Career management for retention and engagement

It might seem a bit out of place for an employer to get involved in career managing its employees – after all, isn’t a career a personal thing? However that’s no longer the case. Despite economic pessimism, there is still demand for talent and the skills gap means there will always be demand for those […]

Talent drain evident as ‘notice week’ ends

Almost half of UK workers intend to start looking for a new job by the end of the year, but more employees are likely to hand in their notice this week than at any other time during the previous 12 month period.  According to a survey undertaken among 7,500 staff in 10 of Europe’s leading […]

UK unprepared to deal with ageing workforce

The failure of senior executives to recognise the widespread implications of an ageing workforce mean that UK organisations are “woefully underprepared” to deal with the impact on their business.  Despite the impending abolition of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) and the fact that a third of UK workers will be aged over 50 by 2020, […]

Scalable resources future of outsourcing

While just over half of European organisations expect to outsource more IT services in 2010, the focus now is on getting more for their money and gaining access to flexible and scalable resources rather than simply cost-cutting.  The release of the study undertaken by researchers Gartner coincided with an economic policy speech from President Barack […]

Making your business a lean, mean, people machine

In shaky economic times organisations naturally look for ways to stabilise and recently there’s been a strong resurgence in ‘lean’ business management. But, argues Alethea McIntosh, principal consultant at Berkshire Consultancy, the ultimate success of this efficiency-driven model depends not on standardising process but in understanding people, and more specifically diversity. In business, ‘technical’ issues […]

Getting staff to pull in the same direction for the good of the organisation

In today’s economic environment, where reducing costs and improving productivity of employees is top of the agenda, how can we get staff to pull in the same direction in every aspect of the business to achieve the business goals? Individual behaviour, attitude and motivation, team working and alignment to objectives and values – and compliance […]

NHS to roll out ‘competency passport’ scheme

The NHS is set to roll out a national ‘Skills Passport for Health’ scheme in order to improve talent management and reduce admin costs, following the success of a year-long pilot project.   The proof-of-concept trial was undertaken among nursing staff at seven English NHS Trusts during the financial year 2009-2010. Workers created a verified […]

Outsourcing risk not managed effectively

More than half of organisations admit that they require better training and support to improve the effectiveness of outsourcing initiatives in order to boost bottom line performance.  These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 615 contractor managers, sub-contractor buyers, project managers and senior decision-makers from organisations from across the world by Informa’s ESI […]

Ask the expert: Poorly performing line manager

This week the experts, Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on how to handle a poorly performing manager.   The question: I have inherited a poor performing line manager in my team, the issues are: There is no team motivation in his department He is not spending anytime training & developing his new team members […]

Ask the expert: Change to rate of bank holiday pay

This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith advise on how to change a rate of pay.   The question: Change to rate of bank holiday pay I am thinking of reducing the premium we pay to staff for working on a bank holiday from double time to time and a half. We have […]

Flexible working key to retention

While a huge 85% of workers would be more likely to stay with their current employer if they offered a broader range of flexible working options, less than half of organisations currently do so.  These are the findings of a survey among 680 workers and 420 employers undertaken by recruitment agency Hays in June this […]

Dragon advocates softer management approach

Alan Sugar’s famous style of leadership is in the firing line of recent research which claims the economic downturn has had a dramatic effect on how bosses manage their staff. The research found that people respond far better to a more ‘touchy-feely’, empathetic manager at the helm of their company rather than an intimidating, authoritarian […]

Out of date policies putting businesses at risk

Too many companies are failing to revise internal procedures in order to comply with new equality and anti-bribery legislation, leaving them open to potential prosecution, lawyers have warned. According to a survey of more than 100 HR directors undertaken by law firm Pannone, just under two thirds of respondents still routinely use pre-employment health questionnaires […]

James Reed: The three Rs – recruitment, retention and relationships

James Reed is chairman of Reed specialist recruitment, who are celebrating 50 years of recruiting. Here he talks Charlie Duff through what has changed in the industry, from recruitment through to talent and retention.   How did Reed start? Reed was set up by my father, Alec Reed and 2010 is a particularly special year […]

Government may plug BT pensions

Only days after BT averted strike action by reaching a £50 million deal on staff pay, its trustees are going to the High Court to seek a ruling on the extent to which the government should underwrite its £9 billion pension deficit.  If the ruling goes in the telco’s favour and the government underwrites its […]

Leadership Matters: Affair between director and her direct report

This column answers your questions on leadership, talent management, performance improvement  and the employee behavioural issues that can cause even the best leadership techniques to go awry. This time an affair between a director and a person reporting to them is making life awkward. The dilemma My manager (a director) has been having an affair […]

The management world is still turning

In days long ago we recruited people as managers because of their character, as shown by their attitude and achievements. It was at the end of WWII when there was much to be done; the view was that well proven leadership and a good strong character were the qualities most needed for responsible jobs. That […]

Emergency budget – what it means for HR and employers

This ‘emergency’ budget, delivered by Chancellor George Osborne (flanked by two Liberal Democrats to prove how well the coalition is working and how much cross-party support the financial plan has) could be significant for managers and HR, according to business leaders and the CIPD. John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel […]

Duck! Handling your human capital in a crisis

When a crisis hits, organisations instinctively prioritise their physical assets such as data and premises as they rally to continue ‘business as usual’. But when it comes to planning for the worst, making sure staff are looked after should be just as important, argues Graham Whitehouse, of HR and payroll provider Selima. With volcanic ash, […]

Social media still ‘misunderstood by management’

Even though social media can be useful as an internal tool to encourage staff to network and share information among themselves, management fears over loss of control, reputational damage and legal issues are holding back adoption.  According to a ‘Social Media Survey’ undertaken among 2,600 internal communications professionals from 1,800 organisations by research and training […]