Our values journey: “We put them up on the wall, but we didn’t do that straight away.”
FitFlop’s Global HR Director shares how the footwear brand undertook a comprehensive values journey, engaging all 200+ employees through surveys and focus groups to discover authentic values that support both culture and commercial success—moving beyond superficial poster exercises.
Breaking the mafia: what organisations can learn
Learn how an anti-mafia initiative in Sicily that challenged deeply entrenched cultural norms offers valuable lessons for organizations attempting cultural transformation and breaking through institutional resistance to change.
Coffee Break: Email, purpose and why employees resist change
Explore key HR topics including why employees resist technological change, strategies for improving engagement and performance, the importance of organizational purpose, and workplace culture issues affecting today’s workforce.
Why your creative employees are more likely to be risk-takers
Creative employees tend to be risk-takers because creativity requires tolerance of uncertainty and the willingness to challenge the status quo without guaranteed solutions. Organizational culture significantly impacts creativity—environments that discourage risk-taking and mistakes actively suppress creative thinking and innovation.
Where’s your next HRD coming from?
As reward strategy gains prominence in shaping company culture and financial performance, HR leaders increasingly need deep expertise in compensation and benefits. Reward professionals are now well-positioned to advance to Chief HR roles, making this once-niche skillset essential for aspiring HRDs.
You can’t deliver a marathon project at a sprint
Successful project delivery requires careful preparation before execution. Like world-class athletes training for races, project managers must invest time planning strategy, clarifying purpose, and establishing team dynamics before diving into work—you can’t sprint a marathon.
Why we should embrace the six-hour working day
Scandinavian companies are adopting six-hour working days to boost productivity and employee happiness. Research shows workers maintain peak performance for six hours rather than the traditional eight, potentially benefiting UK office-based roles through improved work-life balance and engagement.
Making sure your recruitment works in an uncertain environment
In uncertain times, recruiters face increased risks from unconscious bias and pressure to make conservative hiring choices. Prioritizing interview quality, thorough due diligence, and candidate fit—while managing budget constraints—helps organizations make better senior-level appointments when every hire matters most.
Keeping diversity and inclusion on the agenda during uncertain times
During uncertain times, leaders risk prioritizing familiar approaches over diversity and inclusion efforts, reverting to unconscious biases that undermine progress. Understanding how stress affects decision-making can help leaders maintain D&I commitments despite economic or political challenges.
Factors that influence employee engagement – your complete list
Employee engagement is influenced by diverse factors spanning relationships with managers and colleagues, career development opportunities, organizational culture, compensation fairness, work-life balance, and personal resilience. Understanding these key drivers helps organizations and managers create environments where employees thrive and remain committed to their work.
Politician analysis: Donald Trump
Donald Trump rose from a privileged real estate background to build a $4.5 billion empire and develop a powerful personal brand through television and business ventures. However, his controversial political candidacy reveals the tension between authentic communication and diplomatic restraint, as his unfiltered remarks often offend despite appealing to voters seeking alternative politics.
Getting to day 1: HR’s crucial role in the E.ON carve-out
E.ON successfully split into two independent companies within one year, with HR playing a crucial role in allocating 14,000 employees across borders and ensuring seamless operations. The transformation required coordinating complex staffing decisions, regulatory compliance, and employee engagement while maintaining service to millions of customers.
Here’s why your digital transformation is failing
Most organizations fail at digital transformation because they hire digital leaders but don’t shift organizational mindset or create agile structures. Success requires cultural change, not just technical talent, across all departments.
What are the causes & nature of employee disengagement?
Employee disengagement affects 87% of the global workforce, costing the US economy $370 billion annually. Understanding the root causes—including unmet job expectations, inadequate resources, poor management, lack of recognition, and limited advancement opportunities—is essential for HR leaders to improve workplace engagement and organizational performance.
Employee engagement research – the master list
Explore a comprehensive library of employee engagement research, including whitepapers and reports covering disengagement trends, engagement drivers, manager roles, and the link between engagement and business performance. Find key statistics and insights to support your engagement strategy at any stage.
HR, it’s time for the tail to stop wagging the dog
Modern HR should shift from fear-based performance systems to creating conditions where employees want to excel. Rather than abandoning annual appraisals, organizations should combine them with ongoing dialogue to balance immediate performance needs with long-term career development.
Now is the time to help ‘game changers’ to transform our future
Game changers are uniquely positioned to transform businesses in today’s digital world, yet organizations often sideline them for being disruptive. Research shows these leaders challenge the status quo and drive innovation, but require supportive environments to thrive and deliver their full potential.
Looking at leadership after Brexit
Effective leadership after Brexit requires all leaders—regardless of voting preference—to inspire their teams with a positive vision for the future rather than dwelling on past decisions. By focusing on opportunities ahead while maintaining integrity and honesty, leaders can build trust and guide their organizations through this period of change.
Training doesn’t work. There I’ve said it…
Traditional one-day training courses in isolation don’t produce behavioral change, but research into what actually works—combining different learning methods, coaching, and on-the-job application—remains surprisingly limited despite decades of workplace learning studies.
How to present a stronger business case to the board
Learn how to strengthen your HR business case to the board by aligning initiatives with company strategy and addressing the employee retention crisis. Discover why communicating your organization’s purpose and investing in employee growth are critical for keeping top talent and winning board approval.
