Feature: Training Evaluation Part 3 – When and how to evaluate
Determine when to evaluate training interventions in part three of this series. Learn about critical evaluation scenarios including political necessity, client requirements, resource allocation decisions, and client relations, plus when evaluation may not be necessary despite best practices.
How Did I Get Here? Mary Canavan, HR Director, British Library
Mary Canavan, HR Director at the British Library, shares her strategic career path from local government trainee to executive leadership. She discusses developing a people strategy to support the library’s 21st-century vision, key challenges in building a customer-focused HR team, and how operational experience prepared her for senior roles.
News in Brief: The week in HR – 03/06/05
This week’s HR news covers Britain’s fight to preserve its 48-hour working week opt-out amid EU pressure, potential National Insurance contribution increases to address pension shortfalls, HR departments’ underutilization of technology systems, and widespread worker burnout affecting UK business productivity and staff retention.
Editor’s Comment: Plastic – fantastic?
A quarter of women in business would consider cosmetic surgery to advance their careers, according to research by the Aziz Corporation. The survey reveals that 28% would try Botox and 26% would consider facelifts, alongside higher percentages willing to adopt less invasive measures like dieting and teeth whitening.
Colborn’s Corner – Disciplinary dilemmas divulged
Explore two challenging disciplinary cases that reveal the complexity of workplace management: one involving an employee’s hygiene issues resolved through formal warning, and another highlighting data protection breaches and managerial discretion lapses.
HR Zone Briefing #248 – HR Diary – Holiday calculation revealed
This HR Zone briefing features a practical formula for calculating annual leave entitlements, plus insights from an HR practitioner navigating workplace challenges and strategies for managing diversity in the workplace.
HR Practitioner’s Diary: ‘Daniel’ meets his match
HR consultant Sue Kingston uncovers dangerous gaps in Daniel’s HR practices after discovering significant inconsistencies in job descriptions across his 15-person workforce. Through individual staff interviews, she identifies critical communication failures around Health and Safety responsibilities that could pose serious risks during regulatory audits.
How to: Prepare for the worst
Learn crisis management strategies to protect your business and employees during emergencies. Discover three-tier support frameworks, preparation guidelines, and how managers can prioritize staff welfare while maintaining business continuity after traumatic incidents.
Stone speaks: Appreciating difference
Diversity and inclusion are business imperatives that require appreciating differences and harnessing employee talent. Micro-inequities—subtle everyday acts of exclusion—can erode morale and decrease company performance if not addressed, even when formal diversity policies exist.
Diary of an HR Manager:
An HR manager reflects on how attending an Anthony Robbins event transformed her personal and professional life, including quitting smoking, delegating more at work, and reassessing life priorities. She recommends the experience for those willing to attend alone and remain open to personal growth.
Diary of a Business Development Manager
A business development manager reflects on attending an Anthony Robbins event, sharing how it shifted their focus toward personal strengths and self-responsibility. The experience prompted behavioral changes and increased self-awareness, though lasting impact varies by individual commitment.
Diary of an Advertising Manager
An advertising manager shares her personal transformation after attending an Anthony Robbins event, gaining insights into negative behavior patterns and achieving major life goals including purchasing a flat.
Diary of a Sales Manager
A sales manager shares her transformative experience attending an Anthony Robbins event, describing how it prompted deeper self-reflection, positive life changes, and renewed focus on relationships and personal happiness. Despite challenges maintaining all commitments, she credits the event with increased confidence, better work-life balance, and achieving meaningful personal goals.
‘Unleash the power within’ – the aftermath
HR Zone follows up with attendees of Anthony Robbins’ 2004 ‘Unleash the Power Within’ workshop to explore its lasting impact. Participants share how the event influenced their personal development and self-awareness months after the transformative experience.
Advertorial: Web conferencing makes light work of I&C regulations
Web conferencing streamlines HR compliance and employee engagement by enabling real-time training, inductions, and presentations across multiple locations. BT Web Conferencing supports groups from 2 to 2,500 participants with interactive features like live voting and Q&A, reducing travel costs while ensuring 100% attendance from dispersed teams.
The Couch?! presents: That’s the wurst sausage i’ve ever tasted
The Couch?! explores the world of sausages after a Berlin bratwurst adventure, counting down their top 10 sausage selections and uncovering surprising facts about this beloved food. From Lincolnshire to chorizo, discover why the UK spends over £500 million annually on sausages.
Member wire #101 – Teambuilding – A Real Motivator?
Explore whether traditional teambuilding exercises like outdoor adventures truly motivate employees and build loyalty, or if a “less is more” approach might be more effective for fostering workplace cohesion.
CSR and beyond: Responsibility in action
Organizations must address corporate responsibility across HR practices including pay fairness, non-discrimination, and supplier accountability. This article examines how companies can ensure transparent compensation structures, living wages for lowest-paid workers, and equitable treatment policies that align with local contexts and employee expectations.
How Did I Get Here? Anna Corrie Learning and Development Manager, Ramada Jarvis
Anna Corrie, Learning and Development Manager at Ramada Jarvis, oversees manager coaching and leadership development programs across five West Coast Scottish hotels. Her role focuses on delivering soft skills training through structured courses, one-to-one coaching, and work-based assessments designed to improve management effectiveness and drive business results.
Payroll Tip: Deduction for capital contributions towards a company car
Employee capital contributions toward company car purchases can reduce the tax benefit by up to £5,000, but must be made at the time of car provision, not as ongoing salary deductions. These contributions don’t transfer to another driver and differ from payments for private use or upgrades.
