Industry View: Trouble at the rumour mill
During company restructuring and layoffs, managing internal communications is critical to prevent rumors and protect confidential information. Unsecured emails and social media can rapidly spread sensitive details globally, damaging morale and productivity while risking data breaches and reputation harm.
Good HR is E.ons away
Energy supplier E.On announced plans to cut 800 jobs, including 600 from its Rayleigh call centre closure, but staff learned about it from a newspaper before receiving official notification from the company, sparking backlash over poor communication and HR practices.
Handling difficult conversations in the workplace
Managers can improve workplace communication and productivity by developing key skills for difficult conversations, including active listening, emotional control, and respectful assertiveness. Proper preparation—separating facts from feelings and clarifying desired outcomes—helps leaders handle disciplinary, grievance, and performance discussions more effectively.
Building trust and confidence in a recession
During recessions, trust in business leaders declines significantly, yet most organizations aren’t actively working to maintain it. Research shows that empathy—not reliability or capability—is the most critical pillar of trust, with companies demonstrating high empathy reporting greater profitability and fewer redundancies even during challenging economic times.
New Look launches job magazine
Fashion retailer New Look has launched a quarterly internal magazine designed to boost employee engagement and communicate company strategy, fashion trends, and employee achievements to its 20,000-person workforce. The publication will feature product news, seasonal styles, and staff profiles while encouraging two-way communication through competitions and reader contributions.
No time for silence: Breaking news to employees
Effective employee communication is critical during economic uncertainty. HR professionals must break difficult news—like layoffs or frozen bonuses—truthfully and strategically to maintain employee morale, productivity, and retention during challenging times.
Women in the workplace: A career in interim management
Interim management offers women senior-level career opportunities with greater flexibility than traditional boardroom roles. This project-based work allows professionals to balance career ambition with personal priorities while commanding competitive compensation, contributing to a notable shift in how women advance their careers.
Ten tips for delivering bad news well
Learn how to deliver redundancy news with empathy and professionalism. These ten tips help managers communicate job losses effectively, manage emotional reactions, and support affected employees through careful preparation, clear messaging, and appropriate follow-up procedures.
Book review: The Answers by Lucy Kellaway
Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway’s “The Answers” offers practical workplace advice drawn from her popular agony aunt column, addressing common office dilemmas from employee relations to office etiquette with humor and multiple perspectives.
Book review: Internal Communications: From Information to Inspiration
This audiobook review examines “Internal Communications: From Information to Inspiration,” a 58-minute audio resource featuring industry experts discussing effective workplace communication. While the brief format limits depth, it serves as a useful primer for organizations seeking to improve internal communications strategy.
