VIDEO: Our time with Gareth Williams, Global HR Director, Travelex
Watch an in-depth interview with Gareth Williams, Global HR Director at Travelex, as he discusses leading HR across 30 countries and 8,000 employees. Topics include his approach to digital transformation, embedding innovation in HR operations, leadership style, and why HR leaders should hold executive committee seats.
Workplace conflict: Is the workplace itself part of the problem?
Workplace environments significantly impact employee stress and conflict levels. Open office designs and lack of natural light increase distractions and monitoring stress, making workers more defensive and susceptible to destructive conflict. Physical workplace conditions directly influence both emotional wellbeing and conflict resolution outcomes.
“We keep goals fresh and relevant via monthly clarity meetings.”
Prospectus keeps employee goals fresh and relevant through monthly clarity meetings that check progress, support development needs, and acknowledge success. The company prioritizes collaboration, development opportunities, and multi-faceted recognition to drive employee engagement and business growth.
“It’s all about creating a culture of trust, which helps to naturally drive motivation levels.”
Visualsoft’s HR Manager Emma Hart explains how building a culture of trust naturally drives employee motivation and engagement. The company, which experienced 300% growth, maintains high engagement levels through initiatives like flexible working, wellbeing programs, and leadership that embeds engagement into company culture.
Seven Emails: from childlike interactions to gender equality and the alienation of labour
Explore how organizational hierarchies mirror parent-child dynamics in this seven-email conversation between HR experts. Jamie Lawrence and Jasmine Gartner examine leadership models, employee engagement, pay inequality, and whether traditional hierarchies truly serve modern workplaces.
Comms, culture & company values – our picks from this week’s HR news
This week’s HR news roundup covers essential workplace topics including company culture, values, recruitment strategies, and management challenges. Explore curated articles on the fourth industrial revolution, flexible working, innovative onboarding, hiring practices, and modern team leadership to stay informed on HR trends.
Whistleblowing – what actions can employers take?
Employers must handle whistleblower disclosures carefully, as dismissing an employee for making a protected disclosure is automatically unfair. Establishing a clear whistleblowing policy and investigating claims seriously helps protect both workers and the organization from legal liability.
How can we solve problems so everyone wins?
Solve conflicts by identifying unmet needs, brainstorming creative solutions together, and finding mutually beneficial agreements. Focus on win-win outcomes by discovering shared values and using “elegant currencies”—offering things easy for you to give but valuable to the other person.
Working time: includes traveling to appointments?
Travel time to and from appointments may count as working time for employees without a fixed workplace. A recent European court ruling determined that first and last journeys of the day should be counted as working time for peripatetic workers, affecting entitlements to maximum hours, rest breaks, and paid holiday.
“In essence, comms should be short, sharp and succinct.”
Effective employee communications should be short, sharp, and succinct while understanding your audience and delivering clear messages. Expert guidance on balancing tone, maintaining consistency, and adapting to changing workplace expectations across generations.
How can you defuse workplace conflicts? Part 2
Discover key conflict resolution skills for the workplace, including how to highlight choices for moving forward, support effective decision-making, and navigate potential obstacles when mediating disputes between colleagues.
What can you do to defuse workplace conflicts?
Learn core mediation skills to help resolve workplace conflicts informally. This guide covers how to establish impartiality, set conversation guidelines, encourage open dialogue, and practice empathetic listening to help colleagues find their own solutions.
Would you say you’re too polite – or too pushy?
Finding the right balance between politeness and assertiveness is crucial for UK business leaders. Research shows two-thirds of managers struggle with assertiveness, yet excessive politeness prevents them from addressing performance issues and making difficult decisions. Effective leadership requires a middle ground where assertiveness improves performance without becoming aggressive or damaging workplace relationships.
Your definitive guide to giving superb presentations
Learn proven techniques for managing presentation anxiety and engaging your audience. A communication expert shares best practices for reducing nervousness and facilitating meaningful audience participation in both virtual and in-person presentations.
Are you collaborating or really just cooperating?
True collaboration differs from mere cooperation by producing innovation through shared vision and dialogue, rather than just coordinating efforts more efficiently. Effective collaboration requires setting aside egos, embracing open-mindedness, and working toward common objectives that yield greater results than individual efforts alone.
Examining engagement and commitment in multinationals
A six-month study of multinationals reveals the key drivers of employee engagement and commitment. The research identifies four major influencers—organizational fit, work energy, clear performance objectives, and manager feedback—and finds that employees in some industries show remarkably higher engagement and commitment levels than the UK average of 21%.
It takes two to tango: getting employees in the game
Effective employee coaching boosts productivity, engagement, and business results without requiring major financial investment. Research shows organizations with strong coaching cultures are 130% more likely to achieve strong business results and enjoy higher employee retention and development outcomes.
Book review: Humble Inquiry by Edgar Schein
Edgar Schein’s Humble Inquiry explores how asking thoughtful questions rather than providing answers builds stronger relationships and trust in leadership roles. The book draws on five decades of organizational psychology expertise to demonstrate why curiosity, vulnerability, and genuine listening are essential skills for effective leaders and business professionals.
How Waitrose drive process improvement through employee suggestions
Waitrose boosts process improvements by encouraging employees to submit suggestions through collaboration software, averaging over 20 ideas weekly with a 20% implementation rate. The retailer’s Partner Ideas scheme empowers frontline staff to identify inefficiencies and removes obstacles to participation through dedicated support and recognition.
Forging global unity with Randomised Coffee Trials (RCT) at the Red Cross
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched Randomised Coffee Trials (RCTs), a simple yet effective initiative connecting volunteers and staff across 80 countries through monthly video chats with randomly selected colleagues. The program fostered organizational pride, broke geographic silos, and generated concrete collaborative outcomes at minimal cost.
