Book review: You can manage people
Title: You can manage peopleAuthor: Kieran Maloney & Paul StanfordISBN: 978-1-905823-88-8Price: I read the reviews on the back cover and was pleased at the prospect of reviewing a “straightforward” book and “a very easy read, light and none of the fluffy stuff.” The only problem was that I am a manager with 18 years […]
AA accused of ‘corporate bullying’
The Automobile Association is indulging in “corporate bullying” by attempting to ‘performance manage’ 450 staff out of their jobs in a bid to replace them with cheaper, lower skilled workers, the GMB union has claimed. Patrollers across the country have allegedly been called into meetings and given a “take it or leave it” offer of […]
Coming full circle – the four levels of performance appraisal
Despite widespread usage of annual staff appraisals within all sizes and types of organisations, in the vast majority of cases the process is time-consuming and unpopular because in most people’s experience appraisals deliver little value, to the employee or the organisation itself. Peter McHugh, CEO of Covalent Software suggests that the employee performance review processes […]
Ask the expert: Am I really redundant?
This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith advise on whether this HR practitioner is being made redundant fairly. The question: Am I really redundant? I have worked for my current employer for 19 years as their HR/Payroll & Benefits Manager. Four weeks ago I was called into a meeting with the […]
Older workers neglected in training and performance
If employers fail to tackle the current widespread neglect of older workers’ training and performance management requirements, they will leave themselves open to discrimination claims when the default retirement age is phased out in October. This is the warning issued by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development after publishing a survey of 2,000 respondents, […]
Managers failing to motivate and communicate
Poor management communication and an inability to motivate staff are key reasons why only a third of UK personnel are currently working to their full potential, a report has claimed. A survey among 2,000 workers undertaken by staff development company European Leaders revealed that a huge two thirds failed to understand their company’s vision, which […]
Serious problems with vocational business courses in schools
There is a “serious problem” with the quality of the vocational business courses being offered by the majority of English schools, inspectors have warned. Ofsted said in a report entitled ‘Economics, business and enterprise education’ that it was unhappy with the courses being provided at 30 out of 39 English schools. Even though students often […]
Book review: How to get top marks in… Managing poor work performance
Jeremy Badcock is our peer reviewer this time and he finds this advice from Kate Russell a useful tool to pass on to new managers. Title: How to get top marks in… Managing poor work performanceAuthor: Kate RussellISBN: 0954605454 It is quite a challenge to review a book written by someone calling herself the HR […]
The success factors: goal setting, execution tools and performance feedback
A study has found that companies which set and align goals, vary performance feedback and use tools effectively to increase business execution see higher stock returns and grow more quickly than those who don’t. The research, which was undertaken with data on goal setting, alignment, and system usage characteristics in 153 of SuccessFactors publicly […]
The promotion card – why your top performers are not always the best candidates
Cris Beswick on why your top performers are not always those you want to promote. Really? Read on and find out… In my experiences of working with businesses, stimulating fresh thinking and new answers comes from diverse viewpoints and perspectives. I encourage businesses to actively seek out and recruit people who offer something different […]
The HR Headmistress asks: Overtime – is it bad for business?
From being a fact of working life, overtime has become a very emotive subject. Perhaps that’s the influence of the rise of the work-life balance lobby. Setting aside business owners, for whom 30-40 hours overtime a week is the norm, in the main there are two discrete groups of workers who regularly work overtime. Historically, […]
Fleet life: Tackling the fuel price problem
Despite experiencing “pump shock” from soaring fuel prices, businesses can take practical steps to minimise the pain at the pumps and strengthen the appeal of car benefits, says Paul Hollick of multi-marque car leasing company Alphabet. The sharp increase in pump prices – fuel prices have increased by 40% in real terms over the last […]
This ain’t a war, it’s a long term talent management strategy
If there is a silver lining to the recession, it is that companies were forced to focus on the issues that really matter. While some thought this would herald a war on talent, this wasn’t the case. Now that economic recovery is underway, businesses have begun investing heavily in long-term strategies to enhance talent and […]
Employers working with managers and GPs see fall in sickness absence
Employers that both train line managers appropriately and introduce tougher targets in relation to staff sickness absence are a third more likely to reduce non-attendance rates than those that fail to take action. These are the key findings of a survey among 454 organisations undertaken by UK manufacturing member body EEF and health insurance provider, […]
Coaching ‘vital’ to laid off managers
Coaching can play a “vital” role in helping older managers cope with finding themselves unexpectedly on the job market again after being laid off, research has found. The two-year study undertaken jointly by academics at the Universities of Surrey and Bath among senior managers aged 49 to 62, who lost their jobs in acrimonious circumstances, […]
SMEs claim coalition bad for business
Just under half of small-to-medium employers believe that the coalition government’s policies to date have had a negative impact on their business, while just less than a third feel that today’s Budget will make things worse. A survey undertaken by pollster YouGov among 523 senior SME decision-makers revealed that 48% were unhappy with the impact […]
One in four have no respect for manager
Just over a quarter of UK workers have no respect for their managers, while just under half fail to find them motivational, with staff in the North East of England being most disillusioned. These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 2,031 adults by pollster ICM on behalf of the People 1st Training Company, […]
Ask the expert: HR reviews – do we need to consult?
This time the experts, Esther Smith and Adam Partington advise on whether a consultation period is required before an HR review. The question: HR reviews – do we need to consult? We are an organisation that has grown quite organically. It started with one staff member in 2002 and we now have eight currently employed […]
Succession planning, skills and performance top priorities for HR
The identification and development of future management candidates, boosting internal skills levels and the creation of a performance-driven culture are the top three challenges facing HR professionals over the year ahead. According to a study undertaken by HR research and consultancy firm Bersin & Associates, as the economy starts to improve, organisations are turning their […]
Creating a resilient workforce: management hold the key
Robertson Cooper’s research has shown that the amount of support provided by managers is related to how resilient people perceive their organisations to be. Of all working respondents, just over half (55%) felt that their manager provided either ‘a lot of support’ or ‘a fair amount of support’. Of those respondents who felt their organisation […]