Category: Organisation

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The future workforce (it’s not robots, it’s humans!) #CIPDMAP17

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on The future workforce (it’s not robots, it’s humans!) #CIPDMAP17

“The future of work is brighter than conventional wisdom suggestions it is not going to be humans v machines”

There is a spotlight on the future of the world of work and a large part of this relates to the world of education and it is anything but child’s play!

This truly inspiring session was delivered by Matthew Crawford and Sarah Armitage from the Federation of Schools.

Take yourself back to your 6 year old self; what did you want to be when you grew up? We watched a fantastic interview with children telling us what skills they thought they needed for the profession they desired; traditional answers were there, police officer and doctor were mentioned and team work was something they thought was particularly important to those roles.

The future workforce and what we know about it is purely guesswork, we have no idea what it looks like so it places even more importance upon how we act now which will in turn shape the future workforce and our organisations.

The challenge is shaping this to be able to work for us, technology is playing a pivotal role in the direction it takes which is already visible within the automotive industry. Expectations, accountability, innovation, flexibility and lifelong learning were words frequently heard around the room as we discussed which parts employers and future employees both have a part to play on.

Key skills that are foreseen as a requirement were discussed at length again with technology having a significant part to play; communication away from a screen was a popular point alongside programming, cyber security, analytics and emotional intelligence were also seen as desirable requirements in the future world of work. The emphasis upon ownership of our own development and teaching people how to learn independently.

The links of vision and values are equally important in the education sector as they are in a traditional corporate environment despite preconceptions. The changing environment means that our schools are having to react faster to maintain pace in order to remain relevant, whilst many would see this as a never-ending story; Matthew and Sarah positively presented it as an opportunity, simply keeping the vision and values at the heart as opposed to them being a tick box.

By living their core beliefs and values, they are able to provide children the opportunity to not only learn but also to aspire and to fully experience life outside of the classroom which enables them to succeed.

When it comes to the team and motivating employees; it is all about collaboration. Supplying  a 10 year career plan, continuing CPD and wellbeing are focus points to ensure they get the best from their people thus providing the best possible education to their pupils.

There is the need for businesses and education to work hand in hand, as Sarah rightly points out, we are all in this together. There are transferrable skills that we can all use that will help support bridging the gap between education and the world of work, with different generations comes different expectations. Self belief and confidence have a huge impact across all of those so forming good relationships and setting expectations are critical.

I will leave you with the highlight of my day so far, during the video interview with the children, the question “Will robots ever replace teachers?” was asked to two young pupils, a young girl speaks directly to the camera and wisely says “no, robots don’t have the way to inspire people like humans can” demonstrating that even little people understand the importance of the need to remain human.

So what could you do? Get in touch with your local schools and see where you can add value, we all have relevant skills to share, we can all help shape the future.

 

Blogging, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, Employee well being, Getting Organised, Goals, HR, Human Resources, Inspiration, mental health, Motivation, Organisation, People Management, Plan Ahead, Uncategorized, Wellness

Back from the future: Is L&D ready? #CIPDMAP17

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Back from the future: Is L&D ready? #CIPDMAP17

The session was hosted by Teresa Rose from E.ON. The purpose of the session is to establish what the future looks like and how this is impacted by the use of data and how we learn from each other.

Let’s go five years into the future; what does your business look like, what technology are you using, what capabilities do you have and what are your expectations and more importantly that of our customers?

Capability and culture play a key role in the transition to maintain pace with changing environments, expectations and technology with the introduction of AI. It depends on your business environment and the style of your employee and client base, for example we are now working with five different generations; how can you appeal and successfully deliver training that transcends the multi-generations. Will we deliver training differently? The answer is simply most certainly, are organisations adequately prepared? The general feeling around the room insinuated that they were aware of the changes. but were not adequately prepared, there is no one size fits all approach but all of these factors should be taken into account when designing and developing training for the future.

The CIPD are continuously advising on the importance of CPD, what are you doing to ensure your journey continues? There is a strong emphasis on personal responsibility to be accountable for your career development so individuals cannot rely upon organisations delivering what they need when they are unaware of the requirement, so the next time you’re having your annual appraisal with your manager, make sure you tell them your expectations and really pinpoint your development needs.

