Jobs & employment blogs

If there’s one thing social distancing measures have shown us, it’s that a large percentage of the workforce can work productively and successfully from home. The traditional perspective that people must be physically present in one set workplace during standard business hours has been turned on its head. Scepticism has been replaced with a new-found awareness that output, performance and...

If you work in inclusion and diversity (I&D) at the moment, you’re probably concerned that years of progress could be lost within a short space of time. Senior teams are focusing on the here and now: reacting to fast-changing government advice, trying to keep day-to-day business running virtually, and attempting to salvage business as we all deal with the continued financial fall-out of...

In just a matter of weeks, the world of work has been shaken by more change and uncertainty than it has experienced in an entire generation. The COVID-19 crisis is forcing organisations around the world to transform their business models, find new ways of working and question their very purpose in what feels like the blink of an eye. Establishing trust is key when leading through a crisis ...

The global COVID-19 crisis has already transformed the way in which we work in such a short space of time. As the situation continues to develop and the road to recovery is expected to be a long one, business leaders and professionals must adapt and be agile to the challenges that are presented to them on a daily basis, with valuable lessons to be learned along the way. In this Q&A,...

As the restrictions that were put in place across the world to combat COVID-19 begin to be lifted and plans to transition back into the office are underway, we can expect a very different workplace to the one we left behind and a different way of working. So, what do HR departments need to consider as they begin this transition? The phased return to the workplace will be a slow one and not...

With restrictions around the world beginning to slowly ease, and home working set to become more normalised, many leaders have understandably been wondering how their teams will operate post-crisis. Much of the answer to this question is currently unclear. However, it seems inevitable that many organisations will adopt more flexible working policies, allowing at least an element of home...

We have all found ourselves having to adapt quickly, both in our personal and professional lives. In this way, the COVID-19 pandemic has served to highlight a key skillset which we all need to continually develop and nurture, in order to operate successfully in our role, no matter what that role may be. Change agility, the ability to quickly and successfully embrace and adopt change, will...

All around the world, leaders and managers are currently welcoming new starters to their teams remotely. As such, the onboarding process is being done entirely from home – this is unchartered territory for most, and interestingly, it’s a scenario that will likely become more common, with hybrid teams set to become more prevalent in the next era of work, post-crisis. Why is a positive remote...

Crisis puts the spotlight on leadership. Most teams, provided they are composed of intelligent, motivated people who know what they need to do, can sail along comfortably when things are going well, and leaders have a pretty easy time of it. A corrective word here, a pat on the back there, and the team carries on doing what it does best. But when crisis comes – particularly when it is sudden...

To say that 2020 hasn’t exactly got off to the best start for many of us would be the understatement of the century. Here in Australia, we were only just beginning to start the recovery from the devastating bushfires that wreaked havoc across the country, impacting massively on lives, businesses and wildlife. This wasn’t just happening in Australia, many other parts of the world have also had...

The concept of virtual or remote teams is not a new phenomenon. However, advances in technology, globalisation, organisational structures and ways of working have meant that this approach has grown significantly over the last few years. Working within virtual teams and managing from afar requires a different approach to managing people who are in the same room as you. It means new...

A key role for leaders is to engage and motivate their team – but how? And how can you do it when everything is so uncertain and different? To help us to find the answers, it’s useful to look at some of the main elements of engagement and motivation. There are numerous engagement theories and models our there – in fact, the ‘Engaging for Success’ report of 2009, estimated that...

Leadership and management takes place largely through face-to-face, in-person conversations – conversations about targets, priorities, context, solutions and achievements. Some of these conversations are formal, but many are informal, happening on more of an ad-hoc basis. As we move to virtual working we need to take a step back and think about these conversations. We need to work out how we...

The recruitment landscape is ever shifting for most organisations around the world, and doubly so in the dynamic and often complex labour markets across Asia. While Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is gaining traction as a long-term solution to hiring challenges in the region, unlike more mature markets like the U.K., U.S. and Australia, much ambiguity remains around its actual value...

The recruitment landscape is ever shifting for most organisations around the world, and doubly so in the dynamic and often complex labour markets across Asia. While Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is gaining traction as a long-term solution to hiring challenges in the region, unlike more mature markets like the U.K., U.S. and Australia, much ambiguity remains around its actual value...