News: Hospital staff stick two fingers up to Kit Kat reward
Managers at Torbay Hospital have been accused of “insensitivity” after giving employees a Kit Kat each for winning a prestigious award. South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, was recognised in the Health Service Journal awards for “best innovation, ideas and dedication”, while the hospital itself was named acute healthcare organisation of […]
Blog: When laying off staff, remember – people are watching
“In the end, I want to know that the next paycheck is coming. Everything else is secondary.” I thought of that statement from an employee who was afraid that they could be laid off. When I read about Hewlett-Packard’s impending layoff of 27,000 plus employees, I had a flash back. The subtitle of this announcement […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 11 – Think strategically
The penultimate episode. The somewhat fantastic five battled it out for a precious place in the final. This week the task was to create an affordable luxury product range. The team with the best idea and business plan would win. The teams were split – Adam, Jade and Nick on team Phoenix and Tom […]
Legal Insight: Expect the unexpected when hiring
Most HR departments already have efficient recruitment policies in place that outline the whole process, from the initial decision to hire through to making an appointment. If this sounds like you, you may be feeling quite smug that you’ve got the process more or less sorted out – and in part, you could be right. […]
Blog: Can you really learn to have confidence?
I lost count a long time ago of the number of people who ask me the question ‘surely you’re born with self confidence?’ They’re convinced that some people are just lucky because they’re ‘born’ with confidence. This just isn’t true. This is one of the best confidence tips you’ll hear. The first thing to accept […]
Blog: Steve Jobs and valuing the ‘B’ players
Recognise This! – There are always B players in any organisation who are just as important to your success as A players, if in a different way. During the last few months, one of the top books has been the Steve Jobs autobiography. It’s a fascinating read and doesn’t hold back on both the […]
The value of networking
Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School, believes that “building networks, especially those outside the organisation will be another key leadership skill”. We used to do our ‘schmoozing’ face-to-face but these days social networking sites are what we use to foster collaboration, within the company, and well beyond. A good networker […]
In a Nutshell: Five tips for doing an MBA while working full-time
Stephanie Murphy, currently an interim HR business partner at EDF Energy, has just graduated from the Open University with an MBA. She acknowledges that the things she learned while undertaking the course have proved invaluable in her work as an HR and business professional. But completing a qualification like this while in full-time employment […]
Book Review: Doing the right thing: The importance of wellbeing in the workplace
Although economists and psychologists have been fascinated by the relationship between productivity and wellbeing in the workplace for many years, the publication of this book by business consultant, Theo Theobald, and psychologist, Cary Cooper, is timely. As its authors explain, it coincides with wellbeing’s “flavour of the month” status, emerging as it currently is as […]
Talent Spot: Lisa Sarjeant, HR director at the CIPD
As HR director at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – Europe’s largest chartered professional HR body – it’s no surprise that Lisa Sarjeant sits on the executive team and is instrumental in setting organisational strategy. While those HR professionals who are struggling to make their voices heard at the top table may envy […]
News: Former Olympus CEO settles unfair dismissal case out-of-court
Former Olympus chief executive Michael Woodford has reached an out-of-court settlement with his ex-employer for unfair dismissal. Woodford was sacked just two weeks after his appointment on blowing the cover on a $1.7bn accounting scandal at the Japanese company. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, but the Financial Times has reported […]
News: 60% of workers plan to watch Olympics – with or without consent
More than half of employers plan to enable their staff to work more flexibly during the Olympics – which is just as well as nearly three out of five employees intend to watch Games, with or without consent. According to the initial findings of a joint survey undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and […]
News: Latest raft of employer-backed technical colleges unveiled
The number of employer-backed technical colleges is set to nearly double to 34 in a bid to provide young people with better quality vocational training. Each state-run University Technical College will be backed by a university and local employers and pupils will be given the chance to transfer from the age of 14 in order […]
Blog: The disciplinary power of slapping someone’s legs with a wet fish
Disciplinary stages: 1 – verbal warning. 2 – written warning. 3 – a slap round the back of the legs with a wet fish. 4 – final written warning. Well, not really, but I’m sure I’m not the only one to have fantasised about having an additional, more impactful sanction somewhere along the line! […]
Blog: Punk rock HR – A no-nonsense guide to hiring, inspiring and firing
This is the first post to introduce my new book “Punk Rock People Management”, which I intend to serialise on the HRZone. If you are in a hurry to read the whole thing, simply contact me with PUNK in the title and I’ll send you the whole thing in one go for free. […]
Investing in your career with an MBA
Why invest in an MBA? Samantha Bown, programme director of executive education, London Business School: “Investing in your HR career through a training program, as Lynda Gratton, professor of management, states, will strengthen your ability to leverage culture, create integration and boost morale and allow you to make powerful representations to senior stakeholders.”Dr Lydia Price, […]
A typical HRD: Part 3 – Small-to-medium enterprises
Is there such a thing as a typical career path for someone wanting to become an HR director in a small-to-medium enterprise – or even a typical HR director profile in this space? HR professionals generally seem to fall into three categories: those who spend their careers in corporate, blue chip environments; those who prefer […]
News: Olympus whistleblower hearing gets under way
Former Olympus chief executive Michael Woodford is expected to seek up to $60 million in compensation this week from his former employer, after he blew the cover on a $1.7bn accounting scandal. The five-day hearing gets underway today at an employment tribunal in east London and will shed light on why Woodford was sacked after […]
News: HMRC proposes to tighten IR35 contractor rules
HM Revenue & Customs has issued a consultation paper setting out proposals to tighten IR35 compliance by requiring organisations engaging “controlling persons” through personal services companies to deduct income tax and national insurance from fees paid to their companies. The consultation document fleshes out an oblique mention of the measure in the Budget 2012 document (para […]
News: Male boards ‘appoint candidates in their own image’
The appointment of women to senior management positions is being held back by male-dominated boards who hire executives that are similar to themselves, a report has warned. According to research conducted by Cranfield University on behalf of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, potential candidates for board-level posts among FTSE 350 companies are generally hired […]