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Absence is a Capability Issue
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Absence is a Capability Issue

Continuing his series of articles, Martin Nicholson highlights how absence fits in to the Performance Management process.

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Conduct v Capability
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Conduct v Capability

Continuing his series of articles, Martin Nicholson clarifies where Performance Management is a conduct or capability issue, and why it’s important for managers to understand the distinction.

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Time to Incentivise Your Employees
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Time to Incentivise Your Employees

Continuing his series of articles, Martin Nicholson discusses the benefits of a bonus or commission scheme to link employee performance to company success.

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Change Your Mindset: Are You Ready?
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Change Your Mindset: Are You Ready?

Leading up to the General Election on 4th July this year, much was made of Labour’s so-called “100 day plan” forming part of their manifesto to kickstart economic growth. They pledged to introduce legislation within 100 days to implement ‘Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay: Delivering a New Deal for Working People’. There has been much speculation about the detail, but some parts of the Plan are relatively straightforward. Introducing day one basic rights to protection from unfair dismissal will bring Performance Management into sharp focus. Employers will need to be fair and transparent in dealing with employees who are not meeting their standards, so a robust Performance Management process - including recruitment, onboarding and probation - will be key.

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Wellbeing Strategy - Tick Box or Value Add?
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Wellbeing Strategy - Tick Box or Value Add?

Martin Nicholson focuses on wellbeing and whether businesses really are taking it seriously. Are they seeking to fix or simply ticking it off their to-do lists? Martin discusses how to actually deliver improved wellbeing and with it a greater return for the businesses that take this area seriously.

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What Exactly is HR?
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

What Exactly is HR?

Is it a daft question? Martin Nicholson doesn’t think so. After 30 years in the profession, he’s well aware that there is a broad range of beliefs and understanding about what HR stands for and should be.

Here he discusses what HR covers in a business, and how he sees the function helping organisations thrive through the value and uniqueness of their people. Oh, and what it should be called!

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A Day for Book Lovers and Coworkers
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

A Day for Book Lovers and Coworkers

It’s Book Lovers Day, which is an excellent excuse for Martin Nicholson to highlight a particular book that epitomises ProAction HR’s values and approach, and our belief in people. It is also International Coworking Day, which is not about celebrating your co-workers per se (you should be doing that every day!), but about the value of sharing a workspace as a coworking community, and the benefits that brings. One such benefit might be spreading the word about ideas and insights that have resonated with you, as this has done with Martin. And as we reach the close of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Martin’s book choice is especially pertinent.

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On Your Bike! It’s Cycle to Work Day
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

On Your Bike! It’s Cycle to Work Day

Martin Nicholson outlines the value a Cycle to Work scheme can provide to an employer and their employees.

The Cycle to Work scheme in the United Kingdom, is now 25 years old. It arrived in 1999 and has gained traction predominantly in the mid-size to larger organisations in the UK. But it should be as attractive to smaller businesses, if only we all understood how it worked a little better.

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Don’t Kick Annual Appraisals Into Touch!
HR, Recruitment Martin Nicholson HR, Recruitment Martin Nicholson

Don’t Kick Annual Appraisals Into Touch!

Martin Nicholson gets controversial about yearly performance reviews. He believes that annual appraisals play an important role in performance management - but they’ve got to be done as part of a full process lifecycle, and not just a one-off evaluation every 12 months.

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Improving Performance in SMEs
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Improving Performance in SMEs

Performance management is a critical aspect of running a successful SME in the UK. While SMEs may not have the resources of larger businesses, implementing effective performance management practices can significantly enhance productivity, employee engagement, and overall business success. In this article, Martin Nicholson explores key strategies and considerations tailored specifically for SMEs.

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Insights into Stress and Resilience
HR Jo Hobbins HR Jo Hobbins

Insights into Stress and Resilience

Joanne Hobbins reflects on how Insights Discovery has helped her manage her own stress, build resilience, and be more understanding of how stress affects the people around her.

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Employment Lawyer vs. HR
HR Martin Nicholson HR Martin Nicholson

Employment Lawyer vs. HR

Martin Nicholson discusses the relationship between an HR Practitioner and an Employment Lawyer, and whether employers need to choose between the two.

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