HR musings with added sparkle!
Working at a HR consultancy, the best part of my role is seeing all the different people challenges in a multitude of industries and environments, from small startups to large corporations; no two days are the same for me and it’s that variety that makes me enjoy my career so much. Every day is different with our clients, but one thing I have clear visibility on is the impact HR can have upon these organisations and how it can either enhance or damage people’s experiences of the world of work.
Hello everyone!
Long time no speak, I’ve so much to share with you all soon, it has been the most hectic few weeks of my life and hopefully I am nearly at the end of the tunnel.
Ok so I thought I’d do a quick whistle stop blog on a subject I get asked all. the. time. “How did you start your blog?” “Can I write a HR blog” the simple answer is yes, you most certainly can!
Workplace conflict is a huge cause of work related stress in the UK and whilst mediation may not be a hot topic right now, it is a tool that HR professionals may be required to use more regularly than we think!
Marc’s insightful read will help you develop skills to mediate in the workplace and resolve conflict effectively. This book is a practical approach to addressing those workplace fall-outs by nipping issues in the bud.
The book is well structured and easy to use, so if you are a novice or more experienced, this book has something for everyone.
After an incredible start to this years’ Six Nations this weekend, I thought that this month’s read was incredibly apt, given that it is all about what the New Zealand All Blacks team can teach us about leadership and sustaining success.
This unique and inspiring book was recommended to me at the CIPD MAP conference last year by Matthew Crawford who spoke at the conference about the future of work from an educational (and children’s!) perspective.
This book will suit everyone, for those looking for a “how to” approach, techniques for professional standards, and practical lessons for effective leadership. It also encourages the development of leadership qualities such as accountability and ownership.
Continue reading “February’s recommended read: Legacy by James Kerr”
For too long HR and Management have relied on the good old framework known as the annual appraisal; a tool that was designed for good by our HR ancestors but is being  likened to household chores, unfulfilling, stressful and not fit for purpose.
I got rid of them completely in a previous role, I found them too rigid, impersonal and artificial. I simply used check in meetings with my team to create an open and ongoing dialogue. There’s absolutely no point waiting all year for my team to tell me that they needed support, the moment has gone by then and demotivation sets in quickly!
This week’s HR Hour widely debated if there is a place in the current world of work; most participants said absolutely not.
In some cases it seems that it is a framework which is highly misunderstood and is used as a tick box exercise, form is completed, sent back to HR and nothing of value is done with it. I maintain that a tool like this can only be beneficial if it is clearly defined and that managers have a thorough understanding on how it should be used, without this, you might as well forget it. It can also be used as an opportunity not to have regular communication with employees, using it as something to hide behind “save it for your appraisal” is a phrase we’ve all overheard in our HR careers.
Continue reading “Appraisals, the dinosaur framework of performance reviews”
Natalie Ellis HR 