HR calibration: how to make your HR teams work in sync
By applying the method of calibration to HR, policies can be implemented more effectively and teams can find harmony. Find out how to get started… HR policies, like employment law, can sometimes be ambiguous – this is not through poor writing or lack of clarity. It’s due to allowing scope for sensible and professional interpretation […]
Why new fathers are too scared to take paternity leave
Uptake of shared parental leave among new fathers is low. What’s holding men back from caring for their children? I recently read a troubling statistic, suggesting that as few as one in 50 men are taking advantage of a Government scheme designed to make it easier for new fathers to take paternity leave. The scheme […]
The era of employee experience: how AI and chatbots innovate HR
Companies have already started improving the customer experience using AI technology and now it’s time to utilise that technology to enable employee self-services as well. The next big tactical battleground, according to Gartner, Forbes and others, is employee engagement and improving employee experience (EX) with HR services. For a company to grow, it must invest […]
People management: making way for future employees
Automation and artificial intelligence might be changing how we do business, but it’s people who give businesses their edge. People are your greatest asset. This has been a buzzword in business for decades, but with technology displacing people from jobs and the spotlight increasingly on commodities, many business leaders are likely wondering, how much longer […]
“HR has a responsibility and a right to be the soul and purpose of the business.”
In an interview with Brian Kropp, Group Vice President in the HR Practice of Gartner, we explore the ways in which technology is transforming the HR industry – from the decline of the engagement survey to the rise of listening tools – and uncover how the HR function must adapt to remain purposeful within business. […]
Seven practical ways to support working carers
There is a large portion of the UK workforce who also have caring responsibilities for family members with a disability, illness, mental health problem or those who simply need additional assistance as they get older. According to the Work Foundation, the number of working caregivers is estimated to be 2.6 million people. As people work […]
Complacency kills: three ways for SMEs to foster employee engagement and productivity
The UK has a productivity problem, and SMEs need to better engage with their employees to boost performance. ONS stats suggest that worker output per hour saw year-on-year declines of 0.3% on Q2 2017, and that workers in 2016 produced 15.1% less than workers in other G7 countries. It’s a significant gap, and it’s worth […]
Supporting women past impostor syndrome and into leadership
Women are still lagging behind when it comes to confidence in their own abilities, so how can we help the female leaders of tomorrow turn that around? Are you doing enough to support women into leadership positions in your company? If you’re not tackling imposter syndrome then the answer is probably ‘no’. Why? It is […]
The ageing workforce: four approaches for HR
Our ageing workforce brings many benefits for businesses, but it requires commitment to fully support them. By 2020, one in three workers will be over 50 years old. With the increase of the retirement age, phased retirement, or employees just not wanting to retire, the workforce will be older than ever before, and with this […]
The real-time methods and techniques that will help you win top talent
It’s time for recruiters to embrace programmatic advertising, the automation of advertising, to maximise engagement with new talent. Josbite, Indeed, Monster, Total Jobs, Fish4 – the list of job board sites goes on and on. So for anyone seeking out the next step in their career path, there’s certainly no shortage of places to look. […]
Bipolar disorder in the workplace: what do businesses need to be doing?
Approximately 2 in every 100 people in the UK have bipolar disorder, but bipolar is still considered to be a taboo subject. Even superstar Mariah Carey, who recently decided to speak out about her experience with bipolar disorder, highlighted her constant fear that someone would expose her. This stigma around bipolar disorder, as well as […]
Death by overwork: quantity at the expense of quality
From subsidised gym memberships to ‘stop smoking’ programmes, businesses are increasingly taking responsibility for the wellbeing of their staff. However, one aspect of employee health has taken a step backwards: mental and physical exhaustion caused by overworking. Sleep famine has simply become an intrinsic part of daily life for many workers, both white collar and […]
Closing the gender pay gap: what HR is doing wrong
Many organisations say they want to close the gender pay gap, but rebalancing the scales requires a bigger cultural shift. Brilliant people instinctively try to ‘fix’ problems. To address senior female under-representation and the gender pay gap, executives often focus on ‘getting’ more women. This fix of representation over culture is rapidly becoming part of […]
Hearing rather than solving is the new approach to creating inclusion
Despite many organisations putting time and effort being into improving diversity and inclusion, research shows that many people still feel excluded. Could the simple approach of listening attentively to our people, without looking straight to fixing problems, be an effective solution? One of the main challenges that affects those of us who help companies and organisations […]
Gender imbalance in the social care sector: time to plug the gap
We need to make careers in the social care sector more inclusive for men – before it’s too late. In the UK currently, there is a distinct lack of male nurses, male childcare experts and male adult social carers. In fact, there is a shortage of men in the social care sector altogether – they […]
Diversity at work: the business case for an inclusive culture
Exclusion can seriously damage your business, which is why inclusion needs to be a consistent and deliberate part of your HR strategy. Head Heart + Brian recently conducted research with companies about their diversity and inclusion initiatives to learn how these successful ‘lighthouse’ organisations are moving the dial on creating an inclusive culture, with particular […]
Employee wellbeing: the increasing appetite for digital health benefits
Digital tools are transforming the world of employee benefits, so it’s essential that organisations stay ahead of the curve to reap the rewards of this. Financial and mental wellbeing have both been revolutionised by the introduction of EAP services, instant access to online blogs and the availability of anonymised employee data to aid employers in […]
Why you need to create a positive, profitable employee experience
The increasing focus on the employee experience is not simply the latest touchy-feely fad for organisations. It is a firm fixture for the C-Suite. With better ways to analyse business metrics, leadership teams are learning that engaged, positive and motivated staff are critical to bottom line success. Evidence now firmly demonstrates that unhappy or disengaged […]
Inclusion means everyone… doesn’t it?
Gender equality is about men, just as much as it is about women, argues diversity and inclusion specialist Nadia Nagamootoo. I speak to a lot of women about my work to create gender equality for men – often because I’m attending a Women’s Network or the audience attracts more women when the subject is about […]
STEM’s long-standing image problem: how can we eliminate it?
STEM and digital skills are essential to the UK, both within technology firms and across virtually all other sectors. We need to address the STEM image problem to get more women into the industry. STEM subjects have longed suffered from an image problem. Many people assume that roles in STEM are highly technical or dull, […]