Rick

February 2010 - Posts

• A tale of two banks

  Last Autumn, I asked whether bonus capping would damage the state-owned banks, as their senior executives claimed it would at the time. RBS boss Stephen Hester is convinced that it has. He claims he could have made an extra £1 billion for RBS if he had... Posted Feb 28 2010, 06:39 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Standardising diversity

  When multi-national companies decide to implement global policies, it is often a euphemism for imposing an American model on the rest the world. A friend of mine, who is a senior executive in one such US-headquartered company, sent me this amusing note... Posted Feb 27 2010, 06:16 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Are we confusing aggressive behaviour with bullying?

  Bullying seems to be this week’s hot issue, after claims that Gordon Brown bullied his staff were splashed all over the newspapers. Some newspapers have followed the story up with articles and features on workplace bullying, an issue that is discussed... Posted Feb 26 2010, 11:23 AM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• The executive entitlement culture

  Sathnam Sanghera, the business journalist with no business experience, was HR-bashing again earlier this week, claiming that HR executives are grossly overpaid. His evidence for this assertion was the list of the top twenty highest paid public sector... Posted Feb 21 2010, 02:04 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Deficits and hung parliaments

  Just a month or so after we thought the Labour Party was about to sink without trace, recent opinion polls have raised the possibility of a hung parliament again. Last time I discussed this was way back during the last decade. The end of November, in... Posted Feb 12 2010, 07:09 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• I’m rewarded for spending not for saving, says government IT director

  In an interview with Silicon.com Phil Pavitt, CIO at HM Revenue and Customs, told this story: In my first few weeks of the job I was visited by leading members of the Cabinet Office. In that conversation with me they mentioned I am in the top purchasing... Posted Feb 09 2010, 08:54 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Team building can seriously damage your health

  “We’re going to run a team-building event.” The first time I heard those words I was a young graduate trainee. I was still too junior to go on the three-day outdoor bonding exercise but I noticed the effect it had on the middle managers... Posted Feb 08 2010, 11:46 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Public services facing a management crisis

  A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) draws some damning conclusions about management capability in the public sector: There is a management crisis looming in our public services. Whichever party wins the next... Posted Feb 07 2010, 04:42 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• And Sir and friends were crucified

  Over the past couple of days, most business pages have reported on EMI’s downfall. If anything, the people who are working in the business have done well. Despite a tough business environment, operating profits and market share are up. But, back... Posted Feb 06 2010, 11:53 AM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Ten great HR blogs

  Thanks to HPA for including Flip Chart Fairy Tales in their Top Ten HR Bloggers list. I was in good company, with the likes of Jon Ingham and Scott McArthur. I appreciated the description of FCFT too: HR blogs don’t get more straight talking than this... Posted Feb 05 2010, 11:29 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized

• Chief executive sacked – without a payoff!

  Here’s a slightly unusual employment tribunal case. Tim Wheeler, formerly the £780k a year CEO of property firm Brixton, is suing his former employer for breach of contract and unfair dismissal after being sacked last March. A number of allegations... Posted Feb 02 2010, 06:11 PM by Flip Chart Fairy Tales Filed under: Uncategorized