Making collaboration work in large complex organisations
Effective collaboration in large complex organisations requires more than tools—it demands a culture shift from leadership, supported by appropriate processes and technology. Senior leaders must visibly model collaborative behavior, while platforms like Yammer enable connection across dispersed teams when actively managed and purposefully aligned to organisational goals.
Make pensions communications engaging – here’s how
Engaging employees with pension communications requires moving beyond presenting facts to making emotional connections with their lives. As defined contribution plans become standard, employees need support making crucial retirement decisions—from how to spend money to planning for longevity. Use engaging formats, real-life case studies, and focus on relevance to employees’ actual lives rather than plan features alone.
Developing friendships at work is essential
Research from Gallup shows that having friends at work significantly increases engagement levels. Workplace friendships also buffer against negative relationships and social undermining, protecting individual and team performance while creating a more productive work environment.
The importance of communicating your employee benefits package effectively
Effective employee benefits communication drives engagement and increases benefit take-up rates. Using multiple communication channels—such as email, printed guides, and staff events—significantly boosts ROI compared to single-channel approaches, while poor communication negatively impacts retention and employee satisfaction.
Five mistakes leaders make when managing virtual teams
Managers are critical to virtual team success. Common mistakes include being inactive with teams, allowing stagnation, prioritizing technology over people-driven approaches, poor communication, and inadequate support systems—all requiring consistent effort to correct.
Listen to the research: negotiation doesn’t just mean haggling
Effective negotiation goes beyond haggling or theatrical posturing. Research shows skilled negotiators spend significantly more time gathering information and asking questions than average negotiators, focusing on understanding the other party’s needs rather than trading rigid counterproposals.
Interview: Simon Wells, Terrorist Negotiator, HM Government
Simon Wells, a UK government crisis negotiator with 30 years of Metropolitan Police experience, discusses how behavioural science can transform workplace strategy and leadership. He emphasizes that effective communication relies on listening, understanding underlying motivations, and engaging authentically with others to reduce conflict and build functioning organizations.
Interpreting social signals in the workplace
Understanding social signals—including tone of voice, body language, and eye contact—is critical for workplace communication. Since non-verbal cues convey most of our message, misreading these signals can lead to mistrust and poor relationships, particularly in culturally diverse environments where communication styles vary significantly.
Four ways your employee survey is holding back internal communications
Traditional annual employee surveys limit internal communications effectiveness by providing infrequent snapshots that become outdated within months, restricting the ability to respond to changing staff sentiment and organizational dynamics in real time.
The four facets of communication at work
Effective workplace communication operates across four key dimensions: organizational structure, culture, people, and platforms. Understanding these facets helps HR practitioners address communication challenges and create a more cohesive working environment where efficiency, trust, and morale can flourish.
Book Review: Stories That Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations
This book review examines how storytelling and visual design principles can persuade audiences to embrace organizational change. The authors present the CAST framework—Content, Audience, Story, Tell—a step-by-step process that distills complex change messages into compelling visual narratives designed to motivate action.
In a nutshell: core values communication
Nexenta Systems ensures core values communication worldwide through its performance management system by identifying ten competencies, defining them clearly, explaining their importance, maintaining transparency about how they’re measured, and having leadership demonstrate these values at all organizational levels.
The art of change management
Effective change management begins with comprehensive 360-degree feedback from all organizational levels to understand current state and future direction. HR leaders must then address critical decisions about outsourcing, workforce restructuring, compensation, and compliance to guide successful organizational transformation.
Blog: What’s your communication style?
Discover your natural communication style and learn how to adapt it for different situations. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses in communication is key to building confidence and avoiding misperceptions that could undermine your message.
A five-step programme for creating a healthy corporate culture
A healthy corporate culture drives competitive advantage through clear communication of vision, employee engagement, and strategic development of diverse talent. This five-step program helps HR directors build resilient teams and foster an environment where employees thrive and contribute to organizational success.
News: Govt unveils “traineeships” to make youth work-ready
The government is launching a new traineeship scheme for 16-to-24 year olds, designed to equip them with work-ready skills in literacy, numeracy, communication and problem-solving. The six-month full-time programme will prepare young people for apprenticeships or employment, addressing employer concerns about school leavers’ basic competencies.
Blog: Four simple ways to improve how senior leaders communicate
Senior leaders can dramatically improve their communication effectiveness through four key strategies: establishing genuine two-way dialogue channels, tailoring interventions to individual leaders and employee needs, and implementing other targeted approaches that enhance strategic focus and employee engagement.
Talent management in a post-recession world
Employers face workforce instability as economic recovery strengthens, with a third of HR professionals concerned about talent retention. Effective talent management strategies, including training, development, and innovative reward packages, are essential to keep talented staff from leaving.
Book Review: Face to face in the workplace: A handbook of strategies for effective discussions
Julie Cooper’s handbook offers managers and supervisors practical strategies for effective workplace discussions, combining established theories with real-world advice on coaching, interviewing, appraisals, and conflict management. The book’s modular structure allows readers to reference specific topics as needed, making it valuable for both experienced and new leaders seeking to strengthen their communication skills.
Employee engagement – and how to get it
The McLeod Review found UK employee engagement levels disappointingly low due to managerial oversight. Despite widespread recognition of engagement’s importance for productivity and profitability, recent surveys show minimal improvement, with only 43% of workers reporting positive staff-manager relationships.
