How can you become a billionaire? The Sunday Times’ Rich List says to ditch emails
The Sunday Times has recently launched its latest Rich List: aside from the mega fortunes and increasing rise of the nation’s billionaires, interestingly it also claims that many of the UK’s top entrepreneurs are ditching their inbox in favour of chatting to move their business forward. Can you imagine going on Dragon’s Den and telling […]
The Black Box of employee engagement
About a month ago, I started working with a new client, helping them to create an employee engagement forum. They had put together a group of representatives and I went in to speak with them. When I walked into the room, I could feel the tension, a tight feeling as if everyone were holding their […]
“That’s not what I signed up for!” Linking job role, illegitimate tasks and wellbeing…
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
The workplace of the future – time for a more considered view?
A new report from CIPD indicates that nearly a quarter of employees (23%) are worried that at least part of their job could soon be automated [PDF]. The pace of automation and the development of artificial intelligence in the workplace has been the subject of innumerable articles in the media, many of them of a somewhat hysterical nature. […]
Five ways to ensure your feedback has impact
Feedback is a powerful means of optimizing performance in others. When done well it helps employees fine-tune their efforts to achieve results while strengthening self-confidence and deepening engagement – two outcomes that increase initiative and “stick-to-it-iveness.” But feedback is often misunderstood by leaders at every level, too frequently avoided, or ends up having little to no […]
If it can be routinized, it will be: the charter for HR
The Plainspeak Analyst is Katherine Jones, Partner and Director of Talent Research at Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consulting firm. Her job is to design and deliver insight research and services to Mercer’s global clients. She was previously VP, Human Capital Management Technology Research at Bersin by Deloitte. She has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Cornell University. […]
How to navigate toxic behaviours during conflict
Consider this scenario. You’re negotiating a starting salary with a potential new employee, Jim. You tell him for the second time that despite his experience and background, you aren’t authorized go above the salary range set for his position. Jim begins to raise his voice, points his finger, and interrupts you as you try to […]
“I believe we need to be ensuring learning is practical and real for those in the workplace.”
We’re always curious to hear how our members and contributors tackle the challenges that the ever-changing world of L&D throws at them. We’ve got a wealth of experience and knowledge across the site, and what better way to showcase the diversity of our community than to get them to walk us through an average day? Want […]
Are your employees surviving or thriving at work?
Would you consider your employees to be in good mental health? It is, perhaps, a simple question to ask and answer. My employees come in, they smile, they get their work done, and they go home. Simple. But consider this: would it surprise you to learn that only 13% of people report living with high […]
The myth of empowerment: how to give your direct reports real ownership over their work
There are several factors that prevent managers from taking a stronger hand in leading their people to success. One of those is the Myth of Empowerment: that the way to empower people is to leave them alone and let them manage themselves. This is false empowerment, and probably the number one myth in the workplace. […]
Tie real consequences to performance to create empowerment and accountability
In order to empower your direct reports and make accountability work, it’s not enough to chant the slogan around the office and hope people get it. First, accountability works only as a management tool if the employee knows in advance that she will have to answer for her actions. IF you tell an employee that […]
Employee accountability: it means nothing without clear expectations
Remember that the first and most important element in creating real accountability is spelling out expectations up front in clear terms. If you are the boss, your number one responsibility is to make absolutely sure that every person you manage understands exactly what he is expected to do and exactly how he is expected to […]
Workers care more about others during organisational change
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and make sure […]
What you can do about the workplace gender gap
For a long time, many people saw workplace diversity as little more than a box-ticking exercise, or simply a banner for companies to wave. Thankfully, these attitudes are disappearing and now workplace diversity is increasingly being recognised for what it is: crucial for business success. In recent years, HR departments have made huge and tangible […]
Falling into an HR hole? What potential pitfalls are ahead for HR.
The latest CIPD HR Outlook [PDF] has found that the top three current and future priorities for the profession are cost management, talent management, and the increasing agility or flexibility of their organisation. These top three priorities should come as no surprise – they are perennial to the HR Industry. In fact, talent management is taking […]
How a bad night’s sleep can disrupt the workplace
Do you feel grumpy, short-tempered, or prone to irrational behaviour after a bad night’s sleep or are you one of those who can quell your emotions and be ‘as nice as pie’ when you’re tired out? Sleep is a challenge for most of us, and to get a good night’s rest can have a significant […]
The secrets of simple graphics
Because graphics are concerned with hand drawn images style and quality vary hugely amongst presenters, facilitators and others who use graphics in their work. Much like the way handwriting is a unique insight into someone’s personality, their humanity, hand drawn graphics offer us a similar observation. No two persons’ drawings are quite the same. It […]
The promises and pitfalls of hand drawn graphics
Hand drawn graphics are simple images accompanied by text. The terms sketchnoting, graphic facilitation, visual thinking and visual communication all relate to hand drawn graphics. Organisations can make use of hand drawn graphics in many areas. For example, a simple one page graphic can be used to explain a complex process; graphic facilitation can be […]
HR and the bigger world picture: how can it make an impact?
We live in extraordinary times – the political landscape is coping with post-truth propaganda and organisations are grappling with an unprecedented rate of change and disruption. I believe that the enterprises that will not only survive but outperform in the future will be the ones that amplify the power of their people. As HR professionals, we […]
HR, up your impact: what gets measured gets done
Once we are clear on the strategic goals and focus areas for HR, we need define our targets and how we measure our progress. Through this we are influencing what gets done, so we need to get it right. Otherwise, we divert resources and investment to potentially damaging number chasing. In the first article of the series, […]