UK staff want bosses that can ‘make employees feel comfortable’

Over three-quarters (78%) of UK staff responding to a recent survey said they want bosses that are able to make employees feel comfortable. This trait ranked as most desirable, above admitting when they’ve made mistakes (71%), calm under pressure (69%), giving clear instructions and defined targets (67%) and acknowledging work efforts (66%). The survey also […]

Book review: Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Coaching Room

Title: Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Coaching RoomAuthors: Erik de Haan, Ann Baldwin, Nicola Carew, Stephanie ConwayISBN: 978-1907471773 This book review was written by Nicola Barber, HR Manager Kilwaughter Chemical Company Limited and Regional Ambassador, Engage for Success. I approached this book with a certain degree of weariness; the cover looked like a standard text book. However, […]

The strategic path to supporting staff on their return to work

Employees can often find returning work following long-term sickness absence a difficult and overwhelming experience, with relapses a regular occurrence. Carefully planned return-to-work programmes to support staff are crucial if these relapses are to be avoided. 1/ In order to appropriately support employees, line managers may require training and guidance from Human Resources and Occupational […]

We must move away from parent/child management styles

Some people believe that management and parenting are very closely intertwined. In fact, managers that show compassion, encourage the development of their staff and make an effort to understand the challenges they face might be considered the most popular. Employees often feel they particularly benefit from this typically nurturing approach. Whilst there is always a […]

Using technology to cultivate a culture of learning and development

Why go with self-service? Technology has been one of the great enablers in this era of employee empowerment. Self-service HR systems allow employees to carry out a range of functions that previously they would have been reliant on the HR and payroll departments or their manager to perform. Holidays can be booked, benefits chosen and […]

The rise of the ‘inactive office’ and what HR can do about it

As an employee, you’re often tied to your desk, squinting at a screen for most of the day and counting down the minutes until you can leave. After this you have to force yourself into a strip-lit gym, to burn off the sandwich that you ate for lunch, probably at your desk. As an employer […]

Has BBC HR director Lucy Adams really ‘killed’ off the HR profession?

Louisa Peacock’s biting editorial in the Telegraph today questions whether disgraced BBC HRD Lucy Adams may be a ‘wicked witch’ figure that changes the face of HR forever. The backstory is this: Adams was severely criticised over excessive payments she made to departing BBC executives. When questioned why, she said "the overwhelming focus was to […]

What can we do about the rise of the ‘bleisure’ trip?

There’s a new buzz word in town. Like it or loathe it, but ‘bleisure’ is on the rise among the UK’s employees – following the American trend for rolling business trips and holidays into one. As many of us find ourselves increasingly time poor due to commitments in our personal and working lives, taking ‘bleisure’ […]

A ban on zero hours contracts? Not quite.

There has been much debate recently surrounding the controversial issue of zero hours contracts. Last month it was reported that their use had been grossly under-estimated, and it is now believed that around one million workers work under such contracts. Unite union claims that the number of workers is in fact much higher, at around […]

Financial services workers ‘unhappiest in the UK’

Close to a third (32%) of financial services workers responding to a new survey describe themselves as unhappy at work. Workers in sales, media and marketing were happiest – with 78% self-classifying as happy. Arts and culture came second with over two-thirds (69%) saying they were happy at work. Across the board, the number of […]

The effect of cultural dynamics on profitability

As human beings, we are culturally programmed to view the world from our own national perspective. This makes us blind to our own culture. Just as fish don’t see water, leadership teams from the same nation as the company, or who have worked at the company for a long period, may struggle to see when […]

An analysis of the latest TUPE amendments

TUPE has been a thorn in the side of businesses and lawyers for over 30 years, and there has been on going consultation by the Government in relation to the current TUPE regulations, almost since their implementation in 2006. This is despite the fact that they were implemented with the intention of remedying some of […]

Businesses struggle to accommodate rise in older workers

Companies may be struggling to use older workers to their full potential, according to a new survey of 100 senior HR professionals. Close to two thirds (59%) of respondents to the Towers Watson research said they were not making progress in adapting working environments to the needs of older workers or taking advantage of their […]

47 tips for Corporate Wellbeing Programme success

Most corporate wellbeing programmes have a simple objective. To provide staff with knowledge and motivation to make informed lifestyle choices that result in energy, enthusiasm and engagement in all areas of work and life. A simple objective yes, but sometimes easier said than done, so to help you fast-track the success of wellbeing in your […]

Will leaders or entrepreneurs secure our future?

Whether or not we are now emerging from recession, the shock and anxiety of it all has made armchair economists of us all. Terms such as ‘derivatives’ ‘quantitative easing’, ‘toxic banks’, and ‘sub-prime’, have eased themselves into the vocabulary. We may not know for sure whether we are Keynesians or Monetarists, but we all have […]

Employee shareholder status – will it work for you?

What is it? This new category enables employees to be engaged on special contracts under which they lose many of their employment rights, including those in relation to unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy payments. In return, they must be granted shares in the business valued at a minimum of £2,000 at the time of issue. […]

Holiday pay suddenly becomes more expensive for employers

Holidays used to be simple for employers – you waved goodbye to your staff for two weeks in August and one at Christmas.  No longer.  In recent years, a series of cases in the Employment Tribunals and the European courts have made holiday pay increasingly complex and expensive for employers. The recent Employment Tribunal decision […]

Currys interview candidate ‘made to dance’ to Daft Punk

A university graduate said he was left ‘humiliated’ after being asked to dance to a Daft Punk song during a job interview at electronics store Currys. Alan Bacon, 21, said he spent a week preparing for the interview, but instead of being asked to showcase his skills, he ended up performing robot dance moves “like […]

How being brain-savvy can improve performance management

The press coverage of Microsoft’s ‘stack rating’ system has put the whole process of performance management and ratings back in the headlines. I am sure many HR people are rather surprised that a system that was popular in the 80s and 90s is still being used by a ‘modern’ company like Microsoft, especially one that […]

Interview: Andrew Millard, Senior Director Marketing EMEA, Citrix

1. Are trust issues created by mobile working arrangements or do we just have an endemic problem of low-trust workplaces, which is highlighted and emphasised by the geographical remoteness of mobile working? It’s hard to argue with the advantages that remote and mobile working offers, both from an employee and business perspective. However, when it comes […]