Team biases: divorce your ideas
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
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
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?
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?
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
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
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
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 […]