Blog: Are your staff proud of where they work?
The UK can be proud of its hosting efforts of the 2012 Olympics as our top athletes gathered a wealth of gold, silver and bronze medals, the best haul we’ve achieved in over a century. Our athletes take pride in their work and reap the benefits when they stand on top the podium listening to […]
Lessons from Olympians: Seb Coe, the ultimate expert-turned-leader
The concept of an expert becoming a leader is scarcely unexplored territory. But the focus is usually on the skills that the erstwhile expert needs to acquire and demonstrate as they move from one role – and mind-set – to another. There are other attributes that are just as critical to the success, not […]
Blog: Lessons from Olympians – The danger of perverse incentives
Recognise This! – After-the-fact recognition delivers better results than if/then incentives, which can be easily gamed. I’ve written before about the difference between recognition and incentives. This is an important distinction to understand, as is the distinction between incentives and motivation. This was brought home to me in particular this week in two ways […]
News: Doctor shadowing scheme introduced to cut NHS ‘killing season’
The NHS has introduced a scheme in which junior doctors will shadow senior colleagues for at least four days in a bid to curtail the impact of the annual ‘killing season’. The initiative was introduced following pilot projects across the country and will run in late July from this year onwards. Senior doctors will […]
Blog: Lessons from Olympians – How to compete and cooperate at the same time
Recognise This! – The Olympics offer us lessons to apply in the workplace on how to achieve both individual and organisation success. How competitive is your workplace? Is it a good type of competition or one that breeds dissension, disharmony and, ultimately, disengagement? A recent survey reported by NBC shows 96% of senior managers […]
Blog: Lessons from Olympians – Boosting staff productivity
It’s the start of the Olympic Games. The world’s finest athletes are set to do battle. They will train hard. Competition will be intense. Extra effort is required to get over the line. Athletes need to be at the top of their game to succeed. Those that aren’t will falter. There are a number […]
How to administer pay cuts in times of austerity
Last week, Reuters reported that the Spanish royal family, surrounded by high unemployment and scenes of public workers striking, had offered to take a pay cut. The move is intended to reduce the €8.3 million annual cost to Spanish taxpayers of keeping them by some €100,000. Leading the way is the Spanish King, Juan […]
News: Border Agency strike on eve of Games called off
Industrial action by Border Agency staff has been called off at the eleventh hour following union claims that the Home Office now intends to create 1,100 new jobs. The move came only an hour before the government was due to launch a high court challenge against a planned one-day strike by members of the Public […]
Blog: Are employers offering fathers enough support?
Research shows many fathers are dissatisfied with the amount of time they spend at work and the amount of time they spend with their children. Some 54% of fathers with children under one feel they are not devoting enough time to them, while 42% of fathers feel they are not able to spend enough time […]
News: Police forces consider canning G4S shared services deal
Three UK police forces are reportedly evaluating whether to drop joint plans to outsource 1,100 back office jobs to G4S following its Olympic security staffing debacle. According to the Guardian, the chief constables of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire police met yesterday and agreed to rethink the move. It was stated only last month that […]
News: Home Office strike threatens to hit Olympics
The government has condemned a planned strike by immigration officials over job cuts and pay that threatens to disrupt services during the Olympics. In a ballot by the Public and Commercial Services union among its 15,700 Home Office members, which include most workers from the UK Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and Criminal […]
Putting the Games plan into practice
“The Olympics is a big morale booster for the country this year,” believes Phoebe Leet, head of HR for UK and Ireland at IT network giant, Cisco. And as a technology partner for the Games, the vendor has naturally had the event on its mind for some time. As a result, it has already […]
News: Olympics at work? Get a TV licence – now
Employers will need to buy a TV licence if they allow staff to watch the Olympics at work this summer, the TV Licensing body has warned. A recent survey by telecoms watchdog, Ofcom, found that more than a quarter of working adults in the UK – or 38 million – plan to tune in to more […]
News: NHS “pay cartel” proposes staff pay cuts and longer hours
Thousands of NHS staff in the South West of England could face the sack unless they agree to take pay cuts and work longer hours under a new money-saving scheme. A document leaked to the Sunday Times showed that NHS managers from 19 Trusts in the region have joined forces to form what is being […]
News: Pressure mounts on Adidas over alleged worker exploitation
Pressure is mounting on Adidas after stores across the country were targeted on Saturday by protesters angry about claims over how little the Olympic sponsor pays its workers in the developing world. The move came as the London Organising Committee for the Games also launched an investigation into practices at the sportwear brand’s Shen Zhou […]
News: Start-up scheme targeted at redundant public sector workers
Public sector employees facing redundancy are being encouraged to start their own business with the help of a new government-backed initiative. The Ready for Business scheme, funded with £15 million from the Regional Growth Fund and £1 million from Barclays, is targeting areas "disproportionately affected by the downturn in the economy". It is offering […]
News: New tribunal fees spark outrage across political spectrum
A decision to make claimants pay up to £1,200 to take an employment tribunal claim all the way to a full hearing from next year has sparked outrage across the political spectrum. While unions branded the decision a “disgrace”, employers’ groups attested that the move would have little impact on plans to make workers think […]
News: G4S to face penalties over Olympic staffing failures
G4S is expected to face financial penalties for failing to recruit, train and deploy enough security guards in time for the start of the Olympics in a fortnight’s time. As a result of the situation, the coalition government confirmed today that it would have to draft in an additional 3,500 soldiers, many of whom have […]
Let the Games commence – But make sure you plan for them
Love them or loathe them, with the Olympics bang on our doorstep, the Games can’t be ignored. Travel disruption and staffing issues will all play havoc with normal working days, particularly for those organisations and workers in and around the capital and other Olympic venues. Demand for holiday leave and increased absenteeism will affect […]
Blog: The Olympics – Learning lessons in flexible working
RBS has announced that its staff will be able to work flexibly during the Olympics. This news echoes that of Whitehall who also recently announced staff would be permitted to work from home for the 7 week period covering the Olympics and Paralympics. Whilst the intentions of both these organisations is to help employees […]
