Talking Point: Do HR pros need to get back to basics?
HR professionals may have lost sight of their core mission by over-processing employee engagement models and outsourcing human instinct to technology. Rather than being seen as talent developers, HR experts are now viewed as regulation administrators and redundancy specialists, requiring a return to relationship-focused basics.
A typical HRD: Part 6 – Local government
Local government HR directors face significant pressure from austerity measures requiring cost-cutting and efficiency improvements simultaneously. Modern HR leaders must demonstrate resilience, emotional intelligence, and strong communication skills to navigate organizational transformation and manage the impact of difficult decisions on staff.
Ask the Expert: What should I include in a data protection policy?
A data protection policy should cover how your organization collects, processes, and protects personal data for both staff and clients. Start with a data audit to identify what information you hold and its purpose, then create separate policies: one explaining data collection and protection to customers, and another governing staff use of customer data and employee data processing. Both should include mechanisms for data access requests, corrections, and complaint handling.
Blog: How can you make performance management more social?
Social performance management replaces annual reviews with real-time, continuous feedback and collaboration. By using social HR technology, employees request feedback daily, set evolving goals across teams, and receive coaching from colleagues organization-wide, resulting in greater engagement and accountability.
Blog: Is HR really out of touch?
A Kenexa study reveals HR professionals often lack time to deeply connect with employees due to managing operational demands. To rebuild trust and impact performance, HR must be more visible and intentional about engaging with staff through regular interactions and floor presence.
Dealing with the stress factor
Stress has become the leading cause of long-term sickness absence for the first time, surpassing physical injuries, according to new research. Economic pressures, redundancies, and pay freezes are driving mental health problems in the workplace, while presenteeism—working while ill—signals rising organizational stress levels.
News: Count your immigrant workers, says Milliband
Labour proposes new immigration controls including mandatory reporting of overseas workers and stricter minimum wage enforcement. The policy reversal aims to address concerns about foreign labour dominating local job markets, with firms employing over 25% overseas staff required to notify job centres.
News: MPs accuse Beecroft of employment “policy by parable”
MPs challenged entrepreneur Adrian Beecroft over his employment law recommendations, accusing him of relying on anecdotal evidence and “policy by parable” rather than empirical research. Beecroft defended his two-month review as necessarily limited in scope, while the employment minister rejected his original proposals in favor of a voluntary compromise measure.
Strategy: 5 things to consider when adopting HR shared services
HR shared services centers can reduce costs and improve efficiency, but success requires careful planning. Five critical factors to consider are standardizing HR processes, redefining roles and responsibilities, implementing appropriate technology, measuring key performance indicators, and using data to continuously improve service delivery.
Blog: Isn’t the ‘seven second’ performance appraisal throwing the baby out with the bath water?
First Quantum Minerals’ seven-second performance appraisal form promises efficiency but may oversimplify what matters in performance evaluation. While streamlining bureaucracy has merit, reducing performance to ratings and vague competency descriptions risks losing valuable structure and consistency across line managers.
Ensuring collaboration works
HR departments face growing challenges managing complex legislation and multiple stakeholders reviewing sensitive documents. Effective collaboration tools with proper version control, such as centralized repositories, help prevent costly errors, maintain document integrity, and protect confidential information across distributed teams.
Public sector struggles to recruit top talent
The UK public sector faces significant recruitment challenges, with 82% of organisations struggling to fill vacancies, particularly at senior and managerial levels. Pay freezes, pension reforms, and a declining sector image are driving talented staff away, compounding staffing shortages amid ongoing austerity.
UK employment trends see more self-employed
The UK recorded 4.2 million self-employed workers in April 2012, the highest since records began in 1992. The rise reflects difficulty finding permanent roles, with more people taking short-term work as nannies and cleaners rather than launching new enterprises.
HR is completely out of touch?
A Kenexa study reveals a significant gap between HR perceptions and employee reality: 69 percent of employers believe employees are engaged versus just 34 percent of employees who actually feel that way. The disconnect extends to compensation, benefits, and retention expectations.
Blog: All the small things – Getting your PR right in HR
HR press releases require careful attention to detail, as a single punctuation error can cascade into widespread misinformation across media outlets. This cautionary tale demonstrates how journalists copying inaccurate stories without fact-checking can amplify mistakes across major publications, underscoring the critical importance of precise communication in corporate PR.
Blog: who holds the real keys to the organisation anyway?
Leadership disconnects from employees at their peril. When executives celebrate with lavish trips while workers face salary freezes and layoffs—as happened at Benjamin Moore—it signals misaligned priorities that erode trust. Employees, not executives, hold the real keys to organizational success through innovation, customer service, and value creation.
Expert voice: reaping the value of soft benefits
When budgets limit salary increases, organizations are turning to soft benefits like gym memberships, wellness programs, and on-site massages to boost employee satisfaction and retention. A survey found 88% of workers want more health and wellbeing support, with 45% willing to switch jobs for better benefits packages.
Blog: 3 tips for better feedback reception
Learn how to receive feedback more effectively with three key strategies: make it timely rather than delayed, ensure it’s specific with clear examples, and provide actionable next steps. Improving your feedback reception skills helps you grow professionally and respond constructively to criticism.
Social Media Guide Part 2: How to tweet more effectively
Learn how to tweet effectively by using social media dashboards, sharing helpful information, and engaging authentically with your Twitter community. Focus on providing value and solutions rather than direct sales pitches, and maintain an active presence with several tweets daily.
Talent Spot: Michael Doolin, HR director at DHL’s Tradeteam
Michael Doolin, HR director at DHL’s Tradeteam, shares his unconventional path from aspiring lawyer to HR professional. After initially rejecting his father’s career in industrial relations, Doolin discovered his passion through a university lecturer and has spent 34 years building expertise across Ford, the RAC, investment banking, and logistics.
