E-Learning: Implementing a Management Skills Project
An “original approach” to e-learning was required for this Management Skills project dealing with early years. Nik Kellingley explains his e-learning strategies and the business benefits. The European Enhancement of Early Years Management Skills (EEEYMS) Project was made possible by Leonardo funding. It began in October 2003 and will finish in October 2006.The project was […]
Age Discrimination – Are You Prepared?
Stuart Chamberlain, employment law expert and author from Consult GEE, comments on research conducted by the Department of Work and Pensions, and sets out the steps employers should take to avoid discrimination claims. Recent research undertaken for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) shows how far many employers have to go in order to […]
Pensions – the changes
The age at which people receive the basic state pension will rise to 68, the government confirmed yesterday as it unveiled long-awaited reforms of the pensions system. Dan Martin, AccountingWEB business writer, explains the changes. Revealing the new White Paper in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon, pensions minister John Hutton said to pay for […]
Linking Training to Business Needs: The Secrets of HMRC Revealed. By Sarah Fletcher
Linda Martin, Head of Learning at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spoke to Sarah Fletcher about HMRC’s learning and development challenges, how they measure the success of their training investment and crucially just how they tie in their training to business needs. HR Zone Q1: How has the learning and development (L&D) strategy at HM […]
Inductions That Work – Slashing Staff Turnover By 90%
Running Inductions that WorkInduction programmes are regularly highlighted as crucial for employee retention and a skilled workforce, but all too often they can be, as TrainingZONE member Nik Kellingley puts it, “poorly thought out, poorly implemented, cut short due to “business demand” – and these courses may actually reduce performance, value and morale.”We asked Kellingley, […]
Inadequate Training Hampers Change Efforts
Poor training and development programmes are affecting the success of organisational change initiatives, new research warns.According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), organisations experience major restructuring every three years, yet their training processes are not sufficient to cope.This is reflected in market feeling, as employers are showing little confidence in the competency […]
The Way I See It: IT Skills for Business Benefits
Andy Poulton from Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire, examines the importance of investing in IT skills to help your business remain competitive, and outlines how to implement an effective IT training plan. As technology continues to help businesses work in new and innovative ways, more businesses are realising the huge benefits that implementing even the […]
What Are ‘Proper’ Working Hours? By Sarah Fletcher
Sarah Fletcher asked training professionals for their views on the TUC’s recent research claiming that five million workers in the UK work unpaid and uncompensated overtime. The TUC encouraged employees to challenge the UK’s “long hours” culture by working only their contractually designated hours on Friday 24 Feb as part of their “Work Your Proper […]
The Way I See It… Secrets of Employee Engagement
Engaged employees estimated to increase their efforts at work by up to 30%, which can only be good news for productivity. Simon Hayward, CEO of Academee, looks at how to create a workforce that is willing to put in that extra effort. Engaged employees tend to be more content in their work, and therefore tend […]
Weak Management Blamed for Poor Productivity
The government must rethink its approach to workplace efficiency if it is to allow the UK to close the productivity gap with other countries, warns the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The UK still lags behind France, Germany and the US in terms of productivity, according to figures due to be published this Thursday […]
The Way I See It: The Top Pitfalls of 360 Reviews
Used well, a 360° review can be a useful development tool, but the wrong model could have a negative impact and drive poor performance. Claudine McClean, of Predaptive OD, offers some advice on how to make sure you implement a model that works for your organisation. Feedback using the 360° model has been made accessible […]
Feature: Beat the Retirement Brain Drain
One of the crucial organisational challenges facing of 2006, and beyond, is the fact that a lot of the working population is coming up to retirement age or already eligible for companies’ retirement schemes. Michael Kelleher looks at how the traditional exit interview can be used to help keep some of that crucial knowledge that […]
The Way I See It… The Truth About Training Claw-Back
While development is often cited as something that improves staff retention, Peter Hunter argues that attaching conditions and claw back to courses can have the opposite outcome. When you invest in training for the workforce you are sending a message that tells them they are valuable and that you believe they can be more valuable […]
Strategic Link Between Training and Profitability
Linking training to strategic business goals has a clear impact on productivity and profitability, a major new skills survey shows today.The survey by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, shows widespread acceptance of the link between a more highly skilled workforce and improved performance, with two-thirds of companies saying improving productivity was the main reason for increasing […]
Management Development – The Business Imperative
Nick Foster, VP Human Resources UK, Ireland & South Africa for the Oracle Corporation and plenary speaker at Learning Technologies 2006, talks to TrainingZONE about aligning management development to the needs of the business. TrainingZONE: In the preview of your plenary session, “Aligning management development to the needs of the business”, it mentions that training […]
The Way I See It… Changing Times for Succession Planning
John Fay, of SFL, argues that succession planning is too often over-looked in UK organisations. If we accept that people are genuinely our most important asset then we must accept as our responsibility that making sure there is a clear succession plan in place is vital to enable our companies to sustain performance and, with […]
Firms Fail to Deal with Under-Performance
More than half of employers are not grasping the nettle when it comes to dealing with under-performance, according to a new survey.The poll showed the public sector to be the worst culprit, with 62% of civil servants claiming that their organisation does not deal effectively with underperformers.While in the private sector, IT companies fared worst, […]
Feature: Sharing Knowledge
A customer facing and internal knowledge-sharing network can unlock information that employees, partners and customers possess, but don’t necessarily share. Peter Nicol, OutStart EMEA VP, explains how. The way a company makes the most of existing knowledge within the business is a determining force to its overall financial and operational success. But the knowledge needed […]
The Way I See It… Barriers to Change
Change, however necessary, almost inevitably brings with it a fear of the unknown. Claudine McClean of Structured Training looks at the organisational and personal causes of inertia. In all change situations there is a (sometimes toxic) mix of both organisational and individual barriers. As most attention is focused on communicating the external reasons for the […]
The Way I See It… Don’t Mention the “S” Word
With one in five people saying they are stressed at work, why isn’t everyone given training to help them deal with and recognise the effects of stress? Annie Lawler looks at how stress, despite its pervasiveness, is still under-estimated by employers. I had a successful career in advertising for over 20 years so I like […]
