Coffee break: Humility, robot ethics and the harm of fancy job titles

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Time to take five minutes for yourself and sit yourself down with this week's round up of HR news, opinion and associated tidbits. Let me know what you think in the comments below! Leadership – Is removing ratings the answer to better performance? (Jan Hills, LinkedIn) – The humility-confidence seesaw: The untold secret of great leaders (Buffer […]

20 years of HR innovation…or not?

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The end of August 2016 was a big milestone for Fosway Group, marking 20 years of learning and HR technology research. The last two decades have obviously brought about massive changes, both in technology and how we interact with it. What I have found interesting about reviewing our research archive as part of our anniversary […]

Payroll versus HR: why we need to value our differences

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In my previous article I hoped to convince as to why I’m not about to click any magic button to run a payroll. The comment “Payroll is just a click of a button” might for you conjure images of wry smiles or gritted teeth, but it deserves some defence. The implication of the line is unfortunate, often inflammatory […]

Plugging the values vacuum: why companies need to put their employer brand first

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Traditionally, companies have been very good at explaining what they do, but not always why and how they do it. However, according to recent research we’ve done at LinkedIn, more than half of UK professionals (52 per cent) are ready to turn down job offers from organisations who don’t match their purpose – so businesses […]

Politician analysis: Boris Johnson

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His heroes are Winston Churchill and the Mayor from Jaws. He has been described as colourful, flamboyant, and unpredictable. His imaginatively offensive comments about many of the world’s political leaders will no doubt be recalled for years to come. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, or should we say the Rt. Hon Boris Johnson our foreign […]

Payroll: why it’s more than just ‘the click of a button’

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If you’d like to press emotive buttons in the world of HR and Payroll this is a great way to start. At the heart of this comment are some of the “them and us” misconstructions of the two professions. My personal suspicion is that this is aided and abetted by the HR professional's concern for […]

How to motivate employees, whatever their age

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Many modern offices comprise employees from different generations, each with their own set of requirements from their employer. In order to accommodate as many workers as possible, employers must appreciate exactly how to approach individuals’ needs, and keep them feeling satisfied in their jobs. Our research explains what differentiates the various generations, and how their […]

Politician analysis: David Davis

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There’s nothing like an inappropriate comment to get you in the news as Secretary of State for European Union Relations. David Davis found that out this week after saying “get thee behind me Satan” when asked by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee what he made of Guy Verhofstadt’s comments on the four ‘inseparable’ EU freedoms. […]

Team biases: divorce your ideas

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I’m biased. I glaze over when people talk about processes. Learning and Development processes, management processes, the list goes on. Why? Because I haven’t seen one that works. And another thing: When I express an idea, I do so because I think it’s a good idea and I’ll defend it. And when the stakes are […]

5 pitfalls to consider before setting up a mentoring scheme

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Mentoring is a buzzword these days, and many organisations use it for a variety of purposes, from talent management, to leadership development, to knowledge transfer and succession planning. As somebody who has been working for over ten years facilitating and implementing mentoring programmes across the UK and internationally,  I am not only a passionate advocate of […]

In praise of procrastination: the good, the bad, the ugly

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Are you a procrastination PRO? As a matter of fact, I have never met anyone who never procrastinated in their life, including myself. I write and blog about personal effectiveness and smart working amongst other things, but after accepting Jamie’s [HRZone's editor] offer to write for HRZone about this very topic, I proceeded to postpone […]

What exactly do we mean when we talk about an ‘efficient’ hire?

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Steve Smith is Director of Sales for background screening company Sterling Talent Solutions, where he has primary responsibility for engaging businesses throughout the UK and EMEA in discussions around the outsourcing of background checks. Steve will be appearing on an upcoming webinar on 5 Tips To Improve Your Hiring Efficiency on September 22nd. If you're looking to hire better and […]

Where’s your next HRD coming from?

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We’ve all heard how ‘HR needs to change’ – both as a discipline in its own right but also in terms of the type of people it attracts. The consensus seems to be that if HRDs are to truly become boardroom equals, they must be fluent in the language of the CEO or FD – […]

Coffee break: Dream offices, Skype and keeping your job in the age of the robots

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Get comfy, because it's time for us to proffer this week's selection of HR news, opinion and cultural crudites for your delectation.  Feel free to tell us what you think in the comments below, or send us your own recommended reading for the week. Recruitment – To make a good first impression on candidates, do these […]

How to deal with dinosaurs in the workplace

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In my role as a behavioural consultant, many of the business professionals I work with understand the importance – the necessity even – of continued development, change and moving with the times. However, older or more established team members, whilst often performing well, can often be very resistant to change. This is a common cause […]

How to deal with people you just want to strangle

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One of the most common challenges I’m presented with as a behaviourist, is how to handle individuals who exhibit especially challenging behaviours. The fact is that the larger the group of people, the more likelihood there is for conflict and the more likely we are to work with or alongside people that we don’t especially […]

A few evidence-based thoughts on culture change

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Over the past five years, I’ve been involved ever more frequently in advising on and assisting in developing culture change projects. Organisations are more aware than ever of the impact of environment on our behaviour and in turn our productivity and wellbeing. Evidence-based studies have demonstrated that happy people are productive people and that nature […]

SMEs can learn lessons from Sports Direct scandals

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Setting up a business is undoubtedly hard but the relationships in a start-up are often relatively simple – as a business owner you have responsibilities to yourself and to your clients. When your venture starts to really grow, you take on another major responsibility, and that’s to your staff. It’s not just you anymore: it’s […]

“Our people are our principal asset and key to our success.”

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This is an interview with Ken Gray, Director and Joanne Hellen, Business Administration Manager, at the Keil Centre, an organisation made up of chartered psychologists and ergonomists. The Keil Centre are the first organisation in Scotland to achieve Investors in People (IIP) Platinum status. We caught up with them to find out what they do that really […]