Case Study: Managing seasonal workers
For many UK businesses, the school summer holidays provide a welcome peak in customer traffic and so, in order to cope, they increase the number of temporary staff that they take on, before shedding them again as winter approaches. One organisation that follows this model is responsible for managing some of the country’s most famous […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 10 – Explain the benefits
Another week goes by and another episode of the Apprentice slips away. Once again it was an episode full of incompetence, stupidity and Stephen’s ridiculous facial expressions, and another episode that had me shouting at the TV, the way I only normally do when the football is on. This week’s task was all about […]
Blog: Four managerial traits to ensure flexible working works
Earlier this year telecoms giant O2 announced that the vast majority of their employees (88%) were just as productive when working flexibly than when they are present in the workplace. Meanwhile a Stanford University study showed that one travel company noted a 12% rise in productivity when staff worked from home. The evidence would […]
Legal Insight: Pre-Olympic casual worker considerations
With the start of the Olympic Games coming ever closer, many businesses are looking to engage casual workers in order to meet the growing demands that they face as a result. It is routine for casual workers to be used in industries where the work is seasonal or varies from week-to-week and month-to-month. But as […]
In a Nutshell: Five suggestions to make your meetings more effective
We all spend a good deal of valuable time in meetings. But while there will always be a need to get together with others to discuss problems, share information, exchange ideas and come to decisions, for many people, the prospect of going to a meeting makes their hearts sink. Studies have shown that 49% of […]
Video Interview: Top tips for dealing with a stressful work environment
Steve Smith, Olympic high jump medallist and co-founder of workplace performance improvement consultancy, Raise the Bar, along with head of training and development, Gayle Robling, share their insights into how best to minimise workplace stress, boost mental resilience and give employees the competitive edge.
News: Youth locked out of jobs due to employers’ changing needs
The education system’s failure to adapt to employers’ requirements for soft skills rather than technical expertise among entry-level job candidates means that many young people are underequipped for today’s world of work. According to a report from the Work Foundation entitled ‘Lost in Transition’, more than 450,000 under-25 year olds have no experience of sustained […]
News: M&S staff up in arms as bonuses cut by two thirds
Workers at Marks & Spencer held angry meetings yesterday after being told that they could see their bonuses slashed by up to two thirds following a fall in profitability. The situation is unlikely to be helped by the fact that, despite the high street retailer’s reputation for fair pay and treatment, its Dutch chief executive, […]
News: Half of pubic sector workers got zilch in April pay settlement
As the April pay bargaining round in the public sector gets into full swing, it appears that just over half of all workers can expect to get nothing this year. The latest figures from online resource, XpertHR, based on 29 pay reviews that came into force last month, indicated that in 55.2% of cases, staff […]
Blog: Three steps to help you improve your work-life balance
When I am coaching clients in the corporate world, I often come across a common complaint: “I have lots of good intentions, but I just can’t seem to find the time to create a better work/life balance”. Unfortunately, this is a result of working in a fast paced career environment. We know we need […]
Blog: Are you serious about adopting a 70:20:10 development model?
Are business serious about 70:20:10 development? Or is it becoming a lazy way of reducing budgets while expecting already over stretched staff to take on increased responsibility for their own learning? 70:20:10 Development models seem to be gaining an increasing number of supporters in organisations HR and L&D departments. The idea itself is […]
So you want to be…head of learning and development?
Head of learning and development roles are very popular but also very rare at the moment. Part of the reason for this is the nature of the job – not every organisation will have a Head of L&D. Smaller businesses may instead employ generalists to carry out this work or have L&D specialists at […]
Talent Spot: Stephanie Murphy, Interim HR manager
It took Stephanie Murphy a long time to discover HR, but she’s now very glad that she did. Until then, she had dabbled with a lot of things: working with animals, at Boots, Bradford & Bingley and as a cabin crew member for an airline. “I enjoyed those jobs, but never felt tied to something,” […]
News: Workplace disenchantment hits “crisis” levels
With disenchantment in the workplace hitting “crisis” levels, it is incumbent on HR professionals to find new ways to engage staff and compensate for below-inflation wage increases that are continuing to squeeze household incomes. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Labour Market Outlook survey of more than 1,000 employers, some 51% were […]
News: Govt regional pay plans risk breach with Whitehall
Leaked government plans to introduce regional pay rates for civil servants are threatening to push already strained relations between the two to breaking point. The move comes only weeks after the Prime Minister’s director of strategy, Steve Hilton, who left Downing Street last week, advised him to "road test" swingeing cuts to Whitehall in a […]
In a Nutshell: Five tips when rolling out HR software
In January, Jack Morton Worldwide completed a global roll-out of a new performance management system from SAP’s Software-as-a-Service acquisition, SuccessFactors. The system replaced bespoke applications so the brand experience agency was determined to reapply the lessons learned from its first implementation in order to ensure that its second one went as smoothly as possible. HR […]
Blog: Does social learning really work?
Have you ever been reluctant to seek assistance from someone inside your organisation, perhaps afraid of losing face because you need help? High performers communicate with their colleagues In a series of experiments, MIT Professor Tom Allen1 found that people are more likely to look outside their own organisation for ideas, while at the […]
Blog: Charity partnerships – Benefitting from philanthropy
Corporate Social Responsibility isn’t a new thing. But certainly it has a new face these days (usually a pink, puffy, sweaty one from running sponsored marathons). Now that we’re all credit-crunched, coughing up charity cash donations is happening less – but actually that is no bad thing. Why? Well, for many reasons, not least […]
Talking Point: Recruitment – The only way is digital?
One of the hottest hiring topics at the moment is the shift from reactive recruitment to talent marketing – a process that has largely been supported by the use of emerging technologies such as video job boards, social media and mobile channels. So, what are these new technologies and how can HR directors make sure […]
How would global experience help my career?
As businesses broaden their international horizons, it’s crucial for senior executives to have a global mind set that’s aligned with the aims of the company, while being sensitive to the needs of the cultures in which they operate. This ability to act global and think local arguably lies, fundamentally, with HR. “Globalisation has gone from […]