How to be your own management consultant – review
Learn practical consultancy skills to improve organizational performance, implement change, and solve business problems with this step-by-step guide. Written by experienced consultants, it offers checklists, exercises, and frameworks to help you analyze issues and develop improvement strategies without hiring external consultants.
Bullying bosses are counter-productive – it’s official!
Research from the British Psychological Society confirms that oppressive leadership styles drive group members to leave, while democratic leadership fosters loyalty and commitment. The findings have significant implications for reducing employee turnover and brain drain in organizations.
Top UK companies of the future – review
This 2001 book profiles 100 diverse UK companies of varying sizes, scoring them across six categories including innovation, flexibility, and human resources. It offers insights into business strategies and leadership practices for managers rather than investors, though selection criteria and company sizing remain unclear.
Book review: Understanding TUPE: a legal guide
Stephen Hardy’s comprehensive legal guide explains TUPE regulations, business transfer implications, and HR considerations. Essential for HR professionals navigating complex employment law during organizational transfers.
LawZONE Employment Law Newswire #7
LawZONE Employment Law Newswire Issue 7 covers recent developments in UK employment law, including updates on disability discrimination legislation, unfair dismissal awards, and part-time worker amendments, with expert analysis to help practitioners stay current.
Get the best out of management development with Clearworth – advertising feature
Clearworth’s f@sterclass® blended learning program combines online learning, work-based assignments, coaching, and collaborative activity to deliver effective management development that fits busy schedules and drives organizational results.
Working hours will grow more flexible, but aren’t yet
Most senior managers believe flexible working will become essential for attracting talent, but current workplace practices lag behind expectations. While three-quarters say flexibility is needed to retain good staff, few organizations actively support flexible arrangements despite offering them theoretically.
New pressures for equal pay reviews
Female graduates earn 15% less than male counterparts before age 24, with the pay gap widening further among older workers, according to Equal Opportunities Commission research. The EOC and NUS are urging students to ask employers about equal pay policies, warning that failure to conduct pay reviews could lead to legal requirements.
Excellent leadership is rare
Research by the Institute of Management reveals that excellent leadership is rare in UK organisations, with only 1% of junior managers rating leadership quality as high. Nearly half of junior managers view leadership as poor, and just 15% of chief executives say leadership quality is high. The survey identifies “inspiring” as the most sought-after leadership trait, yet only 11% of employees experience it in their workplace.
Managing the Human Animal – review
Nigel Nicholson’s “Managing the Human Animal” applies evolutionary psychology to workplace behavior, arguing that our hardwired instincts drive decisions like snap judgments and risk-taking. While the premise is intriguing, the reviewer questions whether examples fit neatly into Nicholson’s models and finds his conclusions about organizational hierarchy and gender differences overly deterministic and pessimistic.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (8 March) commemorates over a century since female garment workers struck for better wages and conditions. Today, women comprise 50% of the UK workforce, with increasing numbers in senior management roles, though many balance professional ambitions with caring responsibilities for children and elderly relatives.
Older women’s health ignored at work
A new TUC report reveals that the health and safety of twelve million older women workers in the UK is being overlooked by employers and policymakers. Older women work longer hours, have lower-status jobs, and face higher risks of back injuries and broken bones, yet their workplace health concerns remain largely ignored.
Institute of Management gets its charter
The Institute of Management has received a Royal Charter of Incorporation and will become the Chartered Management Institute on April 1, 2002. The charter recognizes the organization’s work in supporting manager development and raising management standards across UK organizations.
Improved job titles are an alternative to pay rises
Many UK companies are giving employees inflated job titles instead of pay raises in a trend called “uptitling.” Research shows two-thirds of workers have seen elaborate titles like “Director” and “Chief” increase in their organizations, with nearly half believing a new title improves workplace happiness and signals career progression.
Snakes and ladders – the data burden on UK employers
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office is launching a new Code of Conduct for Employers addressing data protection requirements from pre-recruitment through post-employment. The code, released in tranches starting March 2002, covers recruitment, record-keeping, employee monitoring, and medical records, with particular complexity around email and internet use.
Email is the favoured means of back-stabbing at work
A UK survey reveals that 38% of employees use email for political gain at work, with 55% of Londoners admitting to highlighting colleagues’ mistakes to others via “reply all” to advance their careers. The study also found that nearly 30% send racist, sexist, or discriminatory emails, exposing companies to legal liability.
Absence/ Sickness/ Leave
Guidelines for managing employee sickness, absence, and leave vary by company. Managers seeking best practices can reference their organization’s HR policies, employment laws, and industry standards to establish fair, consistent procedures for handling employee time off and medical leave.
London Weighting Allowances – What is paid??
London Weighting Allowances compensate employees for the higher cost of living in London. While not legally required, many employers offer LWA as a competitive benefit to attract and retain talent in the capital.
Businesswomen warn that recent moves may harm recruitment of women
Influential businesswomen warn that recent workplace rights improvements, particularly expanded maternity leave regulations, may discourage employers from hiring women and damage female employability, despite acknowledging workers need work-life balance.
HR Zone Any Answers Digest #2 – Head-hunters, absence, pregnancy, development centre
HR Zone Any Answers Digest #2 addresses common workplace HR challenges including absence meetings, head-hunting recruitment costs and ethics, pregnancy disclosure, development centres, and ICT skills assessment through community Q&A.
