UK employment trends see more self-employed
Almost 4.2 million people were registered as self-employed over the three months to April, the highest figure since records began in 1992, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That number also represents a rise of 84,000 over the previous three month, a surge which appears to reflect the difficulty of gaining permanent roles […]
Blog: who holds the real keys to the organisation anyway?
What is the narrative of your movie reel? The rank-and-file workforce had weathered layoffs, had their commissions slashed, and on top of that, their salaries had been frozen over the past five years. However, the chief executive’s decision was this — let’s have the senior management team take a lavish trip down to Bermuda and […]
A typical HRD: Part 5 – The interim HR director
When asked to talk about what the typical HR director would look like in the interim market, my first thought is: ‘just how long is a piece of string’. Today’s professional interim HR director is far from that over simplistic profile of simply being an independent consultant, a professional on their way to retirement or, […]
Social media trends: Moving into the mainstream
The opportunities and possibilities offered by social media are limitless – and that’s the problem for many HR professionals. The question is where exactly do you start and how do you know what will work for your business? The simple answer is: just start somewhere, for the beauty of social media is that […]
Blog: HR – also known as The A Team
Are you the Mr. T of your organisation? By that I don’t mean do you wear excessive amounts of gold bling, have a slightly dubious Mohican and yell “Quit your jibber-jabber!” in meetings. I mean if there is a problem, if no-one else can help, and if they can find you, maybe your staff can […]
News: Men v women or men + women?
Men and women have different leadership strengths, and organisations need a balance of both if they are to be truly effective. That’s the conclusion of a new study from Talent Innovations which analysed feedback results of nearly 14,000 managers to identify the differences in how men and women were rated against a set of 18 […]
Talent Spot: Joris Luijke, Atlassian’s vice president of HR
Joris Luijke, vice president of talent and HR at fast-growing Australian software company, Atlassian, has followed in his father’s footsteps by choosing HR as a career. “When I was young, my father tried to convince me not to do HR. So just to annoy him, I went to work in HR!” he laughs. Luijke did […]
A typical HRD: Part 4 – FTSE 250 companies
The focus and pressure on top HR directors in commerce and industry has never been greater than it is today. As a result, over recent years, their remit has evolved to require a far broader, more business-oriented background and set of skills than was previously the case. But this situation has, in turn, led […]
Blog: 3 Tips to Build and Sustain a Strong Company Culture
Recognise This! – Creating a strong culture requires careful focus and intention. What’s your ambition for the culture of your organisation? If you intend to create and preserve a strong company culture of recognition – one that drives engagement, productivity and performance – how do you that? 1) Focus on Your Culture If culture is […]
Cable’s plan to pay off unwanted employees must carry a duty of care, warn experts
Employers will be able to offer settlement agreements before a formal dispute arises and will be legally protected from this offer being used as evidence in an unfair dismissal tribunal case, under new legislation proposed by Business Secretary Vince Cable. In his opening speech at the second reading of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, […]
Blog: Tips on how to create a powerful employer brand
We recently held an employer branding event held at The Sanctum Soho Hotel with some great insights from brands such ITV and TMP Worldwide who outlined their own employer branding journeys. What became clear is that with the right resources – and of course budget – employer branding messages can be very powerful. But how […]
Video Interview: SynGro’s Ken Scott on how best to exploit staff feedback
At a recent European Customer Experience World event, our sister website, MyCustomer.com, spoke to Ken Scott, director of delivery at SynGro, which develops customer insight programmes, about why ‘Voice of the Employee’ feedback isn’t being better used within organisations.
Blog: How to wear someone down when applying for your job vacancy
In the last post, we described how jobs are often reserved for someone who is a friend of an executive. In the case described, the post of communications chief was reserved for a crony of the Mayor of London. Some of you might have qualms about this. You might feel it’s wrong to waste […]
Fancy a reward-ing career?
2011 was a difficult year for reward. Both permanent and interim reward recruitment began solidly. Then the Eurozone crisis arrived – and with it an adverse impact on confidence in all recruitment markets, particularly in the financial services sector in the UK and across Europe. Challenging times need to be put into context. […]
News: Cautious hiring and low pay awards the “new normal”
A cautious approach to hiring and low pay awards are the “new normal”, with median wage rises across the economy expected to continue at around 2.8% over the coming quarter. According to a survey of 319 UK employers conducted by the CBI and recruitment consultancy, Harvey Nash, pay restraint appears to remain the norm, with […]
Christina’s Counsel: How can I make my workplace more family-friendly?
The challenge If you are struggling to get the best people to come and work for you, have a high rate of unexplained absence or believe that your employees aren’t giving their best, not least due to stress because their work and domestic lives conflict, it may be worth reviewing how family-friendly your workplace culture […]
Blog: Three ways to help new hires settle in
A new employee in the workplace is exciting for everybody. Besides the fact that there’s just something intangibly nice about having a fresh face around the office, a new employee also brings with him or her a kind of vitality to the work setting. They have a fresh perspective and a whole new set of […]
Five reasons why HR should adopt social media
Over recent years, social media has crept into the workings of many a business department, and HR is no exception. Some HR professionals have been using social media as part of their day-to-day activities for a while, but those that haven’t are likely to need to do so in the near future in order to […]
Legal Insight: Expect the unexpected when hiring
Most HR departments already have efficient recruitment policies in place that outline the whole process, from the initial decision to hire through to making an appointment. If this sounds like you, you may be feeling quite smug that you’ve got the process more or less sorted out – and in part, you could be right. […]
The value of networking
Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School, believes that “building networks, especially those outside the organisation will be another key leadership skill”. We used to do our ‘schmoozing’ face-to-face but these days social networking sites are what we use to foster collaboration, within the company, and well beyond. A good networker […]
