We’ve all heard that green is the new black. In the ’90s, organizational culture was touted as essential for business success, and social responsibility seems to have taken its place. A lot of companies are finding it’s good to be green as they integrate environmentalism and sustainability...

When business leaders use the phrase “succession planning,” their thoughts probably don’t fly immediately to their organizations’ learning functions. But they likely should, because effective succession planning really isn’t just about planning. It’s about the successful...

A trainer and coach offers four basic rules to help HR executives successfully navigate through emotionally charged confrontations. And the first rule? Maintain a sense of calm and open-mindedness. In my work as a negotiation coach and trainer, I come across HR professionals all the time who don’t...

The definition of talent management has become a bit like Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of pornography: “I know it when I see it.” While reasonable minds can disagree on subtleties, at the core, talent management is about the attraction, retention and development of employees....

Ignore Human Resources at your peril! This department is the foundation of a happy and healthy business and is often thoroughly misunderstood. Read how you can change your own HR department into a thriving, helpful group supporting your company’s prosperity. At a recent offsite with a group of...

Acknowledging each other’s accomplishments, talent and wisdom on a continuous basis is the grown-up equivalent of the grade school gold star and can revolutionize the workplace. Remember the gold star? It’s been decades since I last thought about that classic grade school icon of achievement. Back...

For many managers, communicating about compensation is an uncomfortable part of the job, and today’s austere budgets aren’t making the task any easier. Debra Besch, a Principal in Mercer’s Workforce Communication and Change consulting business, discusses difficulties inherent in...

HR practitioners who want to gain the respect of senior staff must develop a sound understanding of the operational side of the business before launching in with strategies and suggestions, says Newcastle Permanent Building Society HR manager Tiffany Green. Green, whose career has spanned manufacturing,...

HR leaders will always hear complaints about the dreaded performance-appraisal process — mostly because managers will nitpick the system when their actual problem is discomfort with providing honest feedback to their direct reports. Ensuring managers are able to provide criticism, when necessary,...

Many on-boarding programs are simply too short and only focused on new employees. I have been on-boarded into a new organization four times in my life. Two were OK and two were terrible. Having talked with many a learner about this experience and helped a few organizations develop on-boarding programs,...