Interview: “We certainly had an early mover advantage,” says ADP’s Steve Hardy
ADP has had a long-standing relationship with the Cloud – they launched their first cloud service in 1998, three years before the term ‘Software as a Service’ was even coined. Steve Hardy, Vice President, National and Multinational Strategy and Marketing at ADP says that this afforded the business an “early mover advantage”. In an interview with […]
How to make Happy Hour from 9-5
What is the ultimate role of HR? Is it all about benefits, processes, perks, hiring and firing? I say NO – the ultimate role of HR is to create a happy workplace. And while this may seem like a Pollyanna daydream, it makes a ton of business sense. Happy employees are not simply in a […]
‘Shadow side’ of personality – there’s more to it than corporate psychopaths
One of the most popular articles on HRZone last year was the eye-catchingly titled “Are you employing a corporate psychopath?”. This is entirely understandable – almost everyone has come across a smooth-talking, back-stabbing political operator at some stage in their career and there is something slightly thrilling about the idea that he or she may […]
Interpreting social signals in the workplace
Most people agree that communication is key to a happy and productive working environment. However, when that communication is non-verbal are we able to deal with and interpret the messages correctly? In this article I want to touch upon how we communicate at work and what role ‘social signals’ play in our daily conversations with […]
Interview: Charlotte deMetz, HR Director, Misys
What is the main HR technology project you have been involved in? I oversaw the implementation of an HR system from SumTotal Systems which included five solutions: learning, performance, compensation, workforce analytics and SumTotal’s elixHR platform, which links all our different HR solutions and pieces of software. Misys already used SAP HR to provide core […]
EXCLUSIVE: UK businesses struggling with leadership capability gaps, says Deloitte study
HRZone can exclusively reveal the UK results of Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report, which surveys companies predominantly in the 10,000+ employee range. Five key priorities of UK HR Develop leaders at all levels, close gap between hype and readiness Develop HR professionals into skilled business consultants Build passion and purpose in the workforce Globalise […]
Stress is helpful – but if you think it’s not, it’ll mess with your head
Stress seems to be something we are all subject too. In a recent survey by ThoughtLeaders 83% of people said that they had experienced stress that affected their performance at work. We mostly talk about the negative impacts and whilst they are many there is some interesting research that may have us thinking differently about […]
Should whistleblowers receive rewards or awards?
Whistleblowers serve private and public interests when they raise concerns about wrongdoing but how do we recognise those who choose to come forward? Should we offer financial rewards or awards of a different nature? Policies and procedures for whistleblowing are becoming increasingly common in both the public and private sector. In the UK we tend […]
Which jobs make you happy?
The BBC has a story covering Cabinet Office research on the jobs most likely to make you happy and the jobs most likely to leave you miserable. The research is part of a wider move towards including notions of wellbeing and happiness on the public policy agenda. Top five jobs Clergy Chief executive/senior official Agriculture […]
CIPD HR Analytics conference: key takeaways
On Wednesday 12th March the CIPD held their annual HR Analytics conference in London. The event was attended by HR directors at various stages of readiness for bringing analytics capability into their organisations. The speakers offered a mix of both theoretical insight and practical advice. The event culminated in a talk from CIPD CEO Peter […]
Book review: The 31 Practices
Title: The 31 Practices – release the power of your organization’s values everydayAuthors: Alan Williams & Alison WhybrowISBN: 978-1907794353 This book was reviewed by David Evans of Burn Bridge Associates. This book has credibility, intrigue and is a window on the world we live in. This much we learn from the opening dedication – “we dedicate this book […]
What do we do next? The only leadership question you need to ask
Andrew’s insight in this article is based on three years spent with the Royal Navy, examining their attitudes and. From this experience he wrote a book, Royal Navy Way of Leadership. Every time we put ourselves in dangerous situations there are leadership lessons to be learned. Mountaineering and military operations are some of the best places […]
Inappropriate workplace relationships: a job for the CIA?
How do the French people feel about the Francois Hollande affair? While recent polls showed that one in eight French people take the view that the matter is a private affair for M Hollande and his family (and therefore a non-issue, never mind a scandal), members of the EU are taking the view that with […]
UN International Day of Happiness – what does it mean to be happy at work?
Did you know there’s a dedicated word in the Scandinavian languages for the concept of being happy at work? In Danish, the word is: arbejdsglaede. Wonder what this says about the working culture of the Danes that they have such a word and we don’t? Today is the United Nations International Day of Happiness, an […]
Budget 2014 – what does it mean for HR?
George Osborne said that today’s Budget was made for building a resilient economy – a Budget designed for makers, doers and savers. The BBC’s Robert Peston said it felt like a ‘very Tory Budget.’ Overall, the GDP forecast is expected to grow by 2.7% in 2014 and 2.3% next year, then 2.6% in 2016 and […]
Technology alone moves no mountains – HR must understand this
Building a boat without a bottom In the past, enterprises have been guilty of simply trying to buy performance increases. One of the biggest money-sinks in this vein has been software, with decision makers often at fault for pumping money into expensive products without doing the correct research or installing the right infrastructure around it. […]
Why reward is so important for ‘Best Companies’
As the Sunday Times publishes the 2014 showcase of ‘best companies to work for’, there is no doubt that engagement is good for employees, good for business and good for the economy. A read of the rigorous research outlined in ‘The Evidence’ [PDF, 1.1mb] paper from the Employee Engagement Task Force will confirm the link […]
Covert recordings – admissible as evidence?
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) has held that secret recordings of private deliberations made in the course of grievance and disciplinary proceedings can be admissible in evidence. There has been a steady stream of EAT level decision in this area, and this case, Punjab National Bank (International) Ltd & ors v Ms S Gosain UKEAT/0003/14/SM, […]
Bill Gates: “Robots are about to take your job.”
Bill Gates has said that software automation will replace a lot of jobs within 20 years. The billionaire, who founded computer giant Microsoft in 1975, was talking in Washington DC at economic think tank The American Enterprise Institute. He said that technology would reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of the skill […]
Mental illness at work – a manager’s guide
Mental health literacy is the extent to which lay people are able to recognise mental illnesses in people that they meet in daily life. Whilst we know that people are pretty good at spotting stress or even depression they are much less able to recognize schizophrenia or identify a personality disorder in a colleague. Improving […]
