This is a really difficult one. In reality, many long term relationships start at work. Many people meet first in the workplace and go on to live lives, raise children and be together for many years. However, approaching someone at work with your feelings for them can be a mine field. Unwanted attention can be considered sexual harassment and innocent comments can be taken the wrong way. Even harder if that person is your team member, you their boss or supervisor. In this situation you have the added issue of power imbalance and you need to tread very carefully. What is power imbalance? It is ..read more

You just have those niggling doubts; nothing you can put your finger on, but enough to make you worried. It could be about lack of work; honesty; ethics; attitude – whatever it is, you feel it, but you just are not certain. Here’s the thing… When you are managing employees you must always be bound by the concepts of harsh; unjust and unreasonable. It is these three concepts that form the basis of an unfair dismissal claim. To talk in detail about these three concepts is for another blog but we do need to focus on the term ‘unjust’. This simply means that the employee has been accused of, and ..read more

Recruitment is an expensive business, whether you are employing a recruiter or you are doing it yourself. Time is money and recruitment is an activity that takes a lot of your time. Firstly there is writing a job spec, then an advert; deciding where to advertise, and then dealing with the applicants. If you are doing it yourself and you do a bad job of communicating with every applicant, then you are running the risk of reputational damage for your business. People talk. Candidates get a feel for what type of organisation you are; just through your communication with them both if they get off ..read more

We continue our discussion from my last article on the potential new jobs and possible future changes industry-wide as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning grows ever more “intelligent”. So we continue…. Tourism and Entertainment As AI becomes more intuitive, accurate and lifelike, there will be a huge market in virtual reality and immersive gaming. Recreation will be transformed. Virtual Reality in Tourism could become a cost effective and time saving alternative to visiting in person. It would bring to life faraway places whether it’s to quench an itch to travel or to enhance ..read more

Part 1 In my previous blogs, it was discussed how Artificial Intelligence (AI) burst onto our consciousness in late 2022 and how we would need to use AI tools at work to keep up and optimise our time and productivity. As I started contemplating the coming changes AI will bring to jobs in different industries, I found that I needed to split up this blog because the impact is MASSIVE. AI will prove to be a strong disruptor across all jobs in every industry eventually, although some will be impacted sooner than later. So, in no particular order….. IT and Technology The obvious industries more ..read more

So many times I have been in conferences, networking events, business groups and mentoring groups, when the question is asked ‘What is your biggest pain’ and unanimously the answer is people; staff; workers; employees! So what’s the issue – people are wonderful; creative; talented; smart  – why do so many businesses find them the greatest headache? Because people are very complex! You see, I can take all my years of experience, all the knowledge from my degrees studied, use all the skill and psychometric testing available to me, talk to past employers, conduct an in-depth interview on a ..read more

As HR Consultants we see our fair share of different workplace issues, but one that we notice is often left unaddressed is Upward Bullying. What is Upward Bullying? This is when an employee or group of employees bully their superior. This can come in many forms such as a worker refusing to cooperate, acting in an offensive manner or showing hostility toward a particular superior. It’s not a pretty sight, and it can create a toxic work environment that spreads faster than the flu! Upward Bullying IS a big deal and it cannot be left unaddressed. It can not only affect the mental wellbeing of th ..read more

It actually takes a lot of courage for an employee to front their boss and ask for a pay rise. They have probably been thinking about it for a while, which is dangerous, because it means that they are generally not happy about the state of affairs and this can leave to perceptions of an effort/reward imbalance and intentions to leave. Perhaps they are a total pain, with visions of grandeur and really not very good at what they do (although they believe they are) and really if they left, you would be super happy! But mostly employers find this situation very difficult; as they don’t want to lo ..read more

The recruitment landscape has evolved significantly these past few years, most notably in the digital automation space. With the rise of automated recruitment processes, job seekers are starting to wonder which of their practices are still relevant in today’s market. A question we’re asked a lot is whether or not there is a point to creating and submitting a cover letter anymore – good question! The traditional purpose of a cover letter was for a candidate to introduce themselves, explain their motivation for applying and highlight why they are THE ONE. It gave employers insight into a candid ..read more

Following on from my previous blogs on AI, I can categorically say that AI Tools not only are already in the workplace, they will become essential. This space is moving quickly and it really won’t be long before everyone will use some kind of AI tool, app or in-house generator tool routinely at work. In fact, there is too much material on this topic in the media and podcasts at the moment for one post to adequately cover. This topic deserves a series! Where does AI stand in context to other historical changes to Work in Modern History? The Industrial Revolution disrupted and changed forever ..read more