Bridging the leadership communication gap
Senior leaders often fail to communicate transparently with employees, creating a trust gap between management and staff. HR must bridge this divide by focusing on organizational culture and helping leaders explain the reasoning behind their decisions.
Talent Spot: Nikki Hall, chief HR officer at SHL Group
Nikki Hall has served as chief HR officer at SHL Group for 12 years, overseeing the company through multiple mergers while maintaining a dual role that combines HR leadership with product management expertise in talent assessment software.
Nearly half of staff slam managers as “ineffective”
A survey of 4,500 managers reveals that 43% of employees consider their managers ineffective due to inadequate leadership training. Research shows that proper management development can boost organizational performance by 23%, yet many employers use ineffective training methods instead of proven approaches like professional qualifications.
Blog: Finding the right way to praise
Effective praise requires specificity and authenticity. Rather than generic recognition, leaders should identify exactly what employees did well to make a tangible impact. This small shift in how managers deliver feedback can drive significant improvements in employee performance and engagement.
Is interim HR management for you?
Interim HR management appeals to senior practitioners seeking new challenges, offering diverse clients and greater flexibility, but requires overcoming obstacles like securing initial assignments and effective networking to succeed in this demanding career path.
Change programmes: Asking the awkward questions
As organizations face economic pressures, change programmes often require cost-cutting and restructuring. HR directors must ask critical questions about staff impact, redundancies, and consultation to ensure changes are implemented effectively while managing the human and organizational consequences fairly across all levels.
Seven secrets to managing change effectively
Successful organizational change requires clear vision, visible leadership alignment, employee engagement, and honest communication. These seven principles help manage transitions smoothly and transform potential fear into positive organizational outcomes when properly implemented.
CEO Insight: SuccessFactors’ Lars Dalgaard on new owner, SAP
SuccessFactors CEO Lars Dalgaard discusses SAP’s acquisition of his company, explaining how the merger accelerates the firm’s growth trajectory and positions cloud-based human capital management at the center of enterprise software competition.
Leadership development is top L&D priority in bid to “sort wheat from chaff”
Leadership development has become the top L&D priority for employers in 2012, with 47% ranking it first or second priority compared to 35% the previous year. Organizations aim to identify and develop true leaders while using training to drive business growth, maintain engagement, and manage change.
Blog: Harnessing employee emotional intelligence to boost productivity
Employee emotional intelligence significantly impacts workplace productivity and team performance. A JCA study of 12,400 workers found emotional intelligence has declined since the financial crisis, making it essential for employers to assess and develop this skill through psychometric tools, business simulations, and 360° feedback.
HR’s critical role in shaping company culture post-M&A
HR directors must prioritize guiding organizational culture from the start of a merger or acquisition, as culture significantly impacts long-term deal success. Rather than imposing new values through top-down initiatives, effective cultural integration requires establishing the right processes and leadership behaviors that authentically demonstrate the combined organization’s vision and strategy.
Blog: Why is staff engagement in decline globally?
Global employee engagement has declined significantly across six major economies, according to recent Kenexa research. The data reveals engagement peaked in 2009-2010 before dropping sharply, likely due to unfulfilled employer reinvestment expectations following economic recovery. Leaders can reverse this trend by prioritizing work-life balance, developing better leadership skills, and investing in employee training opportunities.
Ask the Expert: When should we CRB-check our site engineers?
Site engineers need CRB checks if they work at schools or vulnerable-care facilities on a frequent (monthly) or intensive basis, even without direct child contact. Service partners’ employers are typically responsible for obtaining their own CRB clearance, though it’s best to clarify responsibility agreements upfront.
Dept of Health apologises for paying senior execs via limited companies
The Department of Health apologized for misleading Parliament about paying senior executives through limited companies, a tax avoidance arrangement affecting 25 identified cases. Internal documents reveal staff salaries were paid directly to shell companies, potentially reducing tax bills, with officials warning the practice may be widespread across government departments.
Talent Spot: David Kast, head of HR at Hogg Robinson Group
David Kast spent 39 years at Hogg Robinson Group, starting as a branch employee in 1973 and eventually becoming head of HR. His career evolved from branch manager to training specialist, helping drive the company’s expansion through the 1980s and navigating major business transformation in the 1990s.
Training budgets first to be cut due to unclear business value
Training budgets are frequently cut first during downturns because organizations struggle to measure training’s business value and return on investment. A survey found 79% of L&D managers agree that improving how training is evaluated could help protect budgets by demonstrating clear alignment with business goals.
HRD Insight: Enterprise-Rent-A-Car’s Donna Miller on graduate recruitment
Enterprise-Rent-A-Car prioritizes graduate recruitment and internal promotion to develop talent and foster company loyalty. Graduates begin in retail operations to understand core business values before advancing through various roles, creating clear career pathways and strong team camaraderie.
Blog: The necessity of developing management resilience
UK middle managers face excessive pressure, with nearly half reporting daily or weekly stress according to recent CIPD survey data. Developing management resilience is essential to prevent disengagement from filtering through organizations and impacting overall workforce motivation and performance.
Blog: Are most diversity initiatives just PR stunts?
Nearly half of UK workers view their organizations’ diversity initiatives as mere PR stunts, according to a recent survey. Creating sustainable change requires genuine leadership commitment and consistent behavioral alignment, not just policy rhetoric.
Analysis: Oracle’s Taleo buy marks tipping point in talent management sector
Oracle’s acquisition of Taleo marks a significant defensive move in talent management software, directly countering SAP’s SuccessFactors purchase and competing with rising SaaS vendor Workday. The deal signals the sector’s shift toward cloud-based human capital management solutions.
