Breakfast Bites: Four ways every manager can coach their teams

Four ways every manager can coach their teams: the top workplace and leadership demands for 2025 and how to meet them through embedding a coaching mindset

Breakfast Bites: Four bites of wisdom from a recruitment pro

We’re happy to welcome recruitment process consultant and coach Sam Glendinning to our team. She shares four bites of wisdom no one in recruitment can afford to miss.

Breakfast Bites: Support Kerry’s 24hr 100k walk for vital hospice care

Hi I’m Kerry Jarred, founder of Jarred Consulting and this breakfast bite is a little different as it’s a personal note from me.

Breakfast Bites: Kerry takes on the Thames Path Ultra Challenge

This September, Jarred Consulting founder, and Woking and Sam Beare hospice trustee Kerry Jarred will be taking on the Thames Path Ultra Challenge with hospice colleagues. Covering a staggering 100km that’s:

Breakfast Bites: Has corporate wellbeing gone too far?

We know that token-effort box ticking and wellwashing can harm your relationship with your people and the growth of your organisation.  It contributes towards burnout, stunts creativity, causes team disharmony and ultimately, your talent may choose to walk away.

Breakfast Bites: 4 sure fire ways to restore trust in leadership

Leadership is on everyone’s mind at the moment. Yet one recent global study found that 61% of people are worried that business leaders aren’t trustworthy. Faith in them has crumbled.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know how vital it is to upskill your HR people right now?

Digitisation has taken over much of the paper-shuffling process of HR but it’s about more than efficiency – HR development in the tech age is morphing the face and function of the department.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know you can strengthen your board in six steps?

Are you missing opportunities through misunderstandings, crossed wires and misinterpreted intentions? Are decisions held up through miscommunication?

Breakfast Bites: Did you know that upskilling your HR department will build greater trust and efficiency?

Rapidly changing workplaces demand new HR skill sets. How well are you keeping up? How well you improve your HR performance depends on your ability to see the bigger picture.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know your unique employee offer is key to weathering workplace change?

Demographic shifts and AI are changing how, why, and where people work, as well as their expectations. So to secure the skills and mindsets you need to grow and succeed, you need to change tack in this ever-shifting landscape.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know when it comes to future-proofing career pathways, clarity is key?

When you can see a clear way forward for your business, you can move with strength and intention. The same goes for your people.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know your future is in their hands?

We all know that attracting the best talent to your business is key to its future – but success lies in the details to ensure you get the right individuals.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know clear career pathways are your route to growth?

Make the best of and motivate your skilled talent by creating clear career pathways they’ll enjoy. Then they can visualise and grasp the opportunities open to them. It’s good for them and good for you.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know how effective HR transformation can be in building trust and driving business forward?

Talent strategies achieve business objectives. It’s the hill we’re prepared to die on. But we live in times of change, so what worked yesterday, may not work today – or indeed tomorrow. To avoid slipping behind, an HR overhaul may be on the cards.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know you don’t have to resolve disputes on your own?

When an employment dispute arises, everything can get knocked out of balance. Not every organisation feels able to deal with an internal investigation or mediation, especially if it’s a complex matter.

Breakfast Bites: 4 strategies to shift your business from survival to thrival mode

The ONS reported last week that the UK economy fell into recession at the end of last year but it’s not all bad news. Overall, the economy grew across 2023 and the dip isn’t expected to last long as wages are rising faster than inflation and the jobs market is strong.

Breakfast Bites: Inspire trust in leadership without falling into the wellwashing trap

Mental health is a hot topic at the moment and rightly so. It's estimated that poor mental health costs the UK economy a staggering £118bn a year with over 18 million working days lost.

Breakfast Bites: Inspiring Leadership – our new book is finally here

We have good news.

Our new book, Inspiring Leadership is now available for pre-publication download. To be fully released later this year, this version is just for those who’ve been with us on this journey.

Breakfast Bites: The four habits dynamic leaders will develop this year

Did you know that just a quarter of employees have full trust in their leadership?

There is no time like the present to re-evaluate the skills we have in place and formulate plans for the ones we need to develop.

