News: CIPD 2012 – ‘Crowdsourcing is the future of management’
Crowdsourcing is the future of management and organisations that fail to embrace this “management 2.0” model will become increasingly irrelevant, according to leadership guru, Gary Hamel. Speaking yesterday at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual conference in Manchester, he described old management 1.0 methods that focused on conformism, standardisation and formal hierarchies as […]
Talking Point: Do you know how to devise a social recruitment strategy?
A recent report claims most HR directors consider social media platforms to be ineffective as recruitment tools. Since then, other experts have argued that this is largely because these tools are used ineffectively. The debate looks set to continue, but one thing is for certain; businesses intending to employ social media for recruitment should start […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Emma Littmoden
On Emma Littmoden’s road to the top, you’ll find some loo roll, wet wipes and a jockey’s uniform. Before becoming sales and business development partner at leadership development provider The Living Leader, Littmoden had earned her sales spurs selling hygiene products and been one of the top five female amateur jockeys in the country. In […]
News: CIPD 2012 – ‘HR must redefine itself’, says Peter Cheese
HR must redefine itself and its purpose in order to cope with the changing nature of work, the workforce and the workplace within the broader “context of a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world”. This was the key message of Peter Cheese’s first address to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual conference in […]
News: Office romances cost British business millions
Office-based romances could be costing British businesses millions and inflicting untold damage to their reputations. Over a thousand individuals responded to the ‘Are Office Romances a good idea’ survey and over 200 businesses to the ‘Impact of Office Romances on UK Businesses’ survey, both commissioned by website IllicitEncounters.com last month. Three quarters of individuals said […]
News: Apprenticeships review urges reform
Urgent reform of the Government’s apprenticeship programme is needed if it is to succeed, a report by MPs has warned. The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee report into apprenticeships, which follows an 11 month review of the government’s apprenticeship programme, warns that the delivery programme is still too complex and the sheer number of organisations […]
Blog: Unsigned employment contracts carry weight, high court rules
It is always good practice to ensure that a contract of employment is signed following a change in role or promotion so that there is no doubt that the employee has understood and agreed to the terms associated with the employment. However, the recent case of FW Farnsworth Ltd v Lacy considers whether an employee […]
Blog: Social networking in the workplace is coming of age
The standard view of social networks in the workplace is that they are time vacuums. Facebook and Twitter are the ultimate procrastination tools; great for staying in touch with friends but the enemy of work productivity. However, social networking is maturing for the workplace. Enterprise social networks (ESNs) take the concepts and communication tools from […]
HRD Insight: William Hill’s David Russell on an African adventure
It’s just two months since we announced our employee project in Kenya – a major building and development project at the Ol Maisor Primary School. Our aim was to create an experience where a group of people from William Hill were able to help a rural community in Africa and by doing so learn more […]
A day in the life of a newly-appointed HR director
The UK Mail Group is the largest independent parcels, mail and logistics services company within the UK, offering innovative delivery solutions both locally and worldwide. With a national network of more than 55 sites and 2500 vehicles, the company offers business customers an integrated service with a full range of time-sensitive and secure delivery options […]
News: Living Wage Week – Labour to offer employers financial incentives
The Labour Party intends to make the ‘living wage’ issue a core economic policy going into the next election and is currently evaluating what financial incentives might encourage employers to take it up voluntarily. According to an article in the Observer newspaper to coincide with the start of Living Wage Week (Sunday 4 to Saturday […]
Blog: Punk Rock HR – Will NLP decide the US election?
As the US Elections draw to a climax, I thought I’d highlight some of the tactics of influence used by leaders. Many world leaders are thought to be exponents of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which has mixed views. On one side, NLP is seen as an effective tool of win-win influence. On the other side, […]
Blog: HenryTalk – Any answers for all your questions Part 2
We’ve had a busy couple of weeks again in Any Answers and were keen to pick out some more highlights. All of these discussions are still active so if you have any thoughts, please do head over and weigh in! First up is Isobel, who is concerned that her employer isn’t doing enough to […]
Age audit tool unwrapped: How ageist is your organisation?
In the blink of an eye, the default retirement age made employees go from being seen as important contributors to society to a perceived ‘burden’. The recent end of the DRA is just one element of a broader shift towards recognising the changing role, and value, of older workers. Enabling more people to defer […]
News: Lift etiquette – What are your colleagues’ eight most annoying habits?
It’s the little things in life that can really get to you and lift etiquette at work appears to be one of those things. Here are the top eight most annoying habits of colleagues when using the lift, according to a poll of 400 UK workers conducted by online jobs board, www.CareerBuilder.co.uk. They comprise people: […]
News: ER role shifts in line with changing nature of industrial conflict
The changing nature of industrial action means that the focus of employee relations practitioners is shifting increasingly towards preventing rather than managing conflict, according to the CIPD. In its ‘Managing Employee Relations in difficult times’ report, the HR membership body revealed that the average number of days lost each year to industrial action had plummeted […]
Blog: Living Wage Week – Take-home pay is just the start of it……
Next week (Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 November) is Living Wage Week when, from this year onwards, a figure will be published for the minimum hourly rate that staff should be paid in order for them to be able to meet the basic costs of living. It’s a voluntary scheme where ‘Living Wage employers’ who […]
Lembit Opik: Three HR lessons from my life in the Commons
Anyone who’s ever watched Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons will have an opinion on the style of behaviour that we see every Wednesday at noon: it’s a bear pit. Grown adults show apparent contempt for each other in an effort to score points – as if it were the only way to […]
Book Review: Team turnarounds – A playbook for transforming underperforming teams
The authors of ‘Team turnarounds’ – Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner, Joe Fronteira and Daniel Leidl – provide a succinct, thought-provoking and clear description of their proposed six stage developmental process, which they suggest all underperforming teams should go through in order to improve and succeed. While the cynical reader may feel that the introduction refers […]
Ask the Expert: Do staff have to attend grievance appeals if off sick?
The question After a decision to overrule a grievance raised against another member of staff, the originator of the grievance is now on sick leave due to the stressful situation at work. What are their rights in relation to refusing an invitation to an appeal hearing while they are signed off by a doctor […]