Blog: Getting your champagne stories ready for Christmas
December is a time of celebration, thanks and appreciation for many people in business. For others it’s also the end of a financial year and so appraisals are happening too. One leader I am working with described the appraisal season as the most remarkable time where she’s been reminded of what her team […]
What can HR learn from the sales team?
Every business professional could improve their performance by adopting tried-and-tested selling techniques. But it is particularly true of those working in HR, a profession that requires top quality people and communication skills and the ability to win boardroom buy-in on often alien concepts ranging from workplace wellbeing strategies to the latest employee benefits. But […]
Seasonal workers – How to ensure many happy returns
Many organisations look forward to the festive season as a time of generating major revenues – and, despite the difficult economic climate, it appears that business was brisker for many in November than had been expected. To ensure that things run smoothly during this busy time, however, most rely on temporary labour to help them […]
Blog: Punk Rock HR – Counting down the top 10 Christmas HR tips
In this mini series, I’m going to count down 10 HR tips as seen through the eyes and ears of Punk Rock. A kind of "HR Top of the Pops" but without the DJ. No need to pogo whilst reading these unless you must. Punk HR refers to brevity, simplicity and purity of thought […]
Making the right choices to ensure career success
In order to consistently perform to the peak of your ability and have the best chance of delivering the results that you crave, it’s really important that you understand where to focus the power of choice. Having worked with Olympians over the past 15 years, we’ve learnt some very important lessons regarding the choices that […]
How to limit the financial risk of salary sacrifice schemes
As salary sacrifice schemes provide the opportunity to offer cost-neutral employee benefits, it’s no surprise that they are becoming an increasingly popular option for many businesses, especially as a way of funding high-value benefits such as company cars. As appealing as such schemes may seem, however, without a carefully thought through approach to management and […]
Three considerations for effective succession planning
In the wake of the crisis that engulfed the BBC following the Jimmy Savile scandal, the broadcaster’s director general, George Entwistle, was forced to resign after only 54 days in the job. But less than a fortnight later, the BBC Trust was able to announce his replacement. Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead, chief executive […]
Blog: How best to protect your staff when travelling abroad
Having offices in multiple countries, our employees travel between countries with relative frequency. It got me thinking about the importance of having a good system in place for sending employees abroad. So I asked Dan Skilken of Trip Insurance to offer some advice on the business of… well, business travel. This is what he […]
Talking Point: If we are what we eat, what kind of workforce have you got?
What we eat has a big impact on our performance at work in relation to everything from mental clarity and energy to stamina and productivity. This is because food governs how well both our bodies and our brains function. Food makes our mood. Yet all too many employers treat the food issue as an […]
Relationship building – The power of feedback
Everyone has issues with people at work that make them angry, dissatisfied, annoyed or distracted such as a boss that doesn’t provide clear expectations or appreciation. Work can be a nightmare when relationships are in trouble. Equally, there are pleasant teams where people are kind, respectful and cheerfully collude with ideas that are ultimately […]
Infographic: How staff engagement boosts business performance
Click on the image to view it full size.
News: Eight ways to cope with the clocks going back
As the clocks go back this Sunday and the days continue to darken, millions of workers will once again find themselves suffering from the winter blues as British summertime officially ends. The short days can have a significant impact on some employees’ health and wellbeing, but the time change can also lead to short-term complications […]
The HRZone Interview: Jon Ingham on where HR is going wrong
In the view of Jon Ingham, HR consultant, author and blogger, the current obsession of HR practitioners to be seen as business people first and HR professionals second could seriously backfire. The danger is that, by becoming too much like everyone else in the business, HR will lose sight of what its key focus should […]
Unified HCM: Why it matters
Unified HCM. Unified talent. Integrated talent management. So many terms. So many definitions. Does it all really matter? The answer is yes! Many companies have deployed core HR systems with separate “best-of-breed” talent management solutions. All too often this approach doesn’t have the positive impact on business performance that is expected. A commonly cited reason […]
News: HR needs to break out of its comfort zone, warns report
Too many HR professionals are struggling to meet the needs of a constantly changing global business environment and feel themselves paralysed in the face of seemingly monumental challenges, research has warned. The study mirrors the findings of a report published earlier this week by management consultancy, KPMG, which revealed that the majority of senior executives […]
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: 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 […]
News: Lack of HR support means 1/3 senior hires consider quitting in first 3 months
A failure by top managers to work closely enough with HR means that two out of five senior hires consider quitting in their first 90 days and are 50% less productive than they would otherwise be. According to a survey among 283 senior executives and 38 HR directors conducted by recruitment consultancy, Harvey Nash, a […]
Blog: Are British workers really the most idle in the world?
British workers are among the most idle in the world, according to a book written by five Tory MPs. In the book ‘Britannia Unchained: Lessons for Growth and Prosperity’ the authors wrote: “Once they enter the workplace, the British are among the worst idlers in the world. We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and […]
