Why the workplace is an ideal context to practice mindfulness
From Google to Ebay, from KPMG to BT, a growing number of companies have invested in mindfulness training programmes, recognising the potential of mindfulness as a life skill to improve focus and clarity, listening and decision-making skills and perhaps most importantly, overall well-being. And you’ve guessed it, a more resilient, less stressed and anxious workplace is […]
How mindfulness practice has changed my life – a personal story
I have dreadful memories from when I was 4 or 5 and onwards of feeling terribly frightened and anxious about anything and everything. Going to sleep was the worst. Ideally I would have liked to stay at my mother’s side day and night. I didn’t want to go to school because I was feeling scared […]
Strengths-based recruitment: are you hiring people for the wrong jobs?
HR departments across the country are faced with the tricky task of sifting through CVs every day. Employers need someone who loves their job and is going to excel; going above and beyond, in addition to having all the right competences. This is even more important when you consider that staff turnover is costing British businesses across a […]
Book review – The Business of Excellence: Building High-performance Teams and Organisations
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, its […]
Productivity: why businesses need to look at more than just output per hour
As productivity in the UK continues to lag, companies need to look at more than just labour output per hour. Over the past decade, productivity in the UK has fallen across the board. Compared to our neighbours across the Channel, the UK has a lot of catching up to do. With the UK’s labour output […]
Appraisals: why employees should assess their manager’s performance
The traditional top-down assessment method is on its way out – today’s workplace needs a more nuanced approach to appraisals. The debate on annual appraisals is ongoing and for good reason; HR and managers are realising the benefit of continuous mutual dialogue throughout the year, and not just once at the end of it. HR […]
Performance management: the new triple bottom line
Measuring the success of modern leaders is about more than just productivity scores. Here’s a guide to the new KPIs. Over the last few years I’ve met many leaders and managers who have questioned their own measurement and understanding of success. How do you know if you’re a good manager in today’s ever-changing working environment? […]
The power of internal networks: focus on Armed Forces Networks
Creating channels for staff to connect with other employees across the organisation has proved to be a source of real value. But some businesses are taking this further. Some organisations are investing in an internal network with a strategic purpose such as bridging skills gaps, nurturing diversity and inclusion, boosting talent acquisition and retention and increasing employee […]
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 […]