Talent Spot: Lynne Graham, HR director at WSH
For Lynne Graham, HR director of high-end catering services firm, Westbury Street Holdings, employee engagement is more than a buzzword – it has seeped into the fabric of the company. “I have a very strong belief in engagement,” she says. “A lot of companies see engagement as an internal PR exercise – reward and recognition […]
Blog: New Year’s resolution #1: Become a charity trustee
In his Autumn Statement this week, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the UK economy is set to shrink by a worse than expected 0.1% this year. So with an uncertain business climate ahead, businesses will need to work more smartly than ever to ensure that their employees are productive and engaged during 2013. One […]
Book Review: Theodore Roosevelt, CEO
This book is the latest in a series by the author, Axel Axelrod, an historian who makes bold attempts to use historical figures to illustrate lessons for modern business leaders. The structure of the book is clever. You receive a potted history of the individual’s life, followed by a series of chapters in which […]
Legal Insight: Would you hire a reservist?
A recent government announcement that the Territorial Army and other UK reserve forces are to grow to around 35,000 by 2020 will inevitably have an impact on both private and public sector employers as most reservists also have civilian jobs. A consultation entitled ‘Future Reserves 2020: Delivering the Nation’s Security Together’ proposes measures to create […]
The skills paradox flourishes
We are in a skills paradox. On the one hand, headlines have screamed all year of redundancies, high unemployment, and graduates struggling to get a foot through the corporate door. On the other, they have also been warning of rising skills shortages and on-going talent wars. While there has and always will be […]
Blog: Engaging for Success in the words of ITV’s Archie Norman
In my Engage for Success launch blog post last Monday about defining and measuring employee engagement, I also mentioned we heard from Archie Norman, currently chairman at ITV. Archie (I will refer to him by his first name, I hope he doesn’t mind) was invited to talk to us about what employee engagement means to him, and after David MacLeod introduced Archie as […]
Blog: Getting a handle on cross-cultural communication
I’m in Berlin so I guess it’s appropriate that our theme today is cross-cultural communication, how people from different kinds of cultures can get along better. You know, some cultures are more direct and upfront. People just say what they want to say. And other cultures don’t say no, they don’t say yes, they’re more […]
Case Study: Staff wellbeing measures cut sickness absence at Julia’s House
Julia's House is Dorset’s only hospice for children with life-threatening illnesses. It opened in 2006 and staff numbers have since grown from an initial 40-odd to 125 today. Despite the harrowing nature of the work, its employees are highly-engaged and, last year, it was awarded top slot in the charity and public sector category of […]
In a Nutshell: Four ways to create a motivated workforce
The closer that HR is to the workforce, the more positive the benefit that it can have on the business, believes Carol Carson, HR director at vehicle glass repair and replacement specialist, Autoglass. With this in mind, she outlines her views on how to foster a loyal and motivated workforce: 1. Listen Being […]
Talking Point: Do you know how best to help an employee through divorce?
Unlike death, people experience divorce as a failure. But the level of compassion and understanding given to someone who is going through the process isn’t always as apparent as it is for someone who is in mourning. Nonetheless, divorce is one of those ‘crises’ that can completely knock an employee down. Colleagues may try […]
News: Govt offers employers £150m skills development pot
The government’s move to allow employers to bid for a share of a £150 million pot of public money in order to help fund their training schemes has met with an enthusiastic reception, despite concerns over the complexity of the bidding process. The funding is the second round of the Employer Ownership Pilot, which was […]
How to work effectively with the CEO
HR directors are in a unique position to provide credible, strategic advice to the chief executive and have a direct influence over the effectiveness of decision-making and direction-setting. As the organisation’s ‘people experts’, HR directors bring a perspective and expertise that are critical to ensure executive teams do justice to the direction that is set […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to get the most out of your team
Emma Littmoden, as a partner at leadership programme provider, The Living Leader, helps HR directors and other senior managers to find ways of encouraging members of their teams to take individual responsibility and innovate. Here she shares five tips to ensure that you get the most out of both yourself and your staff: 1. Appreciate […]
News: NHS “sleepwalking” into workforce crisis within 3 years
The NHS is “sleepwalking” into a "workforce crisis" within three years due to cuts to existing staff numbers and the axing of thousands of nurse training posts, the government has been warned. The coalition had pledged to protect frontline staff from such cuts even as it demanded £20 billion in efficiency savings. But a […]
Blog: Great ideas can come from anywhere – if you’re prepared to listen
“Don’t credit me with that success. That idea came from a janitor at the NFL Films production facility. He suggested that we take all the fumbles and mishaps and put them to music.” That statement was from Steve Sabol, the late co-founder (with his father, Ed) of NFL Films. NFL Films was started by accident […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Emma Littmoden
On Emma Littmoden’s road to the top, you’ll find some loo roll, wet wipes and a jockey’s uniform. Before becoming sales and business development partner at leadership development provider The Living Leader, Littmoden had earned her sales spurs selling hygiene products and been one of the top five female amateur jockeys in the country. In […]
News: Low employer awareness hampering Work Programme, warns CIPD
The government must boost awareness and understanding of its Work Programme among employers if the scheme is to succeed in its aims of getting the long-term unemployed back into work, the CIPD has warned. But rather than expect the system to churn out work-ready individuals, employers also need to play their part by putting more […]
Six suggestions for boosting how many women sit on the board
Although women make up 51% of the UK population and just under half of the workforce, only 19% of senior management and 9.6% of executive director positions are held by females. So it’s clear that the higher up the management hierarchy you go, the fewer women that there are. Is the same true of […]
Talking Point: Isn’t it time HR focused on solutions rather than problems?
HR professionals often find themselves carrying out administrative and operational tasks that are the responsibility of line managers. They also end up being dragged into other people’s problems, which is both time-wasting and exhausting. How many times have you found yourself doing something that was somebody else’s responsibility, getting bogged down in negativity and […]
Blog: What are the benefits of hiring a recovering alcoholic or drug user?
DrugScope’s London Drug and Alcohol Network, a membership body for drug and alcohol services in the capital, is entering the second phase of a Trust for London-funded project to improve access to employment for people recovering from substance misuse problems. In our last blog, we discussed the barriers that can hold people back. So are […]
