How to beat a counter job offer
Against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty, top talent at all levels is becoming increasingly hard to find and land. Competition for candidates is increasing as companies start to ramp up their hiring efforts after the downturn. This has given rise to more challenging candidate management and the infamous counter offer. Recent research by […]
Blog: Four tips for handling a difficult boss
It’s a fact that the main reason why most people are unhappy with their job is poor management. At one point or another, chances are you will have to deal with a difficult, grumpy or (hopefully) unwittingly disparaging boss. You know the type: they get angry for no apparent reason, they completely ignore your questions […]
News: KPMG HR blunder #3: Failing to pay staff salaries
If HM Revenue & Customs didn’t have such a knack for mishaps, KPMG’s embarrassment might be more acute after it was revealed that the Big Four firm failed to pay its staff as expected on Friday 29 April. KPMG staffers are usually paid on the 29th of each month, and if that date falls on […]
Blog: How to make your verbal communications sticky
How do we make new communication sticky? The answer is well known but not particularly well implemented. The answer is consistent practice. I work in the field of communication – verbal communication. Public speaking and presentation skills courses are highly effective but most attendees find it hard to follow up regularly. This means […]
Blog: Making your employee benefits count – and not just the financial ones
Make your employee benefits count! I am not talking here about financial benefits. If you are a great employer you know the market levels of financial reward and presumably you are paying a fair salary in return for the work of your employees. Pensions are another financial reward which I know is subject to […]
How to avoid 10 common employee communication pitfalls
Finding ways to manage employee communications effectively is essential as it helps shape the organisation’s culture and engage employees. It is also vital to ensure that staff understand and buy into organisational change or take up benefits, for instance. As long as communications are regular, open and tailored to the workforce, they can likewise […]
Cultivating emotional intelligence: Lessons from two public resignations
There was a time when the manner and timing of your arrival was the coup de grace moment. But, if two recent articles that are getting considerable attention in online circles are anything to go by, the golden moment might now actually be the method of your departure. It all began when Greg Smith […]
The secret to employee engagement? Just listen
Most people know that engaged employees are much more productive than disaffected ones, but HR professionals also understand the amount of damage that the latter can wreak on the company’s bottom line. You’ll be familiar with the research, but it’s worth a recap. Staff members who are engaged with their jobs will: Generate 43% […]
How to overcome six employee engagement challenges
Employee engagement should not be seen as a goal in and of itself. It should instead be treated as a vehicle to help fulfil the corporate vision and achieve business success. As such, it is essential to translate the concept into what this specifically means for your organisation. So what would the experience of […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Doug Shaw
Doug Shaw has his nine-year-old daughter to thank for coming up with the most appropriate description of his job: “I make work better,” he says. The clue to how he performs this feat is in the name of his consultancy – ‘What Goes Around’. Treat staff well and they will treat their employer and its […]
Seven ways for HRDs to boost their influence at the top table
The easiest way for HR directors to make a big impact at the top table is to have big responsibilities – ideally, bigger than most of the people you work alongside. This means taking on the type of role that grabs the limelight and, to a large extent, the organisation relies upon. Functions such […]
Blog: Crappy performance management rule 1 – Don’t tell anyone about the vision
Over my next three blogs I am going to discuss three rules that you need to implement if you are looking for a ‘chocolate teapot’ of a performance management system. Here is the first: Crappy Performance Management Rule 1: Don’t tell anyone about the vision. It’s a rule well rehearsed in many organisations, […]
Five characteristics of an effective leader in times of crisis
The Bradford Bulls rugby league club is an organisation in crisis. Mounting financial pressure has painted its leadership into a corner, forcing it to make a desperate request to loyal supporters to put their hands into their pockets and dig deep to help fill a £1 million black hole. And the pressure is on because, […]
Blog: Eight tips to support staff through difficult organisational change
It's not the organisational change – its how you do it! I recently held a workshop which had a section around organisational change and particularly redundancy. It’s obviously a big subject at the minute, and one which is exercising many managers and HR professionals. What struck me about the difference within this workshop to […]
How to build a positive corporate culture
Every organisation has a culture, which is based on who its people are, what they say and how they act. But wise companies recognise the potential and power that fostering the right culture can generate. Strong, positive cultures are the basis of successful organisations because they tap into workers’ collective energy and define common […]
Nine out of 10 staff unaware of employer’s Olympics workforce policies
Although a huge four out of five employers claim to have devised workforce policies to help them cope with Olympics-related business disruption, almost nine out of ten employees have no idea what they are. To make matters worse, a worrying 55% of organisations attest that they have communicated their plans to staff, who should be […]
CEO Insight: Briggs Equipment’s Richard Close on staff engagement
As fears of another recession continue to mount, many business leaders are looking for new ways to either turn around their balance sheet or ensure that it grows. But all too many simply fail to look at their number one asset: their people. Over the last 20 years, I have worked with a number […]
Bridging the leadership communication gap
Trust and Leadership are rare bed fellows – as illustrated by the results of a recent CIPD Employee Outlook survey. In case you missed it, the level of workers’ trust in their senior managers remains worryingly low, while relationships with immediate line managers are found to be consistently more positive across the board. This […]
Legal Insight: How to guard against constructive dismissal claims
Lord Sugar is as famous for his business success as he is for his “You’re Fired” catchphrase on ‘The Apprentice’. Seven series of the popular BBC television show have produced seven winners, but only one still works for him. However, viewers of the last series will know that the winner no longer takes it […]
Blog: How to make the most of an international labour pool
The world is a much smaller place with communication being virtually instant and video conferencing becoming more common than long distance business travel due to its efficiency and cost benefits. So it makes sense that local candidates for jobs that have limited-to-no need for them to be physically present might not always be the best […]
