Zircon

As we embark on the festive season, there are lessons we can learn from the world of Business Psychology that can be applied to the family dinner table. If your merry bunch is cognitively diverse and representative of many different viewpoints, approaching conversations with the curiosity, patience and objectivity of Psychological Safety, could help things go more smoothly this Christmas. Is home a place where you and your loved ones can express viewpoints freely but considerately without fear of repercussion? When things go wrong do your loved ones look for someone to blame or do they collectively try to learn from the moment? Tune into thecpo.co.uk with Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol, Caitlin Cooper and Laura McLean this week to remind you of the sound principles behind psych safety that can guide better human interactions and encourage belonging. The podcast is available on most podcast players from Spotify to Podbean and Audible to Apple so head to your favourite one or click on one of the links below. 🎧 https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ Spotify https://lnkd.in/eaY-t5Jw Apple https://lnkd.in/evU-hjSv #PsychologicalSafety #Inclusion #Belonging #MerryChristmas #HappyHolidays

This festive season, our remote team put away our laptops and our video calls to wield putters and enjoy some face-to-face laughter at a crazy golf course in London. So much more than a Christmas party—getting as many people in the same room to have fun together outside the boundaries of the usual working day can make a huge difference when the right considerations are made. For us, that means ensuring things are just as much fun for drinkers as non-drinkers. We tend to choose activities (last year we were throwing axes!). Research from Gallup shows that employees who feel connected to their colleagues are 50% more likely to stay with their organisation and 21% more productive. Our remote team spiced things up with a little healthy competition. Whether we were cheering each other on for the hole-in-ones or giving each other sympathetic pats on the back for the balls that stubbornly would not sink, making memories strengthened our bond and increased our feeling of belonging. In-person experiences that solidify our culture and commitment to one another will help us during our remote working days, reminding us that we all have great intentions even when we are feeling impatient or stressed. All of us wish you and yours the happiest of holidays! There will be someone in most days during the next couple of weeks apart from Christmas, Boxing Day and News Years Day, so if you need us, just shout!   #remoteteams #teambuilding #inclusion #bonding #ChristmasParty

🏆 On behalf of all at the ABP, we’d like to congratulate the winner of the ABP 2024 Award for ‘Excellence in Learning & Development’ - Bernadette Burke (UCD) 📚 Submission Title: Making the LEAP: Using Business Psychology to Develop the Employability of a Financial Times Top 100 Global MBA Class Bernadette's innovative module applied business psychology to boost the employability of MBA students through experiential, evidence-based learning. An outstanding example of how psychology can enhance career readiness — congratulations, Bernadette! 🏅Highly Commended: Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol from Zircon Management Consulting Ltd 📚 Submission Title: A 62% Increase in Engagement Scores Amanda's work focused on strengths, psychological safety, and self-belief to significantly improve engagement within Network Rail teams. A powerful demonstration of business psychology in action — well done, Amanda! Claire Lish, Dr Dawn H. N., Dr Stewart Desson, Claire Lee, Joanne Parkes, 🌈 Liz Mulhall Sanjay Bhogaita MSc, ACC Ben Williams, Debbie Stevens-Gill, Nick Hayter, Dexter Winters, Louise Lennon, Ella Hatton, Matt Smeed

