The HRZone Interview: Jon Ingham on where HR is going wrong
In the view of Jon Ingham, HR consultant, author and blogger, the current obsession of HR practitioners to be seen as business people first and HR professionals second could seriously backfire. The danger is that, by becoming too much like everyone else in the business, HR will lose sight of what its key focus should […]
In a Nutshell: Five tips to foster a change-friendly culture
A recent study conducted by IT product and services vendor Fujitsu confirmed what many have long suspected: Just over two thirds of the employers questioned believed that they were failing to keep up with the growing pace of change – despite all of the financial risks that such a scenario generates. But what is it […]
HRD Insight: Allianz’s Philip Gennoy on aligning HR and business goals
For Allianz Insurance’s HR director, Philip Gennoy, the key to ensuring that HR strategy and business goals knit tightly together is to keep a close eye on both the day-to-day nitty-gritty as well as the bigger, more long-term picture. The idea is that by breaking strategy down into bite-sized tactical pieces, it becomes possible to […]
News: Mobile commerce joint venture outsources HR
A newly formed mobile commerce joint venture dubbed ‘Project Oscar’ has outsourced its transactional HR activities in a bid to set up a cost-effective HR function quickly. The joint venture between Everything Everywhere, O2 and Vodafone will enable in-store shoppers to purchase goods using their smartphones as an alternative to cash, credit cards or loyalty […]
Blog: Does Boris demonstrate the five fundamentals of leadership? Part 2
The hype surrounding the Boris Johnson shows no sign waning, especially after his attention-grabbing speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago. As mentioned in part 1, Johnson is a performer – though, when you look beneath the gags and standard routines, is there something far more complex and substantial […]
What political leaders can teach us about presenting
Not only do HR directors and other senior executives need to be able to present well, but they also have to convince their audience that they are natural born leaders. Whether giving a presentation at an Annual General Meeting, to the entire workforce at a staff away day or to the great and the good […]
How to recognise workplace bullying
Workplace bullying is definitely on the rise, not least because of the ample opportunities for cyber-bullying in our increasingly high tech work environments. The situation is also not helped by the tough economic climate, which tends to have an impact on management behaviour and can lead to increased levels of stress throughout the organisation, not […]
Blog: Remember your manners – The benefits of just saying ‘thank you’
“All I want is for someone, sometime, just one time, to say thank you.” She works late every night, and pulls long hours. This particular morning she left home at 5:30 to make sure she got in to prepare for the big meeting. She left at 8 that night to go home. As she […]
Blog: Eight tips for handling a ‘difficult conversation’
No-one likes having ‘difficult’ conversations – but as a manager it is inevitable that at some point an issue will arise that has to be addressed. It may be that an employee’s performance is under par, a project has gone horribly wrong or a crucial meeting has been mishandled. It’s tempting to sweep poor […]
Blog: The World of HR – Today’s frustrations, tomorrow’s dreams Part 2
Last week we told you about a time travel challenge we posed some of our clients. We asked them in 20 years’ time, when you look back at HR, what would you tell people it was famous for? We asked them to complete the sentence: “A long time ago, in a company far, far […]
Blog: Does Boris demonstrate the five fundamentals of leadership? Part 1
Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s popularity has risen to such an extent that commentators are increasingly speculating over the possibility that the eccentric former journalist could be the next Prime Minister. The mayor’s meteoric rise received a welcome boost from a successful London 2012, but has he got what it takes to be an international […]
What to do when there’s board trouble
The effect on an organisation when big mistakes hit the headlines can be very destructive – and you don’t have to look much into the recent past to see some high profile examples. These include G4S and its staffing problems during the Olympics and Bob Diamond’s resignation from Barclays bank following the rigging of the […]
Living Leader Learnings: Do 360 degree feedback systems really work?
The Challenge The HR manager at a software development company asks: “Because feedback is really hard to get, we’re thinking of introducing a 360 degree feedback system into our organisation. In your experience, do people really respond to them honestly and what are the benefits and pitfalls of this kind of system?" The Solution […]
Blog: The World of HR – Today’s frustrations, tomorrow’s dreams part 1
Imagine this scenario. You’re a few years retired from your role as HRD of the ACME company. You’re enjoying the fruits of your labours, perhaps sipping on an Elderflower cordial whilst sitting in your favourite chair and bouncing your grandchild on your knee. She looks up at you and says, “When you had a […]
News: Workmates more important than bosses for job satisfaction
While getting on with the boss certainly helps to keep staff happy at work, it is nowhere near as important as having a good relationship with colleagues, according to research. A survey undertaken among 1,000 UK workers by online recruiters Jobsite.co.uk revealed that seven out of 10 see their ‘nine-to-five buddies’ as being most crucial […]
News: Lack of HR support means 1/3 senior hires consider quitting in first 3 months
A failure by top managers to work closely enough with HR means that two out of five senior hires consider quitting in their first 90 days and are 50% less productive than they would otherwise be. According to a survey among 283 senior executives and 38 HR directors conducted by recruitment consultancy, Harvey Nash, a […]
Talking Point: Why is HR still looking for training silver bullets?
The happy sheet – or, to give it its proper title, the ‘post-course evaluation form’ – has been part of the trainer’s toolbox for years. The problem is that they tend to offer little or no value in the long-run – not because of the feedback itself, but because of the lack of bearing that […]
Blog: Why HR needs to get out more
This is a particular hobbyhorse of mine. Put simply we don’t spend enough time in the business. HR as a profession has long been criticised for failure to really understand and contribute to business strategy or to align HR to corporate objectives. This is much more than just being able to understand the financials, […]
How to work effectively with the C-suite
Many HR directors are continuing on their mission to look for ways to demonstrate to other executive leaders that they can make a strategic contribution to the business. But while such efforts are well-intentioned, it appears that they are having a limited impact. Recent figures show that only four FTSE 50 companies have board […]
Blog: Working Families Conference – How to achieve true flexible working
Matt Dean facilitated a very interesting discussion at the Working Families Conference on 25 September. We posed the following four questions: “Can we honestly say that we have created ‘flexible career paths’ (and what is stopping us)?” “Why do jobs have to take 60 hours (particularly in the current economic climate)?” “How can business alter its […]