Blog: Are employers offering fathers enough support?
Research shows many fathers are dissatisfied with the amount of time they spend at work and the amount of time they spend with their children. Some 54% of fathers with children under one feel they are not devoting enough time to them, while 42% of fathers feel they are not able to spend enough time […]
Blog: Three ideas for retaining young talent when career paths are scarce
Recognise This! – Boomers are about to surpass Gen Y in the workplace. Steve Boese (another go-to blogger of mine for anything relevant and important in the moment in HR) recently pointed out this alarming statistic: For the first time since these things started being tracked (1950), we are on the cusp of the number […]
How to tackle your first 100 days as HR director – Part 1
We live in a rapidly changing world in which the political and economic outlook for the next 12 months is very unclear. In this unstable commercial environment, uncertainty about the future feeds a growing sense of urgency in the here and now. As a result, judgments are made much more quickly. This means that […]
News: Employers delude themselves over staff engagement levels
Employers appear to be deluding themselves that workplace relations are positive and staff morale high when in fact two thirds of employees don’t trust their bosses and 58% are indifferent to their work. According to a survey entitled ‘Facing the Future’ undertaken among 319 employers by the CBI and recruitment consultancy, Harvey Nash, just under […]
Blog: Cracking employee communication codes QR-style
In spite of how you might feel about technology, you must admit that it’s making some aspects of employee communication much easier and improving communication between employer and employee. Let’s look at the QR (Quick Response) codes for example…used properly and following a few basic rules, these little barcodes can create a huge impact […]
Blog: Five ego traits to drop if you want to become a better team player
We all claim a positive ego when we admit we have one. When discussing the ego we often refer to a healthy ego, which means having in place healthy boundaries, or a good sense of self, or having a clear identify. The free dictionary describes the ego as: 1. The Self, especially as distinct […]
News: Shop floor workers make better leaders than general managers
Bosses who have experience of working on the shop floor make better leaders than career general managers, research has found. A study conducted by London’s Cass Business School and the University of Sheffield, in which academics analysed every Formula One race – almost 18,000 – that had been staged over the last 60 years, […]
News: Police forces consider canning G4S shared services deal
Three UK police forces are reportedly evaluating whether to drop joint plans to outsource 1,100 back office jobs to G4S following its Olympic security staffing debacle. According to the Guardian, the chief constables of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire police met yesterday and agreed to rethink the move. It was stated only last month that […]
Blog: Seven reasons why the FA should try John Terry
Despite the acquittal of Chelsea and England defender, John Terry, for racism by Westminster Magistrates’ Court, there are seven reasons why the Football Association must try him for his comments against Queens Park Rangers player, Anton Ferdinand: 1. What the magistrate actually said to Terry John Terry was acquitted of the criminal charges because […]
Blog: How family-friendly is your organisation?
Any organisation with more than a few employees will have staff that are having children. It’s a big deal, not only for them, but for the employer too. Even though this is the case, many organisations provide little in the way of learning support for these staff. Interestingly those employers that do assist their […]
Blog: Four ways to cope with a busy workload
In the final part of our ‘Health Life Balance’ series, we will look at how to create a healthy mental attitude for a busy work life. It’s important to get the job done, but you don’t want to burn the candle at both ends and end up so stressed that you are no longer productive. Here are […]
Blog: Three reasons staff lie to get time off work
Recognise This! – Responsible managers and HR Pros must dig deeper to understand the real reasons behind employees embellishing reasons to miss work. Is it ever okay to lie to get vacation days you want? Of course, the obvious answer is, “No.” But giving the obvious answer and moving on is the lazy way […]
News: Olympics at work? Get a TV licence – now
Employers will need to buy a TV licence if they allow staff to watch the Olympics at work this summer, the TV Licensing body has warned. A recent survey by telecoms watchdog, Ofcom, found that more than a quarter of working adults in the UK – or 38 million – plan to tune in to more […]
Blog: How often should I change my job?
The job for life no longer exists. Modernisation of the world of work means many employees must now work harder to turn their dream career into reality. The old career paths have disappeared and you have to take responsibility for your career and progress. Perhaps you feel you’ve reached a career ceiling but still have the […]
Blog: How to have a high impact interview – From both sides of the desk
Whether you’re looking for a job or a job-holder, chances are you’ll have a few interviews ahead of you! Personally, I enjoy interviews, whichever side of the desk I’m on. I get to chat about myself and my work over a cup of tea to someone who wants to know – what’s not to like?! […]
Talent Spot: Eivind Slaaen, Hilti’s head of people and culture development
For Eivind Slaaen, head of people and culture development at Hilti, creating the right company environment is imperative. But the irony is that, although developing culture is at heart of what his department does, such activity is considered a line management issue rather than an HR one. “I have HR colleagues who struggle with […]
Is it time to get out of HR?
The route to the top in HR is fairly standard – you work your way up from HR adviser, spend some time in an HR specialism like comp and bens, acquire line management experience and impress the big bosses while doing it all. The shortage of HR representation at board level is well documented. But […]
Blog: Seeing eye-to-eye
How do you feel when someone doesn’t look you in the eye? It’s amazing what people read into poor eye contact. Peoples’ perceptions may differ but they all have one thing in common – they’re all negative … they’re all bad. Here are some of the comments I get on my confidence building courses […]
Blog: Stories from the HR journey
I don’t know about you but I love hearing about the different journeys people have through HR. Some have been clear about their path all the way through. Others have joined the HR community part way through their working life. Some specialise and some like the variety of a more generalist role. The twists […]
K2 Advisory research note: Is UK-based Fairsail a credible rival to SAP and Oracle?
In the recent past, we’ve seen some significant moves in the HR applications space by SAP and Oracle, which have spent something like $5.3 billion between them on SuccessFactors and Taleo respectively. However, while this is clearly very significant for the market, there are, of course, other suppliers that you should still consider. At […]