Breakfast Bites: Restoring trust in leadership

Last week we outlined our top five priority-list predictions for HR leadership in 2024:

Breakfast Bites: Your easily digestible guide to Gartner’s top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2024

What challenges and opportunities will HR leaders will face in 2024? Based on data gathered from over 500 HR leaders in 40 countries, Gartner’s report clearly shows a gap between awareness and the ability to act when it comes to employee wellbeing, engagement and retention.

Breakfast Bites: Welcome to 2024. Did you know your skill gaps don’t have to be a problem this year?

Welcome to the first breakfast bite of the year. What are your company and team goals for 2024? At Jarred, we believe in the power of people to drive business forward so our focus is always going to be making sure you have just the talent you need.

Breakfast Bites: Five reasons why downtime is essential for your business

Just a little note from us at Jarred this week to say we hope you’re enjoying your time off and to remind you why downtime is so productive.

Breakfast Bites: Have your best year yet in 2024 by asking yourself a few simple questions

We have the chance to breathe vitality into the workplace – so that it can reinvent itself for not just a new generation but also a world which accommodates everyone’s preferences and values what each person brings. In our economic climate, it’s not just a ripe opportunity – it's our responsibility.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know your leadership team needs support too?

At Jarred, we believe that every high-performing team is built on a foundation of shared purpose and trust.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know you don’t have to do it the hard way?

Welcome back to the second in our Did You Know? Series. It’s true, you don’t have to do it the hard way.

Breakfast Bites: Did you know – whatever you give, you get so much more back

At Jarred, we are always energised by making a difference. The positive effect on our clients’ lives and careers is immensely rewarding and enjoyable.

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: Three HR upskills to survive the HR tsunami of change heading our way

HR should be prepared for a ‘huge tsunami of change’ over the next decade according to the former French labour minister.

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: How will AI change your ESG game?

Last week, leaders from around the world met at the spiritual home of computing at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: Are you feeling a little overwhelmed with AI?

Have you stopped to think about what the AI/human hybrid future will look like?

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: Our golden opportunity to teach the teacher: two important lessons for AI-led learning

How do we take up the role of machine teacher as we integrate AI into our daily routines?

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: If AI is listening, what are you saying?

You’re in a powerful position right now.

We all are.

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: Thinking about the impact of AI?

Here's how to get ahead of the game and make it work for you.

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: How to wow the last quarter of the year

How to wow the last quarter of the year

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: the strength of soft skills and why they should be at the top of your priority list

What if we reframed soft skills as hard skills?

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: the top HR trends for 2023 and how they’ve evolved

At the beginning of the year, Forbes published its top HR trends for the 2023 workplace.

Breakfast Bites: Series 3: what if September was the new January?

There’s something fresh about the start of term and it affects everyone, whether you have children at home or not. With the altered state of summer over and done with, there’s a sense of returning to normality across the board.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: what’s tightening the belt on learning and development costing you?

This month we’ve been looking at ways to get everyone excited about getting back to work in September. With autumn just a breeze away, it’s time to get creative about how we’re going to bring summer’s sense of freedom and ease into a busy, productive workplace.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: what if you made more of the people you already have when hiring budgets are tight?

We all know that hitting the pause button isn’t just an enjoyable thing to do, it’s essential. It keeps us functioning, happy and healthy. So however much your summer vacation has cost this year, it has provided you with a priceless opportunity to rest and recharge.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: what if we truly treasured our middle managers?

Enjoying the altered pace of summer? It’s not always less busy, it’s just a chance to seek other life-affirming pursuits: time with family, festivals and a long-awaited annual break.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: what’s better than doughnuts in the office?

Sat on the side next to the kettle, the doughnuts are warm and fresh. What a great welcome back to work, especially if you’ve been away on holiday.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: Why genuine wellbeing strategy is a win/win

Now is the time to close the gap between your wellbeing talk and walk.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: why lack of trust isn’t doing you or your remote workers any favours

Has the climate of remote working changed the level of trust in your teams?

If they’re no longer in the same physical space, do managers have a higher level of anxiety over deadlines or a perceived lack of control?

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: is your wellbeing strategy working?

What sits in the gap between good intentions and good practice? People who feel demotivated, forgotten and unseen.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: wellwashing – why it’s your problem and what you can do about it.

