54% of business owners admit to being baffled by employment law jargon
The modern workplace is awash with clichés, buzzwords and industry jargon, so it is no surprise that they often lead to confusion from business owners. A survey of 250 business owners by Attest market research for HR and employment law specialist Peninsula discovered that 54% of business owners were baffled by employment law jargon with many thinking the human resource management method – Bradford factor – stood for the best...
HR to the rescue: when line managers get it oh-so-wrong
Kelly Tucker, Director of Cheltenham-based HR Star, discusses how HR Managers often have to resolve disputes that were initially handled by line managers. It’s no secret (and probably no surprise) that many workplace disputes could be avoided if they had been handled more effectively in the beginning. In a lot of cases, pursuing a dispute with HR involvement (outside of an initial advisory role) or further still, a court appearance,...
Robey’s Blog: Don’t let your recruitment get Trumped!
Poor Donald Trump[1]. It seems that POTUS has been having trouble with his recruitment efforts. It seems to me – expert in US political analysis as I am – that Donald’s problems arise from a serious conflict of priorities: on the one hand, he yearns for the political credibility that emerges from the ability to assemble an executive team of high-performing professionals; but on the other, it seems that he struggles to work...
Robey’s Blog: A dispassionate look at compassionate leave
There aren’t many questions from managers that I really dread, but questions about compassionate leave are definitely on the list. There’s such a lack of understanding about what it is, what it’s for and how it’s managed that it can be a minefield that’s only made more explosive by the raw emotion that’s often exposed by the sorts of circumstances that cause the questions to be asked. So in the hope of sparing some of you some...
Fighting for talent: how focusing on people can drive business growth
Adam Hale, EVP of Sage People, discusses how employers can use people-data for a competitive advantage A new report released by Sage People (formerly Fairsail) reveals that the single greatest challenge for the smaller enterprise as they build their business is the global skills crisis and associated war for talent. Research of over 500 HR leaders in mid-sized companies reveals that despite fast growth ambitions less than half (47%)...
Employers must improve accessibility for stroke survivors as workforce ages
During National Stroke Survival Month, HR and diversity experts are calling for employers to learn how to adequately support staff who have suffered strokes. Research from Kings College London has found that number of strokes in UK is predicted to rise by 44% in the next 20 years as a result of the ageing population. Survival rates are subsequently expected to increase by a third thanks to medical advancements – which...
Robey’s Blog: Letting Appraisal Evolve
For quite a few years, now, HR has been collectively banging its drum about staff appraisals. The impetus came from two directions: On the one hand, managers wanted to dispense with poor performers, but had no adequate trail of evidence to demonstrate the issues of which they were complaining. On the other hand, employees were complaining that they didn’t get feedback on their work or have a clear understanding of how they were...
Why HR should be involved in driving customer experience strategy
HR need to drive customer experience – because they are the people who understand it, as Brand Learning uncover the results of a new global study. Less than 30% of businesses involve HR when considering customer experience It is increasingly recognised that business growth is powered by delivering exceptional customer experiences, with people at the heart of creating those experiences. A new report led by Brand Learning reveals...
Bored to tears: Workplace apathy is causing disengaged workers to look for a new job
New research from CV Library sees workers admitting that they feel bored at work on a daily basis Boredom can affect even the most studious of workers. Worrying new statistics from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveal that boredom afflicts nearly half of UK workers (44.9%), with 54% admitting that they have looked for a new job as a result of a dull work life. The survey, which asked 1,200 professionals about...
Employers warned not to ignore the rise of ‘gig-economy’ & flexible working
Employers must recognise the rise of the ‘gig-economy’ – and implement strategic workforce planning strategies to reflect this shift. That is the advice from global talent acquisition and management specialist, Alexander Mann Solutions. The recommendation in response to data from Mercer’s 2017 Global Talent Trends Study, which found that despite the fact that the majority of full-time employees (77%) said they would consider working...
Robey’s Blog: Balance with what?
If you’re working in HR, it’s likely that you will see or hear the expression “work/life balance” at least weekly, if not daily. But as employers come to grips with a growing catalogue of new legislation; an impending recruitment cliff with the approach of Brexit, and the nebulous expectations of the millennial generation and their successors, it seems timely to take a harder look at this idea. I was prompted to start thinking about...
Robey’s Blog: The SME’s Guide to Bad Interviews
I could probably write a decent-sized book on the whole topic of effective recruitment for SMEs, of which the interview would be a substantial chapter or two. But we’ll keep this as short as usual, so forgive me if I skip over a few things. Interviews, it is often noted, are a less-than-perfect tool for recruitment. The principle problem with them is that they select mainly for people who are good at interviews rather than good at...
Robey’s blog: Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit…
Is there anything more corrosive to everything HR stands for than gossip? It undermines morale, wastes time, reduces productivity, affects mental health and creates conflict. And that’s just in the HR team! But tackling office gossip can feel like Canute on the seashore, trying to hold back the tide. After all, we like communication. We want people to build bridges and talk and not sit in their functional silos. We like...
Robey’s Blog: The Hippo in the Room
So, new research has revealed that businesses – and SMEs in particular – are labouring under the burden of a significant risk factor that has, until now, been hiding in plain sight: hippos. And whilst this may or may not be connected to my dream last night that we had acquired an office pig as a security measure, I don’t, of course, mean that there are 3-tonne semi-aquatic mammals hiding in the breakroom and stealing all the...
Robey’s Blog: The Careers Day Speech That Never Was
Every year, the secretary of my alumnus body invites me to speak at the school careers day and, every year, I can’t make it. So, if I could, this is what I’d say… I’m not here to persuade you that a glittering future awaits you in the exciting world of Human Resources[1]. If you’re already thinking about it, then I’m not going to dissuade you. If you’re not, good. I’m yet to meet an HR person who didn’t find themselves in HR...
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