Surviving the Brexit talent crush
There are fears Brexit might lead to a ‘talent crush’, with top-quality workers from Europe flocking back to their home countries and leaving our companies without the skills that they need to keep their businesses going – let alone expand. This is hitting at the most inconvenient of times because, as I have written before […]
Is L&D forgetting about the learner?
Learning strategies, business alignment, new technologies, analytics, budgets, stakeholder engagement… the list of things we need to be considering in L&D goes on. We now need to juggle more than we ever have before, and while this is exciting and brings great opportunities, it doesn’t come without risk. In our efforts to provide great ROI, […]
How To Turn Your Employees Into Brand Ambassadors
Every company wants their employees to be good representations of their brand when they’re on the job. However, it’s even better when your employees are bonafide brand ambassadors who praise your company and act as walking advertisements even when they’re off the clock. Turning your employees into brand ambassadors isn’t about forcing them to meet […]
Analysing resistance during a training session – what to do
As an anthropologist, I find the idea of resistance fascinating. When I used to teach, one of the books we focused on was Aihwa Ong’s Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline: Factory Women in Malaysia. In it, she explored the lives of young Malay women in the 1980s who began to work in factories. This […]
“But it’s different here!”: Helping learners to embrace the new
I wish it wasn’t true, but I’ve heard it too many times to be able to ignore it… “Ah, but things are different here at XYZ ltd.” Or “That’s all very interesting, but it’s an idea from the private sector and we’re a charity.” Or “Here in the public sector, we have very specific ways […]
Your Brain On Mindfulness
The evidence just keeps on coming! Investing just a few minutes every day in your mindfulness practice can give you the edge when it comes to performance, stress management, and even pain relief! We now know that our brains are plastic – in other words the brain grows and changes depending on how you use […]
How HR can help close the gender savings gap
Despite the 1970 Equal Pay Act and 2010 Equality Act, women in 2018 still earn about 10% less per hour than men. Policy is changing, driven by years of activism, enlightenment and regulatory changes, including the April 2018 mandate on gender pay gap reporting, but progress is slow. The pay gap is the red flag […]
3 Ways To Streamline Your Internal Communication
It’s clear that our workplace is changing rapidly, which means that the way we communicate with each other in the workplace must keep up. For instance, upwards of 80% of remote workers today feel more engaged and workplaces are becoming more flexible in allowing employees to dictate the style of office culture. If you’re still […]
Lessons from NASA: do you understand the ‘success trap?’
Success begets success, as the saying goes, but it can also ironically set the stage for avoidable mistakes and failures. Worse, greater success strengthens the influences that create this risk. This is true for an organization as it achieves more and more impressive wins, and it is just as true for each of us individually as we […]
Three Tips To Supercharge Employee Training
Studies show that employees that are locked in and engaged receive 20% greater productivity. If you have employees that are undergoing training, you’ll want them to be highly engaged every step of the way. This way, you won’t allow employee orientation to become a humdrum formality. Regardless of what sort of training that you’re putting […]
How do you actually build a coaching business?
This column was written by Emma-Sue Prince, founder of Unimenta. They have just launched the first in a new mini ebook series, The Advantage for Mid-Lifers, based on the seven soft skills popularised in Emma-Sue’s book The Advantage. I recently went to a business networking session for women – at least half the people were coaches of […]
Survey: What’s stopping employee engagement?
We often hear about employee engagement statistics being stagnant – its not increasing despite all the effort companies are making with social and CSR events, development and internal communications etc. So, what is holding employee engagement back? Please take our short anonymous survey (approx 15 minutes) and let us know what you think. Let me […]
7 Productivity Tips For Startup Entrepreneurs
There are few more gruelling and lonesome professions than that of an entrepreneur. When you’re new to the game and going it alone, it can feel difficult at times to keep focused and motivated in achieving your goals. But it’s important to remember that the very best entrepreneurs suffer from doubt and losses of confidence […]
“Handling Complaints” training
I work in the hospitality business and I have a team of complaint handlers and I am looking for an experienced trainer to deliver an in-house bespoke course in dealing with complaints/using empathy, dealing with customers who want escalate. If you have used someone who has delivered similar training with fantastic results, or have material […]
A best practice guide to managing mental illness
2017 was the year that mental illness stepped into the national consciousness. Over the course of a year, people everywhere began to share their experiences, and there was a definite shift towards acceptance of mental illness in everyday life. For all of this good, progress has been slow in the workplace. Discussing mental health at […]
Most-read TrainingZone articles of 2017
Here’s our roundup of the most-read TrainingZone articles in 2017. Topics span leadership, emotional intelligance, wellbeing, blended learning, millenials and more. Check the list and make sure you haven’t missed out on what your peers have been reading. 1. VUCA leadership: why you need it and how to develop it By Lindsey Byrne, Senior Consultant, Hemsley […]
Belbin Team Role biscuits
Oh crumbs… You promised yourself that, once you’d tidied up the last mince pie, it was healthy eating from here on out. But now January’s here, you’re back in the office, and the biscuit tin is calling. Fear not. Help is at hand. We don’t have motivational speeches. We don’t have pictures for your fridge. […]
5 Tips To Win As A Professional In 2018
It’s time to put up the tree and stockings and enjoy plenty of good cheer as we shut down for the holidays. As you take advantage of a much-deserved recharge, start to renew your mind so that you’re able to march in 2018 with the tools to succeed. A lot of changes have shifted the […]
Train your in-house coach!
Appointing in-house coaches or ‘buddies’ can be a good way to train and coach (new) employees. A less good idea: leaving these important coaches (volunteers, often) to fend for themselves. These in-house coaches have been trained for their own job and might be an amazing designer, account manager or HR professional, but they haven’t trained […]
Emotional intelligence: Do you know the four basic components?
Understanding and engaging the emotional intelligence of your workforce is crucial if organisations want to thrive in the modern world. When I first learned about emotional intelligence, it was a niche subject predominantly compartmentalised within specialist or clinical areas such as psychology, psychotherapy and the like. And if you didn’t have an ‘ology’, you had no real business […]
