Caron Deans (FCIPD)

With just 24 days to go to get your entries in, here's a reminder of what the judges of the 2025 HR Awards in Wales are looking for: RISING STAR OF THE PROFESSION This award recognises an ambitious individual at an early to mid-stage of their career who has set themselves apart by demonstrating a real passion for the profession. Nominations can be made by anyone who has experienced the positive impact of this person - a colleague, manager, mentor, coach, lecturer, tutor.   Examples of what judges will be looking for include: a piece of great work and its practical application within the organisation; and/or creative and innovative approaches to the delivery of their work; and/or their commitment to CPD and how they apply this learning in their role; and/or ways in which they have influenced others in the workplace; and/or why you already know that this person is a people leader of the future There are no hard and fast guidelines for this category - just showcase your nominee in the best way you can! EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP Nominations can be made by anyone who has experienced the positive impact of this person - senior colleagues, teams, individuals, or wider business leaders. Judges will assume (though you may want to call out) evidence of having designed and delivered highly impactful people strategies which have made a significant contribution to organisational performance and success. What they really want to hear about is how they demonstrate key leadership values such as authenticity, vision, and collaboration through, for example, their commitment to building the professional capability of individuals; their willingness to challenge the norm to enhance the value of the profession; and their obvious standing as a role model within their own organisation and/or the wider community. Again - no hard and fast guidelines for this category - just showcase your nominee in the best way you can! ALL OTHER CATEGORIES (Creativity and innovation,  Diversity and inclusion, Engagement and communication, Learning and development, Talent management, Wellbeing) For all other categories, we're looking for evidence of an outstanding contribution from an individual or team in relation to work they have carried out in a specific area of people management and/or development.   Judges will be looking for evidence of what led to the activity that they carried out, how the work was allocated, how they approached and delivered their work, what outcomes were achieved, what makes their work stand out as an award-winning achievement! Fiona Armstrong, Jamie Clegg, Sarah Griffith Chartered FCIPD, Tracy Hibbert, Delyth Williams, Caroline Belasco, Emma Crawford Chartered FCIPD, Steph Phillips, Vidette Swales, Linda Williams FCIPD, Kate Ablett, Carl Alexis, Simon Argent FCIPD, Phil Bushby, James Ellis, Beverley Flood, Zoe Grainger, Gareth Hardacre FCIPD, Claire Harrington, Hayley Hughes FCIPD, Angela Lewis FCIPD, Neil Lewis, Catherine Luff, Samantha Morgan

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A big thank-you to CIPDNI for organising an excellent conference and for the opportunity to discuss the skills challenge NI faces with a large number of employers, recruiters, trainers and educationalists. We are in the early stages of a SKILLS REVOLUTION driven by several sectors that are experiencing significant growth while at the same time all of the following issues exist - ∙The 16- 64 working age population is set to decline year on year out to 2070. ∙Too many individuals in NI are only qualified to level 2 or less. ∙Only 10% of employers provide apprenticeships ∙Not enough employers grow/develop their people. ∙Not enough females are studying STEM subjects. ∙Not enough employers provide opportunities for those with disabilities ∙Too many of the over 50s population left the workforce after Covid. ∙Too many young people immigrate due to perceived lack of opportunity and don't return. ∙Current immigration policies make it difficult to attract skilled overseas employees. We need strong collaboration between employers, government and education to address all of these issues or the opportunities in front of us will be missed !

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Menopause affects men too! 🔶 Very happy to hear the government intend to have menopause action plans in place for larger organisations. 🔶 Labour states in their ‘plan to make work pay’ Thousands of women are struggling at work due a lack of support in dealing with symptoms of menopause, whilst women in their mid-life make up a large proportion of people who are out of work. This is bad for these women, their employers and the economy. Labour will require large employers with more than 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans, setting out how they will support employees through the menopause, much like gender pay gap action plans. In addition, we will publish guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. 🔶 I was lucky to be able to manage the hot flushes and night sweats. There were many symptoms that I couldn't shake off - anxiety, paranoia, exhaustion, body changes, severe brain fog and lack of confidence. My partner was affected by it too. If I was awake in the night, he was too. If I was grumpy, he would suffer. He would talk to me and I would be looking right through him, not engaging. 🔶 Yes I can deliver training on menopause and help businesses with an action plan and I would do that with experience and passion about the subject. I have lived and breathed menopause. There are also organisations out there who have a massive focus in this area and definitely worth making contact with. Just hit the search bar in LinkedIn and you will find a very long list. Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace and Claire O. are doing great work in this area and Niki Woods has set up a Facebook page for men-only where they can be educated, discuss all things menopause openly and in a safe space, and have access to some great resources. 🔶 If you are in a position to be able to influence, please consider supporting your workforce and making even small changes now so that woman feel valued and adjustments in the workplace are made. You don’t need to wait until the menopause action plan is introduced and when it is, please don’t make it a tick box exercise. Show your workers that you care. 💗 My support came from HRT and a loving partner who could see how the menopause was changing me. HRT isn't for everyone for a number of reasons, but it made me feel human again.  It made me Bev again.

