Signs of an Ineffective HR Manager This morning I came across an article with an unusual angle on HR at bnet – it is called "9 signs your hr manager is terrible" compiled by Suzanne Lucas.This would be an interesting article to read if it were not for the “clipart photo gallery” style of this piece. Here I have taken some of the key points and raised some of the factors they raise. I'm not sure that many HR managers would disagree with many of these statements, however if we … [Read more...] about 9 Signs Your HR Manager is Bad
People don’t care about NLP, TA, and other tools and methods – why do we get so besotted by them?
Is it the method or the result that is important? Having watched a professional discussion about the pro's and con's of NLP and other psychology based tools for HR, OD and people development (training & coaching) activities, it got me thinking... Call the plumber we have a problem... Remember when you phone for a plumber you want that person to install a shower or stop a leak... you don't want to hire or contract on the name or brand of the tools they use... does it matter what type of … [Read more...] about People don’t care about NLP, TA, and other tools and methods – why do we get so besotted by them?
Digital Marketing Strategy for HR Professional Services Providers – what is a digital marketing strategy?
Digital Marketing Strategy - do you have one?What is digital marketing?Many of us use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and many other web 2.0 tools, but is it activity or is it strategy? Does it matter? Do we need a digital marketing strategy?The difference to me is in the results. It is all very well being seen on the social media sphere, but does it add value to your business? Does it generate more income that you would have without the activity. re you putting the right effort effort … [Read more...] about Digital Marketing Strategy for HR Professional Services Providers – what is a digital marketing strategy?
The Dangers of Social Networking – Duplicity
Social Networking Destroyed My Life Some months ago we published a humorous piece on "The Dangers of Social Networking in 2010". This was generally well received, and has been linked to by several other authors exploring the problems of using Twitter, FaceBook and other Social networking tools as part of business or education. There are some real dangers and some real opportunities in the business and learning contexts.Recently I have been reading more and more about teachers being … [Read more...] about The Dangers of Social Networking – Duplicity
Training Needs Analysis for HR Professionals – Sample Template
Human Resources TNA Template The seventh in our series of Training Needs Analysis templates is for our own part of the organization. We are often overlooked, so here is a template to get you thinking.Training Needs AnalysisIdentifying Needs in a Human Relations (HR) DepartmentThe training needs analysis is used by any legitimate organization to determine areas of job performance in which an employee needs training. The survey or assessment pinpoints the skills that the employee needs in a … [Read more...] about Training Needs Analysis for HR Professionals – Sample Template
The 5 Traps to Avoid – Increasing Trend for People Going Freelance
How to have a sustainable business model With the economy showing little in the way of recovery, every day there seems to be more and more people looking towards self-employment, in particular in the freelance or contracting markets.This is having a strange impact on the supply and demand in the profession. People are often despirate for work, so set low rates - custonmers like the thought of saving so hire at the lowest cost... but what is the real cost?When contracting or freelancing, … [Read more...] about The 5 Traps to Avoid – Increasing Trend for People Going Freelance
Balance in the Nine Box Grid for Talent Management
Removing Line Manager Blocks to Encourage Talent ManagementIts not all about people that are identified as being in the top right of a model. Talent is required at all levels and for all jobs. If all a business employed were high fliers then staff turnover would be unsustainable. True talent management is about harnessing and utilising what we have.The nine box grid is a valuable and yet simple tool in the planning and management of people talent in any organisation. Its simplicity is … [Read more...] about Balance in the Nine Box Grid for Talent Management
Making Twitter Work for Business – #connectingHR
Making Twitter & Networking Work for Business At a networking event last night in London #connectingHRamonst the many discussions were several on Twitter and its use in HR and business. The event was the first independent HR based tweetup in the UK and was very successful and well attended - over 100 registered and I would estimate that approximately 60-70 people were in attendance.One comment I heard was "I expected it to be a room full of people on laptops and geeks, but these are real … [Read more...] about Making Twitter Work for Business – #connectingHR
What is Best Practice?
So what is Best Practice and Good Practice? Is there a difference, and do we care?IntroductionOften in business, we hear about Best Practice and Good Practice, but what does it mean? Where and when should we use it?To help us out, let us look at some definitions:Definitions - Practice To do or perform habitually or customarily; make a habit of practices courtesy in social situations. To do or perform (something) repeatedly to acquire or polish a skill: practice a dance … [Read more...] about What is Best Practice?
Nine Box Grids for Talent Management
Tool for identifying & retaining key talent in organizations - 9 box grid Background to the Nine Box Grid The nine box grid or matrix, is believed to have originated within McKinsey to assess different business units and to prioritise the investment in individuals. This was developed for GE in the late 1960s and 1970s to enable them assess the potential of individuals in its business and prioritize their investment and overall strategy. It is claimed that it is based on the Boston … [Read more...] about Nine Box Grids for Talent Management
Organizational Development a true path to strategic development?
