Creating a supportive culture in stressful times
Stress is now the most common cause of long-term sick leave in the UK, which means that organisations can no longer afford to ignore the issue. But line managers need clear guidance from the HR department on how to identify early signs of stress within their teams and manage the situation so that it works […]
HR Forum: HR lessons from the beautiful game
The Beautiful Game has important lessons to offer team-based, talent-dependent industries, believes Professor Chris Brady, former dean of the BPP Business School, who is now helping his son to run Southend United. “People say that business is more complex than football. But rather than saying that ‘business is complex and football is simple’, it’s […]
Blog: Steve Jobs – lessons in talent management
The business world lost one of its most influential leaders last week, and while the technology world mourns its industry mogul there has been repeated talk of how Apple will not be able to cope without him. Steve Jobs was the man behind Apple, he made it what it is today but he did not […]
Barnardo’s wins e-learning award for staff dedication and support
Barnardo’s has won an award for best overall e-learning programme at the Charity Learning Awards this year due to both its dedication and efforts to support a large number of users compared with the size of the learning and development team. Judges were also particularly impressed with the children's charity's innovative approach to learning, and […]
Blog: Bullying, politics and manipulation – is it happening in your company?
Do you know what corporate politics, hidden agendas and manipulation are costing your business right now? You might think, "But it doesn’t happen in my company". Well, that’s why they’re called ‘hidden’ agendas. You’re not supposed to know what’s going on. If you did, you’d try to put a stop to it. You […]
L&D teams’ poor skills hold back learning technology adoption
Although e-learning is by far the most popular of technological tools to help with training activity, learning and development teams’ poor knowledge, skills and confidence are the top barriers to successful adoption. According to a survey among 600 organisations undertaken by benchmarking organisation, Towards Maturity, 72% were convinced that learning technologies would help them respond […]
New boss hacks back on Everything Everywhere management team
The new boss of mobile phone company Everything Everywhere marked his first day in the job by wiping out half of his management team including two senior HR executives. Olaf Swantee, chief executive of the company, which was created out of the merger of Orange and T-Mobile last year, announced yesterday that he had hacked […]
Birmingham Council to hire out staff using workforce planning tool
Birmingham City Council plans to commercially hire out workers to other local authorities with the help of a newly introduced ‘Talent Net’ workforce planning framework. The framework will also be employed to ensure that the local authority’s skills needs are met in the face of thousands of job cuts by enabling it to identify critical […]
Blog: Fancy contributing to a book on corporate politics, anyone?
We’re working on a new book, which we are planning to launch later this year, on the subject of corporate politics, hidden agendas and manipulation in business. It’s a thorny topic, we know, and we believe that HR professionals are best placed to observe and comment on these activities. In the book, we cover three important […]
Blog: Workplace relationships – just like in personal life, you want a good match
“You were too aggressive and I do not like aggressive.” My wife and I laughed so hard that I almost had to pull over on the side of the road with laughter. On Friday, my wife Janetta and I celebrated 39 years of marriage. The line above was referring to when we first met […]
Managers failing to motivate and communicate
Poor management communication and an inability to motivate staff are key reasons why only a third of UK personnel are currently working to their full potential, a report has claimed. A survey among 2,000 workers undertaken by staff development company European Leaders revealed that a huge two thirds failed to understand their company’s vision, which […]
Risky business: Balancing the risk types in teams and organisations
One man’s risk taker is another one’s high performer, but you need to balance teams to create effective, sustainable success, says Geoff Trickey. The City was divided about Bob Diamond, the new CEO at Barclays, and so were the politicians and the media. For some he is the apotheosis of the dangerously reckless bankers who […]
Team Extreme: Teambuilding can be a rollercoaster
Can rollercoaster endurance really make your staff work better together? The Sift Media crew tested the latest team building craze to hit the market. According to the latest annual CIPD annual recruitment survey, the average cost of recruiting a new member of staff (excluding their salary) is around £4k, although this can go up to […]
The end of team bonding down the boozer?
Although nearly three out of five managers take staff to the pub for team-building purposes, just over half of employees are unenthusiastic about going out with their colleagues and one in five actively dislike it. These are the findings of study entitled ‘Health of the Workplace’ undertaken by insurance firm Aviva. The research also revealed […]
Leadership matters: Disruptive team member
This column answers your questions on leadership, talent management, performance improvement and the employee behavioural issues that can cause even the best leadership techniques to go awry. This time a disruptive team member is causing a management headache for a team leader. The dilemma A team leader in a government organisation has inherited a new […]
Start from scratch: Teambuilding
HR may be handed the task of ‘building teams’ but how best to go about it? John Pope outlines his no-nonsense guide. Within any sector of business, good teams are essential to business function and success. We have teams so that people get better results by working together rather than separately. Members stay together […]
When opposites frustrate – don’t give up!
Diversity can bring huge benefits to an organisation, but are you getting the most from it? Matthew Hill gives advice and guidance on managing diverse teams. When the pressure is on within a team, the cracks will begin to show. This is often evidenced by escalating displays of emotion and tension. Sometimes a negative spiral […]
Top tips: Boosting motivation at work
When times are tough, it can be a bit of an uphill struggle to ensure your teams stay engaged and motivated. Jo Geraghty has some top motivational tips to ensure the workforce remains productive. Motivating teams in your organisation can be a tough and unrewarding task in the current economic environment. Morale is low so thoughts of […]
Now is the time for a new role
David Barnard examines the various ways in which managers must adapt their role to the recession, and explains how to lead teams successfully through the crisis. At ten o’clock last night, the tandoori restaurant on the corner of my road was empty. Unheard of. Each evening, I walk home down a street full of restaurants. The […]
Success in a recession: The kitchen cabinet
Successful people rely on a network of close allies who guide and challenge them. So how do they select those in their cabinet and how can HR professionals encourage the right kinds of teams to form around leaders? Blaire Palmer has the answers. Successful people do not become successful alone. We know this is true, which […]