Extracts of a Life Coach: Learning to listen
Listening. It’s a doddle. I’ve done it all my life, haven’t I? Well that’s what I thought, until I entered coach school and what I learned has managed to transform all my relationships; in this second article in a new series, fledgling life coach Emma Ranson Bellamy learns that talking is only one aspect of […]
How Did I Get Here? Graham Josephs, HR Director, Historic Royal Palaces
History, ghosts and tourists is just part and parcel of life for Graham Josephs, HR Director at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the Charitable Trust with responsibility for HM Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace and the Banqueting House Whitehall and Kensington; here’s his story. 1. How strategic is your current role, and what […]
Feature: The secrets of engaging employees
Having employees who are thoroughly motivated and truly engaged with what they are doing is the “holy grail” for many organisations. Dr Charles Woodruffe explains why, and offers advice on how to achieve this ideal condition. Engaging employees is important whatever the potential of the employee, but it is especially crucial for truly talented people […]
The Couch?! Gets incentivised
The Couch?! loves a freebie. Whether it’s the try-before-you-buy at the local deli or hostelry or a buy one get one free offer (BOGOF) that leaves the cupboards groaning, we just can’t resist something for nothing. In fact, a quick scan around the Couch?! desk shows not a pen, coaster, mousemat or sticky note without […]
Editor’s Comment: Did Adam and Eve have a point?
Playing Russian roulette with those pesky biological clocks is the latest gambling fad to grip superwomen who’d happily trade a buggy for a seat in the boardroom; Editor’s Comment looks at whether career-hungry ladies are really having their cake and eating it. Madonna did it at 42, Liz Hurley at 36 and Cherie Blair at […]
News in Brief: The week in HR – Brown commits to skills
Catch up on the week in HR with our at-a-glance news round up including the Chancellor’s commitment to skills, the homesick UK workers and why one in three major reorganisations fails. W/C 12/09/05Brown spells out commitment to skillsChancellor Gordon Brown reiterated his vision for a high-skills Britain, this week. Speaking at the TUC Conference in […]
HR Practitioner’s Diary: Much ado in Walford
Jealousy, petty rivalries, crass comments, public fights; Sue Kingston is really in the thick of it this week trying to keep Cupid in its rightful place while dodging some untoward washroom talk. W/C: 5 September 2005It looks like we’re enjoying an extended summer which is great and an opportunity to enjoy the last of the […]
Review: Assessment and Development Centres
Title: Assessment and Development Centres – 2nd EditionAuthor: Iain Ballantyne and Nigel PovahPublisher: Gower Publishing LtdISBN: 0 566 08599 2Price: Not knownThe first edition of Assessment and Development Centres was published in 1995. Not a long time in terms of progress per se but significant when we think about technology and its impact on almost […]
What’s the answer? Drugs and alcohol testing
This week Nicholas Snowden, Senior Solicitor at Clarkslegal LLP and Helen Badger, employment law expert, Browne Jacobson present their ideas on the extension of random drugs and alcohol testing. The question:We carry out random Drugs & Alcohol testing on our employees. Part of our policy is that if someone fails on the alcohol test then […]
Pension savings: Are employees losing interest?
Given an extra £5000, 50% of employees would rather invest in an ISA while 14% would opt for a bank or savings account over and above a pension scheme; so have they had their day and can any confidence ever be regained? Many employers and trustees operating pension schemes are facing similar issues. Take up […]
Restrictive covenants: worth the paper they’re written on?
I’ve heard it said that contracts preventing employees from competing or taking customers are not worth the paper they are written on. That is a myth, which is exploded every day in the Courts; in this feature Paul Lambdin, employment partner at Stevens & Bolton looks at a recent ‘Any Answers’ posting on restrictive covenants […]
Advertorial: Symposium Events
Symposium Events Ltd specialise in conferences aimed at key opinion formers in the public, private and not for profit sectors. Our events bring together senior politicians, policy makers, academics, journalists and business people to discuss both strategic directions for policy and the practical matters involved in implementation. All Symposium Events conferences combine a detailed overview […]
Review: The Facilitator’s Toolkit
Title: The Facilitator’s Toolkit (Second Edition)Authors: Maggie Havergal and John EdmonstonePublisher: GowerISBN: 0-566-08565-8Price: £75.00Reviewer: Tim LeveyIt used to be much simpler in the “command and control” business environment. The man at the top decided what had to be done and the managers then told the workers what they had to do. By and large the […]
Case Study: Leadership at the Legal Services Commission
The Legal Services Commission has put leadership within its organisation firmly on the agenda, with a development programme designed for its top managers. Such has been the success that a similar scheme for middle managers is considered as having high-potential. The Legal Services Commission, the public body which is responsible for legal aid, is running […]
Member wire #116 – Dyslexia: too many allowances? IVF: sick leave?
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 116 13 September 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Dyslexia – should allowances be made? 2. HR Practitioner’s Diary: Cliffhangers 3. News in Brief: Unions make giant ‘equality’ steps 4. The Couch?! Any volunteers? 5. Any Answers: time off for IVF, L&D […]
HR Tip: Care of employees’ property
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: To what extent are we liable for damage to employees' property? Recently an employee brought to us his personal handheld computer that was badly damaged as a result, he claims, of a […]
Hard(y) Law Talk: The new ET Rules – less litigation?
At law school young foundling students are taught in their first few weeks the dry subject of ‘statutory interpretation’. From these studies they glean an insight into the magic circle of judicial thinking – the literal, golden and mischief rules. These three options conspire to cause mayhem, as is the current state of play of […]
Extracts of a Life Coach: Starting out
Life coaching is the latest phenomenon to bridge the gap of accessibility for the ordinary, no longer the indulgent prerogative of wealthy celebrities it is slowly becoming part and parcel of any discerning careerist’s life; in this new series, fledgling life coach Emma Ranson Bellamy steers us through the life coaching waters and shares her […]
The Couch?! Any volunteers?
Fortune magazine recently reported the off-the-wall case of a US-based start-up, SeaCode who plan to literally house their computer programmers in an ocean liner just off the coast of Los Angeles. That way they avoid American labour laws and can pay staff less. Similar to the case of the numerous call centres now operated from […]
News in Brief: The week in HR – Unions make giant ‘equality’ steps
Catch up on the week in HR with our at-a-glance news round up including the giant ‘equality’ steps made by the Unions, the ‘honest Jims’ that are UK workers, why e-learners need greater information and support and the pension myths that have been exploded. W/C 05/09/05UK workers are ‘honest Jims’A survey by Kelly Services, a […]
