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.
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 […]
Good news this week in the form of the latest Job Index from recruitment firm Reed–which shows the UK jobs market continued to grow in March. It’s been a pretty good quarter all round – with overall nine per cent […]
A recent CIPD report on how social technology can give companies competitive edge makes fascinating reading. It’s the first piece of research I’ve seen that gets to the heart of how social technology can be used inside the business to […]
Research released by Mind this week has found that work is the most stressful factor in people’s lives. No surprises there, perhaps, in an uncertain economic climate. What was interesting to me is that it’s actually frustration with poor management that is […]
The economic climate may still be uncertain, but if recent figures are to be believed, SMEs are determined to grow and take on more staff this year. The latest CBI/Harvey Nash Employment Trends survey showed that over a third of […]
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has provoked a storm of debate with her announcement that from June, the company’s employees will no longer be permitted to work from home. Staff have been given the stark choice of either relocating to their […]
It’s probably fair to say that some in the HR profession have been a bit slow to appreciate the value that active use of social media tools could add to their role. If anything, the over-riding reaction seems to have […]
What businesses have to learn from the legacy of the Olympics has been the subject of two events I’ve attended this week. The euphoria of London 2012 may have died down – but there is still a great deal of […]
