Inspire learning through emotional connections
"Inspired to change the way we work." As well as providing a range of different skills and business techniques, attending a learning event, whether a course, or a seminar, is all about taking the opportunity to increase confidence or be inspired to change the way we work. If we remind ourselves of the definition of […]
Are you part of the culture club?
The might of globalisation How big is Planet Earth? A quick Google search will tell you that it’s the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, with a radius of 6,371km and a surface area of 510,072,000 km². And yet, despite the almost incomprehensible size and volume of the planet we live on, […]
What do we do next? The only leadership question you need to ask
Andrew’s insight in this article is based on three years spent with the Royal Navy, examining their attitudes and. From this experience he wrote a book, Royal Navy Way of Leadership. Every time we put ourselves in dangerous situations there are leadership lessons to be learned. Mountaineering and military operations are some of the best places […]
New Year’s Resolution: how about a new job?
2014 will shortly be upon us, along with the time honoured tradition of setting our New Year’s resolutions. Get fitter, lose weight, stop smoking, learn a language, take up an extreme sport – the list of possible goals is endless. Unsurprisingly, one that frequently appears as we reflect on our achievements over the past 12 […]
Leadership development is not working. Here’s why…
If your reaction to my rather controversial title was to want to close the internet page and go do something else you are probably having an avoidance reaction! Your brain experienced the title as a threat. You probably felt you really don’t want to read about this but as a professional you decided to scan the […]
We must move away from parent/child management styles
Some people believe that management and parenting are very closely intertwined. In fact, managers that show compassion, encourage the development of their staff and make an effort to understand the challenges they face might be considered the most popular. Employees often feel they particularly benefit from this typically nurturing approach. Whilst there is always a […]
Part-time workers – take a long-term view every time
There has been a lot of debate recently regarding part-time workers and recent research paints quite a negative view as it reveals 75 per cent of part-time workers feel trapped in their jobs and unable to progress. In my opinion, this is partly down to employers taking quite a short-term view to their recruitment strategy. […]
Top 50 tips to achieving customer service excellence
This piece was written by Chris Tyrrell, Senior Assessor with standards organisation Customer Service Excellence (CSE). Customer Service Excellence was set up and trade marked by the Cabinet Office. With the economy still as unpredictable as ever, with major organisations going into administration every week, good customer service is more important now than it ever […]
Is leadership development actually meeting the challenges faced by today’s leaders?
The Issue The nature and scale of the challenges currently facing leaders is captured in a recent survey, The Management Agenda 2013 by Roffey Park Management Institute, based on responses from 1460 managers. This shows that 20 percent rate the leadership in their organisation as poor, while 25 percent also report that culture change initiatives […]
UK SMEs neglecting to provide staff with adequate personal development path
Close to half (47 percent) of surveyed UK employees feel their SME employers do not invest enough in their personal development. A further quarter (27.9 percent) admitted to having never discussed training or personal development at all. This problem is particularly acute in London and the South East, where positive responses to the breatheHR survey, […]
Blog: top tips for training finance staff
The NHS Foundation Trust is a big believer in staff development. Helen Rourke, Assistant Finance Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, shares her tips on training finance staff of all skill levels and abilities through a formal qualification. The NHS Foundation Trust has supported a significant number of finance staff through formal […]
Part timers worry about job security
Part-time staff are more worried about job security than their full-time co-workers, according to Legal & General’s Job Security Index. Job losses at HMV, Rolls Royce and other high-profile companies have helped knock the confidence of all workers, but the drop has been most notable among part-time workers. The Index showed that 65% […]
Vocational training wins SME backing
Vocational qualifications and apprenticeships are gaining popularity with smaller employers as a means of recruiting, training and retaining skilled employees and boosting business performance. A survey of 1,000 SMEs by a group of further education organisations found college leavers were better prepared for the workplace, with a better attitude and higher motivation than school […]
Employee engagement = good customer service
New research this week from the Institute for Customer Service reinforces what has now become the received wisdom around customer service. In the battle for customers, it is the behaviour of your people on the front line who have the biggest say on whether they come back for more or do business with someone else. […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to encourage a positive attitude
In the current climate, a lot of workers are feeling demotivated and dissatisfied. As a result, employee engagement activity has never been so important, particularly as there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that it can be linked to improved financial and staff performance. But how can you encourage better engagement within your workforce? According […]
Blog: How to receive feedback in an effective manner
Even though most of us recognise the benefits of receiving feedback, it can still be difficult to accept criticism and actually learn from the information. Feedback is important because it keeps us informed and helps us learn how to improve. All feedback is beneficial whether it is positive or negative. Feedback is important to your […]
Talent Spot: Julia Warren, HR director at Serco UK and Europe
When Julia Warren joined the graduate programme at the John Lewis Partnership in 1982, she had every intention of becoming a general manager as she loved customer service and retail. Two years in, however, her “crazy managing director” asked her whether she would like to run staff management. She was only 23, had no […]
Talent management in a post-recession world
The UK may have officially emerged from recession towards the end of last year, but many employers are still worried about the stability of their workforce – especially if greater business confidence and improving job opportunities make it more likely that talented staff will start jumping ship. In our HR 2012 Salary and Market Insight […]
Case Study: Inchcape Shipping Services standardises global HR to boost efficiency
Inchcape Shipping Services is in the process of standardising its HR processes in a bid to boost efficiency and better understand its workforce across the 67 countries in which it operates. Rapid growth and global expansion meant that the maritime services provider had so far failed to introduce global HR or any other IT systems […]
Employee engagement – and how to get it
The McLeod Review concluded two years ago that levels of employee engagement in the UK were disappointingly low, largely because managers had failed to realise the importance of the concept. The review, led by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Its findings were welcomed by […]