 

 

Business, Career, Career Journey, CIPD, Conference and Exhibition, Employee well being, Goals, Human Resources, Inspiration, Motivation, Organisation, Uncategorized

Building the employee experience #CIPDMAP17

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Building the employee experience #CIPDMAP17

After a quick cup of tea and pile of biscuits devoured, it was time to swing straight into the next session on building the employee experience by Rob Robson from Tata Technologies.

Tata are a global business employing 900 people in the UK and in April 2017, they moved to a new £20m European HQ in Leamington Spa. Over this period, there has been substantial drive from the HR to deliver projects in close partnership with all areas of the business.

The move came at a time when the business grew and available space had decreased so when seeking a new head office, one of the key points was to ensure they had a space and environment which reflected the vision of the business.

The key to selecting the new space was a joint decision between the business leaders and employees. It was essential that employees were included as part of the changes as to allow them to create a space that was fit for purpose and move forward together.

With any major change there are always challenges and limitations. Funding and getting things started were the initial challenge as the operating environment contrary to belief is frugal. There are impacting external factors such as the volatility within the economy which makes it difficult to predict which direction things are going. This meant that they needed to heavily factor in flexibility in addition for the space to grow. Influencing and changing the culture, technology and physical environment all needed to be considered, you need to understand the capability of your resources, understanding the business context; these together can help understand the culture will allow you to focus on engaging the employees and generating employee involvement.

When they created their promotional video to introduce the new building, it was delivered by employees, not management which helped to support the values and culture that the business wanted to achieve in order to drive engagement. There was a review of the on boarding process, to enable recruitment of a high standard and a focus on safety with initiative “don’t walk by”.

Tata demonstrated a human approach by giving a commitment to generating a positive culture, caring for the environment, high standards, driving innovation and supporting the right behaviours to ensure the success of the project.

Helping to create a more vibrant and creative space has played a key role in underpinning the vision and values which in turn enhanced the levels of employee engagement. Employees do not have their own desks, they have a neighbourhood so everyone gets to work with people around the business, this helps to increase innovation.

The vision and values are visible throughout the building, so regardless if you are a visitor or employee, what the business has committed to and stands for has a strong presence and forms a part of the day to day business activities.

The reaction to the changes has been well received and at all stages of the project, regular employee reviews were conducted to effectively map the journey. Once the move was completed, it was clear what impact the move had upon the culture and it’s connection to the business values.

To take a peek inside their new head office, please click here

 

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A racing start to CIPD MAP 2017 from Derek Redmond

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on A racing start to CIPD MAP 2017 from Derek Redmond

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Derek Redmond has got CIPD MAP 2017 off to a flying start, I particularly enjoyed his opening line that he used to run around in circles for a living!

Whilst Derek may have swopped lacing up his trainers for driving high performance in his role at Thomas International; his motivation remains the same, to get the most out of people in his role as Performance Director.

Engagement may be a strange term but it is a topic that many are passionate about, even as an individual, we always have a team around us to help us deliver. There’s always a coach behind us cheering us on to achieve our goals.

Derek might have been alone on the track, but he had a team of people around him to help him achieve his aspirations,; a track coach, flexibility coach, masseuse, sports physiologist, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist, S&C coach, partner, agent and his Dad! All have a key role to play in the story of his success and it is no different in the world of work, they are experts in what they do.

Reflecting on Margaret Heffernan’s opening keynote to CIPD ACE 16, this demonstrates the importance of people working together, knowing their roles and ultimately, who has supported you to get you where you are now? These people are vital to our success and achieving what sometimes feels impossible. When people understand their roles, it improves relationships, communication and when they understand what each other are doing, that is where the magic happens.

Recognition to keep people engaged is essential, simply say thank you. It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture but those people will never forget it and they will feel appreciated. Last week, I was speaking to my husband Mark at home and I turned to him and simply said “thank you for everything you do, I wouldn’t be here at this point in my career without you”. He seemed a bit taken back by it but it is true and I realised that I don’t say it enough, we should all do this more often.

Empowerment, alignment, involvement; these words are part of our daily lives, it’s not new but these resources can be constantly applied to every area of our performance. They are supported by our attitude and approach to how we undertake tasks to help us deliver to the best of our ability.

