Science of Engagement: the role of purpose and mood

An understanding of some aspects of how the brain is ‘wired’ can help you to increase the likelihood of people being engaged at work and avoid creating situations that destroy engagement. There is no set of system in the brain that ensures people are engaged. It’s more complex than that but there are a number […]

A ‘no manager’-alternative to yearly appraisals

I used to dread having my yearly appraisal. Looking back on them, I’m struggling to remember an appraisal that I walked out of having either developed or learnt something new about myself. It always seemed to me that it was more of a game as to who was having the least fun; me or my […]

Cognitive and emotional recovery at work and home

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 […]

Science of Engagement: the importance of in-group connection

An understanding of some aspects of how the brain is ‘wired’ can help you to increase the likelihood of people being engaged at work and avoid creating situations that destroy engagement. There is no set of system in the brain that ensures people are engaged. It’s more complex than that but there are a number […]

Science of Engagement: what does engagement mean?

An understanding of some aspects of how the brain is ‘wired’ can help you to increase the likelihood of people being engaged at work and avoid creating situations that destroy engagement. There is no set of system in the brain that ensures people are engaged. It’s more complex than that but there are a number of […]

How Waitrose drive process improvement through employee suggestions

Waitrose, food stores of the John Lewis Partnership, recently started using collaboration software to power its innovation and suggestion scheme, Partner Ideas, which aims to encourage employees to suggest process improvements, capture these improvements and lead to lasting change. We caught up with Stuart Eames, Operational Improvement Manager at Waitrose, to find out more about […]

From performance misery to performance joy?

“Once a year [I] share with you what I think of you. That doesn’t make any sense. People want to know . . . am I doing all right? Nobody’s going to wait for an annual cycle to get that feedback,” Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme told the Washington Post last week. And with these words Accenture’s 330,000 employees breathe […]

Does Accenture’s move mark the end of appraisals?

I was delighted to see an article in last week’s Independent confirming that, one of the world’s largest companies, Accenture, will be putting a stop to holding the annual appraisal review. Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme told The Washington Post that the company, which employs 330,000 people around the world, is preparing to halt a performance review process […]

Forging global unity with Randomised Coffee Trials (RCT) at the Red Cross

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies won our ‘International Project of the Year’ award at this year’s Employee Engagement Awards for a fascinating initiative called Random Coffee Trials (RCTs) which aim to create a sense of unity and cohesion across global boundaries. RCTs introduced volunteers and staff to a new colleague from […]

Interview: Marie Moynihan, Chief Diversity Officer and VP Talent, Dell

Marie Moynihan is Chief Diversity Officer and VP Talent at global computer company Dell. She is an experienced global HR leader and talent executive whose goal is, in her own words, to create an environment that is uniquely open and inclusive, where individuals and teams are challenged to be their best, and do their best work, […]

Three things to avoid when facing change

There is a wealth of fantastic knowledge available on how to lead and manage through change. All of which I have found to be essential when navigating some tricky waters. But the best lessons I have personally learned from have been those based on experience. Every role that I have held has included some form […]

The science of mindfulness for leaders

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 […]

Does speaking up really save lives?

The BBC recently published an online article with the headline “How speaking up can save lives.” Hierarchy, in healthcare and other sectors, inhibits staff from pointing out errors to those in charge, leading sometimes to loss of life. So, we need to train junior staff to raise concerns assertively, and ask senior staff to pay […]

Five ways to make mental health a board priority

Learn more ways to improve mental health in the workplace with The Ultimate Wellbeing Toolkit – a practical learning hub brought to you by financial protection specialists Unum, designed to equip HR professionals with the skills and knowledge to improve employee wellbeing. Research indicates that at least 1 in 4 people experience a mental health […]

The tech-driven renaissance of employee engagement

We are on the brink of a full-blown, technology-driven renaissance for employee engagement. Major developments in enterprise software, data analytics and workforce composition forecast an impending engagement revival in the sales, marketing and customer service teams. Sounds audacious, right?  It should, given the dismal percentage of the global workforce that’s engaged currently, a mere 13 […]

“We are seeing a shift from talent management to people management.”

Karen Minicozzi is Vice President, HCM Product Strategy at cloud HR technology company Workday. In this Q&A we ask her opinions on what HR directors need to know about the HR technology industry, how companies are approaching talent management, what businesses are using analytics for, and more.  What do you think are the three biggest […]

Develop your personal resilience for career success

This article was written by Jill Flint-Taylor and Alex Davda, both Ashridge Business School. We respond to external forces that impact on the workplace in different ways. A minor knock back can weaken self-esteem in some people with a measurable impact on their performance, whilst others deal with adversity with little or no effect on […]

Making collaboration work in large complex organisations

To get the best possible results for your organisation, collaboration is essential. Different thinking leads to better ideas and solutions. Shared experience ensures effective implementation. And no matter how high your IQ might be, you are still not bright enough to have all the answers. Yet in my experience, making collaboration happen – especially in […]

How well do the FTSE100 report on their people?

Valuing the largest intangible asset, human capital, is at the forefront of most investors’ minds. It is the hardest asset to quantify yet is integral to corporate competitiveness, as it is something your competitors will find hard to replicate. At True North Analytics, we put the top 10 listed London Stock Exchange (LSE) companies to […]

Knowing your workforce will impact the bottom line

When Harper Lee wrote “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” in To Kill a Mocking Bird in 1960, technology was only just emerging from academic and military applications. Few could have predicted the impact that it would have in today’s business environment and the role that data analytics could play in understanding […]