In a Nutshell: Four insights into workplace fraudsters
The majority of fraud in most developed countries occurs as a result of lots of people stealing modest amounts from government and large corporations. So while we may occasionally read about the multi-million losses perpetrated by individuals, this situation is comparatively rare. Instead many tens of thousands of people steal £10 – £10,000 every day via activities such […]
European eSkills Week: Europe to be 700,000 ICT professionals short by 2015
Convinced ICT is a strong part of our national economy and a great destination for young people? Brussels agrees – hence its European e-Skills Week campaign, which is trying to accentuate the positive in terms of the sector. Kicking off in Brussels yesterday, the closing event will take place on 30 March in Copenhagen. […]
PCS union to push for 2nd national pension strike in April
Thought public sector pension strikes had all blown over? Not a chance. The Public and Commercial Services Union may have confirmed that it will not join with members of the University and Colleges Union and the National Union of Teachers in a one-day stoppage and demonstration in London next Wednesday (28 March). But it […]
Creative industries ‘collective’ to speed date work placement candidates
Around 100 employers in the creative industries have formed a “co-operative” to offer 300 young people posts as apprentices or paid interns after interviewing them in a speed dating contest. Organisations such as Facebook, RSA Films, Aardman Animation, Saatchi & Saatchi and gaming firm Activision have all signed up to take part in the ‘Creative […]
Blog: The Goldman Sachs resignation – Three lessons on corporate culture
Recognise This! – Your company culture can withstand a multitude of shocks – but should it? I’m guessing most people in the world of HR, management or leadership have read Greg Smith’s resignation letter from Goldman Sachs – which appeared in the New York Times. Personally, I was more interested in the reaction from […]
Blog: Does jargon really enhance HR’s professional credibility?
I have worked in HR since the mid 1990s and over the years have watched whilst the HR environment has become engulfed with jargon. Developments began in the 1990s where the term ‘HR’ overtook the term ‘personnel’ and came from the States. From the mid 1990s it seems the flood gates for HR jargon were […]
Book Review: Career coach by Corinne Mills
In today’s tumultuous working environment, who couldn’t use a career coach? As we all need to recognise (with apologies to John Lennon), our career is what happens while we’re making other plans. Job or retraining opportunities may pop up unexpectedly – as can redundancy or business failure. Qualifications change, skills need upgrading and our […]
Managing career development in a changing world
These days, we’re always hearing about how important ‘adhesion’ is in the workplace. Definitions of the word ‘adhesion’ include ‘attachment, devotion or loyalty’, which is interesting for the average HR director as they expect not only their own subordinates, but everyone else in the workforce to be loyal to them, the company, the brand, its […]
Will the Olympic torch pass by your workplace?
Do you want to know if you’ll be able to watch the Olympic torch pass your workplace or home? Now you can, as the street-by-street route that the Summer London Olympics torch relay will take around the UK has been published. The names of the majority of the 8,000 people who will carry the […]
Budget 2012: The dismantling of national pay bargaining begins
The Chancellor will announce in his Budget speech on Wednesday that he is bringing forward plans to allow a handful of central government departments to set their own local employee pay rates. In a move that could lead to further strike action among unions already angry over proposed changes to staff pensions, three departments are […]
Blog: Five ways to get demotivated staff committed to their employer’s future
Effective leaders and managers need to have enthusiastic followers. Since people are the organisation’s key source of competitive advantage, you need every single employee to be fully committed to taking the company forward and doing everything they can to make it a success in the future. Unfortunately, the recession forced many companies to alter […]
Blog: Starting out – HR’s new cost-per-hire standard
Drum roll…For the first time ever, the American National Standards Institute has, like a benevolent genie, granted HR’s wish for an industry-wide widely accepted reporting standard: cost-per-hire. Now, not just in the US, but world-wide (what happens first in the US etc) HR folk can run into the streets (or around the top table – […]
Ask the Expert: Do employers have to pay for post-natal time off?
The question A member of staff has just returned from maternity leave. She is still breast-feeding her child and needs to expel her milk at least twice a day. She works a 40-hour week, which is now being reduced by between 30 and 40 minutes each day due to this process. The employee […]
How to build a positive corporate culture
Every organisation has a culture, which is based on who its people are, what they say and how they act. But wise companies recognise the potential and power that fostering the right culture can generate. Strong, positive cultures are the basis of successful organisations because they tap into workers’ collective energy and define common […]
Can Goldman Sachs’ CEO survive “toxic culture” claims?
Questions are now being raised as to whether Goldman Sachs’ chief executive can survive the public resignation of a London-based manager who attested that he could no longer work there “in good conscience”. Greg Smith, who headed the US investment bank’s equity derivatives business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, quit in an email […]
Government’s compensated no fault dismissal proposals garner mixed response
Coalition government proposals to introduce a ‘compensated no fault dismissal’ system for micro-businesses have met with a mixed response. The proposals, which were first put forward in Adrian Beecroft’s controversial report, form part of a wider ‘call for evidence’ around existing dismissal processes for organisations of all sizes. They would result in employers with […]
Living Leader Learnings – How do I stop a valuable employee from dominating meetings?
The challenge A divisional team leader for marketing at an FMCG manufacturer says: “I head up the Divisional Marketing team of 12, and whilst they all have different strengths one is particularly dominant. For example, during meetings I feel this individual dominates to the point that others cannot get their point across. However, when […]
Blog: Lessons on empowering staff to win
One of the things I love about being in HR is that everyone always bring you these rich stories that sometimes causes you to have an "a-ha" moment. A major retail chain this past week did something that, for a retail company, needs to be lauded. In retail, you have a workforce that is […]
HR software deployments: ‘Big bang’ or phased roll-out? Part two
In part one of this two part article, we heard from construction consultancy, Cyril Sweett, about the merits of taking a ‘big bang’, ‘all-in-one-go’ approach to introducing a new human capital management system. This second part looks at the pros and cons of taking an alternative tack, however – that of phasing in a deployment […]
The Apprentice 2012: The candidates unmasked
The BBC has revealed the latest crop of wannabe executives to compete in The Apprentice. Here are the contestants appearing in the new series of the show which starts on BBC One on 21 March. Meet the girls Bilyana ApostolovaAge: 25Occupation: Risk analystLives: London, UK Bulgarian born Bilyana started off her career […]