The ethical employee: what we bring to our business
Let’s begin this part of our analysis with a brief thought experiment… Imagine, just for a moment, that there is a part of you that is nothing more than a ‘work delivery unit’ (WDU). This is the part of you that fulfils your contract of employment to the letter. It’s the part of you that […]
The ethical employee: we have the power
In previous articles in this series I’ve talked about the nature of ethics, outlining three basic moral aims that we can use in assessing the morality of our businesses and our own management practice. These are: To nurture others To nurture our species as a whole To nurture all life I’ve discussed at a high […]
Recruitment: how to hire HR professionals and why it’s not as simple as you think
Most people think HR recruitment is one of the easiest areas to recruit for. HR people are ‘lovely’, there are lots of candidates out there, and you can pretty much guarantee that every company has an HR team. All of the above is true, but when you start to dig a little deeper into the […]
Avoiding automation culture shock among your employees
To an outsider technology and HR may seem like odd bedfellows, but the truth is that there are few departments (with the exception of IT) where tech is more important. The reality is that for new technologies to succeed in business they need the support of HR. We are the gatekeepers. As such, we need […]
Bridging the gap: how internal communications and HR can work better together
I am on a mission to promote the value and impact good communication can have for organisations, especially when it is aligned to its vision, mission and strategy. HR leadership and teams play a big part to achieve this, however over the years I’ve noticed there is a gap between HR and internal communication (IC), […]
Employee rewards: why bonus culture can be corrosive
In almost all job roles, financial bonus schemes are used to incentivise and motivate employees. Whether it is the large bonus packages given to CEOs every year for strong company performances, bonuses given to sales people for obtaining new leads, or financial bonuses given to office workers who hit all their KPIs in a year […]
Man trouble: HR’s role in men’s mental health
We have a professional duty to put in place psychological safety mechanisms and measures to protect employees’ mental health based on analysis and evidence. While analysing workforce demographic comparisons – including comparing male and female* employees – are helpful to highlight key concerns for HR, e.g. performance and flexible working, it seems that mental health […]
Recruitment: why job brand is now more important than employer brand
Getting a job has become a bit of a race. Candidates are applying for more companies than ever before, and because of this the celebrated ‘purpose’ of employer value propositions are starting to have less impact than we might think. Nowadays jobseekers are applying for roles across a range of industries. Employers now need to […]
Boring to brilliant: empowering your employees to understand their pension
It goes without saying that a good company pension scheme is one of the best benefits a company can offer its employees. Despite this, many employees still aren’t aware of the value of their company’s pension benefits. In fact, pension schemes often trigger a range of emotions, with financial planning and retirement regarded as complicated, […]
Brexit and the free movement of people: where are we now?
As we approach a possible exit from the EU on 31 October 2019, clarity on the rights of EU, EEA and Swiss nationals in the UK remains crucial for employers. If the UK leaves with a deal The EU Settlement Scheme has been open since March 2019, with over 1 million individuals already […]
HR job seeking: how to stand out in a crowded market
This year has been one of change on both a global and local level, and this evolving political and economic environment is drastically affecting how companies recruit. In an unstable market, candidates can be nervous about their job prospects and reluctant to consider a move. There are a number of reasons for this, the main […]
Ethical business: attracting and retaining top talent needs actions, not just words
Right now companies face one of the biggest challenges ever faced in attracting and retaining new talent and every business, large or small, will be affected at some point in the future. The corporate world may be changing, few can argue with that, but talent is changing too and with a multitude of layers, […]
How AI can benefit the employee experience
AI is here, and it’s ready to transform your employee experience. While most businesses recognise the power of AI, many are unsure of how to implement it in their own workplace. Here are some examples of how AI can benefit your employees at work. Communication When we are at work, our interpersonal relationships have a huge […]
Digital wellbeing: caring for employees in an ‘always on’ culture
In today’s world, digital technology is everywhere and within a relatively short time it has become embedded in our social fabric. Such is the speed of technological change that its absorption into our day-to-day lives has occurred very rapidly, but without the research into its impact that precedes the introduction of medical interventions. As a […]
Business after Brexit: the changing needs of UK employees
Ahead of the uncharted waters of Brexit, the UK labour market appears to be continuing to shrug off the wider signs of economic doom and gloom. According to Office of National Statistics data, the UK labour market has charted its strongest earnings growth in 11 years, with annual growth in average weekly earnings for employees […]
Science fiction and HR: imagining alternative futures
It is more than 200-years since 19-year-old Mary Shelley published her widely acclaimed novel, ‘Frankenstein’– known to some as ‘the first work of science fiction.’ Although it was popular at the time, even Shelley, with her remarkable foresight could not predict how popular her novel, or the genre she was forming, would become. Today, science […]
Change management: how to shift the behaviours and mindsets of your people
Why do people resist change? It’s a simple question and yet it is one that sits at the heart of successful change management. The first step in understanding people lies in understanding yourself. Gallup’s 10 reports to share with your leaders in 2019 includes the statistic that managers account for at least 70% of the […]
Why a ‘no-blame’ company culture brings out the best in teams
A striker is through on goal in a football match and takes a shot. The goalkeeper seems to catch the ball at first, but they drop it and it goes past them into the net. It’s a winning goal for the other side in the dying seconds of the match. Whose fault is it that […]
Flexible working: the four-day working week in the eyes of four generations
Working four days instead of five every week? While earning the same salary? That would sound amazing for employees – but is it? Would all employees want a four-day working week? What about employers, would they be willing to accept such an arrangement? To help answer these questions, Henley Business School has published a white […]
How to overcome the business myth of gender blindness
Many individuals and organisations claim to be ‘gender blind’, but this is a fallacy. In this article, Dr Marie Luise Sunde and Isabelle Ringnes share their personal experiences of gender discrimination and explain how organisations can begin to address this issue. You may have heard the riddle that goes: a father and his son are […]