99% perspiration: the challenge of being a midlife professional woman
Mid-life professional women often have to juggle the pressures of work, child care and ageing parents, all while going through the symptoms of menopause or perimenopause. How can HR offer support and flexibility for these women? Most companies today are pretty enlightened about the fact that women with children often want to work, often need to […]
How to solve the diversity crisis in local government leadership
There is a leadership gulf in local government when it comes to BAME representation – a problem caused by institutions and society as a whole. If there were more role models then individuals would be empowered to reach outside their perceived boundaries. In October, the Prime Minister announced that public services, including the NHS, armed forces, schools and the police force will […]
Invisible disabilities: it’s time for HR to get hearing loss on the agenda
People with hidden disabilities, such as deafness and hearing loss, are often overlooked and lack support in the workplace. HR can play a key role in removing any barriers faced by affected individuals and empower these employees to thrive in their job. In recent years, both the government and employers have been actively making strides towards […]
Working parents are an absolute must for companies
Becoming a parent equips you with a huge range of transferable skills for the modern workplace, including networking, communication and time management. A new dad goes for an interview at a consultancy firm and hears: “There are two types of people, those who want to be home for bedtime, and those who don’t, and this job […]
How to support an ageing workforce
Find out how companies can create an environment and culture that retains staff beyond retirement age. Britain is growing old and as the population increases, the proportion of the population aged 85 and over is projected to double over the next 25 years and the number of those working for longer rises with it. Recent […]
It’s time to tackle the race pay gap
The gender pay gap received a lot of press coverage in the wake of the BBC salary scandal, but there is another significant group who are also victims of pay inequality and it’s time they were recognised. Over the past year, it feels as though a lot has been said about the gender pay gap. Whether it […]
Workplace trends 2019: Jason Corsello at UNLEASH World Conference & Expo
On day two of UNLEASH World Conference & Expo 2018 Jason Corsello, Managing Partner at Acadian Ventures, outlined the upcoming trends that are reshaping how companies are embracing the future of work. With 15 years’ experience in the HR tech space, Jason Corsello provided a snapshot of what will be emerging and evolving in HR in […]
Recruitment: why age-friendly employment is a win-win for everyone
As numbers of mature employees increase in coming years, businesses will need to up their game when it comes to engaging older workers. By 2025, there will be a million more people over the age of 50 in the workplace, but 300,000 fewer workers under the age of 30. Job vacancies and numbers in work […]
Recruitment: why AI and Big Data alone can’t solve bias
Modern technology is transforming the recruitment process, but can bias ever be completely removed? It seems to be a popular school of thought that the introduction of technology into the recruitment process has allowed bias, both conscious and unconscious, to be completely removed. Whilst the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data, along with […]
Five ways for women to take the reins on their leadership development
In addition to the demanding tasks and huge responsibility placed on all leaders, women leaders have additional challenges to contend with. Here are five ways to approach these obstacles and develop further in your leadership role. My niece has just co-written a brand new BBC book Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived, Amazing Tales for […]
Why showing up as the best version of yourself will help your career
Feeling the pressure to fit in? Here are eight steps to help you show up as the best version of yourself. “I just didn’t fit in. I felt awkward, uncomfortable and different, somehow marginalised in the meeting. I really want to talk about it.” These were the initial words that a client shared with me at her […]
Is there gender bias in your leadership, talent and promotion criteria?
Research shows that women need to work harder, smarter and for longer than men to get appointed into leadership roles. In order to break away from this deeply ingrained bias towards male leaders, businesses need to reassess their process and criteria for promoting talent. According to Cranfield University 29 per cent of FTSE 100 directors (executive and […]
Gender pay gap reporting – now what?
It’s been six months since the Gender Pay Gap reporting deadline – and we’re all familar with the findings. But beyond the reporting, what steps should businesses be taking to get more women into higher paid roles? On the 4th April 2018, over 10,000 companies provided mandatory data on their gender* pay gap based on six key calculations. […]
How unconscious bias means that we get in our own way
Are women’s own unconscious biases stopping them from pursuing what they truly want in their lives? Businesses are certainly beginning to understand how unconscious bias means that some groups of people may have to ‘jump higher’ for certain roles within their companies. What is talked about less is another, more internalised, form of bias. The […]
HR leadership: boosting inclusivity in your workplace
After years of hiding my own disabilities from employers, I’ve come to realise that employers can play a vital role in helping employees embrace their personal challenges and create a more inclusive place to work. As an IT contractor going from job to job, I always worried that I would miss out on a contract […]
Should smaller businesses be required to report their gender pay gap?
There have been recent calls to extend the compulsory gender pay gap reporting to smaller businesses. But is this a wise move? There has been a big push in recent years to nullify the disparities between men and women in the workplace, politics and in general society. That is why it was a welcome announcement […]
Recruitment: why ‘cultural fit’ is an essential requirement for assessing candidates
While a candidate might be technically qualified to do a job, if they’re not a good ‘cultural fit’ for the organisation and the team, it can lead to problems further down the line. Here’s how companies can reflect their unique culture in their hiring process. If recent statistics are to be believed, it appears that […]
Maternity discrimination: why do we continue to stereotype returning mothers?
While progress is being made to combat maternity discrimination, the problem of returning mothers being stereotyped and misrepresented remains – and this needs to stop if employers want to hang onto these valuable employees. Despite pregnancy and maternity being a protected characteristic under The Equality Act 2010, three in four mothers (77%) said they had […]
Working parents: shared parental leave has the potential to positively impact gender equality
With the uptake of new fathers taking up shared parental leave remaining stubbornly low, it seems a change in workplace culture and perception is needed in order for employees to truly feel the benefits. One professional dad shares his personal experience of the scheme and how it has positively impacted both his personal and working […]
Employee engagement: bridging the gap between generation Z and parents in the workplace
The US workforce is on the cusp of a significant transformation, as generation Z, the 61 million Americans born after the mid-1990s, enters the workforce. They’ll be joining a labour market that looks far different from the one their parents and grandparents joined. Technological innovation has disrupted entire industries, fundamentally changing the nature of work, […]
