Taking control of your career journey: preparing for future skills

How can employers and employees prepare for a future demand in skills, particularly when they may not even exist yet? Well, one thing’s for sure, collaboration will be key to ensure the sustainable evolution of the modern workplace. Skill sets change over time. They always have; they always will. Assessing the impact of this is part […]

Transformational HR: why we need a people-centred approach

We hear about transformation all the time, and mainly it’s about digital transformation. The next wave of automation, technology that’s more virtual, slick and seamless – that kind of thing. A big programme is built, maybe a division setup for it and then we unleash our plans on our people and the world. It seems like the […]

Microchipping employees: the next big thing?

How might the emerging trend of employers microchipping employees impact the workplace and can it ever be justified? Ever since the 1990s, convicted criminals have been ‘tagged’ to ensure compliance with bail conditions and tagging continues to this day.  The fact that the Ministry of Justice is scaling back the tagging system, at a time when […]

Functionary to visionary: changing the skills conversation

Businesses needn’t be fearful of AI, in fact they should embrace technology to help with functional tasks and encourage softer human skills that computers cannot replicate. The Bank of England’s recent warning about thousands of jobs being at risk from AI is just the latest in a series of scare stories about technology. It seems we […]

How corporations can benefit from a start-up mindset

Defining the start-up mindset and applying it to established businesses could be a way to revive enthusiasm and encourage innovation. It was during an innocuous conversation with a taxi driver that I had the realisation about the main difference between a start-up and a corporation. I was struck that it wasn’t, in fact, the age difference […]

Rise of the chatbots: how technology is transforming HR

Chatbots enable companies to communicate efficiently with their customers and the integration of machine learning is now opening up this technology to HR departments.  Chatbots have become a familiar sight in recent times, particularly on the websites of customer-facing organisations. Visitors to sites in industries such as retail, travel and property are increasingly being greeted by […]

A new way to unleash creativity and innovation

Advances in technology mean it’s possible for an organisation to measure individual creativity using AI, but that doesn’t guarantee innovative ideas. In order to have the competitive edge you need to nuture a team of creative innovators. Innovation is essential in today’s organisations. When your competitors have access to the same technology and resources as you – and they can quickly […]

Embracing the shadow side of organisational life

Corridor conversations, power struggles and personality clashes are realities of organisation life. Often referred to as the shadow side, these behaviours are perceived as wholly negative and unhelpful to organisation effectiveness. I challenge this ‘always bad’ perspective. In the shadow lies the real work of getting along with each other. It is where human beings […]

HR automation: why real-time reporting is about more than accuracy

Removing the margin for human error through automation improves reporting accuracy and enables time for strategic and creative thinking Debenhams will have been dismayed to hit the headlines earlier this year when it emerged that the retailer had been paying almost 12,000 employees less than the minimum wage. Following an investigation, the combination of a £63,000 fine and settlement […]

The Future of Work: five steps to help you start your journey

Many HR teams that are looking to prepare for the Future of Work have to tackle a number of challenges before they can even take their first step. Here are a few considerations that will help you embark on that journey. It’s 2018. There’s no need to explore how technology has evolved from the days of mainframe […]

It’s not just fun and games any more: why gamification matters in HR

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. Here, Nicole Jackson explains how gamification has the potential to revolutionise HR processes – if it’s used correctly.  In the 1980s and 1990s, playing games on computers […]

A lesson from Winnie the Pooh on ‘doing nothing’

What can we learn from Winnie the Pooh in the new Christopher Robin film? That doing nothing from time to time should not be sniffed at. Last week, I went to the cinema to see the Christopher Robin film with my mum (we are both big fans of Winnie the Pooh). I was anticipating a […]

Book review – Too Fast to Think: How to Reclaim your Creativity in a Hyper-connected Culture

HRZone has a range of books available for review. If you would like to receive one of our business books, free of charge, please contact the editor on editor at hrzone dot com and we can send you a list of what’s available. In return, we ask for a 400-700 word review of the book, […]

Off-script customer service: how to be truly human

In an increasingly automated age, customers value truly human interaction more than ever before.  When customers ask to speak to a representative, whether on the phone or in person, they are in need of human help. They have rejected the automated response and want a real person to hear and manage their problem. Unfortunately, customers […]

How to use diversity to create ‘good friction’

I think we’ve all heard it by now: diversity in teams and in leadership is good for business. But why is this so, and how can we use it actively in our strategic, tactical and daily business to nurture and encourage ‘good friction’? In a business world that is affected by disruption, technological and societal […]

Risk management is not just about threats, it’s about innovation too

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 […]

Blockchain and HR: why it can improve reward and recognition

All organizations are tasked with keeping employees motivated by acknowledging their contributions and hard work. While most companies implement reward and recognition systems to accomplish this, many struggle to implement these systems successfully because of high administrative costs and the lack of real world value to employees. Blockchain technology can be employed to make rewards […]

Blockchain and HR: why is it relevant and what use cases are there?

Blockchain is a transformative technology that will embed itself into a wide array of business processes across all industries in the coming years. All businesses will benefit from being able to exchange value without the use of costly intermediaries while reducing the size of their back offices by automating payment and accounting processes. Beyond the […]

Blockchain: what is it and how can it be used in organisations?

With the potential to disrupt and change entire industries, blockchain technology is being hailed as the most revolutionary innovation since the invention of the Internet. What is blockchain? But what is it and how can it transform the industries and organizations we operate in? Blockchain was created to keep track of Bitcoin transactions between strangers […]

How Championship Manager prepared me for working life

The football management game Championship Manager turned 25 last year. Feeling nostalgic, HR professional Paul Carter shares how the best job he ever had prepared him for working life… The original Championship Managers are about to take over the world once again. Our tactical expertise, talent spotting and die-hard commitment to winning have made us […]