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Today I decided that none of our learning programmes will be CPD accredited in the future, unless specifically requested by a client. Why did I make this decision: 🧠 CPD accreditation is not a big factor in whether our clients take our services 🧠 The process to acquire a CPD accreditation is incredibly time-consuming and process heavy, but does not actually rate the quality of your learning (just the additional items like a lesson plan) 🧠 It's very expensive to be CPD accredited when you consider the above 🧠 It's only recognised in the UK 🧠 When I first started my business, I felt that I needed an external accreditation to give me some standing in the market (imposter syndrome alert). I no longer feel this way. Don't get me wrong, I still freak out sometimes but I am very confident of our product and proud of our happy clients Why am I sharing this on LI: In case someone out there is having a similar dilemma about whether or not to get a training course accredited, send me a message and happy to talk through with you!

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Do your managers need training in 2025? The Chartered Management Institute says 82% of UK managers are ‘accidental managers’ who have received little to no formal management training, and this is certainly true in many cases we see. Managing people is a complex task with no instruction manual, or a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Yet, we still expect managers to learn on the job and develop their skills by practicing on our people. It’s great that people get to learn by doing but getting it wrong can risk: ➡️ Employee retention At least 2 in 5 leavers cite their reason for exit as having a bad manager, with other studies showing up to 43% of workers have left a job because of their manager. Losing talent can be costly as you not only have the time and cost of replacing them along with the upskilling and onboarding process but there is also a loss of knowledge every time someone leaves your organisation. ➡️ Employee engagement and productivity A recent survey by the CMI and YouGov found that organisations investing in management and leadership development programmes benefitted from a 23% increase in organisational performance and a 32% increase in employee engagement and productivity. ➡️ Employment tribunal And all of that is before you even consider employment law! A poorly educated manager can land themselves (and your organisation) in all sorts of hot water. What’s the solution to this? You guessed it…Management training By providing a clear program of key management skills, your managers will be able to reflect on their capabilities, benchmark themselves and ensure they are continuously learning. They will also recognise their weaknesses, limitations and development needs. We run quarterly HR Skills Workshops to get your managers on the right path. The next one is on by Harassment and Bullying. The link is in the comments to find out more! Or if you'd like some management training specific to your organisation, get in touch! #managementtraining #charityhr #smallbusinesshr #harassmentandbullying

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The hard truth about mental health is that it can be unbearable to the point you see no other way out 😔 Be kind, you never know what a person is going through 🙁 Leaving this here for anyone who might need it 🙏🏾❤ Mental health awareness week so about shining a light on how tough it can be, but also that help is out there 💖❤️ Crisis helplines 🩷 If you're in crisis and need to talk right now, there are many helplines staffed by trained people ready to listen. They won't judge you, and could help you make sense of what you're feeling. Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email [email protected] or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day). SANEline. If you're experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day). National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (open 24/7). Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service. The Mix. If you're under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service. Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you're under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm), email [email protected] or text 07786 209 697. Nightline. If you're a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too. Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email [email protected] or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+. C.A.L.L. If you live in Wales, you can call the Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.) on 0800 132 737 (open 24/7) or you can text 'help' followed by a question to 81066. www.mind.org.uk for further information 🙏🏾 It's ok, not to be ok ❤ Suicide is real and can affect any of us! Please check on your friends, even the ones who seem to have it all together ❤️🙏🏾

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📢 New Report Highlights Growing Health & Wellbeing Challenges for UK Employees 📢 This article provides deep insight into the critical state of employee wellbeing in the UK, revealing just how much the cost of living and lack of workplace support are impacting mental health and productivity. It's eye-opening to see that, despite having access to wellbeing programs, many employees aren't engaging with them—whether due to poor communication or resources not aligning with their needs. A recent report from Westfield Health reveals increasing mental and physical health challenges for UK employees, with a widening gap between their needs and the support available at work. With the rising cost of living and lack of adequate resources, the pressure is mounting. 🧠 Mental Health Concerns: 𝟯𝟬% of employees report a decline in their mental wellbeing over the past year. 𝟳𝟰% are worried about the impact of rising living costs. Mental health issues are directly impacting productivity, with 𝟰𝟱% of employees saying it has affected their work..  🏢 Lack of Workplace Support: 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭 𝗶𝗻 𝟰 (27%) employees report having no access to workplace wellbeing support. 𝟲𝟬% of those with access to wellbeing programs have never used them. Feedback is often missing, with 𝟰𝟮% of workers saying they haven’t been asked what they need from wellbeing initiatives. Key Takeaway: Companies need to act now to bridge the wellbeing gap. Better communication, comprehensive support programs, and regular feedback can make all the difference—both for employees' health and business productivity. What steps is your organisation taking to support employee wellbeing in these challenging times? #EmployeeWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #Leadership #CostOfLivingCrisis #WorkplaceWellbeing #brightmine

