Social media trends: Moving into the mainstream
The opportunities and possibilities offered by social media are limitless – and that’s the problem for many HR professionals. The question is where exactly do you start and how do you know what will work for your business? The simple answer is: just start somewhere, for the beauty of social media is that […]
Ask the Expert: How do I end non-contractual arrangements?
The question I’m looking for advice on the steps to go through when ending non-contractual arrangements. I’m working on the basis that, for expediency’s sake, the safest approach is to follow the same process as for contractual terms, but any advice would be much appreciated. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar […]
Social Media Guide Part 3: How to use twitter lists and hashtags
Twitter is an invaluable online tool and has become the de facto way of spreading news and disseminating information to people across all walks of life. It has also become an important gauge by which public opinion is measured and has been used to predict all sorts of results, from stock market ups and downs […]
Blog: who are the best leaders – men or women?
As John Gray advocated in his 1992 bestseller Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, there are fundamental differences between the genders. According to a new study, these differences are evident when it comes to leadership behaviour. At Talent Innovations, we’ve analysed the 360° feedback results of nearly 14,000 UK leaders and managers, to […]
Blog: HR – also known as The A Team
Are you the Mr. T of your organisation? By that I don’t mean do you wear excessive amounts of gold bling, have a slightly dubious Mohican and yell “Quit your jibber-jabber!” in meetings. I mean if there is a problem, if no-one else can help, and if they can find you, maybe your staff can […]
News: Men v women or men + women?
Men and women have different leadership strengths, and organisations need a balance of both if they are to be truly effective. That’s the conclusion of a new study from Talent Innovations which analysed feedback results of nearly 14,000 managers to identify the differences in how men and women were rated against a set of 18 […]
Blog: what is charisma – and how do you get it?
Why is it that some people just seem to stand out? What is it about these people that leads us to describe them as ‘charismatic’? And just what do we mean by that? In other words … what is ‘charisma’? It seems to be a bit of an enigma. It’s a concept we […]
Book Review: Judgement Calls by Thomas Davenport and Brook Manville
“Judgement Calls” is a powerful book. It explores the way in which threatening situations for major organisations can be resolved successfully by using staff talents to a much higher degree than is usual. The writers examined how 12 important decisions were taken successfully due to team effort. Their work is in four parts and […]
Beecroft: A Dickensian charter for unscrupulous bosses
As an employer, you might expect me to welcome the Beecroft report on changes to employment law. But I don’t. There are some decent suggestions in the report but some of the recommendations, especially the idea of "no fault" terminations, are positively Dickensian. There’s an assumption that all business people think the Beecroft […]
Talent Spot: Joris Luijke, Atlassian’s vice president of HR
Joris Luijke, vice president of talent and HR at fast-growing Australian software company, Atlassian, has followed in his father’s footsteps by choosing HR as a career. “When I was young, my father tried to convince me not to do HR. So just to annoy him, I went to work in HR!” he laughs. Luijke did […]
A typical HRD: Part 4 – FTSE 250 companies
The focus and pressure on top HR directors in commerce and industry has never been greater than it is today. As a result, over recent years, their remit has evolved to require a far broader, more business-oriented background and set of skills than was previously the case. But this situation has, in turn, led […]
Blog: 3 Tips to Build and Sustain a Strong Company Culture
Recognise This! – Creating a strong culture requires careful focus and intention. What’s your ambition for the culture of your organisation? If you intend to create and preserve a strong company culture of recognition – one that drives engagement, productivity and performance – how do you that? 1) Focus on Your Culture If culture is […]
In a Nutshell: Five considerations to help boost staff innovation
Although a much over-used term, ‘innovation’ means to invent or apply new ideas, methods, approaches and the like. Although it sounds simple enough, creating an environment in which employees feel empowered, engaged and trusting enough to let their creative juices flow freely is easier said than done. So here Joris Luijke, vice president of […]
Cable’s plan to pay off unwanted employees must carry a duty of care, warn experts
Employers will be able to offer settlement agreements before a formal dispute arises and will be legally protected from this offer being used as evidence in an unfair dismissal tribunal case, under new legislation proposed by Business Secretary Vince Cable. In his opening speech at the second reading of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, […]
English apprenticeships come under entrepreneurial review
Along with today’s accusations about figures being massaged in Scotland, the government has launched a review of apprenticeships in England to ensure the schemes deliver the training and skills employers need. The review is being led by entrepreneur Doug Richard and will seek to define what makes a high-quality apprenticeship after the government concluded that […]
Scottish Government accused of apprentice con
More than 10,000 publicly funded apprenticeships to help unemployed people have been given to people already in work, according to figures released by the Scottish Labour Party. In its election manifesto, the SNP pledged 25,000 apprenticeships to help young Scots struggling to find work. But four out of ten apprenticeships have gone to people […]
Five steps to help staff cope with digital distractions
You’re writing a report when your smartphone rings. Before you’ve had the chance to say hello, another five emails drop into your inbox – all asking you to do something, now. And on top of that, there are text messages, tweets and instant messages, all waiting for you a response. Sound familiar? Well, […]
Employee engagement on the rise?
Employee engagement is back on the up and up after years of decline, according to a new study from consultancy firm Aon Hewitt. The consultancy’s 2012 Global Engagement report analysed the engagement trends of more than 3,100 organisations representing 9.7 million employees worldwide. It found that 58% of employees were engaged in 2011, up from […]
Blog: feedback – are we even sure what it is?
Recognise This! – Feedback is useless unless it is frequent, timely and gathered from multiple sources. Feedback. How often should we give it? Who should give it? When should it be given? What format to deliver it should be used? All of these are good questions, but are we all in agreement on what feedback […]
How to communicate effectively with hard-to-reach workers
In tricky economic times, effective internal communications can have a vital role to play in helping to keep staff morale up and anxiety down. All too often these days, however, communication activity can end up being focused almost exclusively online, creating the risk that workers without access to the latest social media tool or even […]