How to deal with people you just want to strangle
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
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
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.”
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 […]
Simplify and direct your management style with a ‘step-up mindset’
Type ‘Management Styles’ into Google and you will get over 13 million+ results. Anyone inspiring to become a manager (or existing managers) may very well be overwhelmed by this figure. Question: Where do you start when considering your own management style? Answer: Get the foundations in place. Simplify your management style and find a direction that suits you […]
You can’t deliver a marathon project at a sprint
When the pressure is on and the project clock is ticking, the first thing that we all want to do is delve in and get started. Odd as it may seem, action puts us at rest. It makes us feel empowered. We feel that we’re doing something tangible. But that’s not the starting point if you […]
Coffee break: Cubicle living, the ageless workforce and generationalisationism
Ready for a break? Go make yourself a cuppa and sit down with this week's round up of HR news and opinion. Don't forget to tell us what you've been reading this week, and what you think of the article shared below. Culture – Employees are more likely to cheat on their way out the […]
Workplace wellbeing – a slow burner or a flash in the pan?
This is the first in a series of three pieces in which Paul Barrett from the Bank Workers Charity reviews the state of workplace wellbeing. Here he considers the wider social and political evolution of wellbeing as a concept and then narrows the focus to investigate its growing impact and influence in the workplace. Subsequent articles […]
How to get the best from your wellbeing strategy
This is the second in a series of three pieces in which Paul Barrett from the Bank Workers Charity explores the changing landscape of workplace wellbeing. Here he identifies some of the factors that determine whether or not wellbeing strategies successfully connect with the workforce and go on to generate the personal and organisational benefits that their […]
What’s happening at the frontiers of wellbeing?
This is the third in a series of articles about the state of workplace wellbeing. Here Paul Barrett from the Bank Workers Charity examines what’s happening at the frontiers of employee wellbeing. He considers how research in related disciplines is enriching our understanding of the factors that shape it and is giving rise to some innovative […]
Why we should embrace the six-hour working day
Gary Cattermole, Director, The Survey Initiative, discusses how some companies in Scandinavia are introducing a six-hour day to boost levels of employee engagement and how this could really benefit businesses in the UK too. No doubt if we held a referendum on who is fed-up with the 9-5 there would be a majority eager to embrace […]
Coffee Break: Transparency, bias and the impact of Google on your career
Here is your weekly list of news, opinion and interesting blogs from across the HR world. Let us know what you've enjoyed reading this week, and what you think of the pieces we've picked out for you! Performance – Technology never sleeps (The Future of Work is Human) – Surprising ways music can affect work […]
Coworking – the opportunities and challenges for HR
Multiple firms, entrepreneurs and freelancers working in the same office space, an arrangement known as coworking, is one of the most recent trends to sweep across the world of work. Firms of all sizes, the length and breadth of the country, are beginning to supplement their traditional, static offices with a range of flexible and […]
Brand building from the inside out: employees’ role in creating an authentic culture
When most people think of a brand, they think of the logo and design, and maybe the marketing and advertising. They think of all the externally facing communications and touch points someone might have with a brand. The brand seems to be the way a company or product presents itself to the world. But a […]
Why HR & Marketing need to buddy up to attract top talent
Today, a job isn’t just a job. For many, work is a huge part of their identity, a place they spend more time at than home and, for those graduating, a destination they have invested £44,000 to reach. Just this January, British graduates were reported to have left over 1,000 jobs unfilled as the brightest […]
Adopting European Works Councils to give staff a greater voice
Instilling a culture of strong employee engagement is becoming increasingly important for businesses to retain talent and improve productivity. Andrew Bailey, elected UK representative to the Bilfinger European Works Council, looks at how adopting a European approach to industrial relations can help UK companies deliver greater transparency between senior management and the wider workforce without […]
Don’t look for a silver bullet when measuring employer brand success
There’s no simple way to measure the success of an employer brand. But just because it can be complex and at times confusing, that is no excuse for neglecting to track the ROI into employer branding. Analysing the effectiveness of new branding programs means businesses can identify the issues that need to be addressed, and […]
The potential of computer-aided applicant pre-screening
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 […]
“Encourage young talent into the business by sharing inspiring success stories”
Making those first few tentative steps into the job market is a daunting prospect. With more focus being put on apprenticeships and full time work as an alternative to university, there is more need to prepare those leaving education for the workplace. There is also a growing responsibility for employers to demonstrate their value to young […]
Coffee Break: PLNs, firing strategies and why HR needs more manners
You've worked hard enough to earn yourself a break, so make yourself a brew and read through our picks of the week's news, blogs and opinion. Tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week, or what you think of the articles we've shared below! Recruitment – The subconscious advantage of whiteness in hiring (Leniece F. Brissett, LinkedIn) […]