Blog: Apple loses Jobs – so what does it mean for the people?
When one of the world’s most celebrated business leaders announces plans to make a move, the focus is all too often on shares and customer impact, but little is mentioned about the impact it will have on the people within the organisation. When Steve Jobs announced he is standing down as chief executive at Apple, […]
Blog: From riot to clean-up – a reminder for HR
If the past couple of weeks have taught us, as a society, anything at all, it is this: underestimate the power of the people at your peril. The rioting that enveloped public interest last week started off on a north London street, and spread like wild fire throughout the entire country, threatening at times to […]
Identifying the leaders of tomorrow
It’s that time of year again. The process of graduate recruitment begins and, once again, we find ourselves with mountains of CVs from the would-be leaders of tomorrow, professing great interest in a career in…oh the virtues of the Find & Replace function! With more graduates on the market than ever before, all with a […]
More employer training levies will stifle staff development, warns CBI
Employers lobby group the CBI has warned that government plans to extend employer training levies would hinder further investment in learning and development programmes, our sister site www.Trainingzone.co.uk reports. The organisation said the levy systems, which operate by charging employers in certain sectors a specified proportion of their wage bill, which is then pooled and used […]
Government consults over adult learning overhaul
The Coalition Government has launched a consultation setting out its proposals for the overhaul of adult learning in the UK. According to our sister site www.Trainingzone.co.uk, the consultation document entitled New Challenges, New Chances includes proposals ranging from informal adult and community learning to data requirements on colleges and is a follow-up to the Government’s […]
Stressed!!! Companies are screaming out for HR to help.
How did last week feel for you? Were you feeling a tad more stressed out than usual? If you were, don’t worry, you’re not alone – there were millions of us in the same boat. Last week was, it seems, the most stressful 5 working days of the corporate calendar as those left in the […]
Book Review: The Board Game – survival and success as a company board member
‘THE BOARD GAME – survival and success as a company board member’ by Brian Scanlon and Stephen Schneider ISBN 9 781907 794032 – LIDpublishing.com £15.99 Most ambitious managers will rightly look forward to the happy day when they are first invited to join their organisation’s board as a director. Yet all too many may […]
Book review: Screw Work – Let’s Play by John Williams
Screw Work – Let’s Play John Williams Reviewed by Simon Jones Morrissey once sang “The music you constantly play says nothing to me about my life” and my first impression of this book was that the tone and style of it said nothing to me. In fact, half way through the first chapter, with its […]
Book review: Managing 4 Good By John Fagan
Book title: Managing 4 Good By John Fagan Reviewer: Amanda E Heaton This book is not lightweight in either content or volume, although the text is well written and uses plain speaking English without reliance on jargon or acronyms making it easy to read and digest. The book opens with an explanation of what sustainable […]
Rail union considering legal action over lost contract
A leading rail union is considering whether to take legal action over the decision not to award Bombardier the Thameslink contract in a bid to save 1,400 jobs at the train manufacturer. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said it was taking legal advice over a potential challenge on the grounds that the tendering process […]
UK workers: Why good enough is no longer good enough
Kate Russell says that over the last 10-15 years, there’s been a noticeable decline in the British work ethic. HR needs to take control. Recently I was asked to take part in a Five Live debate centring around the findings of Centre for Social Justice think-tank that 82% of employers are concerned about British […]
No ‘time to train’ in SMEs, say Government
The coalition government has ruled out extending the right to request time for training to employees in small to medium businesses until at least 2015. Under proposals made by the last government, staff in companies with less than 250 personnel would have been entitled to the same rights as those in larger organisations by April […]
Book review: Flourish by Martin Seligman
Professor Seligman opens Flourish by stating that he is abandoning his lifelong caution and scepticism in favour of the extravagant claim that his book will indeed help the reader to flourish. The book is a fun read and, if the exercises are carried out, may well help the reader. But it might have been quite […]
Serious problems with vocational business courses in schools
There is a “serious problem” with the quality of the vocational business courses being offered by the majority of English schools, inspectors have warned. Ofsted said in a report entitled ‘Economics, business and enterprise education’ that it was unhappy with the courses being provided at 30 out of 39 English schools. Even though students often […]
Manufacturing needs more education and training
The manufacturing industry has warned that unless more government focus is placed on boosting education and training opportunities to counteract skills shortages, it is unlikely to fulfil hopes of driving future economic growth. According to the ‘Manufacturing Outlook’ survey for the second quarter of 2011 published by manufacturers’ organisation EEF and accountancy firm BDO, even […]
The promotion card – why your top performers are not always the best candidates
Cris Beswick on why your top performers are not always those you want to promote. Really? Read on and find out… In my experiences of working with businesses, stimulating fresh thinking and new answers comes from diverse viewpoints and perspectives. I encourage businesses to actively seek out and recruit people who offer something different […]
Classroom based learning still favoured
In spite of a wealth of technology-based learning and development tools being adopted, classroom-based learning remains the most popular training format. According to a survey undertaken among 2,500 employees at companies in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain by learning and development provider Cegos Group, nine out of 10 still receive training in a […]
Development focus welcomed by employees
In a happy marrying of priorities, three quarters of employees would be keen to undertake more on-the-job training, while four out of five HR professionals are making staff development a key focus this year. A three-year research project commissioned by Middlesex University’s Institute for Work Based Learning among an average 4,300 workers per annum […]
The HR Headmistress asks: Overtime – is it bad for business?
From being a fact of working life, overtime has become a very emotive subject. Perhaps that’s the influence of the rise of the work-life balance lobby. Setting aside business owners, for whom 30-40 hours overtime a week is the norm, in the main there are two discrete groups of workers who regularly work overtime. Historically, […]
Learning at work day highlights skills gap
A workshop on how to be a guerrilla artist and a seminar on how to bake bread are among the activities taking place today as part of this year’s Learning at Work Day. The theme of the Day, which is co-ordinated by Campaign for Learning, a charity that believes learning is key to social […]
