Leading remote teams: the role of performance management
“At the core of effective performance management are frank, yet supportive performance conversations that include ongoing feedback. Occasional processes, such as annual performance reviews and pay setting, can be useful, but shouldn’t be the main focus.” This is a quote from the CIPD Factsheet of 31 July 2017. The essence of performance management remains the […]
What to do about team conflict
There’s conflict and there’s conflict – the productive conflict that energises us when we’re grappling with complex tasks together (we often see that in winning teams) – and the non-productive, energy-draining conflict which is something different entirely. The latter causes people to dread Monday mornings; to loathe team meetings and to focus on survival (which […]
The reality of performance: no team is an island
In my last three articles, I’ve spoken about the things a team needs to focus on to become a winning team – with the main emphasis being on the team itself and its members. It’s fair to say that some people object to the term ‘winning’ to describe a business team because the implication is […]
The six habits that help teams win
In my last article I outlined the five steps to building a winning team. There are some meaty things to do and it’s not a quick fix. But if you focus relentlessly on those five things you’ll see significant progress and a stronger, more successful team will emerge. In this article I want to focus on six […]
Physical exercise: what are the benefits for work?
Physical exercise universally enhances performance, but lack of confidence, office politics and time management are stumbling blocks for UK workers. What can be done? We need to look at: Why exercise benefits performance How to make exercise a habit How HR can encourage physical exercise Stage 1: Understand why physical exercise is good a) It […]
Book review: Radical Candor: How to be a Great Boss without Losing your Humanity
HRZone has a range of books available for review. If you would like to receive one of our business books, free of charge, please contact the editor on editor at hrzone dot com and we can send you a list of what’s available. In return, we ask for a 400-700 word review of the book, […]
How best to support small businesses with their HR challenges
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
It’s time for fewer management buzzwords and more buzz-worthy management
New technology is intended to improve the way we live. One of the most obvious applications is in the medical field, where novel approaches to data analytics are helping researchers to gain a more granular understanding of the human body and address the root causes of serious disease. In the field of robotics, voice-activated exoskeletons […]
Leadership development – linking customised interventions to quality results
In specifying leadership development programmes business leaders are likely to expect a programme customised to their specific challenges, and population of leaders, which will deliver results for the whole organisation. Nobody really wants a programme that is off-shelf or generic, they want unique and tailored content that meets their needs and aspirations. If the aim […]
Why businesses need to reimagine the bonus structure
Last month it was revealed that four directors at the engineering firm Melrose had been awarded £40m in bonuses each, indicating that the UK’s bonus culture is showing no signs of slowing. Often seen as a motivational tool, many organisations believe that there is a direct correlation between large bonuses and company performance. However, there are […]
Insight into the financial impact of investing in people
Angelo Piccirillo is partner and co-founder at conveyancing firm AVRillo. The company ranked 12th in the Great Place to Work Best Workplaces list for 2017 and is a strong supporter of proving the value of investing in your piece. In this interview Angelo tells us about how best to go about proving the value. Jamie Lawrence, […]
Are we nearly there yet? Measuring progress on your journey to agile performance management
For managers, one of the comforts of traditional performance management is that it is a well-understood process, it’s formal and orchestrated, and once it’s done, there is a whole year (or at least 6 months) before HR bother managers about it again. Such comfort is one of the main obstacles preventing the shift to adoption of […]
10 (scientifically-proven) tips for being a better boss
The future of work is being shaped by extraordinary changes in technology, globalisation and overwhelming information flow. Workers are asking for something different from their bosses. They want clear expectations, accountability, a strong sense of purpose, and ongoing feedback and coaching. This blog provides 10 recommendations to help leaders become better bosses by shifting their […]
When does going the extra mile become a damaging behaviour?
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
Putting people first creates better businesses, but this requires investing in measuring human capital
The argument for the importance of people to organisations has, for far too many years, been framed in the terms of the workforce being an asset that is owned by and available to the business. The tired adage of people being an organisation’s “most important asset” has, in many ways, lost the shine that it […]
Talent management: why your approach can destroy employee mojo
Attempts by organisations to create ‘meaningfulness of work’ in a bid for greater discretionary effort, are often not effective and viewed cynically by employees. But finding meaning in one’s work, we believe, is a fundamental foundation for overall engagement and needs consideration as part of our talent management processes. In a recent paper by Bailey […]
Getting beyond “one-and-done” in performance management
The Plainspeak Analyst is Katherine Jones, Partner and Director of Talent Research at Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consulting firm. Her job is to design and deliver insight research and services to Mercer’s global clients. She was previously VP, Human Capital Management Technology Research at Bersin by Deloitte. She has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Cornell University. […]
Are your employees surviving or thriving at work?
Would you consider your employees to be in good mental health? It is, perhaps, a simple question to ask and answer. My employees come in, they smile, they get their work done, and they go home. Simple. But consider this: would it surprise you to learn that only 13% of people report living with high […]
The myth of empowerment: how to give your direct reports real ownership over their work
There are several factors that prevent managers from taking a stronger hand in leading their people to success. One of those is the Myth of Empowerment: that the way to empower people is to leave them alone and let them manage themselves. This is false empowerment, and probably the number one myth in the workplace. […]
Employee accountability: it means nothing without clear expectations
Remember that the first and most important element in creating real accountability is spelling out expectations up front in clear terms. If you are the boss, your number one responsibility is to make absolutely sure that every person you manage understands exactly what he is expected to do and exactly how he is expected to […]
