Monthly Archives: August 2008

The media are getting into a froth about the fake sick-notes being sold on the internet for £25. “Employers could possibly lose thousands each year,” screams an unnamed DWP spokeswoman quoted in the Telegraph. But no one has asked the obvious question: … Continue reading →

Another of those annoying I-told-you-so posts. The Observer reported at the weekend that, despite the economic downturn, the mass exodus of East European workers from the UK has created a labour shortage. [E]mployers can no longer depend on a steady supply of relatively … Continue reading →

My good friend Robin Stuart-Kotze wrote to me at the weekend from deepest rural Ireland, pointing me to this recent McKinsey article and reflecting on ‘The Demotion of HR’: Contrary to the speeches and articles coming out of the HR community about why they should … Continue reading →

There will be a few management consultants working on government projects thinking, “There but for the grace of God” this morning. Earlier this week, someone from PA Consulting apparently lost a memory stick containing the names, addresses and dates of birth of … Continue reading →

Recently, I have had a number of discussions with managers on whether the credit crunch and the predicted economic downturn will see employers adopting a No-More-Mr-Nice-Guy stance, and binning the so-called employee friendly initiatives that have taken shape over the last ten … Continue reading →

There was a lot of fuss last week when the Policy Exchange produced a report highlighting the failure of initiatives to regenerate old industrial cities in Britain’s provinces. It claimed that many of the old single-industry towns had lost their raison … Continue reading →

Now this is a must for the blogroll. I read about it in today’s Grauniad. The Angry Receptionist is, well, an angry receptionist for a company somewhere in New York. Some of her (or his?) conversations are hilarious. “Can I cancel the … Continue reading →

Here’s a story that will appeal to some of the more cynical among you. Have you ever been involved in a culture change programme, or sat through an Appreciative Inquiry event, or listened to a consultant go on about stakeholder management and the … Continue reading →

Someone reminded me yesterday that there was a band around in the early 90s called Human Resource. They were a Dutch techno outfit. At the time I didn’t think it was odd because there were all sorts of strange bands … Continue reading →

Alison Green, she of Ask a Manager fame, has a piece in U.S. News on careers advice. Bad piece of advice #2: When an interviewer asks about your weaknesses, offer up a positive framed as a weakness. This is the fastest … Continue reading →