What should modern leadership development look like?
Blaire Palmer has been in the leadership development field for nearly 2 decades. And in that time she’s experienced plenty of fads. But rarely has she come across leadership development that really works. In this two-part series Blaire busts some myths about leadership development and offers some alternatives that might actually create more leadership. If […]
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 […]
Change leadership: how to give employees a sense of control
A few years ago a group of London psychology students were charged with carrying out a survey on the general public. Their study consisted of approaching strangers in the street and posing the question, “Which of the following would you find the most physically challenging? (1) deep sea diving, (2) power gliding, (3) addressing a […]
Getting employee engagement on your CEO’s agenda: Create actionable steps
This is the concluding article in the series How to secure employee engagement on your CEO's agenda – make sure you've read parts one and two your case before you carry on with this article. In your role as a HR leader, it is likely that maintaining employee engagement and striving to improve it are recognised as […]
Getting employee engagement on your CEO’s agenda: Appeal to emotional triggers
This is part two in the series How to secure employee engagement on your CEO's agenda – make sure you've read Part one: Presenting your case before you carry on with this article. Employee engagement is far more than a hot topic: through extensive research, we have come to know a lot about the direct results of […]
Getting employee engagement on your CEO’s agenda: Presenting your case
For any meaningful changes to happen within a business, the subject needs to be firmly on the CEO’s agenda. However, this is easier said than done and more often than not, it appears that the business has more important issues that will compete with your efforts to push topics such as employee engagement. Whether you […]
The Apprenticeship Levy: making it work for your leadership needs
From the start, 2017 was dubbed a year of change. Whilst widespread political upheaval was a driving force behind this, significant change is rife elsewhere. In the UK, this year we’re seeing somewhat of a revolution when it comes to the skills agenda. Investment in infrastructure and innovation is a clear priority for the government […]
“The company acknowledges that big growth ambitions have to be complemented with investment in people and talent”
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 […]
Three examples of organisational failure to give up the illusion of control
Just like every year on Christmas Eve, a portly, white-bearded and red-garmented man delivered gifts to all the good children in the world, with only the help of some reindeer and a few elves. Even if the reindeer could actually fly and if you corrected for all the different time zones, admittedly, it sounds incredible. […]
Control in times of uncertainty: how can you combat change fatigue?
Organisations are under increasing pressure to be more agile, competitive and customer focused, and a key role of HR is to support them through the process of change. Although change is essential, there is evidence that around 70% of all organisational change initiatives fail. In many cases, failure is exacerbated by employees’ mistrust of changes […]
What makes the Japanese railways so efficient?
It was a Sunday night at a quiet and emptying train station, close to the end of shifts. I was met by a man in an immaculate uniform and as sharp-looking as he would have been at 9am on a Monday morning. He was taking the trouble of speaking with the occasional passengers as they […]
Building a workplace that’s fit for the future
Today’s professionals have a new world of work at their fingertips. Unemployment rates are at an 11-year low, and as an ever-increasing number of opportunities open up, employees are able to consider what they want from their workplace – and find an employer that meets their needs. We recently spoke to workers across the UK, […]
“Use their language, not language from an HR text book.”
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 […]
Freelancers, org structures and puppy paternity leave
It's time for your weekly update of news, opinion and research from across the HR industry. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week too! Performance – Maybe you should just do the job you were hired for (Tim Sackett) – How a good […]
How to build a business case for your employee engagement programme
The main driving force behind any organisation is its people. The right people analytics programme will help you measure the leadership, vision, happiness and cultural alignment within your organisation. These metrics have in the past been considered as immeasurable and vague. Consequently, the drive to collect data around them is often discounted. Employee engagement technology […]
“L&D should consider the needs of all and not just the top five percent that get on the development radar.”
We're always curious to hear how our members and contributors tackle the challenges that the ever-changing world of HR throws at them. We've got a wealth of experience and knowledge across the site, and what better way to showcase the diversity of our community than to get them to walk us through an average day? […]
Book review: Corporate Energy: How to engage and inspire audiences
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, […]
Lessons in management: we asked some senior leaders what their first-time mistakes were
When it comes to pivotal points in your career, being a new manager has to be one of the most challenging. You’re used to being a star performer – that’s why you were promoted – but to succeed as a manager, you need to master an entirely new set of skills. To help new leaders […]
HR dreams, family leave and the need for evidence-based practice
Top of the day to you, and welcome to our latest round up of news, blogs and opinion from across the HR industry. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week too! Future work – The top jobs in 10 years might not […]
Round-up: pizza woes, EU-protected flings and cocaine-laden roses – three Valentines Day stories for you
Another year, another wave of Valentines Day stories about what percentage of people think office flings are acceptable or not? Yes, although we've tried to avoid them and only bring you some of the fresher stuff. Here are three stories that stood out, for various reasons… 1. "If an employer frustrates your office romance and […]