Ask the Expert: When can restrictive covenants be enforced – or not?
Employers can only enforce restrictive covenants if they have not breached the employment contract themselves. A constructive dismissal finding means the employer acted in fundamental breach, causing covenants to fall away, though unfair dismissal alone does not prevent enforcement.
How to deal with a hostage situation
Learn how to prepare for and respond to a hostage situation in your workplace. This guide covers essential emergency planning, including evacuation procedures, security measures, and communication strategies to help protect your staff during a crisis.
Living Leader Learnings: How can I make all of my team equally motivated?
True motivation comes from within, so leaders must inspire all team members to motivate themselves. Rather than focusing only on criticizing underperformers, effective leaders should recognize their strengths and potential, as constant negative feedback creates a downward spiral that widens performance gaps.
Give & Gain Day: Lloyds’ talent director Richard Buxton on volunteering
Lloyds Banking Group’s talent director discusses how Give & Gain Day, the world’s only national day for employee volunteering, enables thousands of staff to volunteer in their communities. The initiative builds team skills, strengthens business relationships, and creates lasting community partnerships beyond a single day.
News: Some apprenticeships of “no real benefit” to anyone, rule MPs
A parliamentary committee warns that some apprenticeships lasting only six months provide “no real benefit” to participants or employers, while questioning the quality of training in other schemes. However, the number of apprenticeships has quadrupled since 2007, with adult completion rates improving significantly.
News: Unions ballot bus drivers for strike over Olympics bonus
Unions are balloting London bus drivers on strike action to demand a £500 Olympics bonus, citing 800,000 expected extra passengers and arguing drivers are the only transport workers excluded from extra pay during the Games.
Blog: Lessons from JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon – Admit your mistakes
Jamie Dimon’s admission of JP Morgan’s $2 billion loss demonstrates how leaders can foster organizational trust by owning mistakes. Accepting responsibility rather than deflecting blame creates a culture where employees feel safe taking risks and learning from errors—a leadership lesson more powerful than countless business books.
Blog: 10 learning tips for National Learning at Work Day
Celebrate National Learning at Work Day with these 10 essential tips for engaging employees. From making learning social and mobile-friendly to gamification and personalization, discover strategies to create effective, relevant workplace learning experiences that motivate and engage your team.
The HR Headmistress: How to select candidates for redundancy pools
Learn how to define fair redundancy pools and selection criteria to avoid unfair dismissal claims. Recent court cases show employers must carefully consider which employees to include, as pools of one are rarely justified unless the role is unique or location-specific.
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 9 – Focus and a consistent brand message are key
Week 9 of The Apprentice challenges candidates to create marketing campaigns for English sparkling wine. Teams must develop branding strategies, websites, and online adverts to compete for industry expert approval in this high-stakes marketing task.
News: 120 public servants sacked after snooping for personal data
At least 120 public servants have been fired in recent years for illegally accessing personal data in a confidential Department for Work and Pensions database. Staff from local authorities and the DWP were caught snooping on celebrities, neighbors, family members, and colleagues using their work access rights.
News: Two out of five civil servants to home-work during Olympics
Up to 40% of Whitehall civil servants will work from home during the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer to reduce congestion on London’s transport network. The government aims to serve as a flagship example of flexible working support while managing the expected surge in public transport usage.
News: Employment situation ‘at worst for two decades’, warns CIPD
UK unemployment fell to 2.63 million in the first quarter, but the CIPD warns the underlying employment situation is at its worst in two decades due to rising underemployment in part-time work and pay growth lagging inflation.
News: CIPD’s new CEO appointed to further its global ambitions
Peter Cheese has been appointed CEO of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to lead its global expansion. The former Accenture global managing partner brings three decades of HR and business experience to the role, starting July 2.
Blog: Dealing with the leadership ‘reality gap’
Many managers believe they’re outstanding leaders, but employers often disagree—a gap affecting 72% of businesses. Personality profiling tools like Myers-Briggs can help managers develop self-awareness and understand their leadership impact, enabling positive behavioral change.
In a Nutshell: Five tips for a smooth office move
An office move requires careful planning and communication with employees. HR expert Kevin Fisher shares five essential tips for a smooth relocation, from understanding staff concerns to appointing a dedicated project manager and maintaining clear communication throughout the process.
What does it take to be an HR director?
HR director positions require significant experience, typically from senior HR business partner or head of HR roles. Employers prioritize commercial acumen, board-level representation skills, sector expertise, and proven ability to drive organizational change and impact business performance.
Blog: What impact does office politics have on people’s work lives?
Office politics directly affects 95% of workers, with significant business consequences including 70% leaving jobs due to workplace manipulation, increased absenteeism averaging 4.5 days annually, and measurable team underperformance—yet most cases go unreported due to managerial cover-ups.
Talent Spot: Fiona Lawlor, HR director at Jack Morton Worldwide
Fiona Lawlor, HR director at Jack Morton Worldwide, transformed the agency’s HR function from a non-existent back-room operation into a strategic business partner over her 18-year tenure. She originally joined as a finance support staff member and carved out an HR role by taking on recruitment tasks, eventually becoming a senior vice president.
News: Work days lost to sickness fall again as presenteeism rises
UK sickness absence fell 4% to 131 million working days lost in 2011, continuing a decade-long decline. However, rising presenteeism—employees working while ill—reflects growing job security concerns, with workers avoiding time off to protect their positions during economic uncertainty.
