Diary of a misfit: The perfect place??!!
I feel like a teenager again. Not because I’m filled with youthful exuberance, but because I’m waiting for the phone to ring – and it doesn’t. I am transported back more than three decades. I am sitting at the kitchen table pretending to busy myself with homework but unable to concentrate because I am […]
Talent Spot: Karen Gill, co-founder of everywoman
Karen Gill knows all about the hard work and knock-backs entailed in setting up a new business. Thirteen years ago, with the help of a friend, Maxine Benson, she established everywoman, a women’s membership organisation that aims to increase the number and status of females in business. The organisation, which today has 40,000 members, […]
Blog: Do jerks really make it to the top?
Recognise This! – Jerks can only rise so high in their careers. Considerate bosses actually achieve the CEO office more. A disturbing news trend I’ve been seeing during the last several months since the untimely death of Steve Jobs is the rise of the “jerk” boss – an aggressive, in-your-face, even insulting management style being […]
Talking Point: Do you believe in the magic of storytelling?
Memorable speakers and inspiring leaders tend to be great storytellers. If you listen to them presenting, they have one key aspect in common – they all use stories to illustrate their main points. Have you ever sat at a conference listening to someone bombard you with facts and figures, confusing industry jargon and tired […]
News: HR ‘must find fresh ways of developing tomorrow’s leaders’
HR must avoid traditional “sheep-dip” management training approaches and instead find fresh ways to develop the new kind of leader required to thrive in today’s knowledge-based economy. According to a report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, these leaders are necessary to build a positive workplace culture that is able to get […]
How to ensure you get that promotion
Making the transition from an operational role into a strategic role can be one of the most rewarding steps you can make. However, positioning yourself so that you’re the one who gets hired becomes trickier the higher up the corporate ladder you climb. So here are seven suggestions to help you climb the career ladder: […]
Blog: How to beat the holiday blues and get back to business quickly
With the traditional summer holiday period almost over, many of us are settling back into a working routine after a period of relaxation and recovery. A break from work commitments has provided many of us with the time and space to read, digest best practice and consider our aspirations, hopes and plans for our […]
News: LinkedIn misuse means candidate research ‘should be conducted with caution’
Widespread misuse of LinkedIn means that HR professionals should exercise caution when using it as a tool to conduct research on potential job candidates, a researcher has warned. A survey among 2,028 UK adults undertaken by ICM Research revealed, for instance, that around two thirds of people who have used the social networking site in […]
Blog: Nine signs that you may be lacking ambition in your career
With the arrival of September, I don’t know about you, but there seems to be a collective gearing up. The phone is ringing again and I know I have a busy few months ahead of me. I have returned from the summer break, energised and ready to rock and roll. (Helped definitely by the imminent […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Christina Lattimer
Christina Lattimer, owner of HR and leadership development consultancy People Discovery, has been tackling HR issues for all of her working life, even if she didn’t take up her first official HR position until 10 years ago. “I’ve only been a pure HR specialist since 2002 and was a business manager for lot of years […]
Five social media platforms to help boost your career
Social networking can prove a useful tool for finding a new job or moving forward in your career. Here we look at the pros and cons of five key platforms: 1. Link up with LinkedIn Professional social network LinkedIn now has 150 million users globally, so it’s essential you are using all of its […]
Providing operational leadership: The emerging role of the HR COO
HR business partners continue to be challenged by both the business and the HR function itself to play a more strategic role. While the business demands increasingly focused levels of support, the HR department is left balancing such requirements with its own priorities in terms of making cost savings and providing services consistently. Most […]
International workforces: Supporting non-native English speakers
It goes without saying that it is much easier for people to work together if they can communicate effectively. But one consideration in this context is the increasingly international nature of the modern workplace. As a result, HR directors have a big part to play in supporting new employees moving to the UK for […]
News: Holt Review calls for overhaul of SME apprenticeship system
Less than 10% of UK small-to-medium enterprises ever take on apprentices because existing programmes are “misunderstood and inaccessible”, according to a government report. The review into how to make apprenticeships simpler and easier for SMEs to get involved with, which was undertaken by jewellery entrepreneur Jason Holt, found that the entire system needed overhauling. […]
Blog: Never underestimate the value of the great British tea break
Free tea and coffee facilities for employees cost businesses around £276 per year, per employee. If you have a large workforce that cost could soon add up, but hold fire before you commence a cull of this pretty basic benefit as it could end up costing you more money in the long term. Psychologists […]
Talent Spot: Carole Jones, acting group HR director at Aviva
Carole Jones, acting group HR director at Aviva, is very grateful that Commercial Union took a chance 22 years ago and gave her a job, even though she had little relevant experience. She has since stuck with the company through a number of mergers and name changes and, when the post of acting group HR […]
News: Employers risk prosecution over lack of disabled evacuation plans
As the UK gears up for the Paralympic Games this week, it emerged that around a third of all employers are breaking the law by failing to prepare adequately for workplace evacuations among disabled workers. According to a survey of 102 HR directors and managers conducted by emergency evacuation chair manufacturer Evac+Chair International, some 35% […]
Blog: Back to basics – Getting to the essence of HR
Time and again we hear “if only HR could get the basics right?”. Everyone nods sagely and HR takes one on the chin! But what if we think differently about what the basics should be. There is the simple basic of “pay people correctly, on time”. Hear Hear! But is this really HR’s accountability? […]
Blog: What value do you bring to the table?
“Can we speak later? I have a big interview next week and I have some thoughts that I want to run by you. My response was that I would be more than glad to hear what is on her mind. When we spoke later that afternoon, she told me about the value that she […]
Diary of a misfit: Becoming a wildcard
On my own personal change curve, I appear to have progressed from misunderstood misfit to shortlist wildcard in just under a month. Result, right? So, I am in my second month of job hunting and the transformation has come about largely as a result of a new and improved CV, thanks to a panel of […]
