it OK to stop saying that? You have either been rushed off your feet over the festive season, or you are one of the lucky ones who had time off to rest and re-evaluate your future. Have you started the New Year with full intentions and strong motivation to look for a new job for yourself? Change is as good as a rest, isn’t it?! If you have made the decision to make a change, make the time to fully understand what it is that you need or want from your new job or career change. Avoid mass-applying to every company looking for a new candidate to join their team. Research the positions and companies that you know will fulfil you, then work hard on making yourself their next stand-out successful applicant.

Tips for finding a new job

ALWAYS review ALL your online presence and ensure that it is up-to-date, and make sure that there isn’t any public evidence of your colourful Christmas party antics!

Network online and offline in the fields that you are looking to work in. Make some amendments to your CV in preparation. One size fits all CV’s stand-out a mile. Make sure that you tweak your CV so it’s more specific to each role you’re applying for. High on your list is to do your research and due diligence into the businesses that you have your eye on.

What to look for in a new company

What do you look for in a business that you would like to work within? Are you motivated by their values, wages, holiday days, or sick pay? Maybe you would like to know more about their history, plans for the immediate future or their long-term plans. Some people want to know more about the roles available, the teams involved, and how the company measures success. Have you ever considered asking them about safety within the company?

Safety in the workplace

It is a given when we approach a company that they would be complying with all the latest safety policies and that employees will be always protected. But do you ever ask the question “How do you ensure that your staff are safe in your employ?”

We aren’t just talking about risk assessments; machinery use and personal protective equipment. How about Wellbeing and Lone Working?

Do they expect staff to work alone or from home, even if it’s only for a short time each shift?
Does the company offer a system for protecting staff?
Who is responsible if someone fails to check in?
Do they have a way for you to log safety notes or raise an alarm if you were to find yourself in a position of feeling panicked?
Do they ask for and record well-being information?

They sound tough questions to ask, but you can tell a lot about how a company really does treat their start by how on the ball and complete their answer is. If their answer is vague or doesn’t really know, it means it’s not a core part of their thinking and ethos. And that would be worrying

Safety working from home

Even if the role you are seeking is a homeworking role. Your employer has the same health and safety responsibilities toward their employees, whether you are working at home or in the workplace. So, the same questions should be asked about your safety, regardless of whether you working from your own home, company site or out and about.

Your responsibilities

Like any worker, you have responsibilities too and must take care of your own health and safety (and of course that of others around you). Ask your prospective employer what they see as your responsibility, to ensure that you help everyone meet their duties under the law.

Here at MyTeamSafe we wish you the very best of luck with your new job search. Even if you aren’t looking to move in a different direction, make sure you and the organisation you work in take their legal duty of care obligations seriously.

MyTeamSafe®, an award-winning lone-worker App & proud supporter of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust