Talent Spot: Angela Williams, HR director at British Gas
Centrica’s British Gas is celebrating its 200th birthday this year – no mean feat in today’s cut-throat business environment – but its long history means that people have preconceptions about the company. “A lot of people see British Gas as old-fashioned and slow-moving and this is so far from the truth,” says Angela Williams, the […]
News: Local hubs to help employers share under-utilised workers’ skills
A scheme that enables employers to share the skills of under-employed staff was launched today in Northern Ireland and will be rolled out across the UK over the next three years. Skill Exchange UK is a not-for-profit organisation set up by employers such as Royal Mail, Veolia and the Cabinet Office as well as the […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to ensure that HR works effectively with the business
Susie Robinson is well used to dealing with a large and complex workforce in her role as senior vice president of HR for DHL Supply Chain in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As head of HR for EMEA at the world’s largest logistics company, she offers her advice on how the function can best […]
How important is industry background when taking on a new HR hire?
“Every star has that certain something that stands out and compels us to notice them.” Maureen O’Hara When Maureen O’Hara was originally quoted, she was doubtlessly referring to the dazzling world of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but it applies to all of us, in all of our professional lives. When you are recruiting, you are […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to get the most out of your team
Emma Littmoden, as a partner at leadership programme provider, The Living Leader, helps HR directors and other senior managers to find ways of encouraging members of their teams to take individual responsibility and innovate. Here she shares five tips to ensure that you get the most out of both yourself and your staff: 1. Appreciate […]
Blog: CIPD 2012 – A view from the fringe
In recent years, the CIPD has put on a number of free mini seminars to attend, which is great for those who can’t afford to attend the ‘full’ conference. I consider this (along with the exhibition) the ‘fringe’ event, and my impressions from this were: 1. Change in emphasis Last year, I felt like […]
News: CIPD 2012 – ‘Crowdsourcing is the future of management’
Crowdsourcing is the future of management and organisations that fail to embrace this “management 2.0” model will become increasingly irrelevant, according to leadership guru, Gary Hamel. Speaking yesterday at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual conference in Manchester, he described old management 1.0 methods that focused on conformism, standardisation and formal hierarchies as […]
News: CIPD 2012 – ‘HR must redefine itself’, says Peter Cheese
HR must redefine itself and its purpose in order to cope with the changing nature of work, the workforce and the workplace within the broader “context of a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world”. This was the key message of Peter Cheese’s first address to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual conference in […]
A day in the life of a newly-appointed HR director
The UK Mail Group is the largest independent parcels, mail and logistics services company within the UK, offering innovative delivery solutions both locally and worldwide. With a national network of more than 55 sites and 2500 vehicles, the company offers business customers an integrated service with a full range of time-sensitive and secure delivery options […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to introduce change without alienating staff
As HR director of IT reseller Trustmarque Solutions, Liz Reynolds has helped steer the company through some massive change as a result of growth. Here, she shares her tips on how to manage such change without alienating staff: 1. Listen to people It’s the people on the front line doing the jobs who know what […]
Five tips for becoming a successful interim
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and work as an interim. When starting out, the three main elements to consider are: Whether to be self-employed (sole trader) or to form a limited company (personal services company). You are likely to find that most agencies expect you to be the latter and in fact this […]
News: CBI union proposals dismissed as “attempt to weaken employees’ voice”
CBI proposals to bring trade union laws “up to date with the modern workplace” have been dismissed by the TUC as simply an attempt to “weaken employees’ voice”. In a speech at law firm Eversheds‘ Labour Relations Conference yesterday, Neil Bentley, the CBI’s deputy director general, attested that, while unions continued to play a constructive […]
In a Nutshell: Five tips to foster a change-friendly culture
A recent study conducted by IT product and services vendor Fujitsu confirmed what many have long suspected: Just over two thirds of the employers questioned believed that they were failing to keep up with the growing pace of change – despite all of the financial risks that such a scenario generates. But what is it […]
Talent Spot: Liz Reynolds, HR director at Trustmarque Solutions
The wonderful if daunting thing about dealing with people for a living is their unpredictability, which can pose problems for even the most seasoned of HR professionals. Liz Reynolds, HR director at technology reseller, Trustmarque Solutions, learned this lesson early on in her career. Looking through an office window, she glimpsed a very senior […]
How to ensure social media doesn’t stop you from being hired
The recruitment process is continually evolving as technology advances, and it’s increasingly common for hiring managers to employ a numbers of ways to find out about their candidate, which might include online searches. So, even if a candidate’s knowledge and skills are a perfect match for the role, employers may be put off by social […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to make the right impression when hiring talent
Every business wants to hire the best talent, but the problem is that the best talent can be selective. As a result, Olivia Hill, head of HR at the Association of Accounting Technicians, believes that it’s important for employers to give jobseekers the right impression during the recruitment process and shares her insights into how […]
Talent Spot: Ella Bennett, HR director for Fujitsu UK and Ireland
Since taking over as Fujitsu’s HR director for the UK and Ireland in 2009, Ella Bennett has achieved a lot. She’s reorganised the HR function, helped set up a new leadership team and employed social media to enable better communication between staff and the executive team. “I’ve learnt a huge amount being in ICL and […]
How to reframe your performance review
Imagine the scene… your annual performance review is due tomorrow afternoon. Lots of new projects have kicked off in the last few months and you have been working your socks off. Work is still very chaotic and busy which means you have very little time to do much preparation for your review. So you […]
News: HR is “ineffective” and “non-essential”, say senior execs
The majority of senior executives believe that the HR function is ineffective and consistently fails to provide value to the organisation. According to a survey among 418 C-suite managers conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by management consultancy KPMG, a mere 17% believe that HR does a good job, with many seeing it […]
In a Nutshell: Seven songs to ensure career success
Peter Cook is a management consultant who uses his three passions of business, music and science to engage his audiences at corporate events and conferences. By drawing parallels between the music and the corporate worlds, his aim is to communicate key lessons to business leaders in a way that is more accessible than bombarding them […]
