Christina’s Counsel: How can I tackle my team’s habitual negativity?
Hello and welcome to this month’s dilemma: The challenge As a result of an internal transfer, a client recently took over a new team. But he quickly realised that some of its members had a negative and unhelpful attitude. This negativity manifested itself in a small clique complaining about customer expectations, some of […]
Case Study: How Norfolk Council maintains staff morale despite tough times
During the last few years, Norfolk County Council has experienced a squeeze on resources common to many public sector organisations. It’s been forced to make savings of £135 million over three years and is now halfway there, but hundreds of staff have been axed as a result. The cuts have arrived in conjunction with […]
Quiz: How people-centred is your organisation?
Adopting a people-oriented approach to your organisational culture can help to transform it by making it more efficient and, ultimately, more successful. Helen Sanderson, who has co-authored a book entitled “Creating person-centred organisations” with Stephen Stirk, believes that going down this route gives staff more control over their lives as it means that they are […]
Lembit Opik: How to navigate office politics
I’ll let you into a bit of a secret, off the record, as they say: office politics exists. In fact, it’s everywhere. I once asked my friend and former boss at Procter & Gamble, Graham Cowley, what the smallest organisation to be influenced by politics was. He replied without a moment’s hesitation: ‘A marriage.’ Was […]
Relationship building – The power of feedback
Everyone has issues with people at work that make them angry, dissatisfied, annoyed or distracted such as a boss that doesn’t provide clear expectations or appreciation. Work can be a nightmare when relationships are in trouble. Equally, there are pleasant teams where people are kind, respectful and cheerfully collude with ideas that are ultimately […]
News: CIPD 2012 – ‘Contingency risk-based approach key to Olympics success’
One of the key reasons for the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in HR terms was the decision to take a contingency risk-based approach, which involved planning for every eventuality. Jean Tomlin, HR director for the London 2012 Organising Committee who took part in the closing keynote panel discussion at the Chartered Institute […]
News: National Stress Awareness Day – 1 in 3 take “stress day” since recession
A third of the population has called in sick due to stress in their working life, with money, work and relationships the biggest causes of anxiety, according to research published to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day. Nearly half of UK workers have felt more stressed since the onset of the financial crisis, finds the […]
News: BBC to investigate harassment claims after journalist’s suicide
The BBC has appointed a third party to investigate whether complaints about sexual harassment by a journalist who later committed suicide were handled properly. The family of Russell Joslin has accused the broadcaster of failing to act on the complaints of sexual harassment from a female colleague made by the reporter for BBC Coventry and […]
Living Leader Learnings: Do 360 degree feedback systems really work?
The Challenge The HR manager at a software development company asks: “Because feedback is really hard to get, we’re thinking of introducing a 360 degree feedback system into our organisation. In your experience, do people really respond to them honestly and what are the benefits and pitfalls of this kind of system?" The Solution […]
News: Workmates more important than bosses for job satisfaction
While getting on with the boss certainly helps to keep staff happy at work, it is nowhere near as important as having a good relationship with colleagues, according to research. A survey undertaken among 1,000 UK workers by online recruiters Jobsite.co.uk revealed that seven out of 10 see their ‘nine-to-five buddies’ as being most crucial […]
What risk type are you? And why does it matter?
Arguing for the importance of self-awareness, Socrates famously taught that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. Arguably, the self-awareness of senior executives and managers determines whether other people’s lives are worth living – and that applies especially to self-awareness about risk type. The distance between an extreme ‘Wary’ risk type and their opposite, the […]
Blog: Reshuffles – A matter of perception?
As Prime Minister David Cameron tackles the first cabinet reshuffle of his tenure he will have to balance the internal needs and objectives of the coalition, while ensuring that the shake-up of ministerial jobs sends out the right signals to the electorate and Conservative party MPs. Although it is highly unlikely that the changes business […]
News: UK staff spend 24 mins bonding daily over a cup of tea
UK employees spend an average of 24 minutes each working day bonding with colleagues by either fetching or sharing a cup of tea with them – and drinking a total of about 46 million mugs of the stuff. According to a survey among 5,000 UK workers conducted by Travelodge, the great British tea break is […]
News: UK workplace relationships hit new lows
Workplace relationships in the UK appear to have plumbed new depths, with large numbers of employees complaining about everything from abuse of power to nepotism and bullying. According to a survey conducted among 1,607 people by Canada Life Group Insurance, a huge 42% said that they had witnessed senior staff members abusing their power. […]
How to get ahead in HR
HR professionals have been put in the spotlight over the last two years as the function became even more critical during the downturn. Most are now working to execute strategies and make changes across various business functions to come up with innovative solutions to offset business cost pressures. Throughout the economic crisis, many HR […]
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: The 10 most effective ways to lose your team’s respect
Sometimes the best way to eliminate bad habits in leadership is to see them parodied. So in that spirit, here are the ten quickest ways to ensure your team are demotivated and your leadership is always in question: 1. Always over react, rather than not react So something has gone wrong and you’re not […]
How to tackle your first 100 days as HR director – Part 1
We live in a rapidly changing world in which the political and economic outlook for the next 12 months is very unclear. In this unstable commercial environment, uncertainty about the future feeds a growing sense of urgency in the here and now. As a result, judgments are made much more quickly. This means that […]
Blog: Five ego traits to drop if you want to become a better team player
We all claim a positive ego when we admit we have one. When discussing the ego we often refer to a healthy ego, which means having in place healthy boundaries, or a good sense of self, or having a clear identify. The free dictionary describes the ego as: 1. The Self, especially as distinct […]
Ask the Expert: Can we recruit a leader if a team member is off sick?
The question Is it okay to recruit for a team leader from within a team if a member of the team is off sick? They are not on long-term sick leave, just recovering from an operation. What is the legal position here? Legal verdict Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar As […]