How company values can help managers get the best from their team
Company values help managers improve team performance by providing a common language for setting expectations, delivering feedback, and supporting career development. When embedded in everyday management conversations, values create clarity and reduce misunderstandings while motivating employees.
Values: the foundation of company culture
Strong company values form the foundation of effective organizational culture and must be authentically developed by your own team, not borrowed from other companies. This first part explores how establishing unique, behavior-focused values—rather than generic slogans—leads to happier, more engaged and productive employees.
Learning analytics: why we need synergistic skills
L&D professionals must develop synergistic skills combining data analytics expertise with traditional learning capabilities to implement effective workplace learning analytics. Success requires teams with diverse talents working together, from data specialists to business analysts, rather than expecting individual practitioners to master all competencies.
Mental health crisis: time for real change
The construction and nuclear industries face significant mental health crises requiring systemic change beyond awareness programs. While training mental health buddies and reducing stigma help, addressing root causes like financial stress, long hours, isolation, and job insecurity is essential for real improvement.
Ethics in the workplace: the ethical manager
An ethical manager balances success with moral responsibility by nurturing employees’ wellbeing, ensuring workplace freedom and autonomy, and providing equal opportunities. This approach supports both business performance and fundamental human needs.
Harassment at work: do we need a crackdown on NDAs?
NDAs are increasingly used to silence workplace harassment victims, but banning them entirely could backfire. Without fundamental legal reforms—including better access to justice and reduced litigation costs—cracking down on non-disclosure agreements may leave vulnerable employees worse off.
Workplace productivity: enabling our brains to be more productive at work
Workplace productivity depends on understanding how the brain works. Neuroscience reveals that factors like mental energy, control over noise, sleep, exercise, and work environment design significantly impact cognitive performance and focus throughout the working day.
How can HR create a company culture ‘to go’ in an age of remote working?
HR leaders must adapt company culture for remote work by investing in reliable communication tools like video conferencing and instant messaging, while reimagining the physical office as a hub for collaboration, brainstorming, and team connection rather than daily workspace.
Why senior leaders don’t listen to activist employees
Senior leaders often dismiss activist employees’ perspectives as youthful idealism they’ll outgrow, operating from outdated assumptions about the separation between work and personal values. Research shows leaders underestimate generational gaps, suffer from unconscious bias, and lack meaningful cross-hierarchy dialogue, leaving them disconnected from younger employees’ commitment to social and environmental sustainability.
Learning analytics: how to be more strategic in your use of data
Learning analytics requires a strategic approach: start with business questions rather than data collection. L&D professionals must identify organizational goals and measure training’s impact on business results and employee performance using appropriate data sources and KPIs.
Changing perspective: from employee engagement to employee experience
Employee engagement surveys provide limited insights into workforce needs. Employee experience, a newer approach that centers on the employee perspective rather than organizational goals, offers deeper understanding of team dynamics, leadership quality, and hiring effectiveness.
Gender equality: why we need to talk about unpaid care
Women perform over three times more unpaid care work than men globally, and addressing this inequality benefits businesses through improved employee retention, productivity, and brand loyalty. Companies can gain competitive advantage by offering family-friendly policies and challenging gender stereotypes that perpetuate unequal care responsibilities.
Mental health at work: the rise of work separation anxiety
Work separation anxiety—an increasing mental health concern where employees fear time away from work—stems from blurred boundaries between professional and personal life. Characterized by worry about tasks piling up during leave or reluctance to take sick days, this issue is driven by modern “always on” culture and workplace pressures that prioritize work over wellbeing.
Diversity and inclusion: why data doesn’t always tell the full story
While organisations increasingly collect diversity and inclusion data, small workforce sample sizes often produce meaningless results. Relying solely on metrics can lead to flawed assumptions; genuine understanding requires direct conversation with employees.
Why human skills remain essential in an AI workplace
While some jobs can be automated with AI, human soft skills like empathy, communication, and leadership remain irreplaceable. Organizations that combine technological advancement with the interpersonal strengths of their workforce will thrive in the future of work.
Online security: how HR can help prevent cybercrime
HR departments handle sensitive employee and candidate data but often lack cybersecurity awareness, making them prime targets for phishing attacks and data breaches. Organizations must implement strong security protocols across recruitment processes, third-party portals, and email systems to protect personal information and maintain reputation.
How to empower managers to truly engage their teams through data
Managers lack access to the data needed to truly engage their teams, limiting workforce retention and productivity. Learn how sharing employee engagement insights empowers managers across all departments to create more engaged, high-performing teams.
Employee onboarding: a game changer for talent development and retention?
Effective employee onboarding significantly impacts talent retention and organizational success. Research shows 25% of new hires receive no clear onboarding, while replacing staff costs employers substantial sums—averaging £30,000 per employee. Robust onboarding combined with continuous learning opportunities strengthens employee commitment and reduces costly turnover.
Employee wellbeing: how to support people with neurodiverse conditions
Learn practical strategies for supporting neurodiverse employees in the workplace. From opening dialogue and understanding individual strengths to making timely adjustments, employers can create an inclusive environment that benefits both workers with conditions like autism and dyslexia and the organization.
Heatwave: how can HR take care of their employees in hot weather?
During heatwaves, HR professionals must implement reasonable workplace adjustments to protect employee health and safety. Key strategies include providing cooling measures like fans and water, relaxing dress codes, offering frequent breaks, and supporting vulnerable workers. While there’s no legal maximum temperature threshold, employers have a duty of care to ensure comfortable working conditions.
