We're experts on all things Management & HR
When does a contractor become an employee?
Written by John Berry on 6th May 2017. Revised 1st April 2023.
4 min read
It's not always easy to know whether someone is classed as an employee or as a contractor. Many managers would want it one way or the other but unfortunately it’s not up to management. Others such as HMRC or an Employment Tribunal will make the decision.
The recent, very public, contest between Gary Lineker and the UK's HMRC (which HMRC lost) is a case in point that luckily (for Lineker) went the contractor's way. Few contractors have the resources to put up such a fight. Read more about the tests used.
So which psychometric?
Written by Sue Berry on 14th March 2023. Revised 24th March 2023.
10 min read
There's such an argument in practitioner circles about which psychometric test to use. Some say 'simpler the better' whilst others say 'accuracy first'. Others focus on the moral and ethical issues in providing any unfiltered information to test respondents. So how to make sense of this debate?
The key role of the user in computer system specification
Written by John Berry on 4th May 2017. Revised 14th February 2023.
12 min read
Computer systems comprising hardware and software form significant elements in many people’s working lives. In any new system implementation, users are not passive, compliant beings. They have choices. They can react in one of four ways: adoption, compliant acceptance, reluctant acceptance or rejection. As a result, it is critical that users are fully involved in system specification from initial management thoughts to implementation.
Annualised Hours Yields Flexibility
Written by Sue Berry on 3rd May 2017. Revised 5th February 2023.
5 min read
The press is full of stories about flexible working. Normally, flexible working is considered as moving to part-time hours, working from home or perhaps converting to job share. But there is one tool that gets overlooked. It’s one that can really benefit both employee and employer – the introduction of annualised hours. Annualised hours contracts have been around for a long time. This blog gives the pros and cons.
Leading People: a key manager role
Written by John Berry & Sue Berry on 21st November 2022. Revised 31st January 2023.
4 min read
Leading people is a key manager role. It's on two planes: as a one-to-one, or dyadic, relationship that the manager builds between themselves and each employee; and a one-to-many relationship where the manager exhorts their expectations. We discuss both in our book. We also consider the various leadership approaches and the three key leadership styles. And we give two key leadership models: feed forward and feedback. Both are ways by which leaders can influence followers to achieve the leader's aims.
Setting Objectives: the mechanism by which employees achieve outcomes
Written by John Berry & Sue Berry on 31st January 2023.0
4 min read
The idea of objective setting and performance appraisal is simple enough, but the complexity is doing it. It’s easy for managers to fail or give up trying. Managers must set high level objectives for the performance of the firm. Then ripple these objectives down to employees and run performance appraisal as a means of achieving the objectives. We look at the various methods of appraisal. We discuss multi-dimensional, multi-rater systems. And we illustrate how it should be done as an integrated process.
