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Writer and Communications Consultant
Erika Lucas is a writer and communications consultant with a special interest in HR, leadership, management and personal development. Her career has spanned journalism and PR, with previous roles in regional press, BBC Radio, PR consultancy, charities and business schools.
Pressure to cut costs and an increased emphasis on flexible working has led to a rise in the number of employees working remotely. Many managers, however, still have a tendency to see virtual working as ‘second best’ and struggle to […]
Searching for the best HR software for your business can be a confusing business. Vendors will be falling over themselves to convince you of the merits of their products – and with a myriad of human resources management systems to […]
According to The Federation of Small Businesses, confidence among SMEs is at a three year high – and going by the buzz at last week’s HR Software Show, HR people are feeling particularly positive about the contribution they can make […]
Hands up who remembers when email first took hold in the 90s? It’s hard now to imagine life without it – but there was a time when it was all a bit scary and not everyone thought the speed and […]
Meddling business owners are the biggest barrier to their own company’s growth, according to some research from Cranfield that crossed my desk this week. Entrepreneurs, it seems, are finding it difficult to step away from routine, day-to-day tasks and as […]
The sheer diversity of approaches to HR within SMEs was one of the things that particularly struck me while listening to speakers at a recent CIPD conference. The businesses taking part had widely varying takes on everything from recruitment and […]
This week’s CIPD ‘HR in SMEs’ conference provided a fascinating insight into how businesses of widely varying types and sizes are tackling their HR challenges. The presentations highlighted some very diverse approaches – but what was clear was that pretty […]
If the latest survey from Canada Life is to be believed, there shouldn’t be many empty chairs in your office today. Presenteeism is apparently rife, with 93 per cent of employees saying they regularly come into work despite being ill, […]
The Harvard Business Review ‘Management Tip of the Day’ is always a good read – and this morning’s missive certainly made me sit up and take notice. “Give up email altogether,” trumpeted the headline. “Yes that’s right, stop checking your […]
How happy are your people at work today? Are you surrounded by a team of smiling faces or is there a bit of a black cloud hanging overhead? A recent article in BizNews lists the ‘happiest companies’ in Silicon Valley […]
Last week I joined a Mind webinar, where experts from the charity pointed out that sweeping mental health under the carpet is costing businesses dearly. It’s estimated that mental health problems among workers cost the economy over £26 billion per […]
How SMEs can gain the edge when it comes to recruitment in summary: SMEs often outpace larger firms in decision-making, thanks to fewer bureaucratic layers. This agility allows them to seize opportunities and adapt quickly, making them attractive to dynamic […]
