Leadership forecast gloomy – development needed
Employers must employ a mix of development techniques if they are to improve leadership quality levels that have changed little over the last six years despite an estimated £14 billion in annual investment worldwide. According to a survey among 12,000 leaders and 1,800 HR professionals working in 2,600 organisations across 74 countries undertaken by talent […]
Coalition to spend £60 million on private sector apprenticeships
In a bid to deflect criticism over scrapping a £1 billion fund aimed at tackling youth unemployment, the coalition government has pledged to spend £60 million on creating apprenticeships and work placements in private companies. The ‘Supporting Youth Employment’ scheme is intended to fund 250,000 apprenticeship places for 16- to 24-year olds over the next […]
Recruitment ROI in the ‘new normal’
When I talk to HR leaders across the private and public sectors, and even in the not for profit space, it’s quite clear that attitudes towards recruitment have changed significantly in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. In my opinion, the change is entirely positive for the recruitment industry, which has been greedy and […]
Financial Times to offer first non-exec director post grad course
The Financial Times will start offering the UK’s first formally accredited post-graduate qualification for non-executives directors from 1 September this year. The six-month-long Non-Executive Director Certificate is based on the UK Corporate Governance Code and will be accredited by Edexcel in a bid to support the professionalisation of the sector. Lesley Stephenson, a Financial Times publisher […]
Organisations could use social tools to aid ROI and engagement
Enterprise social media and collaboration tools could help employers to obtain a better return on investment from their knowledge workers and improve engagement, a study has found. A survey among 150 managers and knowledge workers undertaken by Forrester Research on behalf of project and portfolio management software provider AtTask revealed that, despite often high levels […]
New study highlights decision-making differences between genders
Men are prone to make black-or-white judgements when making decisions, while women are more inclined to see shades of grey, according to a study from Warwick University. This means that the former gender appear more suited to work environments that require decisive action, while the latter are likely to be more effective in occupations where […]
HR at a crossroads: can we collaborate to improve business execution?
Successful organisations need strategic HR people working with IT people to create systems that empower the alignment of workforces through a combination of goals, targets, pay for performance, reviews and effective communication of strategy. That’s the theory anyway. The reality – as exposed by a new study from Cloud Computing firm SuccessFactors and services giant […]
Finding new roles for existing staff within your organisation
In spite of many economies being under pressure to grow and the problem of high unemployment levels, acquiring and retaining good people is a constant challenge. Simon North explains. Why is the issue of finding new roles for individuals who are already within your organisation worth discussing? Clearly the issue of keeping what we typically […]
Exclusive: Alan Sugar to star in next ‘Undercover Boss’ TV series
After a barrage of criticism from leading HR thinkers and bloggers, HRzone can today reveal that Alan Sugar is swapping his dictatorial style of ‘You’re fired’ in The Apprentice for the approach taken by the bosses in the UK and US TV series and has gone ‘undercover’ at Amstrad. HRzone.co.uk was able to gain this […]
Skills Active funding cut despite employer satisfaction
The sport and active leisure Skills Sector Council has reacted angrily to the coalition government’s decision to axe its apprenticeship funding despite pledges to create 100,000 new on-the-job training places over the next two years. The Young Apprenticeship scheme in Sports Management, Leadership and Coaching, which is led by Skills Active, the […]
SMEs claim coalition bad for business
Just under half of small-to-medium employers believe that the coalition government’s policies to date have had a negative impact on their business, while just less than a third feel that today’s Budget will make things worse. A survey undertaken by pollster YouGov among 523 senior SME decision-makers revealed that 48% were unhappy with the impact […]
Government plans to drop maternity for SMEs and weaken bribery act revealed
Controversial proposals by the coalition government to exempt some foreign companies from prosecution under the Bribery Act and drop maternity and paternity regulations for small businesses could bring it into conflict with other administrations. Draft guidance being drawn up by the Minister of Justice and seen by the Guardian appears to indicate that foreign companies […]
Asda launches leadership programme
Asda is about to introduce a company-wide leadership programme just as a study revealed that one in four managers have in the past knowingly breached professional conduct guidelines at work. The supermarket chain intends to provide management training to 10,000 bosses across the UK under the auspices of its Asda Leadership Event developed in conjunction […]
Redeploying employees – how to develop a successful strategy
Restructuring has been an increasingly necessary tool for HR to help organisations survive in the recession. However the trend is not over: how do you do this effectively? Cameron Bird, HR Operations director at Santander, explains. The challenging economic circumstances that we have experienced in recent times have forced many organisations to re-structure. According to […]
Help your boss manage – by managing them
Employees must be encouraged to proactively ‘manage upwards’ if they are to support their bosses in performing more effectively, research has revealed. According to a survey undertaken by management and sales training consultancy Krauthammer, some 36% of workers feel that their bosses act in a penalising or dismissive fashion. Although 95% would like their managers […]
Addressing skills gaps in project management
Most projects still fail to meet expectations. Eddie Kilkelly examines the extent to which this failure may be due to a lack of individual competence and identifies potential strategies for bridging skills gaps. Even the best planned and resourced projects can be knocked off track by constant technological change, new market entrants, and fluctuations in […]
Good relations with MD helps retain talent
Personnel in small-to-medium enterprises in Scotland and the North of England are the least likely to change employers because their managing directors treat them more as friends than colleagues, according to a study. A survey undertaken among 250 MDs and owner/managers by Illuma Research on behalf of Manpower’s talent and careers management consultancy Right Management […]
Recession agression – HR managers are getting tougher to demonstrate greater ROI
Tough times call for tough measures and modern HR departments are now finding themselves tasked with delivering rigorous and robust return on investment (ROI), says Jason Willis, Divisional Manager of Reed Human Resources. As the UK creeps out of recession, senior HR bosses need to possess an additional results-driven skill set. There is an increasing […]
David Fairhurst’s decade in HR: How HR earned its place at the top table
David Fairhurst gives his opinion on how the last 10 years have changed HR and where we will go in the future. The last 10 years have been some of the most formative for HR in recent history. The so-called noughties have seen our profession go from strength to strength, from an also-ran in […]
Mediation: an essential skill for today’s leaders
HR professionals and line managers who have been trained in mediation skills report a greater understanding and self-awareness of their own conflict management styles, as well as a significant increase in their confidence and skill levels which enable them to address conflict. Importantly, HR and line managers also report that after undertaking mediation skills training, […]
