How to reframe your performance review
Imagine the scene… your annual performance review is due tomorrow afternoon. Lots of new projects have kicked off in the last few months and you have been working your socks off. Work is still very chaotic and busy which means you have very little time to do much preparation for your review. So you […]
News: 1 in 5 Londoners get poverty wages as MPs go for 4 times average
Even though one in five Londoners now receive poverty wages, the Parliamentary watchdog has proposed that MPs’ pay should leap by a huge 40% to ensure earnings of four times the national average. Despite the recent Westminster expenses scandal and pay freezes across many parts of the country, a consultation document published by the Independent […]
News: Childcare costs biggest employment barrier for single parents
The biggest barriers to work for single parents are childcare costs and a shortage of flexible and well-paid enough jobs, a study has revealed. According to research published by charity Gingerbread, single parents with children over the age of 12 face double the rate of long-term unemployment as the rest of the population (8%). […]
Blog: Eight tips for handling a ‘difficult conversation’
No-one likes having ‘difficult’ conversations – but as a manager it is inevitable that at some point an issue will arise that has to be addressed. It may be that an employee’s performance is under par, a project has gone horribly wrong or a crucial meeting has been mishandled. It’s tempting to sweep poor […]
Blog: The World of HR – Today’s frustrations, tomorrow’s dreams Part 2
Last week we told you about a time travel challenge we posed some of our clients. We asked them in 20 years’ time, when you look back at HR, what would you tell people it was famous for? We asked them to complete the sentence: “A long time ago, in a company far, far […]
Talking Point: Isn’t there a better way to make redundancies?
A huge 2.7 million people in the UK have been made redundant over the last three years. But as shocking as that statistic is, even more shocking is the fact that the current model for making such redundancies isn’t mandated by law, is unnecessary, and is as harmful for those taking such action (organisations, HR […]
CEO Insight: Employer Pool’s Chris Murray on ethical recruitment
Over the last 10 years, corporate social responsibility has increasingly found its way onto the board room agenda. Because of its links to staff retention and helping to generate positive external and internal relations, CSR is now widely regarded as a business priority by many private and public sector organisations. As a result, the […]
News: HR is “ineffective” and “non-essential”, say senior execs
The majority of senior executives believe that the HR function is ineffective and consistently fails to provide value to the organisation. According to a survey among 418 C-suite managers conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by management consultancy KPMG, a mere 17% believe that HR does a good job, with many seeing it […]
Analysis: Workday in a post-IPO world – The story so far
Workday was one of the most eagerly awaited Silicon Valley initial public offerings – and in the wake of the controversy following Facebook’s flotation, a lot of attention was paid to the fate of its stock on the first day of trading. In the event, the Software-as-a-Service provider of human capital management applications saw the […]
Blog: Would you hire someone with a drug or alcohol dependency?
The HRZone community will already be well aware that getting people ‘back to work’ and reducing the welfare bill are central to this government’s ambitions. What may not be so familiar is the way in which this broader political context is reflected in policy on treatment for drug and alcohol problems. The vision of […]
Blog: Does Boris demonstrate the five fundamentals of leadership? Part 1
Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s popularity has risen to such an extent that commentators are increasingly speculating over the possibility that the eccentric former journalist could be the next Prime Minister. The mayor’s meteoric rise received a welcome boost from a successful London 2012, but has he got what it takes to be an international […]
What to do when there’s board trouble
The effect on an organisation when big mistakes hit the headlines can be very destructive – and you don’t have to look much into the recent past to see some high profile examples. These include G4S and its staffing problems during the Olympics and Bob Diamond’s resignation from Barclays bank following the rigging of the […]
News: Barclays’ staff bonuses to be linked to customer satisfaction
Barclays’ frontline employees will no longer receive bankers’ bonuses based on sales but will be paid according to the level of service given to customers. The bank’s new ‘Service Incentive’ programme will see Barclay’s 22,000 retail staff earning commission based on how satisfied customers are with the service provided, as well as the extent to […]
News: UK’s most satisfying HR software revealed at Harrods
Some of the software industry’s most innovative small companies saw off competition from global giants in the UK’s biggest awards event that is based on the views of genuine business users. In the competitive corporate HR and human capital management category, online absence management software provider, TeamSeer, fought off challenges from Advanced Business Solutions‘ HCM […]
Blog: When did you last challenge wrongdoing around you?
So the USADA report is out and it makes it abundantly clear that the sport I enjoyed watching for years has been a dirty cheating farce (like I didn’t already know right?). The situation surrounding Lance Armstrong is a great example of the danger of a typical hierarchy. The person at the top takes ultimate responsibility, sure. And […]
Living Leader Learnings: Do 360 degree feedback systems really work?
The Challenge The HR manager at a software development company asks: “Because feedback is really hard to get, we’re thinking of introducing a 360 degree feedback system into our organisation. In your experience, do people really respond to them honestly and what are the benefits and pitfalls of this kind of system?" The Solution […]
How to create a physically healthy workplace
According to the Health and Safety Executive’s latest figures, we’re gradually getting the message about making the working environment a more healthy one. The organisation indicates that, between April 2010 and March 2011, around 1.2 million people were suffering from an illness caused or made worse by their job, down from 1.3 million the previous […]
Ask the Expert: How do we deal with a post-work event rape allegation?
The question What is an appropriate disciplinary charge for an incident that has led to a criminal investigation outside of work, allegedly involving another member of staff following a work event? Here is an outline of the situation: Following a corporate event, a group of people went back to an employee’s home and continued […]
News: Repeal of equality legislation will “let bad bosses off the hook”
The government’s decision to repeal sections of the Equality Act less than two years after their introduction has been branded by unions as an attempt to “let bad bosses off the hook”. Provisions in the Equality Act 2010 that make employers liable for the harassment of their staff by third parties such as customers or […]
News: Kite marked pensions required to plug employer “advice gap”
A kite mark system should be introduced in order to help employers find value for money pension schemes and help plug the current “advice gap”, a report has recommended. If change does not take place, millions of workers signing up to the government’s auto-enrolment scheme, which came into force for large employers on 1 October, […]
