You talked to the Trade Union about chickens? Isn't that unprofessional?

This is a question I was asked last week by a HR Masters Degree student who was flabergasted that I would talk about chickens to senior Trade Union officials. None of her lectures or books she had read had mentioned this, so why would I advise anybody to do such a thing? Surely I should have been talking about HR strategies?

In this blog I explain why talking about chickens is key to avoiding disputes, and building great employee relations. It's exactly why we put so much emphasis on getting to know people when we train new mediators.

So many organisations are stuck with traditional grievance procedures because they think that's the only option available to them.

Employee have the right to raise grievances - of course they do, but focusing on formal grievances rather than issue resolution is such a shame and such a waste of precious time and money. More importantly, it creates far too much stress for everyone involved, when it's perfectly avoidable.

There is a better way - and that's an issue resolution procedure which flips the way we do things traditionally on its head, and transforms organisational culture!

Attitude vs aptitude. Which is most important? I'm very clear - what's the point in having a really capable employee whose attitude stinks?

We all come across people who just seem to have a really bad 'toxic' attitude - but have they really? How much do we assume rather than finding out for ourselves? The temptation is to avoid speaking to them, but in my experience the opposite is best.

Leadership is everything. It involves making decisions and being pragmatic. Laws, policies and processes without the confidence and capability to be pragmatic isn't a great combination!

It can feel uncomfortable not having the answers on a plate, but that's leadership for you! Fairness and justice are all that employment tribunals are about - not many people would argue with that, so why do we struggle with the concept so much?

Leadership is a real skill and a fantastic capability. Many managers struggle to become leaders - they need help. We should never assume somebody is a good leader just because they've signed a management contract!