Do you challenge your staff out of their comfort zone?
Gary Cattermole explains why taking a step out of your comfort zone plays a fundamental role in continued business success. As an employer I want my staff to enjoy what they do for a living. I know that a more engaged workforce is more productive and more loyal and that this means businesses benefit […]
L&D industry insight: Paul Matthews
Recently I caught informal learning expert Paul Matthews from People Alchemy to talk about performance improvement, capability at the point of work, and – yes – informal learning. This interview is the guest interview segment of this month’s upcoming podcast. Subscribe to the TrainingZone podcast on iTunes here Recently I caught informal learning expert Paul […]
How learning can outpace market change
Not enough time for reflection at work? Ian Helps agrees with you. “This project represents my first ever critical self-reflection in eight years of working for [my company]” This quotation captures the tragic waste of human capital prevalent in many companies today. By encouraging staff to ‘execute and not think’, companies expect high performance. What […]
Adam Harwood: “There is too big a gap between training and performance need”
Adam Harwood, L+D Partner at ASOS, helps us to understand what Performance Support is and how we can use it. To learn more about GivebackUK have a look here Adam Harwood, L+D Partner at ASOS, helps us to understand what Performance Support is and how we can use it.To learn more about GivebackUK have a […]
What do a trainer and a neuroscientist have in common?
More than you might think, says Hannah Moffatt, creative director and trainer at language consultancy, The Writer. As a trainer you instinctively know what makes learners tick. You might not have a PhD in neuroscience, but you’re always experimenting – looking for the best ways to make ideas stick beyond the classroom. Now neuroscientists are […]
Insight: CIPD – L&D impact too rarely measured against business outcomes
Just 7% of L&D professionals evaluate the impact of their initiatives on the wider business or society, with most limiting their focus to learner and manager feedback, according to new research. The annual L&D Survey from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, highlights that a lack of effective evaluation can […]
Get Zen in the office
Embedding a mindfulness approach at work can increase employees’ mental focus, productivity and creative outputs says Kathleen O’Hara. Meditation used to be for gurus and people a little left of centre, but the scientific evidence of its benefits has brought it into the 21st century – and increasingly into the office. And we need it. […]
The importance of motivating teams
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Dubai. His new book 'Flashes of Thought' offers us his insights in leadership, business and life. What lessons can we learn from this world leader on how he manages his teams? "It is […]
How to avoid the pitfalls of flexibility
Colin Stuart discusses how to train staff to avoid the isolation commonly associated with remote working. It’s no wonder that the Britain has embraced agile working. Employees that work flexibly are more productive, cost less to employ, take fewer sick days and are more likely to remain with the company. Furthermore, an agile working approach […]
Typical 6 months into new job syndrome
I remember being told in a training session many moons ago that a classic curve for people in a new job or role is that between 6-12 months into it there can suddenly be a ‘crash’ in confidence. This has happened with a member of staff in our accounts department, who has gone home in […]
Words of advice: Tips to improve internal communication
In an organisation, internal communication plays a vital role in improving productivity, collaboration and individual performances. It encompasses the communication which takes place between directors, managers and employees. Jonathan Curran tells us more. Running behind goals, the organisations and managers are not paying adequate attention to the internal strategies, which might not directly affect their […]
How to make training more commercially credible
Al Bird gives us some great advice on how to align your training proposition with financial business objectives. For many years, L&D departments have been under pressure to cut costs, with the CIPD annual Learning and Development survey revealing that the average training spend per employee has reduced from £361 in 2002 to just £286 in 2014. […]
The Learning Awards 2015 – Finalists
Headline Sponsor – Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Internal Learning Solution of the Year – Sponsored by QATelefonicaCentral Manchester University Hospitals NHS TrustGlaxoSmithKlineLegal & General Assurance SocietyLV=Sainsbury’s External Learning Solution of the Year – Sponsored by Cisco AfinitiBP and LearningAge SolutionsPurple MediaQA with SantanderSaffron InteractiveSquared Online Apprenticeship Programme of the Year – Sponsored by New […]
TrainingZone interviews: John Batten
Recently our sister site Sift Talent interviewed John Batten, senior development consultant at St. James’s Place, about what the day-to-day life of a training department in financial services looks like. Tell us about St. James’s Place and your role there. John Batten I have been with St. James’s Place in the Partnership Development function for […]
Performance Improvement should not be training in isolation
Mike Collins continues his series on evaluation and the New World Kirkpatrick Model. Following my first article on what’s changed in evaluation, this is the second in the trilogy exploring the world of evaluation, and in particular the New World Kirkpatrick Model, exploring how it is providing new ways for L&D professionals to approach their work. […]
Is Your Workplace Design Affecting Employees’ Productivity?
Tess Pajaron investigates the impact of a well-designed workplace on employees' productivity and offers solutions that significantly improve the atmosphere of any working environment. If you never fully realised the impact of the working environment on an employee's efficiency, professional approach or creativity, it's high time you did. A recent study conducted by the Commission […]
I’m not a writer, but…
You write at work every single day, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily know how to get the best from your words, says Teresa Ewington. Are you a writer? Chances are, you’ve answered ‘no’. But if I asked you if you write emails, training material, proposals, presentations, reports, policies, manuals or anything similar – you’ll say yes. In […]
How are you using lessons from neuroscience
This month the CIPD have published a report called Neuroscience in Action: Applying Insight to L+D Practice. How are you using the emerging science about how the brain works and learns to inform your learning design and delivery? I'm interested in practical applications – how has neuroscience informed your learning and change management design and […]
Do your staff hate their office?
Gemma Harding gives us a few tips to up the office productivity levels. The Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, with its primary coloured beanbags and well-stocked fridges, has become the stuff of legend. Notorious for their unorthodox and relaxed attitude to work spaces, with ‘fireside’ meeting pods and sofas that you can call your […]
Preparing your employees for remote working
Russel Cooke offers some advice on managing and training your remote workers to ensure productivity and business success. The Office for National Statistics found that 13.9% of the UK workforce works from home. The home-based working trend appears international, as one in five Americans already work from home, and that number is expected to increase […]
