A report investigating the key trends driving business and human capital decisions has found boards are increasingly eager to work with HR experts to ensure talent-related issues are central to organisational strategy.
In organisations that are particularly exposed to tough economic or market conditions, HR professionals must know how to rapidly shift priorities and prove their value to the executive team, say the global and Australian heads of recruitment firm Robert Walters.
Your company's leaders might think they are effective communicators, but according to leadership expert Jeremy Kingsley, without face-to-face contact and follow-up to ensure messages have been received as intended, they risk communication breakdowns that can quickly lead to disaster.
Managers need the skills to have casual conversations - as opposed to confrontations - about minor performance and behaviour problems, says leadership consultant Steve Fearns.
Too often, what should be a simple conversation about performance or behaviour blows up into a confrontation, says leadership coach and life strategist Steve Fearns.
In this webcast, he sets out a framework for managers to:
get clear on an issue;
create self-awareness in employees;
provide non-threatening feedback;
approach counselling and discipline;
create responsibility and accountability in teams and individuals;
establish a team charter and expectations to "start again" and set ground rules; and
use internal policies and procedures to achieve better results.
HR leaders often plan initiatives, then work on aligning them with the business, when they should be working "the other way around", says Hay Group director of Australian consulting, Jane Fraser.
HR departments often struggle to show that various programs they run add real value to the business, but one way to find out is to charge for them, says Thiess executive general manager of people, safety and environment, Peter Olsen.
Thinking outside the box is not just a nice thing leaders should try every now and then, it's a necessary skill employers should look for and cultivate, says leadership consultant Andrew Bennett.
It is neither possible nor practical for employers to understand the drivers of each individual worker - engagement must be employee-led in order to be sustainable, says Employerbility founder Kate Boorer.
This webcast, recorded in May 2013, explores:
the link between engagement and productivity;
the nine-step engagement ladder, and how to climb it;
challenges employers face in improving employee engagement;
what employee engagement leadership looks like; and
the three steps to an employee-led engagement culture.
HR professionals should encourage managers to take all employee complaints seriously, because ignoring a "difficult" worker can lead to expensive legal claims and damaging workplace issues, says employment lawyer Shana Schreier-Joffe.
Costly legal disputes continue to highlight the many risks employers face when managing, disciplining, or dismissing employees while they are absent, injured or incapacitated. Attend this webinar for an up-to-date review of the legal framework applying to workplace absenteeism, injury and incapacity, and lessons from recent case law.