How to drive culture change when your boss doesn’t want to
Senior leaders now widely recognise the strategic value of workplace culture. But not all bosses embrace the challenge of changing a problematic one. Ella Overshott, Director of Pecan Partnership, outlines the reasons why so many resist or ignore the problem, and how you can overcome (or divert) their defiance.
Naysayers and the hidden value of workplace pessimism
Naysayers – colleagues who see nothing but gloom – drain energy and obstruct change in almost any organisation. But do they also offer a hidden value? Quentin Millington of Marble Brook explores the root causes of doom-mongering and shows how everyone can benefit from pessimism within the team.
Book excerpt: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Explained by Shakil Butt
Do you look after equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in some capacity at work? Inclusion specialist Shakil Butt offers a practical guide to understanding what EDI really means and how to turn good intentions into everyday actions. Here, HRZone offers a snippet from his new book.
Five pitfalls of measuring workplace productivity
Most workplaces chase productivity metrics, but this approach often backfires. Jacqueline Towers of HubStar explores five critical pitfalls of measuring productivity – from outdated metrics to damaged wellbeing – and reveals what truly drives performance. Discover why trust, autonomy and psychological safety matter more than monitoring, and what your organisation should focus on instead.
Four progressive stages of male allyship – and how HR can support the journey
Men are not simply ‘for’ or ‘against’ engaging with gender equity issues. A new global study reveals a developmental pattern at play – four progressive stages that men move through towards allyship. Here, Dr Debbie Bayntun-Lees of Hult International Research School outlines the study’s key findings. She also introduces a diagnostic model to help HR leaders identify and support each stage.
Trust, creativity and the bonds AI can’t replace
Algorithms excel at efficiency, but can they replace the human bonds that spark original ideas and give organisations competitive edge? Sanjay Lobo MBE, CEO and Founder of OnHand, believes not. Here, he explores the hidden cost of AI’s rapid advance – the erosion of workplace relationships that drive trust, creativity and innovation.
Are we really facing a leadership crisis. Or is Gen Z simply changing the rules?
Rather than rejecting leadership, Gen Z is reshaping it, argues Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at Remote. Here, she challenges outdated models and pushes companies to reimagine leadership as flexible, authentic, and aligned with values.
The Big Five at work: Engineering personalities into collective strength
What if you could decode the invisible forces that shape how your team really works together? Perry Timms and Kirsten Buck of PTHR reveal how the Big Five personality traits act as the hidden operating system behind team dynamics. By understanding these psychological patterns, HR leaders are better equipped to engineer high-performing teams that harness everyone’s unique strengths.
Why HR must do more to support carers of people with cancer
Carers of people with cancer are an often unseen part of the workforce, balancing professional responsibilities with the relentless demands of caring. Barbara Wilson, Founder of Working With Cancer, explains the challenges carers face and outlines how HR leaders can provide meaningful support.
How wellbeing platforms can boost benefits engagement
HR and reward leaders, be warned. While 60% of your profession believes they deliver an excellent employee experience, only 19% of employees agree. How can you combat this disconnect? By making the process of accessing benefits less mystifying, time-consuming and stressful, says Oliver Atkinson, Senior Wellbeing Lead at Benifex.
How HR can disrupt the drama triangle
One in four UK employees face workplace conflict, often trapped in the destructive Drama Triangle of Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor roles. Conflict specialist Jane Gunn reveals how HR professionals can recognise these damaging patterns and guide teams towards the healthier Empowerment Dynamic that builds trust and transforms workplace culture.
Sweet ideas that you can implement TODAY to build a happy workforce
Sometimes the smallest gestures spark the sweetest moments – and a 35% reduction in employee churn. Here, Jonathan Dee of Swizzels (the makers of Love Hearts) reveals how this confectionery company’s micro-rewards strategy boosted employee happiness without a big budget, reducing turnover by over a third.
The games at play in your company’s culture – and how to stop them
Since Eric Berne’s groundbreaking book Games People Play, leaders are more aware of the unconscious dynamics that influence the way people work together. In today’s context of hybrid working, multi-cultural teams and AI, are games still at play? If so, how do we spot them and what can we do about them? Ella Overshott, Partner at Pecan Partnership, examines these questions below.
Rethink performance: How overdone strengths cause teams to fail
The usual narrative on performance fails to account for the contexts in which people work, and results in unnecessary conflict and blame. Quentin Millington of Marble Brook looks beyond ‘development areas’ toward ‘overdone strengths’, to reveal how HR can shift the conversation for the benefit of all.
The QUIET Listening Framework: Talk less to achieve more
We’re conditioned to think influence comes from pushing our views. By choosing to be QUIET, we can transform the way that we lead.
Poor relationships: The real cause of growing disability disputes?
In the past year, Acas data shows that disability disputes have risen by 31%. How can HR address this? Paul O’Donnell, Managing Director of CMP, urges employers to look beyond the standard advice and get to the root cause of the issue – poor relationships.
Age discrimination or a polarising world? Four ways to tackle distrust and misinformation at work
A recent survey shows 90% of older workers experience workplace ageism, but other research reveals fear of discrimination spans all demographics. The real culprit? Growing societal polarisation, warns Blaire Palmer, CEO of That People Thing. Here, she outlines how to tackle this through transparency, bias awareness, and fostering cross-generational collaboration.
Interview: How Tesla’s former DEI director, Kristen Kavanaugh, chose courage over fear
Courageous leadership isn’t about saving the day. It’s about taking small steps to stand up for your beliefs, when retreating would be easier. In an interview with HRZone, Kristen Kavanaugh, former DEI director of Tesla, reveals her journey to resilience, her proudest moments at the automotive company, and how courageous leaders can respond to corporate pullbacks from DEI.
Productivity with purpose: How to reconnect a disengaged workforce
When workplace purpose is genuine – not just a mission statement slide – it is HR’s next best productivity tool. But what does ‘authentic purpose’ look like in practice? And how can you build it? Sanjay Lobo MBE, CEO of OnHand, will reveal all at the Culture Pioneers Leadership Forum 2025 on 16th October in London.
Five psychological safety challenges for hybrid workplaces
Building psychological safety is a complex venture for any organisation. But the very nature of hybrid work makes it even more difficult to foster. Here, Jacqueline Towers of Hubstar presents five common barriers to speak-up cultures in hybrid settings – and how to remove these through small changes to everyday behaviours.
