Monthly Archives: November 2011

Should we really expect to retire at 65?

Posted on 30 November, 2011 by Rick

Public sector pensions are being cut and the state retirement age is slowly but surely being pushed towards seventy. Many people are outraged by all this but is it reasonable, now, to expect to retire at 65? Most of us have … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour Market, Peak State | 8 Comments

In defence of ‘but’

Posted on 29 November, 2011 by Rick

Jon Weedon doesn’t like it when people say “but”. I can’t think of a single word in the English language that pisses me off more than the word “but”. There’s no other word quite like it for sucking the positivity … Continue reading →

Posted in Shooting the Breeze | 2 Comments

The disappearing thirtysomething gender pay gap

Posted on 28 November, 2011 by Rick

The ONS published its 2011 data on the gender pay gap last week. The figures show the continuing gradual reduction of the gap between women’s and men’s pay. Much of the discussion has focused on the opening up of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Pay | 3 Comments

Will employment law changes encourage people to tackle poor performance?

Posted on 25 November, 2011 by Rick

Some people, especially employment lawyers, are getting excited about “the most radical reform to the employment law system for decades“. (Shouldn’t that be “of the employment law system”?) But, as Croner’s Paul Clarke notes, we still don’t know how many … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment Law, Performance | 8 Comments

Manners and calculated rudeness can be devastating weapons

Posted on 23 November, 2011 by Rick

Damian Thompson wrote an extraordinary piece in the Telegraph this weekend about David Cameron’s manners. [T]o put it bluntly, Dave is rude. More specifically, he exhibits the calculated rudeness of people with very nice manners. That isn’t a contradiction in terms. … Continue reading →

Posted in Corporate Politics, Society | 21 Comments

It’s not just Britain – income inequality is rising across the OECD

Posted on 22 November, 2011 by Rick

Executive pay is in the news again as the High Pay Commission warns of its corrosive impact on the UK economy. Those who defend such high pay levels argue that international competition is driving up the going rate for senior executives … Continue reading →

Posted in Pay, Society | 8 Comments

Murdoch let off by MPs’ lack of forensic rigour

Posted on 21 November, 2011 by Rick

Professor John Cooper was not impressed by the MPs’ questioning of James Murdoch. “Sorely lacking in forensic rigour,” he said, “the culture, media and sport select committee resumed its cross-examination of Murdoch – and they were not up to it.” He … Continue reading →

Posted in Team Effectiveness | Tagged | 1 Comment

Friday poetry – Doubt Wisely

Posted on 18 November, 2011 by Rick

Reflecting on Monday’s post, and on management overconfidence generally, I remembered that I had blogged on a similar theme before. How do you maintain the aura of confidence that people want in their leaders when all you have is questions? When … Continue reading →

Posted in Executive Arrogance, Leadership | 2 Comments

The integrated Eurozone – a ‘pre-meet’ writ large

Posted on 17 November, 2011 by Rick

Historian EP Thompson remarked on our tendency to see history as a series of events which lead up to the present, and our own time, therefore, as the end of the story. So, for example, we say that capitalism eventually … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Financial Crisis | 9 Comments

The great local government fire-sale

Posted on 16 November, 2011 by Rick

Patrick Butler reports on the frantic rush to outsource local government services. Both he and I saw this coming some time ago. When councils have to cut so much so fast, an obvious way of doing it is to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Sector | 3 Comments