One thing that we should all do regularly is to reflect on our career journey, Derek mentioned that doing this each year is important; ask yourself, where were you this time last year? Are you behind? Have you kept on track? It’s vital to consistently monitor where you are on your journey and more importantly, are they fitting to where you want to be?

High engagement drives high performance; if you have highly skilled people that are not engaged, then you will simply not getting the most out of them. Engagement is as simple as that, so taking steps to improve engagement is essential to driving high performance within your business so the need for investment in this area couldn’t be more critical. Skills are irrelevant, it’s engagement that is truly important.

People and performance; in the world of business, the most common mistake is to judge upon business performance. Too much focus on figures and strategy often sacrifices understanding the role, team spirit and leaves little room for challenging each other; a distinct lack of people focus. If you look after the people, your performance will take care of itself, it sounds simple but too many organisations forget this which hinders the level of performance.

Understanding your people is the key to driving your organisation forward, as Derek demonstrated when he won the Olympic gold medal with his team in 1991. It demonstrates the capability of a truly engaged team, the same principles can be instilled in organisations.

Most organisations have the right people to deliver but they might be in the wrong roles, or there could be a lack of communication, it’s about understanding and mindset. These words will resonate with everyone so why do we continue to stay the same?

We don’t need to be told that the world of work is evolving, if this is news to you then you are already miles behind. You can’t expect to do something different if you’re doing the same thing.

A fantastic start to this years CIPD MAP Conference and a lot of food for thought to take us through the day.

 

 

 

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Developing capability for shifting times #cipdmap17

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Developing capability for shifting times #cipdmap17

With only 28 days left until the annual CIPD Midlands Area Partnership conference, which is being held at Chesford Grange in Warwickshire and I thought it is perfect timing to start talking about what we can expect from the event.

CIPD MAP 16 was an incredible event, very well organised and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. So what can we expect from this years event?

First and foremost, there are still a limited amount of tickets left so if you would like to attend then do grab your tickets via the CIPD MAP page on their website.

Secondly, if you cannot make the event, do not dispare! I will be blogging and tweeting the event as we go.

The title for this year’s event is developing capability for shifting times and with this year’s keynote speakers being Olympic Athlete Derek Redmond and Influential Professor Rob Briner, this event looks set to be one of the most successful yet.

To start the day, there will be a breakfast session held at 8:30am with Russell Deathridge from LHH Penna to discuss delivering high performance with an agile workforce in uncertain times. This is on my must see list of the day and look forward to hearing Russell’s thoughts on this incredibly relevant topic.

From 9:15am you’ll find me and a host of other branch committee members signing you all in at the registration desks, please ensure you do this in plenty of time so you can get on with some networking prior to the welcome and introduction, plus, it’s a Saturday so grabbing a good coffee is incredibly important!

The welcome and introduction to this event will begin at 10:00am before handing over to our keynote speaker Derek Redmond. Derek, as well as being an olympic gold medallist, has been a motivational speaker for 17 years and is Group Performance Director at Thomas International, so be prepared for an incredibly inspiring start to the conference.

One part of the day I am really looking forward to is hearing from Rob Robson from Tata Technologies, his session is being held at 11:55am and he is speaking about creating the employee experience, this topic is not only relevant now but will be for years to come.

Then we have the breakout sessions starting at 12:40pm;

  • A. New ways of working – myth or reality? which will be led by Professor Donald Hislop and Dr Sarah Barnard
  • B. Back from the future – is L&D ready? Led by Teresa Rose, Digital Learning Expect at E.ON
  • C. Building and developing the skills needed for organisations across the Midlands to succeed in the UK, Europe and the World. Led by Angela Joyce, CEO at Warwickshire College
  • D. The future workforce: an educational perspective, led by Matthew Crawford

I’m planning to attend sessions A and D as my work recently has been influenced by what the future holds within the education system and how that will influence the workforce.

The last but no means least, the closing keynote will take place at 15:15pm with Rob Briner; Shaking the foundations: time to challenge some common assumptions about HR;  be prepared for some fantastic quotes from Rob, he never disappoints!

Don’t forget, there is a brilliant exhibition area too, so make sure you visit the stands as well as taking the time to network with HR and L&D colleagues from across the Midlands.

I hope to see lots of you there!