Creating a sustainable people strategy
A sustainable people strategy requires HR professionals to develop a comprehensive approach that embeds environmental considerations into corporate culture and business operations, rather than simply creating documentation. Like the internet’s evolution, sustainability will become essential to organizational success, necessitating employee engagement and genuine behavioral change across all levels.
Talent Spot: Dean Hunter – HRD turned MD at Hunter Adams
Dean Hunter transformed his career from police officer to HR director, then managing director at Hunter Adams. After early experience in recruitment at an oil and gas company, he led a management buyout team and successfully reduced staff turnover from 50% to 7% by restoring benefits, implementing flexible working, and creating clear career paths.
From good to great: how to effect positive workplace change
Learn how to drive positive workplace change by expanding employee imagination, demonstrating that change is achievable through real examples, and providing hands-on learning opportunities that boost performance and engagement.
Three tips for managing risky employee behaviour
Manage risky employee behavior by shifting organizational attitudes toward risk, using positive language to frame discussions around uncertainty and opportunity, and aligning risk strategies with commercial objectives. These three strategies help HR directors create consistent approaches to identifying and mitigating workplace risks effectively.
Whitehall needs skills revamp or reform will fail, warns report
A Parliament committee warns that Whitehall’s civil service reform will fail without building specialist skills in procurement and contract management, establishing clear leadership, and breaking down departmental silos that hinder decision-making and implementation.
Blog: Company success entirely depends on your culture
Company culture is not predetermined—leaders can actively create and manage it at any stage to drive organizational success. By strategically branding culture and building employee recognition programs, companies strengthen emotional connections, engagement, and long-term performance.
HRD Insight: Paul Duncan on managing change at Swissport
Paul Duncan shares how he managed organizational change at Swissport International during a 2008 turnaround, implementing cost reductions, upskilling managers through business simulations, and rebuilding employee trust through improved communication and leadership coaching.
Outsourcing and shared services will get bobbies back on beat, claims report
A Policy Exchange report argues that outsourcing and shared services could save British police millions of pounds by redeploying officers from back offices to frontline policing roles. The study claims taxpayers have spent at least £500m since 2006 on non-frontline police positions and recommends linking future funding to efficiency savings.
Simple steps to help women reach the top
Achieving gender equality in UK business leadership requires deliberate action from organizations. While Lord Davies’ target of 25% female directors on FTSE 100 boards by 2025 is important, research shows women bring valuable benefits including emotional intelligence, communication skills, and strategic effectiveness to boardrooms.
Book Review: Suddenly in Charge by Roberta Chinsky Matuson
Roberta Chinsky Matuson’s “Suddenly in Charge” is a dual-sided management guide addressing both managing up and managing down. Designed primarily for new managers, it offers practical advice on building relationships with supervisors, handling difficult people, and establishing credibility with direct reports, though some American business terminology may feel unfamiliar to UK readers.
Blog: Apple loses Jobs – so what does it mean for the people?
Steve Jobs’s departure as Apple CEO raises significant questions about internal management and workforce dynamics. While external focus centers on share prices and customer impact, HR must address how the organization maintains its culture and momentum without its iconic leader. Employee engagement and effective change management are now critical priorities.
Encouraging green employee action can help cut costs
Encouraging employees to take environmental action helps businesses comply with regulations while reducing operational costs through lower energy consumption and waste management expenses.
Emotional intelligence is key to exceptional leadership
Emotional intelligence is fundamental to exceptional leadership. Research in neuroscience reveals that emotions influence all decision-making, and understanding human behavior—including stress responses and social dynamics—enables leaders to manage teams more effectively and achieve better outcomes.
Change – is it all in the mind?
Organisational change today feels chaotic and pressured, prompting employees to respond with inefficiency, self-interest, burnout, or cynicism. Modern managers must build employee resilience and adapt strategies beyond traditional change management plans to navigate constant business flux.
Driving behavioural change
Behavioral change is psychologically painful because our brains are wired to resist it, preferring established habits that require minimal energy. Understanding this neurological resistance and Schein’s three-stage change model—unfreezing, changing, and refreezing—helps organizations successfully drive the behavioral transformation necessary for effective organizational change.
Women to wait for pension in fast track age change plans
The UK government is refusing to slow fast-track changes to women’s state pension age, meaning 500,000 women in their 50s must wait up to two years longer to claim their pension. However, the Work and Pensions Secretary signaled openness to “transitional arrangements” that could provide higher welfare payments to affected women.
Creating calm after the storm: employee engagement best practice following major organisational change
After major organisational change, employee engagement significantly impacts productivity and retention. Disengaged workers are less motivated and flexible, making it essential for employers to involve employees in reviewing change outcomes, communicate long-term benefits, and actively seek honest feedback to rebuild trust and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
All change for 2011: change managers, social media and retention
Project managers need stronger leadership and change management skills as work becomes more complex and virtual. Organizations will increasingly assign change experts to project teams and shift toward experiential learning, social technologies, and retention strategies to combat talent poaching in emerging markets.
CIPD: HR must be at the centre of public service change
A joint CIPD and PSPMA report warns that public service reform plans risk failing without HR playing a central role in managing change, workforce planning, and organizational development. The study argues that government must shift from viewing HR as a cost-cutting function to recognizing it as essential for embedding behavioral change and supporting service transformation.
All on board?
Assessing employee responsiveness to change is critical for successful organizational transformation. By understanding staff attitudes and concerns through regular engagement and feedback, leaders can tailor change strategies that build momentum, maintain morale, and reduce resistance during uncertain times.
