Sharon Blyfield OBE

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

10

Ever have those days where the world feels like it’s spinning out of control and you’re left wondering if you have anything meaningful to add to the conversation? I’ve been feeling that way lately—caught in a whirlwind of political changes, new employment laws, and economic chaos. It’s hard to know where to focus or what to say. But here’s the thing: I’ve always found it therapeutic to ask questions and dig into think pieces, even when I’m not feeling particularly inspired. It’s like peeling an onion of uncertainty—sometimes it makes you cry, but it always gets you closer to the core. As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke once said, 'The only journey is the one within.' So, if you’re like me and struggling to find motivation, maybe it’s time to dive into the bigger questions, even if they seem daunting. Our latest blog from This is SISU tackles whether we’re truly making progress in inclusion, equity, and wellbeing or just going through the motions. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most important conversations start with a single, thoughtful question. Check it out and let’s keep the dialogue going.

17

6 Comments

Monday x Whyte & Mackay Neurodiversity in the Workplace: The latest chapter in leadership training from Craig Kennedy and Kirstian Findlay, Chartered FCIPD I am on a personal journey in my understanding of diversity. I'd like to think I am pretty well-read. So too, would the Leadership Team. Yet, we all took something new, insightful and provocative away. It reinforced a couple of points too; 1. Culture Grows It takes work to create the right conditions for a positive workplace culture. What form that work takes, shifts. What worked last, may not work now. 2. Individuality Matters We are all diverse. The challenges are; breadth of that diversity and how we make certain our community is inclusive. That includes providing a safe, welcoming environment for people, whether or not they have shared 'all of themselves' at work. Credit Melanie Francis Chartered FCIPD Chartered FCIPD, is the Founder of Neuroinclusive HR.

60

3 Comments

✔ 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 ✔ I deliver Leadership Courses & Workshops via my Coaching & Mentoring Practice. They are usually 1-day, or 2-day sessions. However, if you only have 2 minutes and 43 seconds to spare, and you wish to improve your Leadership skills across your organisation, I urge you to watch this! This nails it completely 💯. "You'll know when you are a good Leader.... when people will follow you......merely out of curiosity!" It must have been inspirational to work with General Powell. Any other great Leadership traits, please do share in the Comments. Ian Hallett Lora M. Alexandra Barosa-Pereira Matt Lanfear, PhD Jess Smith Andrew Latchum Aboodi Shabi Dr. Kylie Prince Dean Peterson Helen Yu Foong N. Niki De Zilva Gaurav Arora, MCC (ICF) Michael Mints Amy Misnik, Pharm.D. Terri Levine Daniel Findley Claire Davies Brenda Bence, Ranked Top Ten Coach Globally Jagdish Gill Rachel Mitchell #colinpowell #leadership #trust #inspirational #coaching #mentoring https://lnkd.in/eVamWRtH

7

2 Comments

Wellbeing Strategies should form critical element of all organisations People & Organisational plans. Gemma Carter-Morris @nextstepsconsulting work hard with clients to develop & execute all elemements of wellbeing in the work place. Let’s not forget our people are our most valuable resource

1

And that’s a wrap! After our final session the other week, Phase 1 of Leadership Fundamentals with a brilliant beauty retailer is complete. - 18 full day workshops in London, Manchester, Dublin and Edinburgh - 36 small group coaching sessions to embed, celebrate and stretch - 200+ people leaders participated from Managing Director to Assistant Boutique Manager Qualitative feedback showed that leaders have: 🙌 Taken a more personalised approach to delegating by considering team members’ experience and engagement 🙌 Saved time overall by sharing context, purpose and what good looks like when setting expectations 🙌 Nipped issues in the bud by having conversations they would have previously avoided 🙌 Asked more questions rather than simply assuming 🙌 Encouraged team members to ask more questions and share their own views 🙌 Enhanced performance and connection with more open, transparent conversations And as a bonus, they rated it pretty highly overall too. 8.9/10 for Retail and 8.2/10 for Corporate & Warehouse. Absolutely delighted to be invited back to build on this with Phase 2 next year, as well as starting a new (smaller scale) programme with a boutique marketing consultancy. #Celebrate #LeadershipFundamentals #BehaviourChange

25

8 Comments

For those of us interested in neurodiversity, this recent tribunal case makes for interesting reading. In particular Debbie Holder the comments about lack of coherent occupational health strategy! So important that there is an overarching strategy for managing diversity in the workplace: policy, process, training, coaching AND appropriate occupational health expertise. If only they'd got in touch with us Deborah Denyer! https://rb.gy/hud6k9

25

Such a hugely powerful conversation on an incredibly important topic of women's health that’s all too easy to avoid. So proud that we were able to facilitate this discussion and place our spotlight on the signals and impact of Menopause, PMDD and PMS. Do contact me if you'd like to know more. #menopauseandmore #humanatwork #theartofwork

5

1 Comment

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

3

I’ve been involved in many change programmes across my career and love to keep learning. “It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions.” William Bridges. Change is situational, an org restructure for example. Transition is the psychological internalising of the details of the new situation that the change brings about. One of the best books I’ve read about change management and easy to read and understand. It is an excellent book for anyone but especially anyone involved with organisation change. It is really helpful to understand the difference between the practical elements of change and the psychological stages that people have to go through to move through the change processes sucessfully.

