For The Want of a Nail

Mental ill-health can effect any one of us at some point in our lives and 1 in 4 of us are already suffering from the effects of stress or anxiety. It doesn't need to be that way - and you can do something about it simply by saying I AM GENIUS. read on.....

"We have developed an app that will revolutionise employee mental health" claimed one of our suppliers. And so it begins. The world wakes up to the impact of mental health on the economy and the feeding frenzy is underway. But what CAN employers concerned about the mental health of their employees really do to help and avoid getting sucked in to box-ticking exercises.

So what's changed? 7 years on from the launch of For the want of a nail, I thought it would be interesting to revisit all matters 'talent' and see what's different in 2014?

ARCHIVE: All over the UK employers are emerging from the recession and looking to bolster their talent pools once more. History holds many lessons, but how many have retained the knowledge heeded them? This first of a two-part article looks at the implications of how employers have responded to the serious challenges of recession.

ARCHIVE: All the indicators are the labour market will kick-start again early in the new year. Whilst some employers are being proactive to boost sales and productivity, others are still looking to cut costs further. Employer actions over the next fews months will have a significant impact on organisational performance long past the next financial year end.

ARCHIVE: We got the self-fulfilling prophecy of a recession - and it hurts for many - but those organisations that act smart will be the ones that emerge with a firm competitive advantage. And guess what? It's still going to be all about people.....

ARCHIVE: Thankfully, in most cases, common sense is prevailing with regards to the recession mongering and for most organisational hiring departments it's business as usual. Of course, there are exceptions and this post is written to help those who find themselves needlessly in, or heading towards, a recruitment freeze.

ARCHIVE: Are UK organisations totally desensitised to inefficiencies? How much does your organisation have to lose in hard cash or productivity before your CEO, Chairman, MD genuinely makes talent a priority?

ARCHIVE: This is actually 'Happy 2008 Part 3' but, a feature of modern business life being rolling with change, we've an added twist to reflect how the people market is being shaped by events....

ARCHIVE: The finance boom might be over, but that doesn't have to mean gloom for everyone else. This post looks at why listening to the doom-merchants can cost you and your organisation dearly

ARCHIVE: In the days when hiring was little more than an administrative formality, perhaps it was OK for it to be part of the personnel manager's duties? In this third post on the subject we look at the compelling evidence that points to hiring performance being the responsibility of operational executives, ultimately owned by the CEO.

ARCHIVE: Ownership of hiring performance is one of the key issues that organisations are having to address. Should it remain with the HRD, or is hiring and retention now so critical that it demands a dedicated resource? Part two of this three-part feature takes a closer look at the ownership question.

ARCHIVE: The last post brought in so much correspondence about the employer brand issue that a follow-up post appears to be in order!

ARCHIVE: Employer branding is just one area where a collaborative approach pays dividends. Instead of vying for individual reward and recognition, maybe speaking with one voice will reap far greater rewards and sooner?

ARCHIVE: Hiring, recruitment, talent management, whatever you're inclined to call it, traditionally falls under the remit of Human Resources. Fine back in the days when it was a case of Eeny, meeny, miny, moe and a few administrative formalities.....

ARCHIVE: Like recruitment, Human Resources is a profession that is ever changing and developing. We examine how the various evolving satirical characters of one Edmund Blackadder might have approached a career in HR?

ARCHIVE: Superstars play the game and Performers don't want the hassle. That probably means it's down to the HR Heroes to drive the critically needed change in hiring practice

ARCHIVE: Sounds obvious but one of the best ways of improving hiring performance is to stop losing the good people we've already got.

ARCHIVE: Too many policy makers are in danger of falling into one of two camps: skills shortage denial, or believing training will save the day. One denies what is undeniable whilst the other misses the point of this campaign...

ARCHIVE: Twenty years ago virtually every recruitment advert published would have the statement 'No agencies' as a footnote.

ARCHIVE: Leading lights of the HR world advocate 'Unshrinking the People' as the route to better performance. Absolutely - but when should this start?

ARCHIVE: Skills shortages are a threat, but there's a bigger one for employers a lot closer to home

ARCHIVE: What came first - commercially detached HR departments, or businesses run on the basis of 'numbers first, people second'?

Writing her groundbreaking book, Married Love, Marie Stopes, referring to her traumatic personal experiences, made the following statement:

If you’ve ever had a job when you’ve wondered why on earth one or more of your colleagues was hired by the firm, you’ll get this.

ARCHIVE: When still head of the CBI, Sir Digby Jones visited my Nottingham offices to hear some of the early case studies that I had begun to gather as the forerunner to For The Want of a Nail