Mediating away from a tribunal and avoiding the worst-case scenario

Following recent regulatory change which has seen the introduction of claimant fees now payable for cases being taken to tribunal, an assumption might be made that the number of claims ending in a formal hearing will reduce as a result. However, the reality may be more complex than simple financial decisions. Involvement in a formal […]

Line management – the heart of the employee/employer relationship

An organisation which realises the importance of strong line management is an organisation which will flourish and grow. Most managers understand the importance of employee engagement and employee relations but in times of economic uncertainty when budgets are tight, the gap between managerial good intentions and the actual practice widens. Line managers sit at the […]

How to effectively interview introverts

Some hiring managers may see interviews as an opportunity to test candidates’ ability to “think on their feet” and demonstrate their expertise, whereas others simply see interviews as an opportunity to interact with candidates to determine if their personalities are a fit for the Organisation. In both of these situations, applicants who are able to […]

Is Google the new HR department?

Four in ten managers said that Google is a better source of information and support than their HR team, in a new survey put out by Hay Group. The cause is a perceived lack of support and availability of information from the HR department. Budgetary cuts are the culprit, according to HR directors. 94% said […]

Making the future happen: Future Work Selves and proactivity at work

Being proactive means being self-starting, and trying to bring about change in order to achieve a better future.[1] Researchers and practitioners alike increasingly emphasise the value of a proactive approach at work,[2] and in relation to careers.[3] In my research I explore why some people are proactive and others aren’t, how we can encourage people […]

How to make company cars cost less with salary sacrifice

Company cars were once the sole preserve of senior management and sales executives. The way in which they were funded made them a direct cost to the business. However, a growing number of organisations are using the salary sacrifice model (an established and well-received principle in, for example, the pensions market), to offer more inclusive […]

Government unveils index to ramp up investment in employee-owned businesses

Business minister Jo Swinson recently unveiled the latest iteration of an index designed to help investors identify publically-listed companies that are part-owned by their employees. This year’s Employee Ownership Index will draw attention to the 69 companies on the London Stock Exchange that have over 3% of their shares held by, or for the benefit […]

Employee attitudes in Britain – trends for 2014

It is too early to tell for sure but 2013 could become known as the year the UK turned an economic corner and started a slow but definitive road to recovery. Currently the economy is still 2.5% smaller than its peak in 2008 but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has just announced 0.8% growth […]

Better people equals better business – lessons from the All Blacks

You'd think that the world's mightiest rugby team wouldn't lack for motivation or cohesion, but in 2004 the All Blacks were in terrible trouble. Having feasted for 100 years on an extraordinary 75% winning record, results were slipping. The Men in Black had just come a miserable last in the Tri Nations, a championship they'd […]

Germany to have forced female boardroom quotas at public companies

The two parties most likely to form a German government at the next election have reached a compromise over quotas for women in the boardrooms of quoted German firms. The legislation, known as Frauenquote, will from 2016 require companies listed on the German stock exchange to have at least 30% women on their supervisory boards. […]

Seven innovation metaphors for HR professionals

Here are seven metaphors and tips to help an HR professional drive innovative behaviour.   1. Lift the veil – why does your organisation want to innovate? If your top management team plans to launch an innovation initiative, have them answer three questions first: 1. What value will it bring in business terms? Will it […]

Move over teamwork – what about the other forms of co-operative working?

Taken very broadly, there are two kinds of management or business research thinking when it comes to teams: perspectives that think teams are a decent functional way to organise workers to work effectively, and perspectives that are much more critical of the very concept of teamwork. Instinctively, anecdotally, and from much research over the last […]

Are you employing a corporate psychopath?

This article was written by Clive Boddy and Derek Miles. Clive and Derek are, respectively, Professors in Leadership and Human Resource Development at Middlesex University Business School. You can email them at c.boddy@mdx.ac.uk or d.miles@mdx.ac.uk. Psychologists report that 1% of the general population are psychopaths and lucky for most of us the violent ones tend to […]

Coherence – the brilliant future for leaders

For decades we have been led to believe that addressing behaviour is the key to consistently improving performance. It's a logical argument, after all behaviour or what we do affects the results we achieve but what about all the things that affect behaviour? If we want to permanently improve performance and results then we need […]

Industrial relations lessons following the Ineos dispute

Many employers have good working relationships with their recognised trade unions, but for others a union presence is a source of conflict and frustration which can all too easily tip into outright dispute. In an ideal world employers would be able to maintain harmonious industrial relations through effective collective bargaining. However, where this fails, the […]

When is a settlement agreement the right choice?

Dismissing an employee is rarely a straightforward or ideal situation. But occasionally, an employer-employee relationship breaks down to such an extent that it is impossible for employment to continue. In these instances, a settlement agreement is a way to constructively end the employment, adding structure and certainty to the process. A settlement agreement allows both […]

Is 360 feedback measuring the ‘wrong stuff’?

This article was co-authored by Gail Wise, Partner at enVision Performance Solutions and Clinton Wingrove, EVP and Principal Consultant at Pilat HR Solutions. Multi-rater feedback, or ‘360’, has been in widespread use since at least the late 80s, with almost all large corporations using it in some form or other.  Organisations employ it for a wide […]

Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer hits on HR blunder again

Yahoo CEO Marisssa Mayer has again hit on HR controversy with a new policy that forces managers to rank their employees on a bell curve, with those at the end heading for the chop. The story was reported by website AllThingsD.com, who said that Yahoo employees were increasingly venting their frustration at the policy on […]

Top tips to get the best from your occupational health provider

Employers often find themselves in a situation where medical information is needed to determine an employee’s fitness to return to work, their fitness to continue in their present role, or their ability to attend a meeting. Specialist occupational health (OH) practitioners are often the first port of call for employers seeking guidance. But whilst referrals […]

Employing people overseas – tax and social security considerations

International business expansion normally means recruiting people in overseas territories or sending UK employees to work outside the UK. For HR departments this can present numerous challenges, especially where businesses are operating internationally for the first time. One of the key practical challenges is paying employees who are located overseas, whilst ensuring that the company […]