Three ways to develop a sense of belonging in the workplace
Within any organisation, the need to feel like part of a team and to develop a sense of belonging is a vital to ensuring a comfortable working environment, and to a certain extent, increasing productivity. Whether you’re a new starter though, or simply joining a new team within a company that you’ve worked in […]
When resilience training isn’t the answer
Resilience training can be hugely beneficial for many – but it has a time and a place. Are some managers offering this training as a solution to a difficult situation just to avoid conflict? Have you ever witnessed someone being asked to go on a resilience training course after bringing up a workplace issue or conflict […]
What’s the point? Why HR should embrace absurdity at work
What does it mean to describe something at work as absurd? And why should HR consider the impact of absurd actions in the workplace? Tom Calvard, lecturer in HRM at the University of Edinburgh Business School, and Dawn Chow, lecturer in the School of Business at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, explore the different […]
Minimise threat and maximise reward to accelerate change
Discover why it’s important for businesses to develop a sound understanding of neuroscience principles to help employees through periods of change and uncertainty. Is there a leader today who is not involved in a change situation? Most leaders have some form of change project or programme going on. With the amount of uncertainty and the challenging […]
Is there such a thing as emoji-nal intelligence?
Our ability to express emotions in the workplace could be made simpler by using the humble emoji. By no means are they a substitute for real life interactions, but research suggests they could facilitate a more nuanced interpretation of emails and text messages. Being born in the mid-90s, I am a so-called millennial. I am part of the generation that […]
The workplace showdown: me vs you
We all have to work alongside difficult people from time to time. But what is the best approach to dealing with your workplace rival? If your career were a movie you could rewind, erase and skip to the highlights to create a perfect cinematic experience. But your biopic is incomplete; one pivotal scene is missing. […]
Professional development: the challenges of introducing a coaching culture
At Academics’ Corner we explore the latest HR research coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know about. Here, Jan Hills, Partner at Head Heart + Brian, discusses research on the issues faced with introducing a coaching culture. According to a new study from the International Centre for Leadership Coaching, most managers don’t understand what coaching […]
Are you a horrible boss? How to tell if your team is engaged
You may think you’re a good manager, but have you sat down with each member of your team and directly asked? The answers you recieve may difficult to swallow, but they will also be key to improving your team’s engagement and productivity. No one sets out to become a bad boss. However, it is almost inevitable […]
Relationship intelligence: “We need to put the human element back into the workplace,” says Esther Perel
In her closing keynote session on day one of UNLEASH 2018, renowned psychotherapist and author Esther Perel warned us not to forget the value that human relationships bring to our professional and personal lives. What better way to illustrate the importance of humans as social, collaborative beings in today’s technology-driven workplace than to have renowned […]
Book review – Mind Flip: Change the Way You Think About Yourself and Reinvent Your Future by Zena Everett
HRZone has a range of books available for review. If you would like to receive one of our business books, free of charge, please contact the editor on editor at hrzone dot com and we can send you a list of what’s available. In return, we ask for a 400-700 word review of the book, […]
The role of emotional intelligence for supporting mental health at work
One of the biggest challenges employers face with addressing poor mental health at work is lack of disclosure from affected individuals due to stigma. Could emotional intelligence training help solve this problem? A major new survey from the mental health charity Mind has found that poor mental health at work is widespread. Half of all […]
The borrowing behaviours of your employees: what you need to know
As an increasing number of working people find themselves in debt, it’s ever more important for employers to understand the borrowing habits of their people, so that they can offer the right support. Many people in the UK will have borrowed money at some point throughout their lives. But we are increasingly seeing evidence to […]
Behavioural science: joined-up brain dots for the joined-up HR professional
Didn’t get the chance to attend CIPD’s 2018 Behavioural Science at Work Conference and Workshop? We’ve got you covered – here’s a round up of the key themes, topics and takeaways from the event. Behavioural Science is safely established on the business agenda and established too with its annual place on the CIPD events calendar. I […]
How unconscious bias means that we get in our own way
Are women’s own unconscious biases stopping them from pursuing what they truly want in their lives? Businesses are certainly beginning to understand how unconscious bias means that some groups of people may have to ‘jump higher’ for certain roles within their companies. What is talked about less is another, more internalised, form of bias. The […]
Work/life balance: why checking emails on holiday is bad for business
Our latest research revealed that 65% of respondents admitted to checking work emails while on holiday, with various degrees of frequency, and 75% said they have taken or made a work call while on leave. The higher up the organisation you are the more likely you are to be ‘checking-in’, with only 19% of senior […]
Office conflicts: when to address the passive aggressive post its
Office conflicts often begin with small, passive-aggressive behaviours that can escalate if left unchecked. Here’s how to deal with the problem at its source before this happens. When faced with the post-it note on the office photocopier saying, ‘did you ever think to refill the paper?’ some might scoff and ignore it. Others may confront […]
Employee engagement: why flow is the key to boosting productivity and performance
According to psychology experts, the best way to motivate employees and inspire them to do their best work is to encourage them to reach a state of ‘flow’. In the relatively new field of positive psychology, the concept of ‘flow’ stands out as a practical way for organisations to boost productivity, performance, creativity and satisfaction […]
The seven pillars of building a successful company culture
Building an organisational culture is like making a house of cards. It’s both simple and complex. If you have all the elements in place and you reinforce them, nurturing culture is easy. If you don’t, the house collapses into its many parts. So business leaders, ask yourselves: how sturdy is your company’s cultural foundation? I use […]
Have we got authenticity wrong?
What do successful leaders need more than anything? Well according to the Harvard Business Review in January 2015, “Authenticity has emerged as the gold standard for leadership.” Most leading companies provide programmes or coaching to develop “authentic leaders”. And reams of paper and internet columns have been devoted to describing what authenticity is and how you achieve […]
Appraisals: why employees should assess their manager’s performance
The traditional top-down assessment method is on its way out – today’s workplace needs a more nuanced approach to appraisals. The debate on annual appraisals is ongoing and for good reason; HR and managers are realising the benefit of continuous mutual dialogue throughout the year, and not just once at the end of it. HR […]
