News: Management on the move in 2013
Almost a third of UK senior managers are looking to switch jobs this year, according to an independent report commissioned by career advisor AGM Transitions. The research found that the desire for a new job was high among senior managers, prompted by the prospect of better pay (37%) as well as a fresh challenge (18%). […]
Blog: Jodie Foster and Behavioural Intelligence
Jodie Foster’s Golden Globes speech, in which she made her first public acknowledgement of her sexuality, perfectly illustrated an excellent and moving speaker whose powerful use of rhetoric enraptured her audience. By looking at Foster’s speech, which came after she accepted the Cecil B DeMille award for lifetime achievement, we can shed light on […]
British workers beat the blues
Blue Monday, the so-called most depressing day of the year, will claim fewer victims this year, as workers say they are happier and more secure in their jobs in 2013. The third Monday in January, which falls today, has been dubbed the most miserable day of the year. But despite the cold snap in the […]
Talent Spot: Monica Walls, vice president of Human Resources at Nexenta Systems
Monica Walls, vice president of HR at Nexenta Systems loves working for startups. “You can have a bigger impact and see results much quicker,” she says. “I fell in love with working for startups and and cannot imagine going back to working for a company with 13,000 employees.” Walls has her work cut out feeding […]
The pros and cons of SaaS-based HCM systems
Analyses of the human capital management applications market indicate that Software-as-a-Service-based offerings are steadily gaining market share over their on-premise counterparts. While the consensus is that SaaS HR implementations still only make up just over a tenth of all deployments, current adoption rates are far outstripping those of more traditional approaches. This trend appears […]
Analysis: Govt’s response to Frost sickness absence review “disappointing”
Experts have branded the government’s response to the Frost review of workplace sickness absence as “disappointing”, warning that it did not go far enough. The 2011 review was originally led by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work and a former president of the Royal College of Physicians, and David Frost, […]
News: ‘Sign up to ethical code or quit,’ Barclays’ CEO warns staff
Barclays’ new chief executive issued employees with an ultimatum today to either sign up to an ethical code of conduct or quit, as part of the bank’s attempt to try and repair its battered reputation. In a memo sent to its 140,000 staff worldwide, Antony Jenkins warned that, in future, performance would be judged on […]
Blog: Driver licensing changes – Pushing eyecare up the HR agenda
Employee eyecare. It’s the benefit that always seems to sit at middle or even the bottom of many to do lists. This week’s changes to driver licencing, which mean regular medical certification for lorry and bus drivers, will have pushed eyecare up the agenda for employers whose business involves these vehicles. But for most organisations, eyecare policy […]
Book Review: The leadership challenge – How to make extraordinary things happen in organisations
This is the fifth edition of a 25-year old book, which has sold more than two million copies in over 20 languages to become a globally trusted source of leadership material – some have even called it the ‘leadership bible’. The authors, Jim Kouzes, executive fellow of leadership at Santa Clara University and chairman and […]
Generating success: How to build a culture of confidence
Confidence is at the heart of effective performance. But the media continuously bombards us with very public examples of people in every sphere of life buckling under pressure. In terms of the performing arts, think of the contestants on Britain’s Got Talent! or the X-Factor. A botched performance can either make or break them. […]
Blog: The importance of thorough investigation in staff disputes
The recent case of Stuart v London City Airport has highlighted the importance of undertaking a reasonable investigation before an employer takes action. In this case, the employer failed to investigate the conduct of an employee whom the employer considered had stolen goods. The employee was a grounds services agent who entered the duty-free store […]
The art of change management
When an organisation has to effect fundamental change, it usually implements it from top to bottom. Typically back room operations as well as the products and/or services that it offers will all be affected. As a result, a 360 degree investigation and feedback process can be a good place from which to start. […]
In a Nutshell: Five considerations when setting up an HR department from scratch
When Jennifer Longden joined Cititec, the technology recruitment firm did not have an HR department and she had no experience of HR. Nearly four years later, the HR department that she subsequently set up has become integral to the firm’s business strategy. Longden shares the personal lessons that she’s learned from having to establish an […]
Ask the Expert: How can I stop being forced out after being bullied?
The question After a difficult start to 2012, I informed my managing director that I thought I was being bullied by three members of staff (I am the site manager). After showing some initial concern, no action was taken against the three individuals. Since then, they have submitted repeated grievances and complaints against me, […]
News: UK’s top gay-friendly employers unveiled
Management consultancy Accenture, housing association Gentoo and the Co-op have been named as the UK’s top three employers respectively for lesbian, gay and bi-sexual staff. Charity Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2013 rankings also recognised investment bank Goldman Sachs, which won an award for ‘Employee Group Network of the Year’. The Nationwide Building Society was […]
News: EU – Employers ‘must retrain or redeploy redundant staff’
European MPs have approved proposals for medium- and large employers to take responsibility for retraining or redeploying employees that they plan to make redundant. The European Parliament report, which was drawn up by Spanish socialist MEP, Alejandro Cercas, is calling for new regulations that would require organisations employing more than 100 staff in a single […]
Blog: The key talent trends from 2012 revealed
The latest ‘Talent Think Tank’ kicked off with an introduction from our host about some of the key trends in 2012. The change in expectations, career management and generational shifts highlight that there is a burning platform with talent management today to adapt in order to retain talent. Here are some of the key points […]
Blog: Developing your open-mindedness muscle
Do you sometimes just feel stuck, frustrated or weary of the effort of trying to change either yourself or others? One of the traits of a great leader is open-mindedness. What follows is a simple technique to help you to develop your open-mindedness muscle: I don’t think any of us could be totally open-minded because we […]
Talent Spot: Jennifer Longden, head of HR at Cititec
When Jennifer Longden joined Cititec in 2009, the technology recruitment firm did not have an HR department and she had no experience of HR. From this blank canvas, she has created an HR unit that is helping to shape and support the business as well as adapt to a dramatic shift in focus. Longden had […]
Talking Point: Is motivation the secret to employee engagement?
Employee engagement appears to be top of the agenda for today’s enlightened HR manager. It seems that, at every turn, there are consultants and articles in the business press telling us how to create an ‘engaged workforce’ and how much benefit such a workforce will have on your bottom line. Naturally, business academics have […]
