Companies which employ individuals whom other firms consider to be unemployable ‐ such as the homeless, former criminals or people with little formal education ‐ are often finding that the benefits outweigh the risks. Provides three case studies.

The number of companies attempting to benchmark the activities of their human‐resource department ‐ that is, to compare it with different organizations considered to be the best in their class ‐ is growing. Discusses best practice in the area of people management, based on a benchmarking...

Almost a third of Americans have exchanged some working time for more leisure time over the last five years. There are growing signs that Europeans are following suit. The move towards “downshifting” raises new challenges for human resource managers. Examines the issues surrounding the...

At a time when it has become fashionable in some quarters to question the value which human resource specialists provide to an organization, Motorola has used a people‐centred approach to drive fundamental change. Alan Larson, the company’s senior applications consultant, takes up the story.

Some companies increase their profits by eliminating jobs or cracking the whip to get employees to work harder. The Eastman Chemical Company, based at Kingsport, Tennessee, USA, has increased sales by 84 per cent in ten years by motivating its employees. Describes the philosophy known as “the...

There is nothing particularly original about a company making customer satisfaction the centre of its culture. But American Express differs from most others in having an effective system to make sure that everyone buys into the cultural focus.

Investigates whether sabbaticals are a costly and unnecessary perk or a worthwhile investment in the company’s workforce.

How can workers best be encouraged to give their energy and commitment to the company? In the 1980s, performance‐related pay was favoured. Rejects that approach and emphasizes the need to build a partnership between workers and management, and for all to feel involved in every aspect of the firm.

Whether in sport or in business, everyone is capable of achieving more than they do at present, regardless of their education or current successes and achievements. That is the view of Will Carling, England Rugby Union captain and managing director of Insights Ltd. Here, he argues that...

Benjamin Zander, founder and conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, made a significant discovery when he realized that the conductor of an orchestra does not make a sound. Zander believes that a conductor’s power is his or her ability to make others powerful. He said of the...