Relationship building – The power of feedback
Everyone has issues with people at work that make them angry, dissatisfied, annoyed or distracted such as a boss that doesn’t provide clear expectations or appreciation. Work can be a nightmare when relationships are in trouble. Equally, there are pleasant teams where people are kind, respectful and cheerfully collude with ideas that are ultimately […]
News: Impact of flexible working extension will be “limited”, says lawyer
Government plans to extend flexible working rights to all employees in a bid to stop women being “locked out of the workplace” and boost GDP may have a “more limited” impact than expected, a lawyer has warned. The government estimates that the forthcoming changes will bring a net benefit of £222.5 million to employers as […]
News: CIPD 2012 – HR acts as an ‘inhibitor to innovation’
For innovation to flourish, HR professionals must stop acting as the “custodians of consistency” and start helping to break down the general view of organisations as single, uniform monoliths with no room for difference. To this end, Graham Abbey, director of executive development at Bath University, told attendees at a panel discussion entitled 'Networking across […]
Blog: Dealing with tax and the contractor issue
The BBC have recently announced their intention to review the type of contract they provide to their staff following a tax review. Issuing the correct type of contract is important to avoid the heartache of tax implications for both employer and employee if it’s wrong. The BBC currently have lots of staff who are […]
Book Review: Lead with a story
Storytelling is regaining its rightful place as a key leadership skill, especially in relation to employee engagement. The idea is that a PowerPoint slide presentation, complete with salient bullet points, is much less likely to win over hearts and minds than a good story. So I was really excited to receive a copy of […]
How to rebuild staff morale following a crisis
There have been plenty of instances of organisations lately in which bad news can only have damaged employee morale and confidence and had a negative impact on overall effectiveness and efficiency. Cases in point include the four figure job losses experienced at Ford and the BBC’s handling of investigations into sexual abuse claims surrounding Sir […]
News: CIPD 2012 – Engage for Success movement unveiled
On Monday 12 November, three years after the publication of the MacLeod Report on employee engagement, a series of events around the new ‘Engage for Success’ campaign will be launched in a bid to make the promise a reality. For example, about 30 chief executives have signed a letter that will be published in The […]
News: CIPD 2012 – Four ways to ensure positive industrial relations
Even with just a threat of industrial action, the stakes are high because people are forced to take sides, which is damaging for employee engagement and the credibility of the organisation and its managers. This was just one of the insights provided by Darren Hockaday, HR director for London Overground, at the Chartered Institute of […]
Blog: CIPD 2012 – Impose company values at your own risk
During a Question & Answer session at the CIPD conference yesterday, Simon Jones tweeted something that caught my eye. Peter Cheese, the recently appointed CIPD CEO, asked a gathering of around a hundred people, ‘How many of you can recite your company values?’ Three people raised their hands. There was some surprise about the low response among the audience, but I’m […]
Blog: CIPD 2012 – A view from the fringe
In recent years, the CIPD has put on a number of free mini seminars to attend, which is great for those who can’t afford to attend the ‘full’ conference. I consider this (along with the exhibition) the ‘fringe’ event, and my impressions from this were: 1. Change in emphasis Last year, I felt like […]
Redundancies and how to reduce the risk of insider fraud
Last week, UBS announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs. This week, companies as diverse as Ericsson, ING and steel group, Kloeckner, have also announced big job losses. But managing large-scale redundancies clearly presents a number of challenges for HR, not least the increased likelihood of staff fraud taking place. In fact, the latest figures […]
News: CIPD 2012 – ‘Contingency risk-based approach key to Olympics success’
One of the key reasons for the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in HR terms was the decision to take a contingency risk-based approach, which involved planning for every eventuality. Jean Tomlin, HR director for the London 2012 Organising Committee who took part in the closing keynote panel discussion at the Chartered Institute […]
News: Permanent placements rise at fastest rate for 17 months
Business leaders were given more encouraging news about the state of the economy today after the latest KPMG/ REC ‘Report on Jobs’ showed that appointments to permanent positions have risen for the first time since the Spring. Data from across the country shows that appointments of permanent staff increased for the first time since May, […]
In a Nutshell: Four tips for raising engagement levels
Successfully raising engagement in an organisation involves more than doing an annual engagement survey. Louise Rooney, head of HR at IT firm, ServiceSource, outlines her top tips for motivating staff to commit to the business. 1. Alignment Identifying and being explicit about the company vision and values definitely helps employees connect with the business. This […]
Blog: Great ideas can come from anywhere – if you’re prepared to listen
“Don’t credit me with that success. That idea came from a janitor at the NFL Films production facility. He suggested that we take all the fumbles and mishaps and put them to music.” That statement was from Steve Sabol, the late co-founder (with his father, Ed) of NFL Films. NFL Films was started by accident […]
Ask the Expert: Am I employed as a temp or a perm?
The question I started work for a company in January 2011 on a contract basis, working three days per week. The contract ran out at the end of March 2012. I was then verbally offered the job on a permanent basis and I accepted. Although I asked several times, the situation was never confirmed in […]
News: CIPD 2012 – Four ways to boost your board-level influence
Influence within the executive team is more valuable than a seat on the board as board members simply rubber stamp executive decisions anyway, believes Linda Kennedy, group HR director at Yell. During a presentation at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual conference in Manchester this week, she advised HR professionals to put anxiety […]
Legal Insight: Mind your language
In recent years, the influx of migrant workers from Eastern European countries in particular has resulted in a highly diverse range of cultures and identities within the United Kingdom’s labour force. In certain lower paid sectors such as agriculture and hospitality, there is a particular reliance on those whose first language is not English. The […]
News: Gender bias alive and well, survey finds
The average gender pay gap for UK executives stands at £10,060, with women also receiving less than half of what men are awarded in bonuses, according to the findings of the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) latest annual Gender Salary Survey. Despite government pledges to address inequalities between the sexes, the gender pay gap across the […]
News: CIPD 2012 – ‘Employers must take more responsibility for skills development’
If the UK is to remain competitive globally, employers must take more responsibility for addressing structural employment and systemic skills issues among the next generation of workers, according to government representatives. Jo Swinson, a Liberal Democrat MP and current minister for employment and Michael Davis, chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, […]
