How understanding neuroscience can increase the ROI on your training investment

Mark Twain said ‘training is everything’ but maybe what he meant is applying training is everything! Training and development is still a major focus for companies despite the recession. Learning and Development practitioners say they are being more commercial and business focused yet we are still told that programmes are not producing the behavioural change […]

The Business of Ageing: implications of an older workforce

The world’s workforce is ageing. In America, for example, it’s projected that one-third of the nation’s workers will be age 50 or older by 2016. And right now in the UK, 29% of employers are already seeing a rise in the average age of their workers. The fact is that in most developed nations across […]

Maternity leave in the midst of the Royal baby boom

While the nation may be celebrating the arrival of Prince George of Cambridge and the recent news that Zara Philips is also expecting, it seems that this year’s Royal baby boom is more widespread given recent figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Baby Boom Britain Last year’s ONS figures show that Britain has […]

Analysis: Government changes to childcare vouchers

Following months of negotiation between the coalition parties, the recent Budget statement included an announcement regarding the future of Childcare Vouchers. Childcare vouchers are now likely to undergo changes from October 2015. So why is change happening, what does it mean for employers and employees, and should your company cease to offer this benefit in […]

Yahoo! I’m working from home today…

96 percent of all employers in the UK now offer some form of flexible working. In the US, over a million more Americans worked from home in 2010 than in 2005. But not all businesses seem to be convinced.  Marissa Mayer became Yahoo!'s CEO in mid-2012. She had 13 years prior experience at Google where […]

Senior leader buy-in is fundamental to employee engagement

This piece was written by Gary Cattermole, co-founder and director of staff survey provider The Survey Initiative. It’s a common issue, organisations are eager to run an employee engagement programme but find it tricky to get their Chief Exec or members of the board to buy-in to employee engagement. Some board members may think it’s […]

Interview: Jez Langhorn, VP People, McDonald’s

Jez Langhorn, McDonald's UK VP of People, talks to us about employee engagement and how it works at the fast food giant. McDonald's recently placed on the Great Place to Work list of the top workplaces across the UK for its commitment to building a culture of trust and unity. 1.What does employee engagement truly […]

Leading under pressure – lessons from the High Seas

This piece was written by Trudi West, Researcher at Ashridge Business School, who was part of the team studying the Clipper Round The World race. The challenge of leading is never more keenly felt than when working under pressure. Whether that pressure comes from the external environment or one that we create for ourselves, making the […]

Interview: Caoimhe Keogan, VP People, SoundCloud

1. You’ve mentioned before the importance of onboarding at start-ups. Can you elaborate on this? How does onboarding differ between big companies and small companies? For SoundCloud, onboarding begins when we have that first contact with a candidate. Even before we’ve decided whether there is a match, we are already ensuring that our recruitment process […]

The four facets of communication at work

Ask ten people what they think contributes to a successful working environment and you can bet your bottom dollar the majority will agree on one factor – communication. We recognise and value communication for its contribution to a better workplace through the efficiencies it brings, performances it enhances, trust it builds and morale it nurtures. […]

Big Data and talent acquisition – what’s the link?

This article was written by David Bernstein, Vice President of Big Data for eQuest.   You can’t throw a rock in the business world these days without hitting the topic of Big Data. Why?   Because it’s the key to impacting business results. As Virginia Rometty, Chairman and CEO of IBM, recently stated, “Data will be […]

The key characteristics of ethical business culture

The business case for ethical culture and operations is clear – increased customer loyalty. There’s also evidence that employees feel a greater stake in company conformity and success when the business is run ethically. Organisational culture is key to the success of an ethically-driven organisation, but what parts of the culture, and why? HR directors […]

Top 50 tips to achieving customer service excellence

This piece was written by Chris Tyrrell, Senior Assessor with standards organisation Customer Service Excellence (CSE). Customer Service Excellence was set up and trade marked by the Cabinet Office. With the economy still as unpredictable as ever, with major organisations going into administration every week, good customer service is more important now than it ever […]

Bad work-life balance? Strengthen the separation, don’t destroy it

The original work-life balance debate emerged as gender roles broke down and the number of women in work, particularly mothers, increased dramatically. The debate was driven by equal opportunities – women with established domestic duties suddenly had professional responsibilities as well. The work-life balance has evolved – it’s now about self-actualisation. We need to be […]

UK heat wave – what does HR need to be aware of?

Travel disruptions Trains: train tracks can buckle under intense heat, causing delays to services Roads: road surfaces can expand and break up, which can cause severe delays before maintenance services can start repairs Stations: many stations operate at full capacity, which means the added demand of delays can cause havoc Cars and bicycles: both are […]

Leadership for the Knowledge Worker Age

This article was written by Kevin Vaughan-Smith, managing director of leadership consultancy FranklinCovey UK & Ireland. The rise of the knowledge worker Mention the industrial age and many will think of the bustling factories and shipyards of the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries – more Brunel than Branson. Whilst the UK still remains an important […]

Beyond ‘omnichannel’ – customer experience in the retail sector

‘The path to purchase is evolving. Digital is empowering and informing shoppers as they make their purchasing decisions. The key to success is satisfying shopper needs for convenience, choice, and value for money.’ That’s the opinion of consumer research giant Nielsen. And as they regularly talk to more than 250,000 households around the world about […]

How to take your employee benefits package to the next level

This was written by Amanda Flint, Reward and Incentive Partner, Grant Thornton UK LLP. With the deadlines for the government’s pension auto-enrolment scheme fast approaching for many businesses, now is a great time for organisations to review the benefits packages they offer. Rather than just being a token gesture, flexible and creative employee remuneration packages can […]

Managing in a low-engagement environment is exhausting – what can you do?

This article was written by Fraser Marlow, VP of Marketing & Head of Research, Chris Rice, CEO, and Mary-Ann Masarech, Engagement Practice Lead at leadership development and engagement consultancy BlessingWhite. Picture, if you will, each employee as a spinning plate. You can see your organisation as a large space with 100, 1,000, or even 50,000 plates […]

Six steps employers can take to lessen the impact of redundancies

This article was written by Steve Preston, Director or career management organisation SMP Solutions. 1. Managing the ExecutionManaging restructuring and redundancies is a daunting task, especially for managers who have never had to deal with these issues first hand. By getting the execution right, you stand to gain respect and also engage employees staying and […]