How connection insulates employees from seasonal disengagement
While winter is a high-risk season for disengagement, the strain is predictable, allowing organisations to plan and respond effectively. How, exactly? Research from Dr Jonathan Thorp shows that connection can act as emotional insulation, preserving team effectiveness when the winter blues take hold.
The CHRO in 2026: A role under pressure
The CHRO role has never been more critical – or more complex. Research by Kathi Enderes at The Josh Bersin Company reveals that 86% of CHROs describe their role shift as ‘significant’ or ‘dramatic’, yet 70% are first-timers learning on the job. With demands outpacing capabilities, how can organisations support CHROs through mounting pressure?
Three leadership norms that harm trust and collaboration
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer describes a highly insular world. Quentin Millington of Marble Brook considers how HR professionals can, by questioning three longstanding norms of leadership, enable their organisations to build trust in the face of differences.
World Cancer Day: Line managers hold the key to cancer support at work
On World Cancer Day, Veronica Foote explores this year’s theme ‘United by Unique’, which reminds us that every cancer experience is different. Line managers need to understand that cancer is not a linear journey to recovery. There is no standard approach to support.
A practical framework for ethical leadership: How to navigate moral dilemmas at work
Struggling to handle moral predicaments at work? Leadership coach Karen Liebenguth provides a practical framework that will help you navigate ethical dilemmas – no matter how large or small – and make life-affirming choices.
Ramadan at work: HR best practice
A guide for HR professionals on how to support employees observing Ramadan.
Microshifting trend: 33% of managers have ‘covert’ flexible working agreements with employees
New research reveals that one-third of UK managers are secretly negotiating flexible hours with their teams, while three-quarters of workers remain dissatisfied with official policies. Could microshifting offer a way forward in the ongoing return-to-office debate?
Edelman Trust Barometer 2026: 70% retreat into insularity
As fears about the state of the world grow, people are turning inward, new research from the Edelman Trust Barometer reveals. For workplaces already navigating complexity, this retreat into familiarity poses a serious threat to collaboration, innovation, and productivity. But there’s an opportunity here: leaders and HR can act as trust brokers to bridge the divide.
The AI breakthrough that’s finally embedding and measuring culture change
Everyone agrees culture matters – yet most organisations still struggle to close the gap between their stated values and daily behaviour. Elie Rashbass, CEO of ScultureAI, explores how AI can finally transform culture from an aspiration on the wall into measurable, embedded behaviour change across your organisation.
NHS trust changing rooms tribunal ruling: What HR needs to know
A recent tribunal ruling found that an NHS trust harassed nurses by allowing a transgender woman to use a female changing room. Peter Daly, Partner at Doyle Clayton, explains what this means for HR teams navigating the interaction between sex, gender identity and workplace health and safety law.
The collaboration paradox: 97% say it’s critical, 50% prefer to work alone
Nearly all leaders say collaboration is critical for success – yet half of employees prefer to work alone. Professors Mike Brent and Guy Lubitsh at Hult Ashridge Executive Education explore why this gap exists, and reveal the 11 behaviours that distinguish great collaborators from the rest.
Setting boundaries in the workplace: Four lessons to learn from Gen Z
Generation Z are rewriting workplace rules with unapologetic boundaries around time, energy and wellbeing. While their approach may seem inflexible to some, could their insistence on protecting their health offer valuable lessons? Leadership coach Emma Georgiou PhD explores four boundary-setting practices that all generations can learn from – and what Gen Z can gain from more experienced colleagues in return.
HR in 2026: Key challenges and priorities with Craig McCoy, HR Connection Group
As we step into 2026, HR leaders face a myriad of challenges – from regulatory upheaval to skills shortages and economic pressures. Craig McCoy, Chair of HR Connection Group, shares insights from conversations with HR directors across the UK, revealing what’s weighing on the minds of people leaders and where opportunities lie amid the turbulence.
The awkward culture conversations we avoided in 2025 (and how to confront them in 2026)
What tricky conversation have you been avoiding? Whether it’s about an uncollaborative team member, a demotivating micro-manager, or a knee-jerk decision maker, if left unchecked the ramifications can be significant. Here, Ella Overshott of Pecan Partnership outlines the most common workplace culture issues we struggle to talk about and simple strategies for starting the conversation.
What is the UK salary increase budget for 2026?
UK salary increase budgets for 2026 are holding at 3.6%, matching 2025’s actual increases. This stability signals a fundamental shift – employers are moving from reactive, inflation-driven pay rises to strategic compensation planning that targets resources where they’ll create the most impact.
UK unfair dismissal reform: Get ready to update your probation period
Changes to UK unfair dismissal rights are on the horizon. Are you ready? Employment law expert Emma O’Connor shares essential guidance on revising your organisation’s probationary periods and processes.
Five evidence-based system shifts that build neuroinclusion at work
When you design workplaces to support neurodiversity, everyone benefits. In this evidence-based guide, neurodiversity workplace strategist, Rowan Ahmadi-Nameghi, shares five system shifts that can make neuroinclusion a reality – not just an awareness event.
AI co-therapy: Will it fill the gap in employee mental health support?
You know about the waiting lists. You’ve seen employees struggle between counselling sessions. AI co-therapy is now cautiously stepping in to fill that gap, says Karl Bennett, Chair of the EAPA UK. This tool is not there to replace human counsellors, but to support them.
HR predictions for 2026: Navigating a “clusterbomb of challenges” in the workplace
The work landscape in 2026 will bring a “clusterbomb of challenges” for HR to wade through. What will this likely entail? We share predictions from 10 workplace experts covering everything from grievance claims and flattening hierarchies, to improved HR wellbeing and, of course, AI transformation.
Financial wellbeing in 2026: The crisis is real, but not insurmountable
The latest research is alarming. Financial stress drives absence, distraction and lost productivity – and almost half of UK adults now feel the strain of money troubles. In this evidence-packed piece, Benifex’s Gethin Nadin highlights the crisis we’ve arrived at. In 2026, he urges employers to take one clear, tangible step to build financial resilience and, in turn, improve performance.
