Is Redundancy Your Only Option?

[Editor’s Note: some text changes and link updates were made on 26/11/2020 and 22/07/22] Hard decisions have to be made currently by senior managers to keep their organisation going. Making staff redundant may seem the obvious way to save money which for some may be the only viable course due to cash flow issues. However, […]

Payslips to Show Hours Worked

Employees must be able to check whether they have been paid the correct amount which means that all employees and workers now have the right to see the hours they have worked and been paid for on their pay slips. Employers are required to show the number of hours worked, as well as the earnings, […]

Older Employees – Organisational Asset or Liability?

Shortage of People and Skills Ahead In recent years the focus has been on apprenticeships and job opportunities for young people, which are both important.  However, that has distracted managers from another pressing issue – the skills and ‘corporate glue’ provided by older workers.  The number of young people coming into the workforce is shrinking.  […]

Sports Direct – the Dilemma of Organisational Flexibility

[Text amended August 2018] Many organisations need flexibility in staffing to accommodate seasonal and other variations in workload, product launches, staff holidays and illness etc. To meet such needs, senior managers should be able to introduce a range of contracts such as variable hours, zero hours, temporary and/or fixed term contracts and/or use agency workers. […]

Are We Switching Off Creativity and Satisfaction at Work?

[Text amended 01/09/2018] Making Organisations Fit for Purpose Organisational capability, agile organisations, responsive organisations are phrases we encounter in the search for an organisational structure that will prove fit for purpose.   The pace of technology and the growth of knowledge workers has cast doubt on whether the traditional hierarchical organisation structure is appropriate to […]

Exposure v Experience – the better way to identify capable, adaptable staff

[Editor’s note – text edited 30/08/2018] Can We Improve Our Success Rate in Recruiting or Promoting Individuals? How often do we find ourselves writing phrases such as, “the successful applicant will possess 4 – 5 years experience in the leisure industry …”.   Quite a few individuals will have such experience but for many it will […]

Harnessing the Living Entity in your Organisation *

In companies and public service organisations, senior managers face similar challenges to raise performance and provide added value.  Their technology, markets, resources and context will differ but they will assert that their people are their most important asset but still struggle to optimize innovation and performance of their people.  In the turbulent months ahead, it […]