Queen’s Speech 2014: Pension reforms take centre stage
Sweeping reforms to pensions were at the centre of this year’s Queen’s Speech. In the final speech before the 2015 election, legislation on ‘collective’ workplace pension schemes was announced, with a Bill that will enable employees to pay into a collective pension fund shared with other workers that aims to cut costs and “pool risk” […]
The ‘shadow side’ of personality brought to life – part 1
In a previous HRZone article, I discussed the ‘shadow side’ of personality, i.e. those bits of ourselves which we normally keep hidden, but which emerge when we’re too stressed, tired or drunk to keep up a polite façade any longer. There are three broad trends – under pressure some of us move towards others, some […]
Merger of cultures: The costs of getting it wrong
You cannot open a newspaper at the moment without the latest merger and acquisition (M&A) processes or predictions jumping out. With the very public tussle over the Pfizer takeover bid for British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca hitting the headlines daily, it has bought the issue to the fore even more. With the economy improving and greater […]
Female power and utilities executives ‘have no voice’
Only 4% of executive board positions in the world’s largest power and utilities (P&U) companies are held by women, according to a new report. The research, published by professional services firm EY, found that this lack of diversity is damaging business performance and leaving female executives struggling to be heard. “Diverse boards deliver for companies; […]
How should HR deal with mentoring arrangements?
Mentoring can take place in different ways – either internally within a business (senior staff mentoring junior staff), staff providing mentoring to external beneficiaries and the employer bringing in mentors from outside the business to support staff. All of these possibilities have different implications, benefits and risks to the employer. Perhaps the main benefit to […]
Sustaining engagement: why health and wellbeing are vital
While I firmly believe in and support the important messages coming out of the Engage for Success movement about the value, benefit and significance of employee engagement, I would like to use this blog to sound a note of caution: ever increasing levels of employee engagement may not be an altogether good thing. If engagement […]
Personality profiling – a pigeon hole in disguise
There are few activities in the learning and development world that have a more consistent and broad appeal than personality profiling questionnaires or psychometric tools. The profiles of which reveal how we engage, communicate and manage. The results come in different forms. Belbin Team Role, for example, uses labels such as Shaper or Team Worker, […]
Talent pools: a secret society?
When somebody is told they are in a talent pool they are likely to feel positive, motivated and valued by their organisation. But knowing you are in a talent pool can raise some difficult issues too. Should you or shouldn’t you tell your colleagues? How are they going to feel about this news if a), […]
Book Review: Strategic Talent Development by Janice Caplan
Title: Strategic Talent ManagementAuthors: Janice CaplanISBN: 978-0749469368Reviewer: David Evans, Burn Bridge Associates Books on talent and people development are – for me – always likely to please, simply because of the importance of the subject. We should all be interested in personal development, shouldn’t we?! “Practical and grounded in delivery.” This book is therefore the latest in a […]
Inspire learning through emotional connections
"Inspired to change the way we work." As well as providing a range of different skills and business techniques, attending a learning event, whether a course, or a seminar, is all about taking the opportunity to increase confidence or be inspired to change the way we work. If we remind ourselves of the definition of […]
Are you part of the culture club?
The might of globalisation How big is Planet Earth? A quick Google search will tell you that it’s the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, with a radius of 6,371km and a surface area of 510,072,000 km². And yet, despite the almost incomprehensible size and volume of the planet we live on, […]
Does the real you show up at interviews?
Some of us may feel our interview techniques let us down; here are some thoughts on how to break this pattern. A counter-intuitive suggestion Interview practice is essential. However if you invest some time to reflect on your career to date and create a “Big Fat CV” (BFCV) rather than a crisp version, you may […]
Stress management on a Post-It note
Stress is your body’s response to something that you experience in your environment and is a completely normal part of your life; it is not in itself a bad thing. In fact, people perform better with some level of stress because, as you will see, the stress response makes you more alert, releases energy and […]
New report: Best Places to Work 2014
Every year Great Place to Work put out a report profiling the organisations that have ranked highest in their employee engagement programme and display long-term commitment to creating cultures where employees thrive. The Great Workplaces Special Report, just released today, profiles 2014's 100 Best Workplaces and shares insights into how trust and engagement drive their […]
Third Culture Kids – international education for children
Were you ever the new student at school? If so, it’s likely you can recall just how overwhelming it can be. The first day of school for any child is full of anxious moments and nervous feelings about the unknown. Imagine what this must be like for children who are starting a new school in […]
The Power of Vulnerability, by Brené Brown
This article is based on a 2010 TED talk from Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Brené has spent over 10 years studying vulnerability worthiness, shame and courage. Her TED talk has racked up over 15 million views and is a superb, personal insight into the terrible, negative power […]
How often should you conduct an employee survey?
This article is based on data and conclusions from our report, The State of Employee Engagement 2014. You can download the report here and learn what best-performing companies are doing when it comes to engagement, and how you can ramp up your employee engagement efforts. How often should you conduct an employee survey? To help […]
Case study: how to assess emerging talent
The company and the challenge JT (formerly Jersey Telecom) is halfway through a five-year growth strategy, initiated in 2011 to transform the Group into a global communications business. Already, JT has nearly doubled its value after expanding its global reach, introducing new services, undertaking strategic acquisitions and creating new global partnerships. However, while rapid growth […]
People managers – the war’s hotting up for top talent
The role of the line manager has evolved beyond almost all recognition in recent years. The traditionally held view that managers are accountable for making things happen, for delivering results and for creating high performance in their teams is now only a part of the equation. In today’s post-recession world, many organisations have slimmed down, […]
Interview: Dr Nick Udall, Chair, Global Agenda Council on New Models of Leadership
Who is Dr Nick Udall? Dr Nick Udall is co-founder and CEO of nowhere, a founding member and the current Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Models of Leadership. Nick is also the author of Riding the Creative Rollercoaster (published by Kogan Page). 1. What defines a successful culture of […]
