Sorting the Stakeholders: Who is Who in HR Tech
Learn how to identify and work with the right internal and external stakeholders for HR technology projects. This guide covers assembling your project team, understanding key roles, and selecting the talent that will drive your implementation’s success.
Why HR can’t rely on best practice anymore – part 1
HR’s traditional best practices are becoming obsolete in today’s rapidly changing business environment. Instead of relying on outdated retention strategies, organizations should embrace innovative approaches like “boomerang recruiting” to attract former employees back, allowing talent to grow elsewhere and return with enhanced skills and experience.
Apprenticeships – what you need to know
England’s apprenticeship system is undergoing major changes with new employer-led standards and a government levy starting April 2017. Businesses with a pay bill over £3 million must pay 0.5% annually, recoupable only through apprentice employment and training. Start planning now to maximize your return on this investment.
Why the apprenticeship levy means more for your seniors than juniors
The apprenticeship levy requires large employers to redirect L&D budgets toward apprenticeships across all staff levels. Master’s-level apprenticeships offer particular value for upskilling experienced workers and senior managers, helping UK companies address skills gaps and drive Industry 4.0 transformation.
Organisations should approach apprenticeship levy as an investment, not a tax
Organizations should view the apprenticeship levy as an investment opportunity rather than a tax to maximize its value. The levy provides funding for higher-level skills development, employee engagement, and addressing skill shortages, with unspent funds expiring after 24 months on a rolling basis.
Mind the (skills) gap – getting the most from the Apprenticeship Levy
The apprenticeship levy offers UK employers a significant opportunity to invest in workforce skills and productivity. Rather than viewing it as a payroll tax, forward-thinking organisations are using the funds to develop adaptable employees through degree and higher apprenticeships that deliver measurable business returns.
How will AI impact recruitment?
AI is transforming recruitment by automating time-consuming tasks like resume screening and candidate search. Using machine learning and natural language processing, AI helps recruiters identify top talent faster, improve candidate experience, and make data-driven hiring decisions in an increasingly competitive talent market.
Book review: Coaching for Innovation: Tools and Techniques for Encouraging New Ideas in the Workplace
Coaching for Innovation explores how coaching techniques can drive idea generation and organizational innovation through practical tools and models. Authors Bianchi and Steele guide coaches through individual practice and team dynamics, with particular emphasis on mindful listening and building creative cultures. The book includes exercises, worksheets, and downloadable resources suitable for HR professionals and coaches seeking to enhance their effectiveness.
Six top tips on how to be more emotionally intelligent at work
Learn six practical strategies to boost your emotional intelligence at work, from naming your emotions to developing self-awareness. Emotional intelligence helps manage your own feelings and those of others, improving workplace relationships, productivity, and overall well-being through consistent, personalized practices.
Five ways to combat prejudice in your recruitment process
Combat prejudice in recruitment by raising awareness of unconscious bias, clearly defining company values against discrimination, using inclusive language in job descriptions, and implementing blind hiring practices. These strategies help HR managers select candidates based on merit rather than discriminatory factors.
Employee lifecycle: get deeper insight by aligning analytics initiatives
Align HR analytics across the employee lifecycle to predict attrition, identify retention risks like ineffective managers or poor compensation, and gain competitive advantage by understanding your workforce’s motivations and career expectations.
Employee perspectives: “My time is taken up doing the wrong things.”
A Clinical Lead for Community Nursing in the NHS describes feeling burdened by administrative tasks rather than strategic work, arguing that HR departments must look deeper into employee challenges and actively support staff development beyond handling illness and misconduct cases.
“Companies will need to work harder to retain high performers.”
As companies compete for talent, HR and learning leaders face increasing pressure to retain high performers. Fosway Group’s new COO discusses how organizations can navigate workforce challenges through strategic HR initiatives and deeper industry insights tailored to corporate needs.
This is the year of people analytics! Again…
People analytics has repeatedly been heralded as the breakthrough year for organizations, yet many struggle to unlock value from their HR data. Common barriers include lack of scale for advanced analytics, messy data quality issues, and difficulty proving financial returns to secure investment.
Why you need to adopt a more strategic approach to talent acquisition
The UK faces a skills gap costing the economy £63 billion annually as digital transformation accelerates. Organizations must adopt strategic talent acquisition approaches, including industry-education collaboration, workforce planning, and developing leadership pipelines to secure future success.
How to close the engineering skills gap
The engineering sector faces a critical skills gap requiring 182,000 new professionals annually, but companies must take proactive steps beyond relying on academic institutions. Solutions include establishing apprenticeship schemes, recruiting ex-military personnel with transferable technical skills, and investing in ongoing staff training and development to attract and retain talent.
Reskilling for the age of digital work: what do we need from a modern employee?
As automation reshapes the workplace, modern employees need stronger analytical, problem-solving, and data literacy skills to thrive. Organizations must prioritize reskilling programs, with 54% of leaders viewing automation training as critical for HR over the next five years.
Case study: Want to find the right people in a skills shortage? Think outside the box
During a digital skills shortage, finding the right developer talent requires looking beyond traditional recruitment methods. By understanding specific programming specialisms, leveraging cross-platform development tools, and offering what developers actually value—like flexibility and meaningful work—employers can access a much larger talent pool and attract top performers.
Why the built environment sector needs to attract diverse talent
The built environment sector faces an aging workforce and increasing competition for skilled talent. Young people prioritize workplace diversity when choosing employers, making inclusive hiring practices essential for attracting and retaining top talent while improving business performance.
Digital transformation is workforce transformation: Why HR must assume a leadership role
Digital transformation fails without workforce transformation. HR must lead change management efforts, addressing employee concerns and engagement while helping organizations navigate complex process redesigns and skill requirements. Success depends on clear communication and understanding the emotional impact of change on employees.
