Millions of pounds a year are saved by “UK plc” through increased efficiency in using technology to address customer queries, but it is probably losing an even larger sum by failing to monitor and measure the performance of the people using that technology, says Russell Bradshaw, research...

Training given to 250 UK sales representatives of the global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. helped to make the launch of the firm’s male anti‐impotence drug Cialis the most successful in the firm’s 128‐year history. The training won a UK National Training Award. It also earned...

Continuous improvement and other modern manufacturing techniques have helped a manufacturer of coin, bill and cashless vending machines to boost productivity and employee empowerment and achieve savings of around £90,000 a year. Money Controls Ltd has almost 40 years’ experience of developing...

How do the corporate universities operated by large multinationals ensure that everyone who enrolls on one of their classroom‐based courses begins at roughly the same level and so can profit equally from valuable instructor‐contact time? This was the problem facing the brewing giant...

We listen hard and talk straight, with no sugar coating and no filters. Trust is impossible without early, accurate and reliable communication, so we strive for “brutal” openness and honesty. All of us know where we stand, face reality and act on it. We are open to ideas from everyone,...

In the words of Hans Stråberg: “Building an increasingly strong talent base with the right attitude and enthusiasm is one of our most effective competitive weapons. We need to attract, develop and retain top talent, which in turn will develop Electrolux. It is absolutely vital that we succeed...

Recruiting the right people, then giving them the opportunity for continuous learning and self‐development, have helped to make elevator and escalator manufacturer KONE one of the most respected companies in its field. “Our success is based on our employees’ know‐how, enthusiasm and...

Telecommunications giant Cable and Wireless adopted a three‐prong approach to slimming down its in‐house HR, which Ian Muir, vice‐president of group human resources, described as “too big, too expensive and with a cost base that was fixed rather than variable”. First, the company began...

An e‐recruitment program is helping Xerox Europe to find the right people for its Xerox Concessionaire sales network, created almost 20 years ago to extend the document company’s market coverage across the continent. Now established at the major Xerox sales channel, accounting for over 50...

When Delta, one of Canada’s biggest hotel companies, appeared for the third consecutive year in a list of “The 50 best companies to work for in Canada” they knew they were doing something right. But being a place where people like to work did not just happen. Getting the right results...