Blog: How to stop a lacklustre induction process creating an induction crisis
A recent survey has apparently shown that 2 out of 5 new starters at senior level seriously consider jacking in the new job within 3 months, due to rubbish onboarding processes by HR – in other words, ‘induction crisis’. It’s no revelation that the first few months in any job are critical – if you get […]
Blog: Remember your manners – The benefits of just saying ‘thank you’
“All I want is for someone, sometime, just one time, to say thank you.” She works late every night, and pulls long hours. This particular morning she left home at 5:30 to make sure she got in to prepare for the big meeting. She left at 8 that night to go home. As she […]
How to reframe your performance review
Imagine the scene… your annual performance review is due tomorrow afternoon. Lots of new projects have kicked off in the last few months and you have been working your socks off. Work is still very chaotic and busy which means you have very little time to do much preparation for your review. So you […]
Blog: Eight tips for handling a ‘difficult conversation’
No-one likes having ‘difficult’ conversations – but as a manager it is inevitable that at some point an issue will arise that has to be addressed. It may be that an employee’s performance is under par, a project has gone horribly wrong or a crucial meeting has been mishandled. It’s tempting to sweep poor […]
Blog: The World of HR – Today’s frustrations, tomorrow’s dreams Part 2
Last week we told you about a time travel challenge we posed some of our clients. We asked them in 20 years’ time, when you look back at HR, what would you tell people it was famous for? We asked them to complete the sentence: “A long time ago, in a company far, far […]
Talking Point: Isn’t there a better way to make redundancies?
A huge 2.7 million people in the UK have been made redundant over the last three years. But as shocking as that statistic is, even more shocking is the fact that the current model for making such redundancies isn’t mandated by law, is unnecessary, and is as harmful for those taking such action (organisations, HR […]
Blog: Would you hire someone with a drug or alcohol dependency?
The HRZone community will already be well aware that getting people ‘back to work’ and reducing the welfare bill are central to this government’s ambitions. What may not be so familiar is the way in which this broader political context is reflected in policy on treatment for drug and alcohol problems. The vision of […]
Blog: Does Boris demonstrate the five fundamentals of leadership? Part 1
Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s popularity has risen to such an extent that commentators are increasingly speculating over the possibility that the eccentric former journalist could be the next Prime Minister. The mayor’s meteoric rise received a welcome boost from a successful London 2012, but has he got what it takes to be an international […]
What to do when there’s board trouble
The effect on an organisation when big mistakes hit the headlines can be very destructive – and you don’t have to look much into the recent past to see some high profile examples. These include G4S and its staffing problems during the Olympics and Bob Diamond’s resignation from Barclays bank following the rigging of the […]
Blog: When did you last challenge wrongdoing around you?
So the USADA report is out and it makes it abundantly clear that the sport I enjoyed watching for years has been a dirty cheating farce (like I didn’t already know right?). The situation surrounding Lance Armstrong is a great example of the danger of a typical hierarchy. The person at the top takes ultimate responsibility, sure. And […]
Living Leader Learnings: Do 360 degree feedback systems really work?
The Challenge The HR manager at a software development company asks: “Because feedback is really hard to get, we’re thinking of introducing a 360 degree feedback system into our organisation. In your experience, do people really respond to them honestly and what are the benefits and pitfalls of this kind of system?" The Solution […]
How to create a physically healthy workplace
According to the Health and Safety Executive’s latest figures, we’re gradually getting the message about making the working environment a more healthy one. The organisation indicates that, between April 2010 and March 2011, around 1.2 million people were suffering from an illness caused or made worse by their job, down from 1.3 million the previous […]
Blog: Social recruitment – Stop hunting, start fishing
Accepting that there are ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’ it is claimed that over a third of the people in the world are registered members and users of social networks. In developed, highly networked regions such as the US and Western Europe that figure can approach eighty per cent. Furthermore, once you have accounted for […]
The HR Headmistress: How to weed out litigious job candidates
The world is full of bounty hunters. Their game is to exploit any holes left by careless employers that could give them a chance to sue for big bucks. Most of the risks involve candidates alleging some form of discrimination on the grounds of a protected characteristic. Anti-discrimination legislation was created to help […]
News: Celebrity campaigns help reduce mental health stigma at work
Less stigma is being attached to mental health issues than a year ago following a number of TV and press campaigns and celebrities talking openly about their conditions, research has found. A survey among 1,000 employers and 1,000 staff conducted by insurance provider Aviva, published to coincide with World Mental Health Day, revealed that just […]
Blog: World Mental Health Day – How to deal with depression
British workers are apparently the most depressed in Europe. According to a new study, the Impact of Depression in the Workplace in Europe, one in four British workers (26 percent) will take time off work for depression – compared to around one in ten across Europe. We’re also likely to be off work for longer, […]
Blog: What Boris can teach us about resilience
As nights draw in during early October, and the rain beats down outside, another political party conference season continues and we see some leaders blossom while others blunder! While George Osborne spreads apocalyptic doom across the country of slashed benefits spending and ever worsening public finances, we can rely upon Boris Johnson to raise our […]
Talking Point: Do you know what stress looks like?
Health and Safety Executive figures show that 10 million working days are lost in the UK each year to stress. Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 30 days off work, resulting in an annual cost to British business estimated to be in excess of £5 billion. And the problem […]
News: UK’s most satisfying HR software to be unveiled at Harrods
The great and the good of the UK business software industry will gather at the Software Satisfaction Awards‘ traditional venue of Harrods this week to hear who this year’s winners are. Organised by HRZone‘s publisher Sift Media in association with Intellect, the SSAs comprise the UK’s biggest survey of opinion among business software users – this […]
CEO Insight: Spencer Ogden’s David Spencer-Percival on engagement
The workforce of 2012 is a fluid one. Gone are the days when a job was for life. But even in this time of increased job insecurity, when you would assume that most employees would cling onto their positions for dear life, the rate of staff turnover is high. Figures vary according to industry, […]
