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Employee Engagement in Practice
Written by John Berry on 17th April 2020. Revised 26th October 2020.
30 min read
A lecture to University of Sussex HRM MSc 2020 cohort. Focus is the dyadic pair - manager and employee – I aim here to give HR practitioners an understanding of how, in practice, their function, HR, can support managers in achieving employee engagement. Job engagement can be measured. And it can be achieved through management intervention. The HR manager’s role in achieving job engagement is as a consultant to the line manager.
11 reasons why job descriptions are key to your business
Written by John Berry on 5th August 2017. Revised 26th October 2020.
3 min read
It’s only when managers come to rely on a job description at some point of impending opportunity or catastrophe that the importance of that simple document becomes apparent. Coupled with that, most JDs are just a list of duties and measuring performance against them is impossible. Here's guidance on fixing that.
Assessment centres as methods of personnel selection
Written by John Berry on 28th February 2019. Revised 26th October 2020.
6 min read
An assessment centre is where a number of candidates participate together, undertaking exercises as selection tests while being observed and rated by multiple assessors. The candidates are effectively in competition. Assessment centres can replace interviews and a host of other tools as methods of employee selection but they are misunderstood and controversial. Here's why.
Good, Bad and Ugly Job Adverts
Written by John Berry on 28th February 2019. Revised 26th October 2020.
5 min read
Writing a job advert is a test of communications brilliance - or communications stupidity. Yet, many managers believe that by asking for passion or enthusiasm or by describing the boredom of a job, great candidates are going to apply. So just what is the role of the job advert and what should a job advert contain.
Closing the Risk Assessment Circle
Written by John Berry on 16th September 2020. Revised 23rd September 2020.
4 min read
It’s imperative that managers implement a COVID-19-guidelines-compliant plan. This will involve the now-familiar controls such as limited numbers, distancing, screens, face-coverings and contact details for track and trace. But how can senior managers be sure that the plan is adhered to? We argue that the answer is though audit.
Employing Foreign Workers in the UK
Written by Sue Berry on 27th June 2018. Revised 28th August 2020.
11 min read
The UK is suffering a massive skills and labour shortage. Whilst we hear a lot about the NHS, any manager in a technology-centric business will tell a similar story – we simply have too few engineers and scientists. Employing overseas workers can help. This article discusses how you apply for a visa sponsorship licence and go on to have a foreign worker apply for a visa. This article is up to date at 20th August 2020 and will be kept up to date as the UK Government explains its future visa policy.
