Knowing your labour markets
Leaders and HR professionals need to understand what is happening outside their organisation, especially in the labour market.
Breaking the bad news of downsizing
Change management is difficult everywhere, but regardless of legal setting, employees usually understand that businesses can struggle and are rarely shocked by downsizing.
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The difference between Learning, and learning.
The words “Learning and Development” often blur into a single idea, but learning happens constantly and organically, while structured Learning exists for specific purposes.
Right? or Right for now?
I explore why some employees turn out to be a poor fit, not to assign blame but to encourage reflective thinking about how the relationship went wrong.
The Hats of HR- Part 2; the Judge
I explore the “arbitrator” hat HR sometimes wears—acting as a neutral decision-maker when workplace conflicts arise.
Internal mediation: to mediate or not?
Mediation isn’t a magic fix for workplace conflict.
Change management: why deadwood happens
When organisations face financial strain, they often need to identify “deadwood” — people, projects, or structures that consume resources without contributing to core business goals.
What is business partnering?
If you’ve ever driven home worrying about a business issue that isn’t a people issue… you’re probably doing business partnering right.
The lost art of listening
Listening isn’t a talent. It’s a skill — and good listening is an art form.
Why managers can’t do what HR wants
HR often gets cast as the compliance department — the internal police — but if we want to be effective, we need to be seen as genuinely helpful partners to managers.
The Hats of HR- Part 1; champions of justice
HR plays a crucial role in ensuring organizational justice, going beyond legal compliance to promote fairness in employee treatment.
What’s the plan?
As you move higher in an organisation, success depends less on departmental expertise and more on understanding and shaping the company’s direction.
HR partnering- how to build trust
Practical ways for HR professionals to shift from administration to strategic people and culture partnering.
Helping the medicine go down when making someone redundant
Redundancy is painful for both employer and employee. While losing a job isn’t the worker’s fault, the process impacts dignity, confidence, and workplace culture.
Why are new employees better paid?
New hires often get higher salaries than loyal, proven employees due to status quo bias, market pressures, and midpoint salary systems.
The problematic hot and cold cycle of managers
Avoid hot-cold management cycles—address issues early, fairly, and consistently for better results.
Are you a Talent Hoarder?
Are you a talent hoarder? The pros and cons of keeping overqualified employees, building flexible talent pipelines, and planning for future capability needs.
Medical exits- How to do it well
Handling long-term employee medical absences is one of the toughest challenges for HR and managers.
Straightening or derailing- how representatives can be forces of chaos (part 2 of 2)
How to handle difficult employee representatives: keep meetings on track, stop reps derailing decisions, filter irrelevant outside agendas, and ensure the manager remains the decision-maker.
Straightening or derailing-how representatives can be forces for order (part 1 of 2)
Employee representatives aren’t just obstacles—they can support communication, defuse tension, and help guide employees toward resolution.

