WHSmith’s plan to increase number of ‘mental health first aiders’
It's HR in Retail month on HRZone! We're focusing on all things retail – check out our HR in retail hub to read all our great content! ‘We all need to look after each other and ourselves.’ This is the mantra that is driving WHSmith, as we seek to deliver a comprehensive mental health wellbeing strategy that will […]
What your voice in the workplace says about you
In business we usually get things done by talking. But how well are you doing this? Kate Laws from people business Connor takes a look at why it’s important to assess your communication and influencing skills at work. When it comes to business, talk isn’t cheap. From the board room to the shop floor, the […]
Man against the machine: the struggle against unconscious bias
Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, self-driving cars – the debate around these innovations is raging. And much of this debate surrounds the power of the ‘machine,’ the fear of job redundancies, the ethics of new technologies and the prospect of unemployment for those who can’t keep up. But is it all that bad? Is […]
Coffee break: Cubicle living, the ageless workforce and generationalisationism
Ready for a break? Go make yourself a cuppa and sit down with this week's round up of HR news and opinion. Don't forget to tell us what you've been reading this week, and what you think of the article shared below. Culture – Employees are more likely to cheat on their way out the […]
What’s happening at the frontiers of wellbeing?
This is the third in a series of articles about the state of workplace wellbeing. Here Paul Barrett from the Bank Workers Charity examines what’s happening at the frontiers of employee wellbeing. He considers how research in related disciplines is enriching our understanding of the factors that shape it and is giving rise to some innovative […]
Coffee Break: Swearing, gratitude and what you need to know about the freelance economy
It's time for us to top up your plate with some fresh helpings of HR news, opinion & research. We've got another great selection of articles & blogs from across the industry for you to peruse over your 10 minute break, so get comfortable and start reading! Recruitment – 4 things recruiters need to know […]
In defense of night: we treat it with disdain yet spend 26.5 years asleep
Society is starting to pay attention to sleep. This is important because for something so critical to our survival and wellbeing, sleep has a chequered history with researchers. “Scientists in the 1950s said that ‘sleep is of no medical importance,” says Guy Meadows, Clinical Director at Sleep to Perform. “That’s an actual quote. Now in […]
Employee engagement at a 100-year-old retail motor group
Helen Burrows is HR Director at Marshall Motor Holdings, which comprises two businesses, Marshall Motor Group and Marshall Leasing. Marshall Motor Group is a top-ten UK motor dealer group which was established in 1909. It currently operates more than 100 franchised dealerships, representing 24 different manufacturing brands in 25 counties across England. It has a […]
Powering performance with… rosemary oil
In this series we look at an aspect of science that gets too little (in our view) attention in business and that’s what we eat, how we move our body and use our brain. Take a look at the whole series here! The other really interesting research on memory enhancement is Rosemary Oil. Rosemary (Rosmarinus […]
If you want trust, you have to invest in culture
Trust is big business. From Davos down, business leaders are consulting oracles like Edelman’s Trust Barometer or the CIPD’s Employee Outlook Report in order to increase trust in their organisations, inside and out. It’s a perfectly sensible goal. The commercial advantages of trust are well documented: when employees trust leaders and each other, it reduces […]
E-resilience – why should HR care?
There's so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics' Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
90 minutes of football gets staff a free pass, so why doesn’t this moment of seismic upheaval?
Employers around the country are happy to give staff a free pass to watch the football, yet in the aftermath of one of the biggest day's in the history of the UK and Europe, why is it business-as-usual in most organisations? It's hard to overstate just how prominent the UK's decision to exit the EU […]
Four top tips for better sleep and improved workplace performance
This article was written by Jeff Archer, Director of The Tonic Corporate Wellness. Sleep, or lack of it, is a hot topic at the moment so how might sleep routines impact on energy levels and performance in the office? In his book, Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You’re So Tired, Professor Till Roenneberg […]
Gossip in your workplace probably does you more good than harm
There's so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics' Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
What employee benefits are currently being hyped?
In March 2016, Google yet again, topped the Fortune 100 best companies to work for listings. Benefits such as free organic meals, unlimited snacks/refreshments, personal fitness classes, nap pods and enhanced healthcare with virtual doctor consultations makes it the firm everyone wants to work for. But are these perks – viewed by Google as crucial […]
Coffee Break: Corporate vs. professional, office design and the LinkedIn for working mums
We've got through the four day week – and it's already time for the weekend again! Here are some of the articles we've enjoyed this week – let us know what you've been reading and what you think in the comments below. Optimising your office – 3 trends from the leading edge of workplace design […]
Studying politicians: emotionally-intelligent leadership can be taxing
Leadership is not easy and certainly not for the faint-hearted. I watched the unravelling of ‘The Panama Papers’ furore and thought it a great example of not just how important emotional leadership is to understand but how easy it is to get wrong. The PM was clearly hurt (“deeply hurtful allegations against my father” – […]
Great Place to Work announces best workplaces of 2016
The Great Workplaces Special Report profiles this year’s top UK Best Workplaces and shares insights into how trust and engagement drive business success. HR and CEOs often talk different languages when it comes to engagement although both ultimately have the same goals. The report looks at how HR can ‘engage’ CEOs to ensure the organisation’s […]
Workplace conflict: Is the workplace itself part of the problem?
We all know that workplace stress can have long-lasting negative consequences on employees. Long hours, unrealistic demands, and looming layoffs can lead to an increase in workplace conflict and health problems. But these issues are compounded when the workplace itself is a part of the problem. Academic research highlights the importance of the workplace environment on employees’ […]
Seven Emails: emergent behaviour to work as a discretionary choice
Seven Emails is our conversation-driven dose of insight. We start with a topic and see how the topic is moulded and changed in seven emails. Fancy getting involved? Drop us a line at editor@hrzone.com and we'll get something set up. You pick the topic, we'll respond. Then we'll have five emails to take us to our destination. […]
