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 […]
In a Nutshell: Four ways to create a motivated workforce
The closer that HR is to the workforce, the more positive the benefit that it can have on the business, believes Carol Carson, HR director at vehicle glass repair and replacement specialist, Autoglass. With this in mind, she outlines her views on how to foster a loyal and motivated workforce: 1. Listen Being […]
Business Cloud Summit 2012: Live blog and tweets replay
NetSuite‘s chief executive, Zach Nelson, the Guardian‘s Charles Arthur and Home Office IT director Denise McDonagh are among the speakers at the Business Cloud Summit 2012 today in London. So we’re providing live coverage of the business content stream below: And if you want to follow our live tweeting from the event: cover://v/c09eb41358
News: Industry publishes code of conduct over workplace pension charges
The workplace pensions industry has bowed to political pressure and published a code of conduct relating to the disclosure of schemes’ fees and investment costs, which will come into force next year. The voluntary code, which was launched today, is intended to ensure that such disclosure is consistent in an attempt to make it easier […]
News: Coulson wins legal costs appeal against News Group
Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has won his appeal against a High Court ruling that News Group Newspapers does not have to pay his legal costs. Coulson, who is facing trial next year on charges related to his alleged involvement in phone hacking while at the now defunct Sunday paper, sued NGN […]
Blog: Seven ways to ensure your wellness initiatives are sustainable
Many wellness programmes begin with a fanfare, and rightly so. If you’ve invested time and resources in developing the best wellness programme possible for your business, you’ll want to shout about it from the rooftops when it’s ready to launch. You can then stand back and enjoy the flurry of activity and […]
Blog: Shared parenting leave – Is it really a win-win?
The latest government proposals in respect to encouraging a ‘family-friendly’ workplace seem to have met with general approval both from business and employee groups. Under the proposals, unveiled last week by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, from 2015, after the first two weeks of a mother’s maternity leave, the remaining 50 weeks can be […]
Talent Spot: Angela Williams, HR director at British Gas
Centrica’s British Gas is celebrating its 200th birthday this year – no mean feat in today’s cut-throat business environment – but its long history means that people have preconceptions about the company. “A lot of people see British Gas as old-fashioned and slow-moving and this is so far from the truth,” says Angela Williams, the […]
Talking Point: Do you know how best to help an employee through divorce?
Unlike death, people experience divorce as a failure. But the level of compassion and understanding given to someone who is going through the process isn’t always as apparent as it is for someone who is in mourning. Nonetheless, divorce is one of those ‘crises’ that can completely knock an employee down. Colleagues may try […]
News: Richard Review proposals on apprenticeships widely welcomed
Recommendations that employers should be in the driving seat in relation to apprenticeship design and funding have been widely welcomed. Another proposal put forward by the Richard Review, which was put together for the government by entrepreneur and former Dragon’s Den star, Doug Richard, was that apprenticeships should last for at least a year and […]
News: Suspended civil servant sues Dept for Transport
A civil servant who was suspended following the West Coast mainline rail franchise fiasco is to take legal action against the Department for Transport over the way that she was treated. Kate Mingay, the DfT’s director of commercial and technical services, was one of three officials suspended in early October, after the government changed its […]
Blog: Engage for Success – A question of defining and measuring?
I was among a cast of hundreds invited to the QEII conference centre yesterday to bear witness to part of the launch of Engage for Success, the UK based movement centred on the phenomenon that has become known as employee engagement. It’s no secret that I’m not totally bought into employee engagement, whatever that might […]
Blog: How to deal with the pregnancy issue – legally
I have recently been contacted by several women who feel they have been unfairly treated by their employers because of pregnancy and maternity issues. It seems that this is an area of employment law that many employers fall foul of, possibly unintentionally. Pregnant employees or those on maternity leave have many key rights in […]
So you want to be…an interim HR manager?
Professional women are increasingly opting to work as interim managers these days. In fact, the latest research from the Interim Management Association revealed that females were now undertaking 31% of all available assignments, up from only 24% in 2008. So while the industry may still be a male-dominated one, it is clear that growing […]
Have you got what it takes to be an HR director?
Securing an HR director job is tough. If you apply for an HRD role, you’ll be faced with strong competition from both inside and outside the organisation. There are some common factors that employers look for when hiring. Ideally, you’ll be someone who is currently a senior HR business partner or a head of HR, […]