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 […]
Migraines: five ways to tackle the workplace productivity killer
Although migraines are a big contributor towards workplace productivity loss, little is being done to support affected employees with this painful, often disabling, neurological disorder. Those who suffer from migraines know very well that the experience is not merely just a ‘bad headache’. The grim combination of pain, sickness, and visual and audio disturbances can […]
Company culture: the single issue at the heart of organisational failure
Almost every organisational failing – from Oxfam to Barings Bank, from Arcadia to Boeing – can be linked to a single issue: toxic company culture. Despite this, most businesses don’t understand how to accurately measure culture, let alone change it. It is now possible to measure the genuine behaviours within a business and establish the leading […]
Managing employee stress: a vital technique for protecting workplace mental health
HR professionals have many roles within an organisation. They’re there to design, shape and implement workplace policy. They shape recruitment processes, make key organisational decisions and – perhaps most importantly – protect the wellbeing of their employees. When it comes to mental health, more often than not, we can see the focus shift towards people […]
Why ‘investors’ (not ‘savers’) are the secret to a high-performing company culture
There are organisational cultures that deliver great performance, and then there are organisational cultures that not only deliver great performance, but crucially, ensure that performance is sustained: next week, next month, when things get tough, when leaders change. Whatever is thrown at the culture, it copes and is exceptionally resilient yet, at the same time, […]
Managers and workplace culture: a precarious symbiosis
It’s a universally understood concept that managers play a crucial role in workplace culture. As key people to implement policy, ensure team effectiveness and productivity, and promote a mentally healthier working environment, we ask a lot from our organisations’ managers. Asking them to be a leader, change facilitator, disciplinarian, visionary, motivator, HR process implementer, counsellor […]
Performance management: time to ditch the annual appraisal
HR professionals are starting to harness new technology to streamline their processes and improve employee experience. Performance management is an integral part of the role of HR departments, yet current practices often involve laborious annual appraisals – dreaded by all those involved. Performance management processes, like a lot of things in the sector right now, […]
HR hygge: three culture lessons from Scandinavian business
According to the global 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey, younger generations are feeling disillusioned with traditional businesses motives. The survey uncovered a rise in feelings of pessimism and unease when it comes to social and economic progress and the role of millennials in the world. In this climate of increased anxiety in the workplace, companies are […]
Financial wellbeing: why women are being left behind
There’s been a recent flurry of interest in the issue of financial wellbeing from many organisations, but no one is addressing the elephant in the room – the fact that women are at a huge disadvantage. Last month, the UK’s first female defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt launched the government’s roadmap to financially empower women. […]
The five biggest mistakes in employee engagement
Leadership teams often think their employees are engaged, without really understanding if this truly is the case. Here’s how to really understand what’s happening on the ground – and make sure your team is fully engaged. In our work with cultural transformation, I am fortunate to meet many executive leaders and gain insights into companies, […]
Three ways to avoid the disengagement danger zone
An engaged workforce is a productive one, so how can you make sure your employees are fully invested in the business and avoid the highway to the disengagement danger zone? Engaged employees have a deeper understanding of their company, allowing them to make better decisions for their company and clients. They love what they do […]
Mental health at work: why employers need to embrace psychological diversity
Awareness of mental health is improving, but to really make a difference companies need to move beyond reactive wellbeing initiatives to a more proactive approach. Mental health affects everyone, all day, every day. The state of our mental health determines how we feel, mediates the impact of life stressors and influences our ability to navigate […]
How company values can help managers get the best from their team
In the second instalment of a two-part feature, Stephanie Evans looks at how managers can use company values as a tool to improve team performance, whilst engaging and motivating individuals at the same time. In the first instalment, I outlined why values are the foundation of company culture and how to go about growing these values […]
Values: the foundation of company culture
In the first of a two-part feature, Stephanie Evans explores how a strong company culture can make all the difference when it comes to getting the best from your team, but developing this is about more than just coming up with a catchy slogan. It’s about living those values every day. Company culture is a passion […]
Learning analytics: why we need synergistic skills
In part five of a a six-part series, Trish Uhl – Founder, Talent & Learning Analytics Leadership Forum – looks at how and why L&D professionals need to adapt their skillset to make learning analytics work. Implementing an effective workplace learning analytics practice requires the right mindset, the right skillset, and the right toolset. In an […]
Mental health crisis: time for real change
News headlines about the mental health crisis among employees at Hinkley Point nuclear power station have brought the issue into sharp focus and further highlighted that big changes are needed in how companies approach this issue. It’s sad to read yet another headline pointing to the fact that we’re struggling as a nation to support our […]
Ethics in the workplace: the ethical manager
In the third article of this nine-part series on ethics in the workplace, Luke Andreski investigates what it means to be an ethical manager, asking ‘can managers be both successful and ethical in a competitive workplace environment?’ So far in our discussion I’ve focussed on ethics at an organisational level. Ethical organisations are increasingly seen […]
