Employee engagement continues to rise up the HR agenda

Given a perfect storm this year of low pay rises/freezes, increasing workloads in the wake of redundancies and falling levels of learning and development activity, the issue of employee engagement has been rising steadily up the HR agenda. And as the difficult economic climate appears set to continue into the year ahead, it doesn’t look […]

News: Starbucks’ move to cut staff benefits sparks fresh concern

Starbucks’ decision to cut paid lunch breaks, sick leave and maternity benefits has sparked concern among staff that they are being forced to help subsidise the coffee chain’s potential tax bill increase. According to the Guardian, on the same day last week that the House of Commons’ public accounts committee branded the firm’s tax avoidance […]

News: Disclosure & Barring Service to offer “one-stop-shop” criminal record checks

A new organisation to oversee criminal records checks, referrals and barring investigations has been set up in a bid to provide employers with a “one-stop-shop” service. The Disclosure & Barring Service was formed out of the merger of the Criminal Records Bureau and Independent Safeguarding Authority in an attempt to make the checking process clearer […]

Blog: Punk Rock HR – Counting down the top 10 Christmas HR tips

In this mini series, I’m going to count down 10 HR tips as seen through the eyes and ears of Punk Rock. A kind of "HR Top of the Pops" but without the DJ.   No need to pogo whilst reading these unless you must. Punk HR refers to brevity, simplicity and purity of thought […]

Blog: Engaging for Success in the words of ITV’s Archie Norman

In my Engage for Success launch blog post last Monday about defining and measuring employee engagement, I also mentioned we heard from Archie Norman, currently chairman at ITV. Archie (I will refer to him by his first name, I hope he doesn’t mind) was invited to talk to us about what employee engagement means to him, and after David MacLeod introduced Archie as […]

AAT’s Lucy Gregory on the power of followership

As long as there have been leaders, there have been followers, and leaders cannot accomplish what they do without followers. Kelley, 1992. Most, if not all, HR professionals understand and implement leadership management techniques within their organisation.   But in 1992, RE Kelley put a new slant on the situation with his book, ‘The Power […]

Making the right choices to ensure career success

In order to consistently perform to the peak of your ability and have the best chance of delivering the results that you crave, it’s really important that you understand where to focus the power of choice. Having worked with Olympians over the past 15 years, we’ve learnt some very important lessons regarding the choices that […]

News: First employers accredited under London Healthy Workplace Charter

Fourteen employers have been accredited under the London Healthy Workplace Charter, which is intended to set standards for improving employee health and well-being in the capital. The initiative grew out of the Workplace Well-being Charter that was developed by NHS Primary Care Trust in Liverpool and endorsed by the cross-government Health, Work and Well-being board. […]

News: Gen Y will lead to workforce management shake-up

The growing presence of Generation Y in the labour force will lead to new ways of working, generating radical change in the way that employers handle everything from staff retention and talent management to succession planning. According to a global survey of 2,900 managers and graduates as well as 100 in-depth interviews conducted by the […]

How to ensure there are no legal hangovers after the Christmas party

Christmas music has been played on the radio and in the shops for a number of weeks now which can only mean one thing – the Christmas season is fast approaching along with the anticipation of the associated festivities. Many companies like to put on a Christmas party for their hard working staff, but with […]

Book Review: Be bulletproof – How to achieve success in tough times at work

This book aims to help people cope with the everyday slings and arrows of working life and the debris left by poor management, office politics and difficult people. In the introduction, the authors, James and Simon Brooke, explain the three main pillars of their work, namely:   Mindfulness – Being self-aware, conscious of your thoughts […]

Ask the Expert: How can I keep my job with an undiagnosed disability?

The question I have developed a disability that requires a few reasonable adjustments in the workplace.   Access to Work has agreed to fund an assistant for me, which would be the most expensive.   But at the end of April, I was sent home from work after several meetings between my union and employer, […]

Legal Insight: The compulsory retirement age issue

At first glance, the retirement situation of Hungarian judges might not seem to be the most pertinent of cases for UK employers.  But a recent decision made by the European Court of Justice provides interesting guidance on compulsory retirement ages and age discrimination issues.   Previously in Hungary, judges, prosecutors and notaries were required to […]

How to limit the financial risk of salary sacrifice schemes

As salary sacrifice schemes provide the opportunity to offer cost-neutral employee benefits, it’s no surprise that they are becoming an increasingly popular option for many businesses, especially as a way of funding high-value benefits such as company cars. As appealing as such schemes may seem, however, without a carefully thought through approach to management and […]

Blog: It’s the culture, stupid

“I wanted to let you know that I got the job offer,” she said excitedly. She had two interviews last week — one with a noted brand and the other with a fast growing start-up.   One firm really wants her but they are on a hiring freeze until Q1. This is a dilemma that a […]

Christina’s Counsel: How can I tackle my team’s habitual negativity?

Hello and welcome to this month’s dilemma: The challenge   As a result of an internal transfer, a client recently took over a new team. But he quickly realised that some of its members had a negative and unhelpful attitude.      This negativity manifested itself in a small clique complaining about customer expectations, some of […]

Case Study: How Norfolk Council maintains staff morale despite tough times

During the last few years, Norfolk County Council has experienced a squeeze on resources common to many public sector organisations. It’s been forced to make savings of £135 million over three years and is now halfway there, but hundreds of staff have been axed as a result.   The cuts have arrived in conjunction with […]

Blog: Getting a handle on cross-cultural communication

I’m in Berlin so I guess it’s appropriate that our theme today is cross-cultural communication, how people from different kinds of cultures can get along better.  You know, some cultures are more direct and upfront. People just say what they want to say. And other cultures don’t say no, they don’t say yes, they’re more […]

Case Study: Staff wellbeing measures cut sickness absence at Julia’s House

Julia's House is Dorset’s only hospice for children with life-threatening illnesses. It opened in 2006 and staff numbers have since grown from an initial 40-odd to 125 today. Despite the harrowing nature of the work, its employees are highly-engaged and, last year, it was awarded top slot in the charity and public sector category of […]

Fit for Work: Tackling sickness absence by early intervention

The successful management of sickness absence in the workplace can contribute significantly to overall business productivity. But a balance must be struck between dissuading people who are tempted to ‘play the system’ and providing the best possible support for those with genuine health difficulties who are struggling to avoid being off work long-term.   Long-term […]