I spent an excellent couple of days in Edinburgh this week, attending the BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology (SPCG) annual conference. This was my first time at the conference and I was impressed with both the quality of content and the very sociable and welcoming atmosphere. On Thursday afternoon,... read more →
Dec
15
Oct
07
Last month, I was asked to contribute to the newsletter of the Division of Industrial-Organisational Psychology, part of the Hong Kong Psychological Society. I had been discussing challenges to work-life balance with my colleague Austin Tay, the editor of the DIOP newsletter and, before I knew it, I had volunteered... read more →
Sep
22
By Dr. Richard A. MacKinnon I spend a lot of time speaking to clients about keeping on top of their workload. In coaching sessions, in workshops, over coffee… the topic frequently turns to feelings of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, tasks and targets that come their way.... read more →
Jul
01
I'm speaking at next week's AGR Recruitment Conference in Wales. I'll be reflecting on the risks associated with using personality data as a "blunt instrument" in graduate selection. Without giving anything away, I'll be answering the question "Personality: can you have too much of a good thing?" with a resounding... read more →
Jun
27
Google were once famous for posing job applicants some extremely challenging interview questions. The kind that test an individual's creative thinking and problem solving. But it looks like that is all set to change. According to the New York Times, Google haven't found that performance in response to these kinds... read more →
Jun
24
This month's Fast Company magazine has a great feature on unplugging from the internet. I particularly enjoyed Baratunde Thurstone's piece on how he disconnected from the web for several weeks. So what prompted this sudden change of behaviour? Particularly significant for a man so famously and continuously connected to multiple... read more →
Jun
17
File this under "Sad but true": organisations still use the discredited pseudo-science of graphology to select employees. I recently came across an article on BBC News about its continued use in France. Wait: haven't we been through this before? Yes. I wrote about it back in 2010, when the Telegraph... read more →
Jun
16
As it's Father's Day (at least here in the UK), it's timely to consider why the uptake of paternity leave - where available - isn't as high as we might expect. According to the Wall Street Journal: Fifteen percent of U.S. firms provide some paid leave for new fathers, according... read more →
Jun
06
I find myself spending more and more time discussing email with clients - and it's rarely a positive conversation. Many clients report a lot of stress and frustration associated with workplace email, describing themselves as feeling "swamped" or "unable to keep up". In my experience, feeling the need to keep... read more →
Feb
28
Yahoo's recent announcement effectively ending home-working arrangements has brought this flexible working style back into the spotlight. The Guardian featured a nice summary of some good principles for those of use who regularly (or even always) work from home. I can definitely identify with the need for human contact and... read more →