Soft skills: how to increase empathy in business
Developing empathy in business organizations improves employee engagement and financial performance. While empathy can’t be taught through training alone, it requires consistent practice from leadership and must become embedded in company culture to drive successful transformation.
The future of HR: from human resources to human revolutionaries
As artificial intelligence takes over analytical tasks, human soft skills like empathy, creativity, and intuition will become increasingly valuable in the workplace. HR professionals must shift from managing resources to championing employees’ humanity and creating environments where people can thrive authentically.
How can HR build new bridges for future work?
HR leaders must move beyond traditional strategies to navigate rapid workplace disruption. As technology and skills demands evolve faster than ever, HR needs new data-driven approaches and workforce mapping strategies to prepare organizations and employees for future work challenges.
Four things you should never say about change
Effective change communication requires leaders to move beyond clichés and recognize that employees experience organizational change differently based on their position. Rather than assuming people resist change naturally, HR professionals should acknowledge the emotional complexity of transitions and provide genuine support tailored to individual needs.
Company transition: three ways HR leaders can get on the right road
HR leaders should proactively plan for company transitions by building supportive strategies into organizational culture rather than reacting hastily during crises. Companies like Ikea and Starbucks demonstrate that workforce changes often reflect evolving consumer preferences and business evolution, not just financial hardship.
How can HR managers make the case for investing in culture?
HR managers can secure investment in workplace culture by measuring it with quantifiable tools like cultural assessments that calculate “cultural entropy”—the financial cost of dysfunction through employee turnover and wasted time. Presenting culture as a measurable business metric rather than a soft concept helps convince C-suite executives of its tangible impact on performance and profitability.
How to lead people through transitions
Help your employees navigate organizational change by understanding their individual concerns and motivations. Managers must distinguish between resistance symptoms and root causes, avoiding manipulation while supporting people through transition at their own pace.
The dialogue of change : how to get it right
Effective organizational change communication requires timely, sensitive dialogue with employees rather than impersonal email announcements. Leaders must address employees’ primary concern—how change affects them personally—through direct engagement to build buy-in and reduce anxiety.
Why you must prioritise the emotional side of change
During organizational change, acknowledging employees’ emotional responses is essential for success. Rather than viewing emotions as obstacles, leaders should recognize that they influence behavior and adaptation, making emotional awareness critical to change management effectiveness.
Communications: how to be open and honest, even in times of growth
Transparent internal communication during business growth builds trust and employee engagement. By keeping staff informed about changes from the start—even uncertain news—HR leaders can reduce anxiety, prevent rumors, and help employees feel valued and involved in the company’s direction.
Embracing the shadow side of organisational life
Organizations contain a “shadow side” of informal behaviors—corridor conversations, power struggles, and personality clashes—that significantly influence culture and effectiveness. Rather than viewing these dynamics as purely negative, enlightened leaders recognize they reflect human nature and can be channeled positively through cultural shifts, though top-down change efforts often fail due to resistance.
Come on, just get on and do it! Breaking apart a broken organisational structure
Traditional hierarchical organizational structures that centralize decision-making are inherently inefficient and disempowering, undermining employee engagement despite leadership initiatives. Real organizational change requires fundamentally restructuring how decisions are made, not just implementing employee empowerment programs.
Leadership: six reasons why HR should be considered in top level management
HR professionals bring critical people-focused perspective to boardroom decisions that other executives lack. They prevent costly mistakes through diverse thinking, communicate how strategy impacts employees, and help attract top talent—yet remain underrepresented in executive leadership across major companies.
Why a Change Pathfinder is essential to HR transformation
A Change Pathfinder is a crucial role in HR transformation projects who blazes the trail ahead, clearing obstacles and modeling behaviors that encourage organizational adoption. Unlike traditional project managers, this person takes the initial risks of implementing change, allowing leaders to learn from their experience while maintaining reputational safety.
Brexit update: EU-citizen registration trial and practical steps employers can take to prepare for Brexit
The UK government is trialling EU-citizen registration to help EU nationals formalise their residence status before free movement ends in 2020. Employers should prepare for Brexit’s HR challenges by understanding settled and pre-settled status requirements for their EU workforce.
GDPR: who is responsible for protecting business data?
Under GDPR, both employers and employees share responsibility for protecting business data. While data breaches are often employee-caused, employers must provide proper tools, training, and processes to ensure compliance and prevent vulnerabilities that could result in significant fines and reputational damage.
How to stay calm during organisational change
Manage your emotions during organizational change by understanding how emotions influence decision-making and memory. Learn why constant workplace stress triggers our threat response and discover evidence-based strategies to stay calm when facing uncertainty and competing demands.
The impact of organisational change on the brain
Organizational change triggers a threat response in the brain, reducing clarity and amplifying perceived risks. Understanding how our brains react to uncertainty—designed for survival rather than modern workplaces—helps leaders support employee wellbeing and productivity during transitions.
Why are some people more resilient when facing change?
Resilience during organizational change depends on how people perceive the situation based on their past experiences, personalities, and biases. Research shows that maintaining self-esteem, purpose, autonomy, certainty, equity, and social connection helps employees navigate change more effectively.
We have hugely underestimated people’s need for social connection at work
This is the third in a series of four articles on Better Organisational Change through Neuroscience by Hilary Scarlett, speaker, consultant and author of Neuroscience for Organizational Change – an evidence-based practical guide to managing change. We have hugely underestimated people’s need for social connection at work. We understand the importance of relationships in our personal […]
