How to make maternity leave work for both employers and employees
Want to ensure that maternity leave works for everyone involved? From shared parental leave to mentoring returning parents back in the workplace, here's how to keep all staff happy. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. As we hear daily on Mumsnet, pregnancy and new motherhood bring with them a raft of challenges. Not the least among […]
How to negotiate for family-friendly work habits
Flexibility is a key consideration when returning to work. We talk you through the best ways to get the accommodations you need at work – from asking for a trial period to finding solutions to staffing issues. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. The right to request flexible working has been a welcome innovation for […]
What mothers want: What women say about how they can be best supported in the workplace
Discrimination can begin before a woman even steps foot in the office. This is how you can ensure that all women are supported in the most effective way possible. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. When thinking about mothers in the workplace, ‘flexible working’ comes up constantly; it seems, too, that the options for and benefits […]
Going back: what fears and hopes do mothers have before returning to the workplace?
From being there for your kids to coping with the stresses of working life, Mumsnet users share their thoughts on returning to work after having children. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. Above and beyond the important stuff like HR policies and procedures, mothers’ fears and hopes on returning from maternity leave are often focused […]
Beyond the nappy zone: Why older people and carers need flexibility too
It isn't just the parents of young children who need flexible leave – older people and carers also need the chance to work flexibly. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. Flexible working is an idea constantly associated with parents of young children, and (things being the way they are) specifically with mothers. Of course, […]
Five evidence-based steps to creativity and innovation
This five-step process is based on the thoughts of Mark Batey, Senior Lecturer In Organisational Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School. HRZone interviewed Mark in January 2017. His thoughts are based on a decade worth of research and practice with senior teams, helping them be creative and develop new strategies. Mark's approach is to draw […]
How leaders can stir up creativity in meetings
This piece is based on the thoughts of Mark Batey, Senior Lecturer In Organisational Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School. HRZone interviewed Mark in January 2017. His thoughts are based on a decade worth of research and practice with senior teams, helping them be creative and develop new strategies. Mark's approach is to draw together […]
Outlook for 2017: optimism for UK employees, but will it last?
CIPD recently published their bi-annual Employee Outlook survey, so we thought it would be helpful to have an overview of the key findings and changes for our readers. Luckily, Claire McCartney was happy to help and has rounded up some of the more interesting insights from the survey below. It is encouraging to be able to […]
Whose job is it anyway? How HR can spearhead digital change in organisations
A digital shake-up is sweeping through the workplace, changing decades-old ways of working. This isn’t just an issue isolated to the IT department; digital transformation will change every part of your business. While this is a period of uncertainty for many, it is also a huge opportunity for the HR department. That’s because among others things, enterprises need their […]
Achieving gender balance – the practical stuff
This is part two in a two-part series on achieving gender diversity. The first looks at why we need to focus on men, not women. When I first talk to organisations about their gender issues, the conversation usually starts with an explanation of their issue, for example, maternity non-returners or lack of female progress from […]
Achieving gender balance is about men – not women
This is part one in a two-part series on achieving gender diversity. The second part looks at the practical steps organisations can take. Why is it that whenever anyone talks of gender equality, the immediate thought is about women’s rights, feminist chants of discrimination in the workplace, pointing the finger at male leaders creating barriers […]
The leadership manifesto: developing leaders at all levels
The concept and nature of leadership has probably never been more debated than it is now. Last year saw Theresa May take over as PM in the UK after David Cameron stepped down, while the US elected a new President – where his opponent criticised him for having no prior political experience. The debate around […]
How to avoid another year of Trexit
2016 was a year of divisive politics. In the UK, factions formed around the ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ camps. In the US, the battle lines were drawn between supporters of Trump and those of Clinton. In both cases, the rhetoric was vicious and saw a rise in hate-related incidents. It was easy to point fingers and […]
Offices, unpredictable bosses and reinventing work for the future
Here is your weekly list of news, opinion and interesting blogs from across the HR world, selected by us over the past few days. Enjoy it over your morning cuppa, or on your evening commute. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week […]
What should your talent management strategy look like?
Over the last 10 years there’s been an epic shift in talent management strategies. The silo view of each HR core function (i.e. workforce planning, learning and development, recruiting and hiring etc.) is slowly disappearing to be replaced by a holistic, integrated set of HR and talent management systems. But why? Companies worldwide are fighting […]
Before we fix the gender pay gap, let’s fix gender opportunities
As HR professionals around the country are busy helping their organisations comply with the gender pay gap legislation that comes into force in April, new research tells a story of another burning platform that if left unaddressed, threatens to marginalise a highly educated, highly experienced and talented group of people both now and for future […]
Contextualising innovation in HR: what do we mean?
Keeping pace with social, cultural and technological progression has always been key for business but these three areas now advance so fast that the task has become harder. Businesses used to keep pace by fortifying: making things stronger so they could better resist change. That’s fine when change is a series of smaller waves, but […]
Four leadership rules for the ultimate away day
Are you making the most of your leadership away days? We asked Gordon Rudow, Director of Organisation Engagement and Jeremy Morgan, Partner at Lippincott to give their advice on how to make the most of your development days outside of the office. Boards, executive committees and top leadership teams in virtually every sector and region are […]
Maternity coaching: a crap name for an incredible development opportunity
It's HR in Retail month on HRZone! We're focusing on all things retail – check out our HR in retail hub to read all our great content! I want to start with a confession: despite my dislike of the terminology, if you search our website, you will find reference to maternity and paternity coaching. It’s become such […]
Financial wellbeing – time for businesses to act?
As we move further into 2017 and still counting the cost of our Xmas extravagances, many of us will be watching the pennies. January is traditionally a difficult time for families in the UK. Getting through the month is estimated to be a struggle for one in four adults and it’s a time of year when […]