Summertime – a time when we look forward to some well-deserved time off. But what if it isn’t enough? For some, two weeks won’t take away the overbearing dread of going back to work.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: People no longer want to work for a company

For this morning’s light dip into HR, leadership and management, we’re looking at Mercer’s global insights for this year and it’s all about partnership.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: The conversations you should be having when salary and bonus budgets are tight

When times are tight how do you reward commitment, excellence and going the extra mile? Come at it with a more rather than a less mindset.

Breakfast Bites: Series 2: Why safety, belonging and mattering should be your HR priorities right now

When budgets are tight, managers are stretched and talented people are in demand, you don’t just want people to stay with you, you want them to thrive.

It doesn’t just make sense on a human level: the bottom line is you won’t achieve business success unless you have the workforce to make it happen.

Breakfast bites: Series 2: How to survive performance review season and remain sane

We get it.

If you’ve had one too many conversations along the lines of ‘you’ve had a really good year but we can’t give you much’ your reports may be getting as tired as you are.

Breakfast bites: Series 2: Simple steps to make tech effective

Data-driven culture allows us to make decisions based on analytics rather than gut decisions but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a heavy human element to bring this insight to life.

Breakfast bites: Series 2: Four top tips to leverage tech and unlock your potential

When data-driven culture and a strong human element work hand in hand, it's a powerful force that drives business forward – but it's not just about the numbers. When a system is designed to shore up belonging, safety and mattering, it benefits people in ways that go far beyond the reach of the company.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: One of the toughest challenges your managers will face this year and how to help them

Everyone wants to feel healthy, safe, and engaged at work. Confident they’re equipped to handle whatever’s ahead – particularly in uncertain times. Your middle managers are no different.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: Quiet hiring and you – 3 powerful changes you can start making today

Last week we took a swift look at the work culture trend known as quiet hiring and why it’s been around longer than you think.

It’s about enriching your workforce to meet your needs, using the people you already have to hand – a win/win when some markets are still tight and budgets are tighter still.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: Why quiet hiring isn’t a new concept

According to Forbes, the phenomenon of quiet hiring is with us. One of the top workplace predictions for 2023, its rise is hailed as the answer to budget restraints in a competitive hiring environment.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: When one good apple can improve the whole barrel

One bad apple can infect the whole barrel, so the saying goes. What if one good apple could keep the whole barrel healthy?

Breakfast bites: Series 1: Is it about time you reframed training?

How committed to effective, holistic development is your business?

In real terms, it looks like:

• Elevating the importance of learning culture within a firm – something that’s constantly evolving, visible and purposeful.
• A commitment to career planning within the firm and beyond it so that people feel supported, you get the best of their natural aptitudes and you become part of their evolutionary story.
• Upskilling at every level, adapting for change as you go.
• Building the skills you need internally so they’re tailored to you and your needs. Bear in mind that ‘Quiet hiring’ is one of the nine trends that the HBR says will shape work in 2023.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: Four-day week study results confirm what we already knew

The results of the UK’s first four-day week study were published a few weeks ago. These are our top key findings from the report which suggests a relationship between shorter working hours and:

Breakfast bites: Series 1: If performance has slipped, how do you go back to the way things were?

While the percentage of the workforce working between home and office rose to 24%, the number of those working exclusively from home dropped.

Three quarters of home and hybrid workers reported improved work life balance.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: Why your people need to know what you stand for

Here are a couple of statistics to get you thinking:

• Over half of those questioned in a Glassdoor survey stated that they value a company’s culture over salary.
• A Gallup poll found that engaged teams show a 14% increase in productivity and 81% less absenteeism
• The same Gallup study states that when it comes to performance, happiness and contentment are not the same thing as engagement. Disengaged employees want to be inspired.

Breakfast bites: Series 1: Are hybrid and flexible working the same thing?

Hybrid working rose sharply in 2022, long after the end of the Covid-19 restrictions. It’s a trend that’s clearly here to stay, so being clued up about rights and responsibilities should be a priority for any leader, manager or business owner.

Breakfast Bites: Series 1: what’s your role in creating stability?

What can you do?

• Don’t underestimate the impact of your example – live healthy behaviours that build strong relationships and enable meaningful communication.
• It’s your job to make sure everyone feels recognised in a way that feels relevant to them. How well do you know the team you lead?