The CIPD are currently running a great initiative, in collaboration with renowned management guru Gary Hamel, entitled “Hacking HR to Build an Adaptability Advantage”. Although the title might appear a little like management-speak, it’s in effect a series of online brainstorming sessions which anyone can participate in, looking at how organisations can become more flexible and…

A few weeks ago, I was paid a really nice compliment by a client – while chatting he said “we use you for HR because you’re always pragmatic and take into account our business needs”.  However, it made me wonder why he thought this was unusual, and why HR people are so often seen as inflexible and unhelpful.

Three reasons occur to me:

Too many HR people are risk-averse, irrespective of the culture of the organisation they work in. A fear of employment law and getting…

The concept of "intention and perception" and the related issue of "context" is one which has been brought to the forefront of debate recently by the Luis Suarez affair. For those who missed it, Suarez is a Uruguayan footballer playing for Liverpool, who was accused of racially abusing Patrice Evra, a French player for Manchester United. Suarez admitted describing Evra as a "negrito" but argued unsuccessfully that in Uruguay the term did not carry the racially charged overtones that it does…

Chancellor George Osborne has announced details today of the changes to the tribunal system, which will take effect from April 2012.  In a nutshell, these are:

a)      The qualifying period for an unfair dismissal claim will rise from 1 to 2 years service (although there is no change to those areas which currently require no service to bring a claim, e.g. discrimination)

b)      A fee for lodging a tribunal claim, which it is being suggested will be £250 with an additional fee…