Blog: Four leadership challenges faced by Barclays’ new CEO
Barclays’ new CEO Anthony Jenkins faces four major leadership challenges in an increasingly competitive banking sector, including volatility from supermarket competition, uncertainty about customer trust, complexity in business models, and ambiguity in strategic planning during regulatory constraints.
Blog: What is…..mentoring?
Mentoring is supportive employee training where experienced professionals provide long-term guidance to less experienced colleagues outside traditional manager-employee relationships. It benefits both mentors and mentees by improving performance, building confidence, and fostering organizational development while increasing employee retention.
Providing operational leadership: The emerging role of the HR COO
HR business partners increasingly struggle to balance strategic responsibilities with operational demands. The emerging HR Chief Operating Officer role addresses this challenge by establishing operational stability and enabling HR to transition from a service function to a strategic business partner, particularly in complex organizations with divisional structures.
Infographic: Q2 employment snapshot
Q2 employment data shows mixed economic signals with job growth slowing while unemployment remains relatively stable. Key metrics reveal changes in hiring patterns, wage growth, and sector-specific employment trends that impact workforce planning and economic outlook.
News: ‘Zero-hours’ NHS contracts branded risky “untested experiment”
NHS Trusts are increasingly using zero-hours contracts to manage government reforms, a practice critics say amounts to an untested experiment that risks patient safety and creates an unstable, casualized workforce without guaranteed hours or employment rights.
News: State pension age rises to create “limbo zone” for older workers
Rising state pension age will create a “limbo zone” for older workers who are too young to claim their pension but too old or infirm to work, warns the TUC. Analysis shows only 54% of men aged 60-64 and 62% of women aged 56-60 are employed, with nearly two in five economically inactive due to illness and disability.
Book Review: The Advantage – Why organizational health trumps everything else in business
Patrick Lencioni argues that organizational health—driven by honest leadership, clear alignment, and effective communication—is more important than financial metrics alone. His book outlines four disciplines for building health and explains why leaders often overlook this crucial foundation, with practical insights on meetings, values, and employee communications.
Blog: Disabled workers – Making reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments help disabled workers succeed in employment, but organizations often struggle to implement practical solutions. This guide explores what “reasonable” actually means—a cost-benefit analysis considering job requirements, organizational resources, and impact—plus practical ideas for supporting employees with disabilities.
International workforces: Supporting non-native English speakers
HR directors play a crucial role in supporting non-native English speakers in international workforces. Beyond conversational fluency, employees need to understand business English terminology, workplace communication norms, and cultural nuances to integrate effectively and avoid miscommunication in professional settings.
Ask the Expert: Can employers simply take food allowances away?
Employers cannot simply remove long-standing benefits like food allowances without legal risk. If a food allowance has been consistently provided over time, it may become an implied contractual term through custom and practice, potentially making its removal a breach of contract that employees could challenge.
News: Whitehall must work “smarter” to deliver services post-jobs cull
The UK civil service must redesign how it works to maintain service delivery after cutting 35,000 posts, a parliamentary report warns. With half of planned job reductions still to come, Whitehall needs to adopt smarter working practices and digital services to prevent staffing levels from creeping back up.
News: September will be UK’s key holiday month this year
September will be the UK’s busiest holiday month this year, with nearly a quarter of employees planning to take vacation then compared to just 17% in August, according to new research. HR departments are being advised to prepare contingency plans for managing high volumes of leave requests.
Blog: The art of mobile motivation
Managers must adapt staff motivation strategies for mobile-first workplaces by creating content designed specifically for mobile devices and social media platforms, while balancing constant connectivity with employee well-being to avoid burnout.
Christina’s Counsel: Seven ways to ensure credible performance management
Establish credible performance management by ensuring managers distinguish between reviews and ratings, use objective rather than subjective feedback, understand psychological types, and implement proper conflict resolution. These seven strategies help maintain system consistency and employee trust while preventing perception of favoritism.
Legal Insight: How to prevent grievances from becoming constructive dismissal claims
Quickly resolving employee grievances in their favor can prevent managerial misconduct from escalating into constructive dismissal claims, according to the Assamoi v Spirit Pub Company case. Courts recognize that upholding valid grievances helps preserve the implied contract term of trust and confidence between employer and employee.
EU proposals: Tightening up Ts&Cs for temporarily posted workers
The EU’s Posting of Workers Directive requires employers to apply minimum employment terms and conditions to workers temporarily sent to other member states, including minimum pay, working hours, leave, and health and safety standards. A UK government consultation on enforcing these rules has closed, with responses expected to shape the UK’s negotiating position on the directive.
News: Half of HR departments will be restructured in next few years
Nearly half of organizations plan to restructure their HR departments in the coming years, with many adopting shared services models or outsourcing more activities. The shift reflects companies’ need to adapt HR functions to changing business requirements and invest in technology to improve service delivery and efficiency.
Blog: Organisational values – Actions speak louder than words
Organizational values must be lived and demonstrated through actions, not just stated in mission statements. When leaders like Tim Cook prioritize values over profits and genuinely embed them throughout operations, they attract talent, loyal customers, and community support—creating a competitive advantage that goes beyond any single product or patent.
News: It’s official – Oracle will discount heavily to win contracts
Oracle’s confidential sales strategy document reveals the company will use heavy discounting to win HCM contracts, with discounts ranging from 20% for small companies to 64% for enterprises with over 150,000 employees. The leaked playbook outlines Oracle’s go-to-market approach for its Fusion HCM and Taleo applications.
In a Nutshell: Four ways to ensure that HR serves the business better
HR departments serve businesses better when they stay closely aligned with organizational goals. Karl Jolly recommends four strategies: keep your HR purpose simple and connected to business objectives, focus on three or four key initiatives, measure your progress through benchmarking, and encourage incremental improvements across your team.
