Talent Spot: David Kast, head of HR at Hogg Robinson Group
When David Kast first started working in a branch of travel agency Hogg Robinson Group in the early 1970s, he had no inkling that he would still be working for the same firm 39 years later – or that his career would have veered off into HR and training. Kast had left school unsure of […]
Training budgets first to be cut due to unclear business value
Learning and development budgets are among the first to be cut when times are hard because it is unclear what value training brings to the organisation and what return on investment it generates. According to a survey among 104 learning and development managers undertaken by managed learning company, KnowledgePool, three out of five said that […]
HRD Insight: Enterprise-Rent-A-Car’s Donna Miller on graduate recruitment
Enterprise-Rent-A-Car puts a huge focus on graduate recruitment schemes, with the aim of encouraging fresh thinking and bringing new ideas into the company. The firm, which was set up in 1957, has a culture of promoting from within. It recognises that providing employees with clear opportunities for advancement motivates them and encourages them to […]
Blog: The necessity of developing management resilience
The resilience theme is continuing in my blog posts, this time due to a recent news item I’ve read. According to the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development‘s (CIPD) quarterly Employee Outlook survey, UK middle managers are feeling the squeeze as a result of the economic downturn. The results highlighted that almost half […]
Blog: Are most diversity initiatives just PR stunts?
If we want to create truly sustainable change and a culture of involvement and responsibility throughout our organisations, then we need to examine our every action to ensure that it supports our objectives. Sustainable change requires total commitment, not just rhetoric. Sadly, this isn’t always the case – as a recent survey from recruitment […]
Analysis: Oracle’s Taleo buy marks tipping point in talent management sector
Oracle’s takeover of Taleo yesterday could mark a tipping point in the evolution of the talent management software sector, analysts believe. The story so far is this: SAP buys Software-as-a-Service vendor, SuccessFactors, to beef up its next generation human capital and talent management offerings. Newcomer Workday, which is also an SaaS provider, readies itself […]
Leadership training mandated for senior Whitehall project managers
Civil servants are to receive mandatory training in leadership and project management skills thanks to the creation of a new £7 million Major Projects Leadership Academy. But the initiative, which will be delivered in partnership with Oxford’s Saïd Business School and consultants, Deloitte, is targeted to save the government £10 billion per year once it […]
Management book of the year unveiled
‘The Cult of the Leader’ written by Christopher Bones won the Chartered Management Institute’s ‘Book of the Year’ at an awards ceremony hosted at the British Library in London last night. The work was unanimously assigned the top slot by five judges, including Professor Cary Cooper, Sir Anthony Cleaver and former chief executive of the […]
Blog: Breaking the taboo – How to tackle redundancy and redeployment
Redundancy and redeployment are taboo words which the HR industry is trying to avoid at the moment, but there are times when, unfortunately, we have to face these processes. Obviously this is not something which we take lightly, and alternatives should be considered in the first instance. But if you do have to take the […]
CIPD aims to find new CEO by November
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is looking for a new permanent chief executive by November to replace current incumbent Jackie Orme, who is ill. Orme, who is on long-term sick leave as she undergoes treatment for cancer, has asked to step aside from her duties. When her health allows and she returns to […]
Blog: Taking a leaf out of marketing’s magic book of metrics
How defined is your brand? “I have always believed that great brands are built on improving the lives of the people they serve; I wanted to prove that maximum profit and high ideals aren’t incompatible but, in fact, inseparable,” said Jim Stengel, former global marketing officer of Proctor & Gamble and author of GROW. […]
The Costa Concordia disaster: A personality problem?
Although it is difficult to separate fact from speculation right now, the evidence would appear to suggest that, after the Costa Concordia ran aground, its captain, Francesco Schettino, did not react well. First of all, he seemed to go into denial, before apparently falling to pieces, abandoning ship before his passengers and having to be […]
Blog: Cultivating a success culture
Culture is a complex concept for managers and leaders to understand. It’s hardly surprising, even ‘experts’ have different views about just what it is. Here are just a few of the definitions I found in a few minutes online: The way things are done around here The specific collection of values and norms that […]
Shift over last year in way HR viewed, reveals survey
Two thirds of HR directors believe that the last 12 months has seen a shift in the way the function is viewed, with most feeling that they now have the right level of senior management representation. Video interviews with 18 senior HR professionals from large UK private and public sector organisations undertaken by HR consultancy, […]
Talent Spot: Dan Grant, head of HR at Dell UK
There’s a saying within Dell: ‘It’s not just what you do that’s important, but how you do it…’ It’s a maxim that Dell’s head of HR, Dan Grant, strives to live by. If you’re honest in the way you deal with people and keep your promises, then you can’t go far wrong, he believes. […]
Regional mediation pilots for SMEs unveiled
Two regional mediation pilot projects have been launched in a bid to help resolve workplace disputes in small-to-medium-sized companies before they reach the employment tribunal stage. Cambridge and Manchester will be the first areas to create mediation networks, which will each consist of 24 SMEs that will be selected later in the year. The Department […]
Coral bets on SaaS-based workforce management system
A UK bookie has rolled out WorkPlace System’s Software-as-a-Service-based workforce management offering across 1,700 of its licensed betting shops in order to manage the whereabouts of its 10,000 employees. Coral, which is part of the Gala Coral Group, is the third largest retail bookmaking business in the country, with a market share of approximately 20%. The […]
Talent Spot: Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground
“I’ve made it my business to get as close to the business and operations as possible. As an HR director, it’s not desirable, it’s essential that I know every role in the organisation and that I’m out there speaking to people and knowing how things are done,” says Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground […]
Accord Energy Solutions: Becoming an employee-owned company
If your organisation has ambitious plans for the future and wants to employ the most talented and productive people, then making the transition to employee-ownership could be for you. In 2010, we set up Accord Energy Solutions, an independent hydrocarbon accounting company to provide services to the international oil and gas industry. The aim […]
Blog: Do employee benefits really improve recruitment and retention?
A good deal of businesses see their benefits packages as tools to enhance their retention and recruitment strategies, and employees don’t disagree with them; according to a 2010 survey by MetLife, 43% of employees state that their benefits package has kept them in their current role. Staff turnover costs businesses money, there’s no escaping that, […]
