Trainer’s Tip: Investors in People Task Force
If you are battling the idea in your organisation that Investors in People (IIP) is just a badge, this advice from Robin Cox should help everyone realise its true potential. Recruit your new managers to form an IIP Task Force. Get backing and sponsorship for this by canvassing the support of your CEO and senior […]
Diversity Still a Pipe Dream
Almost two-thirds of employees admit that their company does not have a diverse workforce or are unaware if they do.These are the findings of jobsite Monster, that discovered a mere 38% place diversity as a big priority, whilst 11% said their company is starting to think about it but it’s not really a reality.According to […]
Staff Less Satisfied than Five Years Ago
Large organisations are failing in their attempts to improve employee satisfaction levels, new research suggests. A survey, by Global Integration, found that of 730 people working in large organisations, 40% said their organisations have become less satisfying places to work during the last five years. According to the research, while staff members are frequently given […]
Employers Struggle to Retain Staff
Employers are finding it increasingly tough to retain their staff, according to a new report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The CIPD’s annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey found that 78% of organisations experienced retention difficulties in 2006, compared to 69% in 2005.The research also highlighted that using initiatives such as recruiting […]
Pointless Emails Waste Three Years of Managers’ Lives
Managers are estimated to spend three-and-a-half years eading irrelevant e-mails, according to a management school.Research by Henley Management College found that 32% of the messages received by180 senior managers surveyed were considered immaterial.It also found that European managers spend at least two hours per day dealing with e-mail communications – equating to around 10 years […]
E-Course Tackles Work and Familes Act
Learndirect business, has launched a free e-learning course on the Work and Families Act which came into force last week.The half-hour course covers changes brought in by the Act, including longer maternity and adoption leave, potentially longer paternity and carer leave, and up to 10 optional Keeping In Touch (KIT) days to keep new mothers […]
Ask the Expert: Training Portals
This week our experts look at how to create a useful and useable, in-house training portal. Question: Over the last few months, I have been involved in the creation of a number of user manuals and job-aids for this company that I am currently sub-contracted to. I suggested that it would be a good idea […]
The Way I See It: Overcoming the Barriers to Collaboration
Being miles apart, whether tens or thousands, is no longer a barrier to team working, thanks to new technologies, yet staff are often slow to grasp these opportunities. Kelly Low, sales director of Premiere Global Services, looks at collaborative technologies and their implications for training. According to new research from Frost and Sullivan1, collaboration is […]
Managers Fail to Prepare for Skills Losses
While managers are more worried than ever about losing skilled employees, few are preparing adequately for this kind of disruption, research suggests. One in five managers say their organisation’s productivity has suffered due to a loss of skills in the past 12 months, according to research by the Chartered Management Institute. While 59% are concerned […]
Developing Management Values
Bob Selden explores how management values can set the tone of the organisation. I once worked for an organisation that seemed to embody the epitome of the ideal. In fact, everything the management gurus suggest should be evident in the “excellent” organisation, was there. Employees who were dedicated, management who cared about the staff (and […]
Inductions Failing to Address Security Risks
European SMEs are leaving their businesses vulnerable to security risks due to poor inductions, according to a new report.The study, Employee Education Gap, of over 1000 SMEs (50-250 employees) across Europe, found: Only 32% of those surveyed have IT security as an aspect of employee induction. UK businesses are the most likely to hold induction […]
Recruitment: Staff Development is the Competitive Edge
Ashley Williams, Director of Partnership Products at recruitment consultants Angela Mortimer plc, explains why training and development can attract the best candidates. With our economy performing the way it is, British businesses are seeing an unprecedented increase in recruitment activity. However, of our annual blue book research – released in January – revealed that the […]
Management Talk
Gone are the days when managers managed and internal communications dealt with getting their message across. Now managers are expected to be as expert in the art of communicating as they are at managing a budget – no easy task given the proliferation of communication technologies. Mark Shanahan looks at the issues. In the next […]
Equal Opportunities Warning
Employers have been warned to review their equal opportunities policies after a gay man who was called a ‘wee poof’ by his boss was awarded a record pay-out of nearly £120,000.Law firm DWF says the case shows that firms who breach the rules could face potentially crippling penalties, since there is no upper limit on […]
IMHO: Emotional Intelligence at Work
This is the third in a series looking at trends in our world of learning and development. Not so much a how-to series, more of a why-to. In this article, Rob Sheffield looks at emotions in the workplace. In the popular mythology of decades past, employees were encouraged to turn up for work on time […]
Executive Development – Who’s the Boss? By Dan Martin
They might not like to admit it, but occassionally even big bosses needs training. That’s where executive development comes in. With a plethora of options from a variety of providers available, getting help to make the head honchos even better at their job isn’t a problem but what can be more challenging is deciding who […]
Ask the Expert: TNA Questionnaires
The question: I’m conducting a TNA and would like to send out a Training Needs Survey questionnaire to all the functional directors. As they are mostly engaged in their busy schedules, it might be difficult if I ask them to write me some descriptive answers; and some of them might find it hard to tell […]
Stuck in the Middle
Over-worked, under-rated and so often berated, is it any wonder that middle managers get over-looked in the development stakes? Mark Mercer, a training consultant at learning and development consultancy MaST International, suggests this hard-working backbone of UK plc deserves a bit more attention from the training and development team. Middle managers play a central role […]
£220bn Cost of Not Training Middle Managers
Underperforming middle managers are estimated to be cutting the productivity of British business to the tune of £220 billion per year.More than a third (38%) of UK directors surveyed said that their organisation was “paralysed” by ineffective middle management. Close to half (40%) of British directors claimed that their middle management was the single greatest […]
Funded Diversity Training Places
Remploy and Academee are offering free diversity training at venues across England.Funded by the European Social Fund, ‘Daring to do Diversity’ aims to ensure employers understand diversity legislation and how to use it to maximise the effectiveness of their business. Participants will also receive a free ‘Diversity Learning Out of the Box’ board game-style learning […]
