Case study: How an overhaul of Nationwide’s careers website reduced cost to hire from £3,000 to £69
Attracting and retaining talent is harder than ever. We live in an age of increased complexity – where power has shifted from producer to consumer and employer to employee. With the proliferation of digital devices, platforms, channels and apps, all of this “stuff” means brands need to act smarter to cut through the noise and […]
What can we learn from Olympic silver medals?
It isn’t just world-class athletes who are driven by a desire to come first, to win a Gold medal, to stand on the top step of the podium and to bask in the glory of winning. But in any event, there can only ever be one winner. So one of the key psychological aspects of […]
How to strike fear into your team and alienate colleagues
This article is not about putting shackles on personality but it is about understanding what is, and definitely what is not, appropriate behaviour for a manager to exhibit in the workplace. Being a manager is a tough job. When you want to say something, instead of blurting it out you need to consider the impact […]
How to boost a feedback culture based on praise
Knowing what your strengths are can be the first step in taking your career to the next level. Positive feedback is not just a compliment on a job well done; when analyzed correctly it can help you identify your strengths. Therefore, when peers share positive feedback with each other, the whole team benefits from the performance […]
Five questions and answers to a better graduate programme
Alan Price is Employment Law & HR Director at Peninsula, recently awarded the Best Place to Work for Graduates 2016 award. In this interview Alan talks about honing graduate soft skills, the benefits of graduats in the workplace, and the common ways that businesses mismanage graduates. Jamie Lawrence, Editor, HRZone: Graduates are often intelligent but unprepared for working in a commercial […]
Coffee break: Credibility, Lego offices, and why we’re all responsible for a bad culture
It's time for another round up of HR news & opinion for you to enjoy over your coffee break or mid afternoon slump. We've been sifting through our favourite articles this week, and here are the ones we've selected for your perusal. Enjoy! Culture – The destructive brotherhood (Tim Sackett) – When culture goes bad […]
Encouraging women into STEM – what can we do?
There's been a lot coverage on the need to develop more women for roles in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), due to the lack of representation across these industries. But where does the responsibility to change mindsets and expectations sit – with schools, universities, L&D departments, or at home? Colleen Smith is responsible for planning, […]
Making sure your recruitment works in an uncertain environment
We are living through Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) times. Uncertainty affects almost every aspect of work, and recruitment is no exception. How can recruiters successfully navigate a VUCA environment? During times of uncertainty, where there is ambiguity and pressure, we know that decision-making becomes more instinctive. This has two implications for recruitment. Firstly, […]
Keeping diversity and inclusion on the agenda during uncertain times
During uncertain times, such as the recent fallout from the decision on the European referendum, leaders tend to opt for the ‘tried-and-tested’ policy, often to the detriment of their diversity and inclusion (D&I) work. But keeping D&I at the forefront of our minds is even more important for leaders when the future is looking unclear. People […]
How to achieve diversity through merit-based hiring
Employers worldwide are recognising that to grow their businesses and address the challenges and opportunities they face, they need to be diverse and inclusive. This is not just to fulfil legal compliance or their moral obligation. There are sound commercial reasons why today’s workplaces should reflect the diversity of the population. With a diverse talent […]
Factors that influence employee engagement – your complete list
Factors that influence employee engagement are varied and very diverse. While there are some that depend on the prevailing culture within the organisation, there are also common threads for all individuals, and also individual factors that can significantly influence a person's relationship with colleagues and their organisation. Take a look through our list of factors […]
Politician analysis: Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, the man that Barack Obama has recently labelled “unfit” to be president of the US could potentially hold that very office on Tuesday November 8th 2016. We ask, how does a man who is widely reported to be brash, rude and more than a little economical with the truth, get to be […]
Work smarter, not harder – how the housing sector will need to change
Having stayed proudly resilient during the financial crisis, the housing sector is now experiencing the most radical shake up it has seen for decades – no surprise really given the national housing crisis. There are financial challenges, headlined by a government enforced rent cut, regulatory challenges with the introduction last year of a new compliance […]
American tech entrepeneur Vivek Wadhwa on diversity, the future of education and Apple’s innovation model
Vivek Wadhwa is an American technology entrepreneur, thinker and academic. He is a fellow at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance and wrote the 2014 book 'Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology.' Vivek is a regular columnist for the Washington Post and Bloomberg BusinessWeek and he is a strong proponent of greater diversity in organisations. […]
Essential presentation skills for introverts
Those of us who try to go through life unnoticed will often panic at the thought of having to give a presentation. It doesn’t matter if it’s to a small board, a book-club, or a major conference audience with hundreds of people, we simply don’t like having to get in front of a group of […]
Coffee Break: Swearing, gratitude and what you need to know about the freelance economy
It's time for us to top up your plate with some fresh helpings of HR news, opinion & research. We've got another great selection of articles & blogs from across the industry for you to peruse over your 10 minute break, so get comfortable and start reading! Recruitment – 4 things recruiters need to know […]
Helping employees manage their emotional investment
Some jobs require a great deal of emotional investment, such as being front of house with the necessity to be perpetually polite and perky. But what does it cost the said staff member to put up this façade day in and day out? Are they simply soaking up negativity like a sponge with long-term impacts upon […]
Personality in sport: British Olympians on and off the field
As the Olympic Games opening ceremony draws near, the world is immersing themselves in the details about the athletes that are representing their countries and latching on to their favourites. Scanning the competitor pool, it’s easy to see there are as many different individual personalities types represented in the games as there are countries. Looking […]
HR must shift its focus to enhance agility: leadership development is king
Agility – a term discussed more and more in boardrooms, particularly as businesses operate in an increasingly global environment, driven by consumer choice and innovative technologies. It’s the ability to anticipate new opportunities and respond and transform effectively. In our experience, organisations that fail to grasp the importance of agility will fall behind competitors and ultimately […]
Getting to day 1: HR’s crucial role in the E.ON carve-out
Corporate transformations may be increasingly common, but that’s little consolation to those charged with executing them. E.ON’s recent split into two companies was about as complex a transformation as one can imagine, with an almost impossible timetable. The results speak volumes about the importance of good strategy, planning, and execution. They also serve as an […]