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EMPLOYMENT LAW FEATURE: In the latest issue of Hr NETWORK Magazine, Ailsa Smillie from AAB People discusses the importance of creating neuroinclusive workplaces as we enter 'Disability Pride Month' of July. READ NOW: https://lnkd.in/ePHAJ7zu

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My suggestions to address the impact of #disciplinary processes on BAME staff and why #hrprofessionals should implement several key strategies. Regularly analysing disciplinary data is crucial for identifying trends and disparities, which can inform necessary policy adjustments. Providing comprehensive bias and cultural competency training for all staff helps reduce unconscious bias in disciplinary decisions. Ensuring that disciplinary policies are clear, consistent, and well-communicated fosters transparency, supports management competency and builds trust within the organisation. Establishing support systems, such as mentorship programs and employee resource groups, offers additional guidance and advocacy for #BAME staff. Demonstrating and encouraging inclusive behaviors among leadership and holding them accountable for promoting diversity and equity is also vital. Creating safe channels for employee feedback and conducting regular reviews of disciplinary cases ensures fairness and consistency, leading to a more inclusive and equitable workplace environment. See it Say it and Sort It …

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On October 10, 2024, we celebrate World Mental Health Day with the theme “It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace.” In the UK, one in four workers report struggling with stress, and over half of all sick leave is due to mental health issues. Burnout, exacerbated by long hours and poor work-life balance, remains a significant challenge. Employers can make a difference by fostering a supportive environment, offering mental health resources, and promoting work-life balance. Together, we can create healthier, more productive workplaces. Scottish Engineering #WorldMentalHealthDay #WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #BurnoutPrevention https://lnkd.in/eszWzz8A

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Part 1 of a 2 part post I shared last week: On Tuesday, Labour reached an agreement with the unions on worker rights proposals titled a 'New Deal for Working People'. This week, we unpack some of the proposals and consider what could be on the horizon for employers if Labour wins the next general election. 📌 Creation of a single status of 'worker' Currently, there are three categories of employment status: employee, worker, and self-employed. Employment status conveys what employment rights an individual is entitled to. Labour proposes to move to two categories of employment status, which, in practice, would mean a big upgrade in employment rights for the current employment status of workers. 📌 Expanding day one employment rights to include unfair dismissal This will mean strengthening the protections afforded to all workers by scrapping the qualifying period for basic rights, such as unfair dismissal, sick pay, and parental leave. Currently, an employee has the right to claim unfair dismissal after two years of continuous service. 📌 Zero-hours contracts and predictable contracts for workers Zero-hours contracts are employment agreements that do not guarantee any minimum number of working hours for the employee. Some view this as one-sided flexibility and others as one-sided labour commitment. Labour’s proposals include banning zero-hours contracts and contracts without a minimum number of guaranteed hours. In addition to that, anyone working regular hours for twelve weeks or more will gain a right to a regular contract to reflect hours normally worked. 📌 Dismissal and re-engagement Commonly referred to as 'fire and rehire', this is the practice of forcing through changes to employees' terms and conditions of employment by terminating employment and offering re-engagement on the new terms and conditions (often inferior terms). We are currently awaiting a new Code of Practice on this topic. That said, Labour has previously committed to end this practice and has said they will seek to strengthen the as yet unpublished Code of Practice to prevent abuse of this. 📌 Statutory Sick Pay Labour has committed to "increase Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), ensuring that we never again face a situation where workers have to choose between their health and financial hardship. Labour will also make it available to all workers, including the self-employed." The green paper is silent on the specifics of this however. It is fair that much of the above at this stage are proposals and require 'meat on the bones’. No doubt, Labour will wish to engage with multiple stakeholders to consult about the impact of the proposals, so expect to see these proposals evolve over time. Click here to sign up to our weekly newsletter full of helpful information:

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Continuing with the HR Essentials theme, Sam outlines practical steps in the face of upcoming legislation for employers.

