Training & Development
How AI will change Learning and Development
It’s impossible to miss how AI has begun to impact every part of the modern business. As organisational leaders it’s important for us to understand two things: how to use […]
The Umbrella HR Blog
Our blog contains the thoughts and musings of top HR and D&I professionals. Some of our posts will be practical, others look at future trends, and some will consider what we can learn from the past.
Learn more from our expert contributors and discover how we shape our own workplaces.
Diversity & Inclusion
From the top – Implementing Inclusive Leadership
Defining the ideal leader and their qualities is a quest which has weighed upon the finest minds of management theory – as well as selling millions of books. In truth, […]
Diversity & Inclusion
The Rebirth of DEI
As I sat down to start writing, the BBC pinged up on my phone to tell me that Google has become the latest major US firm to drop many of its diversity commitments. A little further digging confirms a hypothesis I put forward in the first half of this series.
Diversity & Inclusion
The Death of DEI?
When the US sneezes, the whole world catches a cold. As President Trump enters the White House for his second term in office, many of the world’s biggest companies are scaling back on diversity and inclusion.
Diversity & Inclusion
Stop building your diversity strategy around notable dates
Celebrating awareness dates has become standard operating procedure for our DEI agendas. But have we got it all the wrong way round?
Training & Development
The Learning Loop – What is reciprocal mentoring?
What is reciprocal mentoring, what are the benefits and challenges, and how can I establish a reciprocal mentoring scheme in my organisation?
Policies & Procedures
Work from home – tribunal or opportunity?
Manchester United are the latest employer to mandate a return to the office. But a serious issue may be brewing for employers – the risk of being taken to tribunal. […]
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
Burnout and Workplace Wellbeing
How are you coping with mental load? Are you, like so many others in the profession, starting to experience burnout?
Training & Development
Navigating the Future
In today’s rapidly transforming work ecosystem, marked by the swift emergence of AI and digital innovations, the role of HR is more pivotal than ever.
Diversity & Inclusion
Promoting neurodiversity; reducing conflict
As I was pondering this piece, the ‘first rule of systems engineering’ popped into my head. This is popularly written as: “Everything interacts with everything else.” The point of this […]
Diversity & Inclusion
Gender Pay Gap – Time to Act
Despite years of effort, the UK’s gender pay gap remains stubbornly wide. But by focusing on women as a whole, are we missing the real issue?
Diversity & Inclusion
Revitalising Staff Networks: Five Strategies for HR Leaders
This year I’m challenging readers to recognise their greatest asset – the employees who go above and beyond to make their organisations better places to work. I’m referring, of course, to staff networks.
Strategy
2024 – HR Predictions
Barring a huge geopolitical shock, Sir Kier Starmer’s Labour Party seems set to form the next Government. Whilst the Conservatives could in theory hang on until early 2025, persistent rumours […]
Performance
The future of performance management in a hybrid world
How do you know if an employee is working ‘properly’ from home? And more importantly, does it even matter? Some organisations are completely comfortable with remote work, whilst others are […]
Recruitment & Selection
AI and its impact on inclusive recruitment
Don’t worry. This isn’t going to be yet another long read about inclusive recruitment that tells you all about how diverse workforces are more likely to outperform their peers, and […]
Strategy
Creating an EDI Strategy and Plan
What’s the difference between strategy and planning? Well, Peter Drucker, godfather of modern management, distinguishes the two as external and internal focuses. Drucker’s definition of strategy is: “A pattern of […]
Policies & Procedures
Handling Discrimination Investigations
Read Ali’s story, which provides a practical, relatable guide for HR leaders like you, demonstrating the benefits of external investigations.
Policies & Procedures
Making Workplaces Shine: Practical Steps to Boost Inclusion and Engagement
We all know that a welcoming and inclusive workplace can make a massive difference in employees’ happiness and the overall success of an organisation. So, how can we practically apply […]
Policies & Procedures
Hybrid Working in 2023
The move to widespread hybrid working has not been easy, and employers are still grappling with several challenges that need to be addressed.
Diversity & Inclusion
Tackling the gender pay gap with data
The gender pay gap remains a significant issue in most UK workplaces, and the most recent statistics indicate that women still earn 14.9% less than men.
Policies & Procedures
Hybrid Working – July 2022
I hope you didn’t spend too much on your home office.
The corporate fightback against working from home is in full swing, led by corporate landlords, Elon Musk, and weirdly, the Daily Telegraph,
Diversity & Inclusion
Navigating the D&I Landscape – May 2022
D&I has never been more on the minds of our organisation’s senior leaders.
Nonetheless, whilst the desire to take action is there, that doesn’t mean our leaders have the expertise and skills to actually deliver D&I progress.
Policies & Procedures
HR’s role in a crisis – April 2022
The invasion of Ukraine is an important reminder for us HR professionals to always expect the unexpected. Very few organisations, even those operating in multiple countries, will have plans for dealing with invasions.
Diversity & Inclusion
Can the Pay Gap be closed? – March 2022
Whenever a government tries to create change, the finest minds in the affected organisations will find a loophole that maintains the status quo.
Policies & Procedures
The New Covid Rules
With the removal of all legal restrictions in England, employers are having to tear up the rule book from the past two years and start again.
Training & Development
Turning Tax Into Talent – February 2022
The world moves fast. Yesterday’s priorities are superseded by new initiatives by lunchtime. No wonder then that we buy in the skills we need on a project-by-project basis.
Strategy
Looking Forward – January 2022
What’s on the horizon for 2022?
Plus, download our interactive Diversity Calendar.
Diversity & Inclusion
Adjusted Attitudes – December 2021
It’s 25 years since the UK introduced reasonable adjustments in the workplace. Part of 1995’s Disability Discrimination Act, these measures made employers responsible for making changes in their workplaces to remove the effect of an employee or candidate’s disability.
Reward & Recognition
Grow Your Own – November 2021
Apparently the word ‘unexpected’ is out. Instead, everything is ‘unprecedented’. It’s a great example of linguistic gymnastics – unexpected presumes a failure to identify a risk, whereas unprecedented suggests no reasonable person would have contemplated it.
Diversity & Inclusion
Has Anything Really Changed? – October 2021
October is the UK’s Black History Month.
Which makes it the ideal time to look back on the impact of almost 18 months of Black Lives Matter being in the public eye.
Policies & Procedures
The Culture Cycle – September 2021
Your organisational values determine the employees you attract and recruit.
Your employees determine the culture in your workplace.
Your workplace culture determines your organisational values.
Repeat.
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
HR: Health Resources? – July 2021
If you asked any HR professional at the beginning of 2020:
“How do you see your role changing in the next year?”,
None of them would have answered with:
“Protecting the employee population from a global pandemic.”
And yet…
Strategy
The Only HR Audit You’ll Ever Need
Tired of meaningless vanity benchmarks? Luckily, there’s another way.
It’s time to discover ISO 30414. Demonstrate that you and your function are delivering the highest standards of HR.
Strategy
Holding HR to Account – June 2021
Working in HR is a predominantly reactive, rather than proactive, role. Whilst we begin each week with plans, aims and objectives, it doesn’t take long before the first piece of urgent business comes in. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to land on Monday morning without a pile of work waiting for you!
Strategy
The Hybrid Workplace – May 2021
At the beginning of 2020 I was once again discussing how work was changing.
It was a conversation I’d had many times over the years. Employers would have to change to meet the needs of employees, I would say. And employees were telling us over and over again that they wanted more flexibility in how, when and where they worked.
