Creating a supportive culture in stressful times
Stress is now the leading cause of long-term sick leave in the UK. Organizations can build a supportive culture by helping line managers identify early stress signs and implementing support measures that boost both morale and performance while maintaining high-pressure environments.
HR Forum: HR lessons from the beautiful game
Football offers HR lessons for complex organizations, according to Professor Chris Brady, who leads Southend United. Brady emphasizes simplifying business through key communication points including brand, goals, strategy, and clear roles, while noting future workers will increasingly choose employers based on flexibility and organizational attractiveness.
Blog: Steve Jobs – lessons in talent management
Steve Jobs built Apple’s culture around his influential leadership, raising questions about succession planning and talent management. This post examines how organizations can prepare for the departure of charismatic leaders by developing strong talent pipelines and recruiting people who embody the company’s core values and innovation principles.
Barnardo’s wins e-learning award for staff dedication and support
Barnardo’s has won the best overall e-learning programme award at the Charity Learning Awards for its innovative approach to staff training. A five-person team supported 7,500 staff and volunteers across 400 UK sites using virtual classrooms, videos, wikis, and online resources, increasing learner engagement by 54% since 2007.
Blog: Bullying, politics and manipulation – is it happening in your company?
Corporate politics, hidden agendas and workplace manipulation can severely impact your business, often disguised as normal workplace behavior. Learn to recognize symptoms like declining morale, staff turnover, poor sales and communication breakdowns that signal deeper organizational problems.
L&D teams’ poor skills hold back learning technology adoption
L&D teams’ lack of knowledge, skills, and confidence are the primary obstacles to adopting learning technologies, despite 72% of organizations believing these tools could improve their response to business changes, according to a Towards Maturity survey of 600 organizations.
New boss hacks back on Everything Everywhere management team
New CEO Olaf Swantee reduced Everything Everywhere’s management team from 26 to 10 on his first day, forcing out six senior managers including the vice president of HR and deputy chief executive. The restructuring is the latest round of cuts at the merged Orange and T-Mobile company, which has already shed over 1,200 positions since combining.
Birmingham Council to hire out staff using workforce planning tool
Birmingham City Council is using its new “Talent Net” workforce planning tool to identify and retain critical staff while managing thousands of job cuts. The framework will also enable the council to commercially hire out workers to other local authorities, helping offset expenditure reductions of £300 million.
Blog: Fancy contributing to a book on corporate politics, anyone?
We’re writing a book on corporate politics, hidden agendas, and workplace manipulation. HR professionals and business leaders are invited to contribute their stories, which will be analyzed for business impact and practical solutions. Submit contributions to info@askrevelation.com for potential publication with full credit.
Blog: Workplace relationships – just like in personal life, you want a good match
Successful workplace relationships require the same ingredients as strong marriages: shared goals, open communication, mutual support, and a fun environment. Like in personal life, creating a culture where people feel valued and engaged—through coaching, listening, and good-natured humor—builds lasting loyalty and satisfaction in organizations.
Managers failing to motivate and communicate
Poor management communication and lack of motivation are leaving two-thirds of UK workers unable to understand their company’s vision, resulting in only 36% working to their full potential. Employees cite managers’ ability to communicate passion and provide meaningful engagement as key factors that could significantly boost productivity and workplace satisfaction.
Risky business: Balancing the risk types in teams and organisations
Effective teams require a balance of different risk-taking tendencies, from calculated risk-takers to risk-averse members. Understanding individual risk dispositions and how they interact is essential for creating sustainable organizational success and avoiding the extreme behaviors that contributed to financial crises.
Team Extreme: Teambuilding can be a rollercoaster
Team bonding activities like Alton Towers’ bootcamp can boost staff productivity and retention. Sift Media tested the trend, completing challenges including orienteering, rollercoaster endurance, and psychometric testing to strengthen workplace relationships.
The end of team bonding down the boozer?
New research reveals that while nearly 60% of managers use pub visits for team building, over half of employees dislike these outings. Only 23% of bosses think they boost team spirit, prompting experts to recommend workplace wellness programs as more effective alternatives.
Leadership matters: Disruptive team member
A team leader struggles with a disruptive employee who aggressively challenges her, performs poorly, and threatens grievances. While the employee has some disability-related absences, the core issues are performance and conduct that require separate management from disability considerations.
Start from scratch: Teambuilding
Effective teambuilding starts with managers taking ownership and creating opportunities for team members to analyze their performance and improve collaboration. By facilitating discussions, rotating roles, and observing team dynamics, managers can strengthen relationships, boost commitment, and develop individual talents.
When opposites frustrate – don’t give up!
Diverse teams can drive innovation and better performance, but unmanaged differences in styles and expertise can damage cooperation and results. Learn how to harness opposing perspectives as strengths rather than sources of conflict.
Top tips: Boosting motivation at work
Boost team motivation without increasing pay by maintaining a positive outlook, providing regular performance feedback, and giving employees more autonomy and responsibility. These strategies help keep workers engaged and productive during challenging economic times.
Now is the time for a new role
Managers must adapt their roles during economic downturns to lead teams effectively. Rather than hoping conditions improve or simply working faster, leaders should recognize their jobs have fundamentally changed and help their teams find clarity and purpose in the crisis.
Success in a recession: The kitchen cabinet
Successful leaders rely on informal “kitchen cabinets”—networks of trusted mentors, allies, and experts who provide objective advice and challenge their thinking. HR professionals can foster positive informal networks by understanding how these groups form and ensuring leaders have access to trusted advisors outside their immediate business environment who can offer unbiased guidance.
