How to build an award-winning company culture
Simply Business was named Best Company to Work For two years running by the Sunday Times, ranking first based on employee feedback. Learn how to build an award-winning company culture through meaningful values, smart working policies, equal opportunities, growth opportunities, and employee engagement.
The energised employee we all want to hire
Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Study reveals that most employees feel energized at work, with 45% rating their engagement 7-8 out of 10. Energized employees are significantly more likely to stay loyal and rate their organization highly, though career growth concerns still drive some departures.
Social media screening: what information can you use?
Social media screening helps recruiters vet candidates by revealing personality, preferences, and potential red flags. While 90% of recruiters use social media to evaluate job applicants, employers must balance the benefits of uncovering concerning behavior with legal and ethical considerations.
Leadership development isn’t working. Why?
Most leadership development programs fail because they’re isolated events disconnected from real work, says expert Blaire Palmer. True leadership development requires systemic change within organizational culture, not one-off workshops that employees dread attending.
What should modern leadership development look like?
Modern leadership development should be a continuous, evolving process rather than one-time training events. Effective approaches include content-free development focused on self-awareness and peer feedback, creating an organizational environment that supports ongoing growth rather than relying solely on traditional models and training programs.
Artificial intelligence equals artificial jobs…?
Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, offering automation, increased engagement, and better accessibility for employees. From smart assistants that schedule meetings to chatbots integrated into everyday apps, AI is making workplace information more accessible and personalized than traditional intranets.
Great Place to Work announces best workplaces of 2017
Great Workplaces Special Report reveals significant gaps between top-performing employers and UK averages in employee trust and engagement. Best Workplace employees show notably higher levels of trust in management, intention to stay, and likelihood to recommend their employer compared to workers at average organizations.
Moonshot thinking: disrupting the norm in business
A moonshot is a bold, long-term business goal that tackles major problems with radical, innovative solutions. Unlike traditional mission statements, moonshots disrupt organizations and inspire future-focused thinking by addressing the hardest challenges first and celebrating failures as learning opportunities.
Cloud technology: just when should you take the plunge?
For most HR teams, the benefits of the latest cloud HR software – whether to replace an ageing legacy system or a confusion of spreadsheets – is well established. What isn’t so clear is just how and when you should take the plunge and what sort of support you should expect during the transition period. […]
Is it HR’s duty to resolve the ‘productivity puzzle?’
HR can help resolve the UK’s productivity puzzle by enabling employees to take responsibility for their own learning. However, most organizations fail to facilitate this because of barriers like time constraints, budget limitations, outdated resources, lack of choice, and insufficient manager support.
The Madness of Kings: leadership, hyper-masculinity & mental health
Despite societal privilege, white heterosexual men face alarming suicide rates—three times higher than women, with ages 45-59 most at risk. This paradox suggests that rigid expectations of hyper-masculinity, emotional suppression, and corporate stoicism are driving men toward self-destruction and violence.
Priming teams: to do it or not?
Recent research from UCL School of Management reveals that teams make better decisions when given advice during their discussions rather than before they start. The study found that in-process interventions lead groups to share more critical information and reach higher-quality decisions, challenging the conventional wisdom that prevention is always better than cure.
“There has never been a better time than today for candidates to find a job in which they can truly be themselves.”
Predictive recruitment technology is transforming how companies identify top candidates by focusing on key performance drivers rather than traditional qualifications, enabling greater workplace diversity while helping recruitment agencies evolve their roles in the digital hiring landscape.
Millennials aren’t from Mars; employers aren’t from Venus
Millennials aren’t fundamentally different from previous generations—they simply reflect evolving social norms shaped by the information age. Rather than viewing them as uniquely challenging, employers should recognize that meaningful work, purpose, and clear opportunities engage young people across generations.
Sir Ken Robinson: “There are processes that are more likely to encourage innovation than not.”
Sir Ken Robinson explains how organizations can foster innovation by developing employees’ creative skills through deliberate processes like Pixar’s “plussing” method, which encourages building on ideas rather than dismissing them.
Change leadership: how to give employees a sense of control
When implementing organizational change, giving employees a sense of control is critical to success. Rather than imposing changes, involve leaders and teams in the decision-making process so they understand the reasons for change and can influence implementation, helping them feel part of the solution.
Gig economy: what’s its place in the future of work?
The gig economy is reshaping how work will be organized in the future, driven by four key forces: social shifts toward flexible work locations and purpose-driven roles, technological advances enabling remote work and automation, commercial pressures for business agility, and regulatory responses to growing self-employment.
Address skills shortages with talent pools and the hidden workforce
Explore how tapping into talent pools and the hidden workforce—including stay-at-home professionals, retirees, and skilled workers outside traditional employment—can help organizations address critical skills shortages in today’s job market.
Gig economy: the challenges of managing a freelance workforce
Managing a freelance workforce presents significant visibility and management challenges for HR teams. Key issues include uncontrolled costs when workers bypass HR processes, IR35 compliance risks with long-term contractors, and security vulnerabilities from informal hiring practices. Establishing centralized oversight and standardized processes is essential for mitigating these risks.
Gig economy: how to integrate it into a wider talent acquisition strategy
Learn how to integrate freelancers and gig workers into your talent acquisition strategy. With UK freelancing projected to grow significantly, discover why companies need a compelling Contingent Value Proposition to attract top gig economy talent in a competitive market.
