Engaging for success: Motivating line managers to motivate others
The most successful organisations recognise the crucial role that HR has to play in developing managers to ensure that they are effective at engaging others. But in order to be good engagers, managers need to master five fundamental roles and be able to recognise when each one is required and appropriate. These roles are […]
Blog: HR, it’s time to show bullies the exit
“As I opened the door, I saw her with her back turned and shoulders slumped. When she turned around, I could see that she had been crying. I felt bad but it made me realize that I am not the only one who gets verbally abused. The kicker was that she was a senior level […]
Blog: Becoming a Time Lord – Progressing your career without benefit of hindsight
Meg Burton’s interview in my last blog prompted some thoughts about how we create that awareness of what our gap is… You know the gap that with hindsight we can see as clearly as the nose on our face (if you missed it click here). Unless you have Dr Who like abilities we don’t […]
The first HCM reporting benchmark: BITC’s Workwell model
Today’s launch of Business in the Community’s Workwell FTSE 100 benchmark is the culmination of more than five years of research into the issue of human capital management reporting. The benchmark was created by the charity in partnership with key employers such as BT Group in order to demonstrate the benefits of taking a strategic, […]
Is the HR recruitment market starting to recover?
The overall HR recruitment market has seen a marked improvement recently, with a cautious but steady rise in new vacancies. Here we look at individual sectors in more depth: Financial services There have been a few significant HR moves at the senior executive level recently and we expect that to impact hiring as new […]
News: Lean process focus leads to drop in assessment centre quality
A growing desire to implement cost-effective, streamlined processes is leading to falling quality at many assessment and development centres, according to research. A survey among 543 HR professionals in 53 countries conducted by talent management consultancy a&dc, revealed that 17% of assessments lasted half a day or less, even though just over half of those […]
HRZone Interview: Jason Holt on apprenticeships
Most UK businesses are missing a fantastic growth opportunity by failing to offer apprenticeships, believes jeweller and entrepreneur Jason Holt, who has just completed a government report on how to make such schemes more manageable for small-to-medium enterprises. Holt took over the family jewellery business in 1999 and subsequently set up Holt’s Academy of Jewellery […]
Blog: Just what is an executive coach exactly?
What do Andy Murray, Mo Farrah, Jessica Ennis and Robbie Grabarz have in common? They have a coach who has made a difference. Whether it be Ivan Lendl, Fuzz Ahmed, Toni Minichiello or Alberto Salazar, all have been accredited with making the difference between success and failure by their charges. In […]
Blog: Five ways to encourage a proper workplace dialogue
Once upon a time, effective internal communication meant simply sharing information through top-down channels – via a cascade approach as information filtered down through the organization. Now it means helping organisations deliver better performance; enabling employees to understand and play their role in the corporate strategy – that’s a key role for HR to play, […]
Living Leader Learnings: Longer hours for less pay – How can I motivate my team?
The challenge The project team manager at a building refurbishment company asks: “Motivating my team is really hard at the moment – their salaries have been frozen for the last two years and, because we have been unable to replace some staff members who left, everyone is working harder than ever. They all feel […]
Blog: Do jerks really make it to the top?
Recognise This! – Jerks can only rise so high in their careers. Considerate bosses actually achieve the CEO office more. A disturbing news trend I’ve been seeing during the last several months since the untimely death of Steve Jobs is the rise of the “jerk” boss – an aggressive, in-your-face, even insulting management style being […]
Infographic: UK workers lose faith in senior management
Click on the image to view it full size.
News: HR ‘must find fresh ways of developing tomorrow’s leaders’
HR must avoid traditional “sheep-dip” management training approaches and instead find fresh ways to develop the new kind of leader required to thrive in today’s knowledge-based economy. According to a report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, these leaders are necessary to build a positive workplace culture that is able to get […]
Blog: Don’t be done yet – HR still has a lot of work to do
“I’m done.” Those words were uttered by Andy Roddick last month at the beginning of the U.S. Open. Tennis is unlike a lot of sports, where the coach or general manager lets you know in so many words that it may be time to go. Yes, in most sports they tell you when you are done. […]
Maximising your emotional capital
For 10 years the research has told us that, to besuccessful in our personal and professional lives, we need to show emotional as well as cognitive intelligence. Clear links have also been established between specific emotional skills and outstanding success in the leadership arena. Of course, as HR professionals, we’ve always known that having […]
News: Govt plans to axe employer safety checks garner mixed response
Government plans to exempt hundreds and thousands of businesses from “burdensome” health and safety inspections as part of its pledge to cut business red tape have garnered a mixed response. Under a binding statutory code that is due to be introduced in April 2013, proactive checks will no longer be routinely carried out on premises […]
An HRD’s guide to tackling pension auto-enrolment
As the introduction of pension auto-enrolment becomes increasingly imminent for large organisations (from 1 October this year), we have attempted to answer some of the key questions that HR directors raise about the issue in a bid to help them deal with it as effectively as possible: Q. What is the timetable for auto-enrolment? […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Christina Lattimer
Christina Lattimer, owner of HR and leadership development consultancy People Discovery, has been tackling HR issues for all of her working life, even if she didn’t take up her first official HR position until 10 years ago. “I’ve only been a pure HR specialist since 2002 and was a business manager for lot of years […]
News: Sailors’ pay docked after £1.2m MoD overpayment error
Hundreds of Royal Navy sailors face having up to four day’s pay per month docked after having been mistakenly overpaid to the tune of £1.2 million by the Ministry of Defence. According to the Daily Mirror, the junior ratings were told in a letter received yesterday that they would be required to pay back the […]
Blog: Four leadership challenges faced by Barclays’ new CEO
Over the past few months the commercial banking sector has had its fair share of challenges. The Barclays‘ Libor rigging scandal, negative publicity surrounding bonuses and increased competition from smaller high street banks are to name just a few. No doubt this turbulent environment will present challenges for Anthony Jenkins, who has just become […]