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 […]
Workers care more about others during organisational change
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 make sure […]
The secrets of simple graphics
Because graphics are concerned with hand drawn images style and quality vary hugely amongst presenters, facilitators and others who use graphics in their work. Much like the way handwriting is a unique insight into someone’s personality, their humanity, hand drawn graphics offer us a similar observation. No two persons’ drawings are quite the same. It […]
The promises and pitfalls of hand drawn graphics
Hand drawn graphics are simple images accompanied by text. The terms sketchnoting, graphic facilitation, visual thinking and visual communication all relate to hand drawn graphics. Organisations can make use of hand drawn graphics in many areas. For example, a simple one page graphic can be used to explain a complex process; graphic facilitation can be […]
HR and the bigger world picture: how can it make an impact?
We live in extraordinary times – the political landscape is coping with post-truth propaganda and organisations are grappling with an unprecedented rate of change and disruption. I believe that the enterprises that will not only survive but outperform in the future will be the ones that amplify the power of their people. As HR professionals, we […]
HR, up your impact: what gets measured gets done
Once we are clear on the strategic goals and focus areas for HR, we need define our targets and how we measure our progress. Through this we are influencing what gets done, so we need to get it right. Otherwise, we divert resources and investment to potentially damaging number chasing. In the first article of the series, […]
HR, up your impact: what happens when reality bites?
“Plans are nothing; planning is everything” said Dwight D. Eisenhower. It’s one thing to come up with some goals and to have ways of measuring performance. What is vital is that we adapt when there are inevitable deviations from the plan – there may be opportunities to capitalise on and challenges to address. In this third article of this series, […]
Book review: Will it make the boat go faster?
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, […]
Is it HR’s duty to resolve the ‘productivity puzzle?’
HR teams have a national duty to improve economic productivity by encouraging and enabling individuals to take responsibility for their own learning. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s productivity, as measured by output per hour, is respectively 27, 30 and 35 percentage points lower than in France, the […]
How to transfer accountability when giving autonomy: Part 1
This is the first part of a two-part series from Joe Britto on transferring accountability when you give autonomy. Read part 2 here! Joe is an experienced global leadership consultant with a grounding in experiential learning, psychological coaching and a study of literary theory. I think it’s fair to say we all want our direct reports to grow in their […]
True Colours: is personality testing at work useful, or even desirable?
From the court of Henry VIII to the Reagan administration, the cast of someone’s horoscope has, throughout history, played a significant role in whether they have been perceived as viable, valuable talent. Are modern day psychometric tests any different – or any more robust? We love to play amateur psychologist, don’t we? It’s what keeps us […]
Does time in role really matter?
This article was co-written by Aoife Kilduff, Research Consultant, YSC UK and Nikita D’Souza, Research Consultant, YSC India. Role tenure is one of the most readily available metrics in organizations. However, there are mixed views as to whether time spent in a particular role is related to performance. To understand how organisations are thinking about role […]
Five ways to transform the annual performance review
Research supports what managers and employees have known for some time: that the annual performance review process is broken. Results from the Brandon Hall Group’s 2015 research survey indicate that, although 88 percent of organisations have a performance management strategy, 71 percent view it as ineffective. Since there is no doubt that organisations need a process […]
What makes the Japanese railways so efficient?
It was a Sunday night at a quiet and emptying train station, close to the end of shifts. I was met by a man in an immaculate uniform and as sharp-looking as he would have been at 9am on a Monday morning. He was taking the trouble of speaking with the occasional passengers as they […]
Managing the pitfalls of meaningful work
Today’s shifting social and economic landscape has encouraged a focus on conscious capitalism and a move away from short-term profits alone to take into account the wider interests of a range of different stakeholders. From the employee perspective has come a renewed interest in creating jobs that are meaningful and full of purpose. It is […]
HR dreams, family leave and the need for evidence-based practice
Top of the day to you, and welcome to our latest round up of news, blogs and opinion from across the HR industry. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week too! Future work – The top jobs in 10 years might not […]
Twitter chat: How can HR help overcome the biggest challenges in retail?
Retail is one of the most disrupted industries out there – from the move to online shopping to the implications of Brexit and the Living Wage, it's a tough time for leaders and employees alike. Following on from our insightful roundtable on the key trends affecting the retail sector, we broadened out the conversation with […]