27

Institute of Directors (IoD) Code of Conduct for Directors. Demonstrate your commitment to high standards of conduct. I’m in…. Are you? See below link. #CodeofConduct #Leadership #EthicalLeadership #InstituteOfDirectors

8

Celebrating graduating from Lauren Currie OBE's UPFRONT! Two weeks on and still reflecting on what #confidence is actually all about and what it takes to enable it. Confidence is not some kind of personality trait, nor is it a competition. It's not like I have more confidence, so I can have more power over you, be ahead of you. In fact, it's quite the opposite of that. As we learn to have more confidence in our whole self, we can ripple it out - true confidence is infectious! When we're supported to grow our confidence, we're better equipped to face our vulnerabilities, self-doubt, and hesitations, and we're more able to harness our whole self. Tell me if I'm wrong, but most of us, including those perceived to be confident, have an internal voice of judgement and criticism that stops us from showing up fully and transparently. That can be quite confusing for others, because it gives mixed messages. Our own insecurity triggers a sense of insecurity in others - it's a social animal instinct. We might not be consciously aware of it, but I reckon that's how tension, or even conflict, often develops in a team or organisation. And we know what that does to performance, collective impact, and productivity... it undermines them massively. Deeper confidence results in a sense of 'I don't feel threatened by you' and 'I'm no threat to you either'. Even more importantly, that ability to gently and compassionately embrace our whole self, means we can also support those around us to do the same, thus unleashing our full human potential (our greatest gift!). Yet, it's not easy to face our full self. It can even be painful. Doing it alone is scary. It's therefore critical to learn that 'confidence' piece. It lays the foundation for an open, emotionally intelligent and supportive culture, that generates happier working lives (less stress!), better performance, and greater productivity. I see confidence as the fuel that makes us do together what we thought would never be possible. And that's where it connects with leadership... Confidence, literally 'con fiducia' i.e. 'with trust' or 'with faith'. To trust that, yes, I can! And yes, we can! #Wellbeing #HappierWorkingLives #ConsciousLeadership #Leadership #WholeSelf #EmotionalIntelligence #BondGraduate

23

3 Comments

A great course for anyone looking to tune up their management skills.

2

In light of so much recent gender based violence and leaders asking what they can do in the workplace to make a difference, I found Elizabeth Broderick’s work and words of wisdom incredibly helful. Read this practical guide about the role of workplaces in preventing everyday sexism, sexual harassment and violence against women “Playing Our Part” - https://lnkd.in/dPTzw7Ez

13

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

3

Could you help with my Masters Research?   As part of my MSc I am undertaking a research project looking at how the menopause (and perimenopause) affects the confidence and perceptions of competence in female HR leaders. The research aims to identify areas of potential further support for business and how this can be used in practice as well as where further research might be helpful.   If you are working in a senior HR role, and are either perimenopausal or menopausal (or have recently been) and would be happy to share your experiences – good and bad – I’d love to interview you.    All information collected will be confidential and when shared as part of my research will be anonymous.   This research has obtained ethical approval from Birkbeck, University of London, and complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Data collected from this project will be used as part of my MSc dissertation, future conference presentations, or publications.   Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more and take part, and please share with anyone you think might also be interested. #HR #menopause #research #volunteers #reseachinetrview #masters #MSc

59

22 Comments

It's the last day to sign up for our free webinar this Thursday with TNM in conversation with James Cook, L&D Specialist at Nestlé! We'll discuss practical strategies for establishing and nurturing a coaching culture that empowers employees, enhances performance, and drives organisational success. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to cultivate a culture of coaching that inspires growth, innovation, and excellence in your workplace. Register via the link below 👇 to gain the knowledge and tools you need to elevate your organization to new heights! https://lnkd.in/dVNidKED #coachingculture #corporatecoaching ⁠ #executivecoaching #businesscoaching #leadership #leadershipcoaching #coaching #lifecoach #transformationalcoaching #mindset #coach #confidencecoach #inspiration #selfimprovement #personaldevelopment #purposefulcoaching #selfdevelopment #hr #humanresources #businessdevelopment

4