‘Running’ for charity – our 12 month challenge

The appetite for cake and bake sales has diminished and the shake of the collection tin makes everyone keep their heads down. It’s time to get running… ‘Going the extra mile’ may be an overused mantra for employee engagement but if your charity of the year campaign is stagnating, salvation can be found in people […]

Ergonomic review: generic eBay saddle stool

HRZone reviews the latest office equipment to help you find the best fit for your workplace and your employees. We never receive money for writing reviews and products are always returned after testing. If you have a product you’d like us to review, or would like to review a product, please email editor@hrzone.com. Most of […]

Analysing work stoppages for European employers

In football circles the term strike typically describes a shot at goal. This spring, however, the term grabbed headlines for different reasons. In May, players of La Liga — Spain’s topflight league, which includes superstars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — went on strike as a result of a power struggle over who […]

Why aren’t young workers engaged by online learning?

It’s often assumed that young people will gravitate towards online learning. However, a new study from the CIPD, which examines the challenges of developing 16-24-year-olds in the workplace, reveals that online training is their least favourite way to learn. This finding, on the face of it, is surprising, but what’s the full story? The study […]

How do the ‘HR elite’ spend their time?

Do you know what your HR leader does every day? Understanding how your colleagues work is fundamental to being a key cog in an efficient and effective HR team. Additionally, when you’re looking to secure your dream HR job, knowing how effective HR teams work together can be invaluable. Knowing the professional priorities and patterns […]

Compassion at work – what’s your business case?

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 […]

Let’s settle this. Is there an “I” in “team”?

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 […]

Gulp. Are we “reward people” about to be replaced?

With Terminator V about to hit the big screen, we are being reminded once again of the persistent vision of a future where we are dominated by machines. Even Stephen Hawking is in on the act, claiming that machines pose a threat to our very existence. And now I’ve just come across – rather late […]

The most tax-efficient ways to reward employees

Employers with an eye for cost saving often want to take advantage of any tax and NI contribution (NIC) breaks when they devise a remuneration package, but saving money on the salaries and wages bill is only part of the picture. It is important to remember that a benefit is only a benefit if the […]

3 ways to upskill managers on mental health

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. Poor mental health is one of the biggest issues in the workplace today, […]

Learning from Europe’s approach to working hours

There’s more to the EU than the Working Time Directive. Whilst EU employees should be guaranteed these standards, many European countries have their own approach to working hours. This impacts upon their citizens’ subsequent work-life balance; something UK businesses could certainly learn from. However, depending on the EU nation that you look at, their rules […]

HR and the bottom line – where does the value lie?

The human resources department has not always been perceived as having a big impact on the profitability of a company, in the same way as, say, sales or finance. But this perception is perhaps a little unfair. After all, who is responsible for the talent that drives those departments? When you strip everything back, it […]

How do you tell if someone is ready to work flexibly?

Eleven years after the right to request flexible working (Right to Request) was introduced, initially limited to assist carers with young families or disabled children, we saw the extension of that right to request in 2014 to most employees. Although some, such as The Agile Forum which was set up by Sir Winfried Bischoff to […]

Andy Murray is learning to manage his emotions. You can too.

There have been numerous articles telling us that Andy Murray is learning about how the brain works to improve his tennis. Well, Andy lost the chance of being Wimbledon champion but he may still be pointing the way to better performance. And pointing the way to leaders in business understanding more about their brain and […]

How the Equality Act helps create diverse workplaces

This Sunday is Disability Awareness Day. It is also 20 years since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) introduced the statutory obligation for employers to make reasonable adjustments in respect of disabled employees, now enshrined in the Equality Act 2010 (EqA).  This remains a central plank of an employer’s strategy to attract and retain disabled employees. […]

Er, what does disruption actually mean?

“I want to hear some new ideas that will be disruptive, that will alter my perspective.” It seems that ‘disruptive’ is the new buzzword. I hear it used as a description of what people seek from road shows, seminars and training events. It bothers me and it may bother you too that the commentators might […]

The Employee Engagement Executive Breakfast

How many people are affected by an engagement program? How many employees do you have? Multiply that by their friends, their families. How engaged people are at work ripples through to their home life too. We’d barely got through our first coffee before we were asked the above by The Maritz Institute, and it was […]

How can we improve the female talent pipeline?

To address the issue of a less than productive female talent pipeline across UK businesses, www.WeAreTheCity.com has launched a new awards programme – the WATC Top 50 Rising Stars Awards for 2015. These awards are the first to focus on the UK’s female talent pipeline below management level and will celebrate 50 women across multiple industries who […]

Passionate employees deliver superior CX

Why do passionate employees lead to a great customer experience? Because employees who take pleasure from what they do will naturally provide a better experience to the customer.  Engaged employees are loyal and loyalty, if correctly channelled, leads to increased productivity which, in turn, leads to a better customer experience and ultimately improved company performance. […]

Make pensions communications engaging – here’s how

With the number of defined benefit plans in decline, pension provision through defined contribution arrangements is very much the norm. But engagement from employees is needed if this form of saving is to produce a satisfactory outcome for both employees and employers. When defined benefit pensions were standard, engagement was not so critical. Effective communication […]