Blog: How to offer a benefits package that staff actually want
If your company has an employee benefits package, is it offering your employees what they really want? For employers finding the right employee benefits scheme that helps to motivate and retain staff and that employees actually want can be quite a difficult task, particularly when there are discrepancies between what employers care about and what […]
Blog: Exclusive HRzone survey – What’s your leadership style?
Successful, high performing organisations don’t just happen. They are created and sustained by leaders and managers who build cultures that enable the talent, energy and skills of their workforce to thrive. From my experience working with some of the best global leaders, I know there are five clear roles that managers and leaders need […]
News: Equal pay TV experiment branded “risky” by legal expert
A Channel 4 television programme that challenged the employees of a plumbing company to share how much they earn with each other has been slammed by a legal expert. During the show entitled ‘Show Me Your Money’ which was screened on Wednesday, staff at Pimlico Plumbers swapped salary information in an attempt to create a […]
Blog: Sacked for acting on instinct: Lessons from a lifeguard
His answer was simple: Thanks, but no thanks. “They are trying to fix the wrong that they did. On a personal level, I just don’t want to work for that company anymore,” said Tomas Lopez, 21, of Davie, Florida. “It’s not out of spite against the company. I really just want to move on and get another […]
Blog: Is an anti-bullying policy enough?
Recognise This! – Bullying is a cultural issue that cannot be addressed through a policy in the employee handbook. Have you ever been bullied at work? To some, this is a sensitive question to ask. Some don’t want to acknowledge having been bullied out of fear it will make them seem weak. Others, perhaps, […]
Let the Games commence – But make sure you plan for them
Love them or loathe them, with the Olympics bang on our doorstep, the Games can’t be ignored. Travel disruption and staffing issues will all play havoc with normal working days, particularly for those organisations and workers in and around the capital and other Olympic venues. Demand for holiday leave and increased absenteeism will affect […]
News: Pay and promotion not based on merit, believe UK staff
A huge two thirds of UK employees do not believe that pay rises and promotion at their workplace are based on merit or that their employer provides decent opportunities for career advancement. These are the key findings of a survey among 2,628 workers conducted by professional services company, Towers Watson. The study revealed that […]
Blog: Debunking 5 employee performance myths
Deciphering the myths of employee performance: Myth 1: A Mission Statement is Enough Employee performance touches every part of the organisation. However, simply creating a new company vision every three to four years and setting board level objectives of increasing sales or market share is not enough. Such goals have no relevance to […]
Blog: The Olympics – A matter of trust?
Whether you agree with London Mayor Boris Johnson‘s comments about ‘skiving’ home-workers or not, his outspoken views last week have once again raised the bigger issue of trust. As we move closer to the Olympics, I believe we will see more evidence of companies that do – and companies that don’t – trust their staff. The Olympics is […]
News: Diamond to receive £2m payoff
Bob Diamond will receive a £2 million payoff following his resignation as Barclays’ chief executive, but has given up bonuses worth up to £20 million amid a growing furore over the bank’s rate-rigging scandal. The payment is the equivalent of a year’s salary plus pension contributions and is about twice Diamond’s contractual entitlement based on […]
Blog: The importance of seeing the why in what we do
As a school girl, I was pretty horrendous at meeting deadlines for handing in homework. At the time I didn’t realise the more I was rebuked and reminded I was going to ruin my future, the more resistant I was to doing the work at all. Luckily I scraped by. Progressing to the world of […]
Blog: Fact – Improve management practice by 1% or hire 25% more staff
Recognise This! – A little effort to improve management skills is worth as much as a 25% increase in headcount. A consistent source of good advice and cross-industry perspective on company culture, Blanchard Leader Chat is one of my must-read blogs. Last month, for example, they featured recent global research from McKinsey, Stanford, and […]
HRD Insight: BP Exploration’s Jane Burt on being a charity trustee
Becoming the trustee of a charity is the kind of volunteering work that can complement your career and help you to develop new personal and professional skills. Being a trustee is not only a valuable way of contributing to the third sector, it can also be an interesting and rewarding experience, helping to broaden your […]
News: Whitehall shared service centres fail to deliver expected savings
Shared service centres have failed to deliver expected savings for Whitehall and, in some instances, have cost taxpayers more than they saved, a report has revealed. A study published by the Public Accounts Committee found that, of the five central government departments which signed up to the programme in a bid to cut costs by […]
Blog: Leadership/management lessons from the Diamond debacle
We know that former head of Barclays bank, Bob Diamond, was leading the financial institution during the period in which the well-documented Libor rates or interest rates for inter-bank borrowing, were being manipulated. It has now come to light that Diamond had absolutely no idea it was going on. Surely, if he was at the […]
Blog: RTI and auto-enrolment – Would HMRC like to join us in real-time?
PAYE has remained largely unchanged since it was introduced in 1944 and HMRC believes it needs to be updated to meet the needs of the 21st century. The forthcoming introduction of Real Time Information (RTI) will mark the biggest change in Pay as You Earn (PAYE) for over 60 years. It will impact upon […]
Blog: Punk rock HR – Recruitment
I attended the CIPD HR Software Exhibition the other week, not expecting to be stirred by the experience. To my surprise I spotted a company that is using software to transform the way companies and individuals organise their career development. careerpassport offers an innovative approach to recruitment that stands head and shoulders above […]
Blog: When to use social networks or personal networking?
Most of us have understood the importance of networking to leadership for a long time, but the recent appointment of Julia Hobsbawm by Cass Business School as the world’s first “Professor of Networking” makes it official. I listened to an interview with Hobsbawm on Radio 4 last week and it was what she had to say about […]
Blog: How to boost employee engagement
Recognise This! – Recognition, reputation, and performance management are among the top opportunities for improving engagement as identified by Aon Hewitt. Aon Hewitt recently released their 2012 Trends in Global Engagement. Several findings were unsurprising, but worthy of highlighting as many organisations still struggle with getting these basic factors of engagement success right. First, it’s […]
Blog: Five ways to make your office a comfortable place to work
What makes an office a great place to work? This article reveals the secrets behind great office design and what you need to consider to retain and attract new talent to your workplace. Business owners and HR Managers all have a vision for their company, and part of this vision should include creating the right working environment. […]
