Culture of overwork The advancement of employment conditions was very much a characteristic of the 19th and 20th centuries to improve the lot of the working person. In 1926 the Ford Motor Company became one of the first companies in America to adopt a five-day, 40-hour week for workers in its automotive factories. The 40 hour…

HRTech World in Paris was overwhelming. The sheer scale and energy of the event, with more than 3500 delegates, hundreds of sponsors and 200,000m² of exhibition space, meant some strategic cherry picking was needed. Although I became something of a Josh Bersin stalker, I spent a lot of time in the DisruptHR area, listening to pitches and talking to…

Billed as a Twitter parody on the ridiculous advice given to women, when I first saw the tweets I laughed. Really laughed. These gender reverse tips are super funny. Along with several tens of thousands, I shared them on Twitter and Facebook. The tweet about the scented candle really resonated. As did the one on guilt. There was also something Pythonesque about…

At about this time of the year companies start measuring employees against their KPIs and everyone is busy preparing next year’s plan. Set against the back drop of maybe a recent vacation and the onset of winter, life and work in another country becomes appealing.  People start considering an international assignment. I have moved internationally myself, so have first…

Do you have nonsense fatigue? I’m starting to see some backlash on the volume of white noise on LinkedIn and other platforms. One writer Cory Galbraith sent out a post which resonated. He has even taken a break from his own writing. He suggests that people write for a number of reasons – to sell a product, enhance a…

An increasing number of women are going on journeys of self-discovery  Years ago, if a woman had a difficult time, she might call some friends and open a bottle of wine, cry over a chick flick (a marathon Colin Firth, Pride and Prejudice session is my mooch movie of choice) or eat her favourite comfort food. Today, she doesn’t get…

Tessie Tessie is a 35-year-old Project Manager in a small Design Agency. Resources are tight and deadlines even tighter. At times, especially on a Friday, as everyone rushes to meet client demands and set targets for the following week, there is a pressure cooker atmosphere. It’s part of the creative buzz, but the downside is tempers…

HR Carnival – what cultural changes end up as workplace challenges? Organisations are always impacted by changes outside the workplace and HR can often be slow to react. In this week’s HR Carnival, we’re going to hear from some international HR commentators about the impact of some those cultural changes on HR professionals. Some changes are barely perceptible, but build up over time. Others…

What are values? Values represent what matters and what is important to us. They are the underlying principles, motivations and attitudes that are personally significant.  They guide our behaviour, both in and outside work. How contented and motivated we feel,  is underpinned by they way in which what we do, complements or coincides with our values. They are the reason we get…

With aging populations in many developed economies, elder care looms on the horizon for a high number, making it an HR crisis waiting in the wings. An increasing number of employees will have to balance caring responsibilities with paid work in the not to distant future. Many are already experiencing the challenge. I recently had an elder care crisis myself. My active and independent,…