Human Resources

Over the course of a career in HR, you’ll help many a new starter to find their feet. But every so often, you will be the new starter – and there’re a few learning curves as steep as stepping into a new leadership role. While undoubtedly exciting, your first days, weeks and months as an HR leader will also be full of challenges. You’ll need to overcome the fear factor that can come with joining a new organisation while offering the insight of ‘fresh eyes’ without ruffling too many feathers. It’s all one big balancing act, and one you don’t…

Whether you’re proposing a new wellbeing programme, rewards system or the implementation of HR software, the first step in any new HR initiative is gaining buy-in from your organisation’s key stakeholders. Any significant change to process, policy or platform will inevitably come at a cost, so budgetary sign-off will, of course, need to be achieved. In an ideal world though, you’ll get more than just the financial go-ahead from above. For your new initiatives to really take root in the organisation, you’ll need full backing from your bosses, with senior leaders prepared to support your cause and push your idea…

With a key part to play in employee engagement, experience and welfare, your HR department may well be attuned to spotting signs of stress or discontent among the workforce – but what if those signals come from inside your own department? HR roles carry a notorious administrative burden, and it’s not uncommon for the strain of an overwhelming workload to damage the morale, productivity or even the mental wellbeing of your team. Yet struggling HR staff might be the last people in your business to put their hands up and call for help. After all, they’re the ones meant to…

In most areas of business these days, results are everything. As long as processes are proven to be effective and yield the right outcomes, everything in the garden is rosy. Yet while efficiency and effectiveness are inextricably linked, it doesn’t always follow that an effective HR department is an efficient one. It’s highly likely that you’re already monitoring the effectiveness of your HR and recruitment teams, most probably in terms of KPIs like ‘cost per hire’ and ‘employee churn’. But it’s also vital to put some measures in place to help you track the efficiency of your HR service delivery…