From dealing with shades of grey within a black and white context, Neville Aitchison slips readily into thoughts of black hosiery, women’s legs, and why the time is right to inject serious WOW factor into HR.

HR has played a key role in smoothing the way to greater understanding in a company whose business is the facilitation, mediation and resolution of disputes, Katrina Leather tells Helen Frances.

Best-in-class employers use workplace surveys as a valuable business tool, says Neal Knight-Turvey. He explains why such surveys are important if you want to improve performance and ride the current economic storm

Employee engagement is crucial to surviving in tough times, yet recent data shows New Zealand and Australian organisations need to do more to fully engage staff, Rosemary Howard told the recent HRINZ conference. Alice Taylor reports.

Far from being a luxury in tough times, executive education makes good economic sense, but organisations are seeking new approaches to ensure the best return on their investment. Jackie Brown-Haysom discovers that for many, the answer lies in learning programmes customised to their own workplace.

Now more than ever, organisations need to think hard about their retention strategies. Teresa MacGregor and Paul Wood consider generational differences and offer tips on how to conduct exit interviews that will add real value to organisations.

In the current economic climate, being without a job is an even less attractive proposition than it has been previously. It’s not surprising then, says Bridget Smith, that applications for reinstatement—the primary remedy—appear to be on the rise.

You know that you’re supposed to have read them, but somehow you never have time! Angela Atkins summarises the key concepts of 10 management books that have become a must-read!

What do you do when your employer says you’re just too big for the job? Carisse de Beer discusses a recent Employment Relations Authority decision following a truck driver’s claim for unjustified dismissal.

People who set goals are most likely to achieve them, but Kaye Avery questions whether SMART goals are the best way to go, or whether a firmly held intention will have greater impact. She discusses career goal-setting in an unstable world situation.

Mediation costs and timeframes have been reduced by a new co-mediation initiative jointly led by the Department of Labour and the Human Rights Commission. Cara Takitimu and Susan Freeman-Greene outline how the new inter-agency mediation makes resolving issues easier for all parties.

Moving premises can be an upsetting time for staff. Karen Boyte explains how to avoid a mutiny, and also looks at how to deal with a bright young employee with an attitude that sucks.

A company’s culture goes beyond the organisational charts you see on the wall. It’s the stories, politics, symbols and routines that count. Chris Johnson looks at the role these play in attracting, retaining and engaging staff.

The strongest brands in the world are carefully and deliberately built on a foundation of insight and knowledge, says Kate Billing. Yet organisations often don’t have an insight into what’s important for their employees. Do you know or do you just think you do?

Recognition is a signpost of past achievement, and it helps motivate us to excel in the future, says Eric Gamperle. He explains why accreditation has been an important step in his career—and he advocates taking up the challenge.

Providing training during a recession is still very important, and you can minimise costs and still get results. This month Angela Atkins shares some different ways to provide training for employees and managers which don’t cost the earth.

Choosing the right leader at any level is difficult. Despite a multitude of “how to” approaches to selection, the real world abounds with leaders assigned to roles beyond their capabilities, says Bob Morton, a keynote speaker at the recent HRINZ conference.

Occupational health and safety programmes need to adopt a more gender-sensitive approach, according to a recent NOHSAC report which calls for more research into the health risks for women in the workplace.

Although a school caretaker neglected to maintain a school pool over the summer holiday break as he was meant to, his resulting dismissal was held to be unjustified. Paul Robertson explains why.