Living Leader Learnings: How can I make all of my team equally motivated?
True motivation comes from within, so leaders must inspire all team members to motivate themselves. Rather than focusing only on criticizing underperformers, effective leaders should recognize their strengths and potential, as constant negative feedback creates a downward spiral that widens performance gaps.
News: Unions ballot bus drivers for strike over Olympics bonus
Unions are balloting London bus drivers on strike action to demand a £500 Olympics bonus, citing 800,000 expected extra passengers and arguing drivers are the only transport workers excluded from extra pay during the Games.
News: HRDs excluded from public company boardrooms due to “prejudice”
HR directors hold less than 1% of board positions at UK’s top public companies, with only five of 595 FTSE 50 board directors coming from HR backgrounds. Experts attribute the underrepresentation to prejudice against the HR function, despite its critical role in organizational success.
Talent Spot: Kevin Fisher, HR director at Blemain Group
Kevin Fisher was hired as an interim HR director at specialist lender Blemain Group but impressed the company enough to land the permanent role. His career path shifted unexpectedly from sales to learning and development, eventually leading to HR leadership across multiple sectors.
How to beat a counter job offer
When employees receive counter offers from their current employers, research shows most leave within months anyway. Counter offers typically address only salary concerns rather than the underlying reasons employees want to leave, making them ineffective long-term solutions for retaining talent.
Blog: What HR can learn from alien abductions
An HR assessor uses the hypothetical scenario of alien abduction to assess employee engagement and value. The exercise reveals whether staff feel appreciated and integral to their organization, with insights into what truly motivates workers beyond salary.
Blog: How to hold on to good employees – Part 3
Keep your best employees by providing adequate resources and support, fostering growth through training and development, and showing genuine care for their wellbeing. This final part covers three essential retention strategies: employee support, growth opportunities, and creating a workplace where people feel valued.
News: KPMG HR blunder #3: Failing to pay staff salaries
KPMG apologized to 11,000 UK staff after failing to pay salaries on the expected date in April due to human error. This payroll mishap marks the third HR blunder for the Big Four firm in recent months, following bonus cuts for trainees and a leaked redundancy announcement.
Analysis: Oracle – Why we bought Taleo
Oracle acquired talent management and recruitment firm Taleo to strengthen its human capital management capabilities amid intensifying competition from Workday and SAP’s SuccessFactors. The company aims to help organizations make data-driven HR decisions and automate strategic talent management, which executives argue is critical to business profitability and employee retention.
CEO Insight: Sinead Hasson on Hasson Associates’ CSR programme
Hasson Associates launched a corporate social responsibility program with Dress for Success to boost employee engagement and motivation. The initiative has consultants volunteer interview coaching and career support to unemployed women, fostering staff pride and improving workplace morale.
Blog: Why you should dump ’employee of the month’
Employee of the Month programs create harmful competition and resentment rather than fostering genuine workplace appreciation. Research shows these traditional recognition programs actually decrease morale and productivity by creating “losers” among staff. Instead, organizations should recognize all employees who demonstrate core values and contribute to strategic objectives.
Blog: Company culture according to GE’s Jack Welch
Jack Welch argues that strong company culture must be built on behavior and consequences, not just words. Leaders must consistently reinforce values through training, integration into daily work, and clear rewards or consequences for how employees embody them. This drives business results through improved engagement, retention, and performance.
Ask the Expert: Should car allowances be included in sick pay?
When an employee on long-term sick leave receives a regular cash car allowance, whether it continues during illness depends on the employment contract terms and company sick pay policy. Legal entitlement differs from statutory requirements, and disability protections under the Equality Act may apply.
Blog: Most employers spend more on office cleaning than staff motivation
Many employers invest more in office cleaning than employee motivation, despite research showing that motivated staff directly drive business success. Recognition remains the most effective tool for boosting employee motivation, yet 65% of workers report feeling unappreciated by their employers.
Living Leader Learnings: Why saying ‘well done’ just isn’t enough
Generic praise like “well done” lacks impact because it’s often perceived as insincere and fails to clarify what specifically deserves recognition. Effective leaders deliver specific, genuine feedback that highlights exact behaviors or outcomes they value, helping team members understand what to repeat and feel truly appreciated.
Ask the Expert: How legal are contract clauses to work overtime for no pay?
Contract clauses requiring unpaid overtime are generally legal in the UK, provided employees aren’t paid below the National Minimum Wage when averaged across all hours worked. However, such clauses are limited by the Working Time Regulations’ 48-hour average week requirement and may be unenforceable if employers act in bad faith or unreasonably burden employees.
Blog: Are annual performance reviews strictly necessary?
Some organizations successfully eliminate annual performance reviews by relying on frequent, real-time feedback instead. This approach can handle compensation, legal compliance, and talent identification without formal review scores.
Blog: Attendance bonus schemes – money wasted or money well spent?
Employee absenteeism costs UK businesses £32 billion annually, prompting many companies to implement attendance bonus schemes. These incentive programs reward reliable employees while discouraging unscheduled absences, though effectiveness depends on proper management and clear performance expectations.
Blog: Do you recognise your “plumbers” as well as your “poets”?
Organizations need both visionary leaders and competent employees who handle daily operations. While top performers deserve recognition, neglecting the middle 80% who execute essential work undermines organizational success and employee engagement.
Blog: Crappy performance management rule 2 – Never attempt to motivate staff
Failing to motivate staff is a critical mistake in poor performance management. This article explores how avoiding motivation attempts—combined with excessive control, isolation, and lack of recognition—undermines employee engagement and retention. Employees need to feel valued and appreciated to remain committed to their work.
