Highlights – 29 January

Sitting on the long list of challenges troubling today’s managers is the thorny issue of hiring – whether that’s the task of finding people with the specific skills you need or simply expanding your payroll in such an uncertain economy (you can read the thoughts of Lucy Greggains, CMI’s chief operating officer, on the latter point here). Sometimes you just need a helping hand. Ann Francke, CMI’s chief executive, used her most recent column in The Times to share her expert tips for using AI in recruitment.  

Absent with leave

Of course, those personnel headaches can easily continue once you’ve filled the role. HR Magazine has run an op-ed from Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of policy and external affairs, where she explains why long-term sickness will be the toughest challenge of 2025. 

Elsewhere, CMI research on the benefits of sabbatical leave for both employees and organisations has caught the eye of the Academy to Innovate HR.

Happy campers

Indeed, very few things are more valuable to an organisation than keeping its workforce healthy – and happy. Following the announcement of the World’s Happiest Workplaces 2025, Lord Mark Price CMgr CCMI CVO has concocted six tips to help managers create a culture to attract top talent and drive sustained success.

And now to the other side of that coin. Software company SAP has referenced CMI findings on toxic work culture in an article about human capital management. Elsewhere, a recent CMI Women event highlighted how we’re at “a potentially dangerous inflection point” for equality, diversity and inclusion. Here’s what you can do about that…

One ingredient of a positive culture may be the offer of flexible working. But new ways of working aren’t necessarily easy to introduce. A new book by Gary Cookson explores how managers can make hybrid working work – including navigating competing organisational pressures and avoiding “productivity paranoia”.

Leading with purpose and personality

CMI’s report Taking responsibility – Why UK plc needs better managers keeps catching people’s attention. It was referenced last week in an article by Training Industry on the benefits of AI in leadership development. Meanwhile, guidance paper The Future of Management for our Future of Work, a collaboration between CMI, the CIPD, the Better Hiring Institute and Reed Screening, was discussed in People Management.

The management of the future is interesting to consider. One thing is for sure, it must not be done by accident. Managers would do well to heed the example of Sophia Muo fCMgr ACMI, who moved from Nigeria to the UK to undertake an executive MBA and a Level 7 Diploma. Talk about management with purpose. She now runs her own consultancy and advocates for technology education for young people from African and Black communities. 

Which leads us to the subject of how to be compelling in business. In this week’s newsletter, we find out how building a strong personal brand can help independent management consultants to compete against bigger consulting firms.

If there’s one family that’s famously benefited from building themselves into a successful brand, it’s the Kardashians. But have you ever considered what Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie can teach you as a leader? You can keep up with all that here.

Best,

Matt Roberts CMgr FCMI

Director of membership and professional development, CMI

Image: CMI