Making the most of membership
Emma Knight introduces the new members we have recently welcomed to the Network; tells you how to make the most of our expert team with in-house sessions, tailored events, coaching, workshops, and consultancy; and reveals the exciting speakers at our next event.
New members
During the first quarter of 2016 we were delighted to welcome new members: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Network Rail; the Department for Communities and Local Government; and Trinity Laban Conservatoire. We are also pleased to welcome Circle Housing Group back to the Network.
Make the most of our experts with member support – included in your membership package!
The HR Network continues to be an indispensable resource for organisations and the individuals within them.
Our expertise covers a broad base, and its credibility is grounded in on-going evidence-based research for employers and policy-makers in the UK and internationally. Our experts are invited to speak at conferences and events across the UK and of course can be found sharing their knowledge at IES events.
It’s good to be reminded that, as HR Network members, this knowledge and expertise can also readily come to you and your team at a time and place that suits you. A 90-minute Knowledge Knibble™ over a brown-bag lunch can not only significantly boost your team’s understanding of a specialist area, but can enhance staff engagement too and we have a wide choice of topics available to you.
How we can support you in house varies according to need, but has recently included a number of tailored events, for example we’ve recently delivered Knowledge Knibbles to members on: building resilience; strengths-based people management; an introduction to positive psychology; the role of HR business partners; and an introduction to HR analytics. Attendees at these have included HR colleagues but also line managers and interested staff.
We are always happy to tailor any of our inputs to make them suitable for a wider audience.
We’ve also run longer sessions – recent examples have included facilitating a half-day workshop on leadership and change management, and chatting in depth and informally on new thinking on performance management peppered with case study examples. In addition, we’ve run two OD coaching sessions in-house for new OD practitioners, and led several critical friend sessions on the challenges of evaluating the impact of leadership development when delivered over time and through a variety of different inputs rather than through a formal leadership development programme.
We can run masterclasses in house too, and of course offer a full range of consultancy services. Do check what’s included in your membership package and contact us to arrange the support and input you need.
Events update
HR Directors will now have received an invitation to this years’ Directors’ Retreat in late April. The Retreat always offers a rare opportunity for our member HRD’s to deep dive into a pressing HR issue and hear from experts and their peers on thought-provoking case studies to stimulate new ways of thinking and allow space for reflection on specific tasks in hand or challenges ahead.
This year the retreat is based in Brighton and rather appropriately the theme is Swimming Against the Tide. As well as the obvious seaside links, Brighton has always had a reputation for non-conformity – ideal for an event that will explore the desire to conform and how that desire can twist our perceptions, test our courage and ethics, and lead us to behave in ways that are detrimental to individual, organisational and national wellbeing.
Our 2016 Retreat will explore the stories of those who have sought to do things differently or who have gone against the grain, and in doing so will highlight what motivates people and what helps and hinders them on their journey. Speakers include Jo Fairly, co-founder of Green & Blacks Chocolate (rumour has it that Jo might bring some goodies with her); Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare and Graham Bartlett, Director of South Downs Leadership and Management Services and ex-Divisional Commander of Brighton and Hove Police.
And finally…
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all HR network members for making my (almost) two years with IES a real pleasure. I will shortly be leaving IES to take up an exciting role with the Martlets Hospice in Brighton. I’ll be sad to say goodbye as I’ve met some fantastic people in my time as HR Network manager. Thanks all and keep up the good work!
Gwen (who most of you already know well) will be your key point of contact for all things membership.