As we wrap up for the year and bid farewell to 2024, we're thrilled to share the incredible journey the Zircon team has had over the past 12 months.   Last year, we welcomed quite a few new faces and this year our team has gone from strength to strength. Our people have been deepening their knowledge in their roles and creating momentum for continuous improvement. We have learned new ways of bringing our remote team together from crafty lunches to Yoga Nidra sessions, and we continue to look at ways to help our team live life to the full and deliver to their strengths.   We have all been inspired by our work on projects with clients worldwide. Collaborating with brilliant HR Leaders both at home and abroad, we've created innovative and bespoke solutions to some tricky problem statements.   Here's a glance at the top 12 things our team is most proud of this year:   1. Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol won the ABP Award for Business Psychology Practitioner of the Year for theCPO.co.uk podcast 2. Kashayá Stewart GMBPsS was awarded highly commended as a Peter Saville Rising Star 3. We received a highly commended award for our work with Michael Wright (FCIPD) at Network Rail and the incredible impact it has had on their team’s engagement 4. We welcomed Emma Highfield to the team and continue to see her flourish in her work placement 5. We launched our new My BeTalent 360 Platform delivering new insight, flexibility, and improved user experience 6. Amanda presented at the CIPD Festival of Work and guested on the CIPD podcast 7. The CPO has hosted some incredible podcast guests. Big Thanks to Ian Iceton, Philippa White, Jessica Livingstone, Simon Rogerson, Ben Williams, Laura McLean, Dulcie Swanston and Dr Iain Price (PhD) 8. We've had over 50,000 downloads for our podcast which has seen a 25% increase despite reducing down to 1 episode every 3 weeks 9. We were early adopters and attained the ISO27001/2 as part of our continued commitment to upholding the highest standards which has led 100% system uptime 10. We've embraced no meeting Fridays allowing our people to switch into deeper working with minimised distractions 11. We've improved our BeTalent Team questionnaire and enhanced validity and consistency across all of our psychometric tools 12. We've introduced new flexibility inc. 9 day fortnights and compressed hours to give a greater choice for our colleagues and their optimum live/work balance Next year is our 25th Birthday and we have so much to be excited about as we work on launching more of our new platform to be released for clients in the coming months.   What are you proud of achieving this year? Let us know. We’d love to celebrate it with you!   #BusinessPsychology #2024Reflections #ContinuousImprovement #PyschologyPodcast #Psychometrics Image description: Twinkly glowing stars on a navy background with words "Celebrating 2024" and Zircon logo

We've recorded an extra podcast for you this festive season and it's a gem! In this bonus episode of the Chief Psychology Officer podcast, Laura McLean, Mindset coach and HR Leader at Santander joins Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol and Caitlin Cooper as they delve into the transformative power of psychological safety. We invite you to tune in and discover how small, intentional changes can have a compound effect on organisational culture. How a foundation of trust and inclusion not only enhances employee engagement, but also improves customer experiences and allows innovation to thrive. With practical advice, real-world examples, and a focus on leadership development, this episode is essential listening for anyone passionate about building better workplace cultures. The podcast is available on most podcast players from Spotify to Podbean and Audible to Apple so head to your favourite one or click on one of the links below. 🎧 https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ Spotify https://lnkd.in/eaY-t5Jw Apple https://lnkd.in/evU-hjSv #PsychologicalSafety #Inclusion #Innovation #PsychologyPodcast Image description: A festive podcast promotional graphic with a background featuring Christmas tree branches and glowing lights. The text reads "Creating Inclusive Workplaces: The Power of Psychological Safety" and highlights Dr Amanda Potter's The Chief Psychology Officer podcast. Three circular Christmas baubles display images of the speakers: Amanda (Dr Amanda Potter) on the left, smiling in a black blazer; Laura McLean, centred on the right, smiling in a white top with curly hair; and Caitlin, positioned at the bottom right with blonde hair. The "Zircon PODCAST" logo appears at the top right. The design uses festive red and green tones with a holiday theme.

We've recorded an extra podcast for you this festive season and it's a gem! In this bonus episode of the Chief Psychology Officer podcast, Laura McLean, Mindset coach and HR Leader at Santander joins Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol and Caitlin Cooper as they delve into the transformative power of psychological safety. We invite you to tune in and discover how small, intentional changes can have a compound effect on organisational culture. How a foundation of trust and inclusion not only enhances employee engagement, but also improves customer experiences and allows innovation to thrive. With practical advice, real-world examples, and a focus on leadership development, this episode is essential listening for anyone passionate about building better workplace cultures. The podcast is available on most podcast players from Spotify to Podbean and Audible to Apple so head to your favourite one or click on one of the links below. 🎧 https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ Spotify https://lnkd.in/eaY-t5Jw Apple https://lnkd.in/evU-hjSv #PsychologicalSafety #Inclusion #Innovation #PsychologyPodcast Image description: A festive podcast promotional graphic with a background featuring Christmas tree branches and glowing lights. The text reads "Creating Inclusive Workplaces: The Power of Psychological Safety" and highlights Dr Amanda Potter's The Chief Psychology Officer podcast. Three circular Christmas baubles display images of the speakers: Amanda (Dr Amanda Potter) on the left, smiling in a black blazer; Laura McLean, centred on the right, smiling in a white top with curly hair; and Caitlin, positioned at the bottom right with blonde hair. The "Zircon PODCAST" logo appears at the top right. The design uses festive red and green tones with a holiday theme.

