Employee perspectives: an accountant’s view on KPMG’s HR team
We spoke with a previous accountant for KPMG about her thoughts on and personal experiences with HR. This anonymised interview helps to provide insight into how HR teams within finance are potentially viewed by their employees. Could you start by telling us a bit about your current job role and your employment history? I am currently a […]
Tackling Taylor: “Good Work” deserves defence
I’m dismayed at the early critique of the Taylor review. The headlines and analysis do our professions no credit. This is a report promoting “good work” and good work to me deserves defence. Read here what and why. At the end please note you’ll also find your speed-read of the substantive points. What’s the story? […]
5 things about presenteeism you don’t know
Presenteeism is a big problem: some commentators suggest it costs twice as much as absenteeism in the workplace. At its broadest level, presenteeism refers to situations where employees continue to attend work while they are sick. 1. Whether presenteeism is positive or negative depends on context Employees, and the organisations they work for, can continue to benefit […]
How a bad night’s sleep can disrupt the workplace
Do you feel grumpy, short-tempered, or prone to irrational behaviour after a bad night’s sleep or are you one of those who can quell your emotions and be ‘as nice as pie’ when you’re tired out? Sleep is a challenge for most of us, and to get a good night’s rest can have a significant […]
The Madness of Kings: leadership, hyper-masculinity & mental health
If you had a choice to return to Earth after this lifetime, and, while resting on your celestial cloud, were given a menu of gender, racial and sexual orientation preferences to choose from, what would you pick for your next time around? Of course, approaching this logically, received wisdom would tell you to check the […]
“When you explicitly put shareholders at the top of the pecking order, the others don’t make out as well.”
This is an interview with Rick Wartzman on the rise of the gig economy in America. Keep reading for Rick’s bio and our questions. Who is Rick Wartzman? Rick Wartzman is a senior advisor at the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University, a contributor to Fortune magazine, and the author of The End of Loyalty: […]
How do psychological work stressors impact commuting behaviour?
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
Say hello to… Ian Johnston, Group HRD, Johnston Press
Taking on a new role is as challenging as it is exciting. In this series we will be talking to HR professionals who are getting to grips with a new job and finding out what attracted them to the role, as well as what their key priorities are for the months ahead. Want to tell us about […]
Round-up: 7 popular articles from our mental health month
Our mental health focus looks at mental health with a spotlight from very different angles! Here are seven articles we’ve run and why they’re an essential read if you’re looking to take action on mental health in your organisation. 1. Why tackling absenteeism could hike presenteeism Sickness monitoring, raising awareness of sickness policies and techniques […]
Presenteeism in academics: a shift to the twilight zone
This article looks and when and why academics in the UK work while they’re ill and the systemic factors at play. It pulls together a concept called the ‘twilight zone’ of work and looks at the effects of presenteeism on academics. It was written by Gail Kinman, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at the University of […]
Presenteeism in prison officers: a case study in pressure
This article looks at the degree of presenteeism in UK prison officers and the reasons prison officers give for working while sick. It also looks at the impact of presenteeism on UK prisons. It was written by Gail Kinman, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at the University of Bedfordshire, Andrew Clements, a lecturer in organisational psychology […]
Tackling absenteeism could increase presenteeism: what can be done?
This article looks at why techniques for reducing absenteeism can encourage presenteeism. Organisations need to focus on reducing the punitive parts of absenteeism policies if they want positive action on presenteeism. It was written by Andrew Clements, a lecturer in organisational psychology at the University of Bedfordshire, Gail Kinman, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at the […]
E-resilience: 5 tips to help you master the technology in your life
We've written before about the importance of e-resilience – or being able to cope emotionally with the amount of technology in our lives. There's no chance of us having less technology to solve the problem, so it's on us to add tools to our toolkit in order to more proactively deal with technology-related stress in the […]
Walking meetings at work: how, what, why, when
The idea that staying physically fit is good for our bodies, minds, mood and performance is as old as the hills. In the distant past, our very survival depended on our fitness and it was as early as the 1830s when the first gyms resembling our modern day equivalents began to take shape in an […]
My eight-year-old’s workload warning led me to a healthier balance
A few years ago, my daughter, who was eight at the time, took it upon herself to have a chat with me about my workload. I was running a business and renovating the family home whilst single-handedly bringing up my two children. My daughter pointed out that I was trying to do three jobs, and […]
“As a manager of flexible workers, it is important to put trust in your team.”
Tim Stone is Vice President Marketing EMEA at Polycom and will be speaking at the Agile Working Event to be held on March 29th in London. Jamie Lawrence, Editor, HRZone: Lots of companies would love a 'no holds barred' flexible working policy but are terrified of giving up control. How did you guys overcome this? Tim […]
Is full satisfaction at work even a possible or desirable goal?
I received a press release today that led with the statistic that "a mere 10% of workers feel completely satisfied in their jobs." I was surprised it was as high as 10%. Completely satisfied? Is that really the benchmark we're using now? Is there anything in life we're completely satisfied with? It's worrying that agency life is starting to set the […]
How to make maternity leave work for both employers and employees
Want to ensure that maternity leave works for everyone involved? From shared parental leave to mentoring returning parents back in the workplace, here's how to keep all staff happy. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. As we hear daily on Mumsnet, pregnancy and new motherhood bring with them a raft of challenges. Not the least among […]
How to negotiate for family-friendly work habits
Flexibility is a key consideration when returning to work. We talk you through the best ways to get the accommodations you need at work – from asking for a trial period to finding solutions to staffing issues. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. The right to request flexible working has been a welcome innovation for […]
What mothers want: What women say about how they can be best supported in the workplace
Discrimination can begin before a woman even steps foot in the office. This is how you can ensure that all women are supported in the most effective way possible. This article was originally published on Mumsnet. When thinking about mothers in the workplace, ‘flexible working’ comes up constantly; it seems, too, that the options for and benefits […]