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In 2024, this attitude is quite a shock and takes us back at least 60 years. Maternity or paternity pay is not burdensome on the employer neither is it remotely responsible for the UK's financial issues. It is an employment right and in law because the evidence has deemed it be necessary and the right thing to do. Kemi could look more to her party's financial mismanagement of the country when pointing fingers. Some regulations are certainly a burden on businesses but not SMP. How many employees are on maternity leave at any one time that proves it to be unaffordable. SMP is paid for a few weeks at decreasing levels. Hardly gets you through 4 months and often requires using personal savings. Maternity pay enables people to have babies, pay their bills and survive before returning to work and probably will pay tens of thousands for childcare in order to do so. When their are declining birthrates and lowest maternity pay already, this type of rhetoric is unhelpful and not thought through at all. MPs receive generous pay rises and very generous allowances. How do they expect to work in the best interests of the country when they have 'one rule for us' views 😡

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Managers get new guide for supporting disabled employees The Government has published new guidance on recruiting, managing, and developing people with a disability or an underlying health condition. Disability Confident and the CIPD have released a revised guide aimed at empowering line managers to better support disabled employees. This update addresses a key finding in the CIPD's 2023 Health and Wellbeing at Work report, namely a lack of manager knowledge and confidence in managing employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions. The new guidance emphasises the crucial role line managers play in fostering an inclusive workplace. This translates to benefits like improved team performance, morale, employee retention, and reduced sickness absence. The guide offers support throughout the employment lifecycle, covering topics like: * Legal responsibilities * Inclusive language and behaviour * Reasonable adjustments * Recruitment and onboarding * Managing disclosures and confidentiality * Career progression * Sickness absence * Employee retention * Departing employees It also provides specific guidance on supporting individuals with long COVID, neurodiversity, and other disabilities and health conditions. The link to the guidance is available in our article. #disability #discrimination #equality #absence

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👔 As a Human Resources (HR) professional, I passionately and strongly believe that HR is a strategic enabler and is imperative in helping an organisation deliver its vision and embed culture. 🎧This podcast is definitely worth a listen over the weekend: ♟️”HR is not a support function but an enabling function.” https://lnkd.in/eChSe6sz

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#TestimonialTuesday #TestimonialTuesday Throwback to last year when Inclusion 365 had the pleasure of designing and delivering organisation wide DE&I training for Thirteen Group. We were commissioned to design and deliver a series of training to Thirteen Group colleagues and managers to build awareness on Diversity, Equity and inclusion, the role of privilege and bias in the workplace and specifically micro aggressions and how to address these. A key outcome was that people are not afraid to speak up, challenge and feel more confident to have conversations on DE&I. To achieve this, we worked closely with the L&D Advisor and Head of HR Business Partners to design, trial and roll out the training to ensure organisation’s objectives and outcomes were met. Throughout the project, we provided regular client updates. As a result of the training, this raised awareness and encouraged conversations around DE&I and how to build inclusion into people’s day to day role and informed improvements to their recruitment process. 📆 We are now taking bookings from September! We offer off the shelf and bespoke training from 1 hour Espresso sessions to 3 hour immersive workshops to full day sessions. If you're planning a staff away day, need a refresher or want to look at rolling out training for your whole workforce, get in touch by dropping me a DM or book a 20 minute discovery call with me and let's chat: https://lnkd.in/epvQvtGM Alt text: banner with pink background with Inclusion 365 logo says: "It was clear throughout the process that Victoria and Nina are very passionate about their work, communication on the project at each stage was great and the content of the sessions was just what we asked for. We had positive feedback overall from the sessions and it encouraged more awareness and conversations around ED&I and how to build inclusion into people’s day to day role. The sessions delivered were really well received by those who attended and from there we’ve captured lots of thoughts that’ll feed into how we improve our recruitment process. Liz Thompson, Head of HRBP, Thirteen Group"

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We know that support for apprentices can make a significant impact on their outcomes – yet, there is disparity amongst the support apprentices can access and this affects how they do, not only on their apprenticeship but beyond. Our mission at the Association of Apprentices is to right this and improve outcomes for all apprentices. 🔊 Our annual insight report showcases how we make this happen. And some major things here in terms of journey to parity: ⭐ Our members working in SMEs has increased from 14% to 24% ⭐ Over half of our members come from more deprived areas ⭐ We have launched the Post-Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme (PARS), a brand-new awards scheme, that in partnership with the The Chartered Institution for Further Education, sees completed apprentices recognised for the skills they have gained during their apprenticeship with an award and the right to use post nominals. A huge thank you to the organisations who partner with us to help reach more apprentices in the UK, and to the AoA team and all our members, including the brilliant Apprentice Council. You can access the report here https://lnkd.in/d8srjJs8 #apprentices #apprenticeships #apprenticeinsight 

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Should all job ads promote flexible working? This article discusses how a CIPD-led over-50s report has said this should be the norm and will encourage older workers to be more economically active. With the recent changes to flexible working rules, this is definitely something to consider. What do you think? https://lnkd.in/euefHryU

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