Infographic: Q2 employment snapshot
Blog: The art of mobile motivation
Gone are the days when managers wanting to motivate their staff simply had to call a team meeting in the office anytime and everyone would be there. As a result of remote working and flexible hours it is very rare for most of the team to be in one building at the same time, certainly […]
Blog: How to build rapport during a job interview
Building rapport during a job interview. It’s not always the brightest and the best who get the job. Often it’s the person who interviews well. The bond you establish with an interviewer is a very important factor in doing well at interview. From their point of view, when they meet you they’re considering working […]
News: Marketing agency installs employee ‘mood monitor’
A nascent trend towards using everyday technology to capture employee views has been taken a step further by one marketing agency after it installed a ‘mood monitor’ to understand how its workers are feeling. WAA, which was ranked number 81 in the Sunday Times’ 100 Best Small Companies to Work For listing this year, introduced […]
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 […]
Infographic: The impact of a misaligned HR and management team
Click on the image to view it at full size.
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 […]
The HRZone Interview: Best Companies’ Wayne Clarke on engagement
Wayne Clarke is managing partner at workplace engagement specialists, Best Companies, the firm behind the prestigious Sunday Times ‘Best Companies to Work For’ annual listing of high-performing organisations. It has identified eight key factors that are critical to be an employer that staff rate highly. They comprise: How employees feel about their leaders How […]
Blog: Communication is the essence of good leadership
All eyes turned towards the manager as she gave her opinion of a strategy that was being discussed. This was part of the strategic meeting with the leadership team, with the C-Level executive sitting at the head of the table. As she walked through her reasoning, everyone was nodding their head in agreement. She […]
Blog: Four arguments for why staff engagement is impossible
Recognise This! – You can’t change someone; you can’t engage someone. You can create environments of trust, appreciation and purpose in which people want to engage, grow and develop. What’s the number one most helpful (or most heard) relationship advice? I reckon it’s to remind people, “You can’t change the other person.” And this […]
Blog: Workers crave recognition but don’t get enough – survey
Recognise This! – Employees everywhere need and want recognition for work well done. For a couple of years now, Globoforce (my company) has been running semi-annual Workforce Mood Tracker™ surveys, testing the opinions and moods of fully employed US workers. (I’ve featured the results of those studies in past posts here and here.) Now […]
Ernst & Young uses strengths-based assessment for graduate recruitment
Research from HM Treasury published prior to the release of this year’s A-level results has shown that a record number of young people are seeking alternatives to university and are turning instead to apprenticeships or on-the-job training schemes. But with more job candidates on the market than ever before, the importance for HR directors to […]
News: End of “Olympics effect” could see unemployment leap by year end
Although unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in almost a year due to the “Olympics effect”, the end of demand for temporary labour could see joblessness jump 0.3% by the close of the year. According to data released by the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s unemployment rate stood at 8% for the three […]
News: Google’s 10-year “death benefits” have legal implications, warns lawyer
Employers thinking of following in Google’s footsteps and offering staff so-called “death benefits” must protect themselves against a range of potential pitfalls including possible discrimination claims, a legal expert has warned. Laszlo Bock, the search engine giant’s chief people officer, told Forbes magazine last week that it had introduced a policy last year whereby, if […]
Blog: Recommended reading on HR, culture, recognition and engagement
Recognise This! – To truly lead others, we must never stop learning. Recently, I received an email from Sudan asking me for my recommendations on top 3 books in HR. I thought this was too good of an opportunity to pass up and open up to you, my readers, for a bit of crowdsourcing as […]
Blog: Are your staff proud of where they work?
The UK can be proud of its hosting efforts of the 2012 Olympics as our top athletes gathered a wealth of gold, silver and bronze medals, the best haul we’ve achieved in over a century. Our athletes take pride in their work and reap the benefits when they stand on top the podium listening to […]
Blog: Should we name and shame bad managers?
Recognise This! – We publicly praise the stars. Should we publicly highlight the truly poor performers as well? Regular readers know I’m a very strong proponent of frequent and public (when appropriate and preferred) recognition of star performers as well as employees who live the values day in and day out, making it possible for […]
News: HMRC to recruit 1000 call centre agents amid low staff morale
HM Revenue & Customs is to recruit up to 1,000 additional contact centre agents in a bid to answer a targeted 90% of calls, amid the publication of a report revealing extremely low levels of staff morale. The department’s chief executive, Lin Homer, said that she planned to invest £9 million this year and up […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to make the most of your older workers
The UK’s working population is aging but attitudes towards older workers – despite legislation – are taking a long time to catch up with the change. Therefore, Dianne Bown-Wilson, who set up consultancy, in my prime, to help address just such issues, shares her top tips to help employers get the most out of their […]
Blog: Punk rock HR – Reasons to be cheerful, part 3: Good job design
This is the third extract of my new book “Punk Rock People Management – a no-nonsense guide to hiring, inspiring and firing staff”. Here’s an extract on the topic of motivation: In the words of honorary punk rockers, Rogers, Hammerstein and Captain Sensible, “Happy talk”. Yes, it’s nice to be happy at work, […]
