In learning and development the findings are similar to previous years with coaching by line managers and in-house development programmes remaining to be seen as the most effective development practice for employees. For leaders it is a different story - coaching by external coaches and attending external conferences, workshops and events and seen as the most effective approaches.

The gap between private and public sector seems to be widening with job satisfaction amongst public sector workers falling.

Predictions for 2012 are for trends to remain similar to 2011 with particular concern raised about the high unemployment of young people in the UK and uncertainty about the Euro zone.

The Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives.

Happy New Year from everyone here at Interaction.

The research is summarised nicely on Psyblog.

The research acts as a helpful reminder that objectives need to be accompanied by other thinking and behaviour:

• how do I make my objective achievable?
• why is the objective important to me?
• how will I feel if I achieve it?
• what actions do I need to take?
• who can help me achieve my objective?
• what will get in the way?
• how will I celebrate?!

Three websites stand out as useful starting points:

• The Business Link website, www.businesslink.gov.uk, has a section dedicated to international trade as well as useful information on posting workers to foreign countries.
• The UK Trade & Investment website, www.ukti.gov.uk, has useful country guides available to download, and details of regional office who can offer advice about all aspects of trading overseas.  (They also run a service called the UK Advisory Network, which was set up to make access to private sector expertise easier to access, www.ukadvisorynetwork.com.)
• The HRMC website, www.hmrc.gov.uk, was invaluable in providing information about customs and VAT and I received very quick and clear written advice on our specific situation by emailing via the site.

Based on the principles that in going global we need to ensure we operate legally, look after our employees, and manage our financial risks, and following research starting at these websites, I was able to develop a checklist of issues to address:

• what are the reporting requirements for customs and VAT for the specific work we’re doing?
• what are the rules regarding posting employees to specific countries?
• do we need additional business insurance?
• what is the best way to pay invoices received in foreign currencies?
• what is the best way to receive payment in foreign currencies?
• what are the risks around receiving/making payments in foreign currencies?
• what is the best way to provide money for our employees while abroad?
• what is the best way to keep in touch with our employees?
• do we need to take anything with us that might need an export licence?

As a result, we now have a foreign currency broker, a Euro bank account, business travel insurance and we are actively looking for the best way to manage accounts in multiple currencies. 

We have already spent a couple of days delivering training in Switzerland and are looking forward to trips to Spain and Italy.

In the podcast he talks about how to increase creative thinking and also what happens when we are in FLOW. He also talks about what happens when you have interpersonal rapport with another person. The podcast ends with a tip about how to increase your emotional intelligence. He advises that if we do just one thing we should heighten our self awareness so we can be more aware of what is happening to ourselves and others.

We use the EI framework as the basis for much of our leadership and management development work. Follow this link for more information.

Not surprisingly given rising costs, there seems to also be an increase in employees reporting financial hardship. Whilst 67% of employees say they will remain with their current employer, 54% say that if they did move it would be to increase salary and benefits. When combined with the data regarding possibility of job loss and likelihood of finding a new post, this seems to suggest that people are staying with current employers because of uncertainty in the job market and the economy. It also indicates how salary has become more of an issue for many employees with job satisfaction being the second reason for moving and learning new things the third.

On this note, 26% of employees reported as having coaching always or usually from their manager, 38% discuss training and development needs with their manager and 43% receive feedback about thier performance.

Overall job satisfaction has stayed at the same level. Employees in the voluntary sector are likely to be most satisfied and those aged 55+ are the most satisfied. The youngest employees (18-24) are the least satisfied.

With the focus on financial hardship increasing and employees feeling worse off, I wonder what impact this will have on training and development. If some of the basic hygiene factors are not met, will this mean employees are less willing or able to engage with development?

Simon will be using HBDI straight away with individuals and teams from a global food manufacturer and retailer as they look to integrate teams following a number of acquisitions.

We are seeking participants now to join the 2011 programme starting in November.

Rapid graduation

Over the years Interaction has worked with many organisations to create graduate programmes that really deliver.  For organisations that recruit low numbers of graduates we’ve now created a unique open programme that focuses on the critical capabilities graduates need to develop in their first year. 

The programme

This is a creative, experiential programme that provides relevant, practical development and consists of four modules:

• understanding myself
• commercial awareness
• working in teams
• influencing

If you are looking for a more bespoke programme we can deliver this programme in-house, tailored to reflect your company culture and business issues.

We can also offer additional modules such as induction.

Additional support

If you are looking for ways to engage and support graduate’s line managers we can provide coaching skills training.  This one day workshop has been developed using feedback and first hand experiences of graduates’ managers.  It provides practical tools and techniques and insights into the graduate experience to enable managers to provide support and coaching.

Our qualified coaches can also provide one to one coaching sessions to enable graduates to develop their individual skills and manage their profile within the business.

For more information please contact Jill on 0117 315 5243 or send her an email or visit our website.