Really proud to work with these amazing people and to have them as a huge part of my teams success. People are at the heart of everything we do and with Zircon we’re taking leaps towards becoming more human focussed and people centred in everything we do. I don’t always get it right and that’s ok too, it’s a journey. Psychology and neuroscience along with exceptional coaching and partnering is what sets Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol and Zircon apart 🌟

We don’t always know what’s good for us and even the most buoyant can melt under pressure! While the festivities bring joy, they can also bring their fair share of stress. From deadlines to holiday plans, not to mention the lack of psychological safety many of us feel when we are home for the holidays! This holiday season, remember: ▪️ You can’t pour from an empty mug—take time to recharge. ▪️ Saying “no” is a strength, not a weakness. ▪️ Checking in with yourself is just as important as checking in with your team. Lead by example and show your team that prioritising wellbeing is essential. Of course eating something other than mince pies, watching your alcohol intake and getting quality sleep will help you keep a cool head too, despite the inevitable seasonal meltdowns. Tune into the latest Chief Psychology Officer Podcast Ep. 68 for tips on how to get a good night’s sleep and if the season does overwhelm, tune into Ep.63 which is all about breathing techniques to help you keep calm and carry on with Christmas. Stay tuned for next week’s bonus podcast edition which is all about Psychological Safety – maybe you’ll learn something that can be applied to keep things honest but supportive this festive season with frustrating family members. 🎧 https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ How are you setting boundaries and looking after yourself this December? #SelfCare #WellBeing #HolidayStress #EndOfYear #Leadership   Image Description: Marshmallow snowman melting in a cup of hot chocolate, surrounded by festive decorations, with the text 'Zircon' and the caption 'Sometimes what feels right...' written below.

🏆  On behalf of all at the ABP, we’d like to congratulate Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol (ZIRCON MANAGEMENT CONSULTING LIMITED Consulting Ltd) who won this year’s ABP Award for ‘Business Psychology Practitioner of the Year’ 📚 Submission Title: The Chief Psychology Officer: Making Business Psychology Accessible to All Amanda’s innovative work through the Chief Psychology Officer podcast has made business psychology accessible to a broader audience. Her efforts to share expert insights and engage with diverse voices have significantly promoted the discipline. Congratulations, Amanda! ⭐   Highly Commended: Jonathan Cannon (Lumina Learning) 📚 Submission Title: Jonathan Cannon, Certified Business Psychologist with the ABP, Research Lead at Lumina Learning Jonathan’s dedication to advancing business psychology through research and practice was recognised for its impact and excellence. His work demonstrates a commitment to applying psychology to enhance organisational effectiveness. Well done, Jonathan! Claire Lish, Dr Dawn H. N., Dr Stewart Desson, Claire Lee, Joanne Parkes, 🌈 Liz Mulhall, Sanjay Bhogaita, Ben Williams, Debbie Stevens-Gill, Nick Hayter, Dexter Winters, Louise Lennon, Ella Hatton, Matt Smeed

Congratulations Emma! In September, we welcomed a new trainee business psychologist to the team, Emma Highfield. Emma holds a BSc (Honours in Psychology) and was officially awarded her MSc in Occupational and Organisational Psychology this week with the impressive accolade ‘Student of the Year’! - given to students with the highest overall average who have been judged to have made the most significant contribution over the past academic year. No doubt a bright star with so much to contribute to the future of occupational psychology, Emma is especially interested in how organisations can support employee well-being. While completing her MSc, she was involved in a research project examining the effects of extra-role behaviour on employee job satisfaction and work-related stress. Emma has already contributed so much in the 3 short months she has been with us, from helping with internal training of our new 360 platform and tech manual to supporting our commitment to continuous improvement including testing and validation of BeTalent Products. She has supported important work with clients including thematic analysis and project management and has also had a hand in researching podcasts and articles. Such a valuable asset to the team! Emma’s future plans include undertaking a chartership in occupational psychology and we hope that her time with us leads to many open doors as she forges the path ahead. #earlytalent #occupationalpsychology #workplacement #psychologycareers Emma has shoulder length brown hair and wears a graduate's cap and gown as she smiles at the camera, hands clasped in front of her, one step forward wearing elegant lace-up boots. The table behind is draped with University of Liverpool tablecloth and has a floral centrepiece.