Is Organizational Development a true path to strategic development? In the past it has been behaviourally focused. Now it is time for change. Time to get more holistic. More business like. More balanced.Traditionally Organizational Development (OD) was mainly concerned with the three S’s of an organisation:Structures Staff and SkillsSpecialists and consultants practising in Organizational Development would look at an organization and identify its stage of growth or maturity. … [Read more...] about Organizational Development a true path to strategic development?
CIPD factsheets – an A-to-Z of HR topics & resources
CIPD factsheets - essential information for any manager & practitioner.An A-to-Z of HR and management related factors is an easy to read and easy to apply style.The CIPD produce a wonderful set of regularly updated and reviewed factsheets on a wide range of HR and management based topics., While some are available to members only, the majority are available to all.This pages lists those available as at January 2010. Please note all links open in new windows. UPDATE MARCH … [Read more...] about CIPD factsheets – an A-to-Z of HR topics & resources
Employees leave their boss not their job!
Are our managers leaking talent, or retaining it? While responding to a question on a network group I belong to about employee motivation and engagement, I recalled some research about the fact that people left bosses not their jobs.Then I came across a recently published piece of research carried out by a the Florida State University that clearly suggests employees leave their bosses not their jobs.Matching employees to managers is an element of recruitment which is rarely done (except at … [Read more...] about Employees leave their boss not their job!
Identifying levels of Training Needs Analysis (TNA) #hrblog
We need to understand the Levels of training needs analysis (TNA) in order to be able to design a learning or training solution.What is a Training Need? To carry out a Training Needs Analysis, we first need to understand what a 'Training Need' is.A training need is the gap between current and future knowledge or skills, that can be bridged by training or learning activities. We often refer to this as capability and learning requirements.There may be other gaps that need to be met … [Read more...] about Identifying levels of Training Needs Analysis (TNA) #hrblog
Going freelance in training or HR – how much to charge
Going freelance in training or HR - how much to charge With organisations laying staff off, HR and training are no exception to potential job losses. This leaves many to think about going freelance. Knowing how much to charge is one challenge. Often people in the consulting and freelance world undervalue their services, and equally, purchasers are increasingly unrealistic about what they expect to pay.Some time ago I was asked to present to a local CIPD group about 'going freelance' and in … [Read more...] about Going freelance in training or HR – how much to charge
When interviewing goes beyond HR and the Line Manager
Many organizations are starting to explore a new approach to improving retention through participative selection. There is a belief that when staff are involved in the recruitment decision they are more likely to support the new staff member, and as a consequence retention is improved.Many local authorities have been doing this for some time with mixed results. For the process to be meaningful (and legal) each person must be selected or rejected on defined criteria. This makes employee … [Read more...] about When interviewing goes beyond HR and the Line Manager
Applying LEAN to HR, Training and other administration based departments #HRBlog
The term Lean has been in manufacturing organizations for many years. Increasingly organizations are applying Lean to HR and Training departments too. Lean Thinking Many take it to be a process to do with the improvement of manufacturing efficiency. Indeed it was in the Toyota factories that the process started. Even in Toyota in the early days it was about a lot more than manufacturing processes. It covered supply, sales, logistics and administration of all kinds.In the last 5 years, … [Read more...] about Applying LEAN to HR, Training and other administration based departments #HRBlog
HR trends survey 2016 in just one word #hrblog #cipd #oneword
Introduction to One Word HR Trends SurveyWhat is the One word HR trends survey 2016? Early in 2015 we ran a simple survey among HR professionals. They were given 10 topics and asked for one word which represented there understanding or meaning for that word or phrase. This produced some interesting results. So twelve months on I thought we could repeat the process. The results are fascinating. In the first survey we had just over 500 responses, in this later version we had just under 400 … [Read more...] about HR trends survey 2016 in just one word #hrblog #cipd #oneword
Demystifying the Psychological Contract
If I put five HR Professionals in a room and asked them to define the Psychological Contract and its value, why would I expect to return later to find at least four different opinions? What is the Psychological Contract? As so often in HR, we have before us a term which has been created, in all good faith, to describe observations of human behaviour in employment that we cannot quite quantify, but can see are significant. “Engagement”, “Motivation”, “Job satisfaction“ and even “Leadership” are … [Read more...] about Demystifying the Psychological Contract
The future of HR in an ever shrinking world of work
The world of work has changed, but is HR changing fast enough? What is the future of HR?It is all very well saying that HR needs to do things differently as well as different things, but what things? How? Why? Where has HR come from? It helps to understand the history of HR a little.In the UK the CIPD track this on their web site and capture the early journey in this statement: The CIPD, as we know it today, started life in 1913 as the Welfare Workers’ Association. We’ve been helping … [Read more...] about The future of HR in an ever shrinking world of work
