Workplace Wellbeing
I was delighted to be asked to present at the CIPR Inside and CIPR South West group on Workplace Wellbeing on Wednesday 18th May. Unusually, I was asked to present as a trustee of iprovision and not in my usual day job as a comms pro. I’ve been a trustee since March 2019 and it was a great opportunity to showcase some of the great work iprovision does.
Also on the panel was Kareen Griffiths who talked about Mindfulness. In an engaging session she asked who’d ever used Mindfulness techniques and if not using now, why? Interestingly, a number of us said “time”. She talked a lot about the benefit of having a “beginner’s mindset”, something that is probably counter-culture to many comms pros, especially some of us hardened cynics. She also talked about the importance of having fun, particularly when looking at such a serious topic.
Abigial Hirshman was up next talking about her role as Programme Director for the Charlie Waller organisation. Abigail talked about the support they offer organisations and said, “Communication was at the heart of what they do”. She mentioned their focus on behaviours and getting people to think and feel; topics many of us comms people are familiar with. With communications being the “golden thread” for so much of what they do, letting people have the conversations about Mental Health is of the utmost importance.
I talked about how iprovision has evolved since the 1960s as a benevolent charity to an organisation that now also supports CIPR members with their mental health through a variety of online and practical resources such as the Mental health hotline. Having helped over 500 members and families since our inception it’s important that we can continue to provide the help our members and their families require. I’m delighted that the trustees have agreed to fund the Mental health hotline for another year.
Today made me think too. I feel privileged to help iprovision and support people in need; I also think we can all do more to provide practical support for people with mental health concerns. What strikes me is that we are all so different and what works for one person will not work for another. That’s why introducing some generic sheep dip programmes won’t work. There need to be options for individuals and any solutions need to be bespoke to them. So, with that thought, I’m going to do what works for me – take a tip from Monty Don and just enjoy being in the present, in my garden at the end of a very good day.
Click here for more information about iprovision
Published by James
You may also like:
How do internal communicators demonstrate they’re making a meaningful difference - not just generating clicks or impressions, but genuinely shifting understanding, behaviour, and business performance?
That question shaped our session on Wednesday 11th March, Designing Meaningful Measurement: Aligning Internal Comms to Outcomes That Matter.
On the wet and windy morning of Wednesday 19th November, we welcomed internal communicators, HR and business leaders to an in-person breakfast briefing in London to explore a topic that’s on everyone’s mind right now:
How is AI really changing internal communications – and what should we do about it?
On Wednesday, September 10th, we gathered virtually for a powerful session exploring neuroinclusive communication - an increasingly vital topic as organisations embrace cognitive diversity and strive to create truly inclusive workplaces.
Good internal communication is evident when people understand how their day-to-day work contributes to the firm’s goals. It’s called the Kennedy moment. When in 1962 Kennedy visited NASA for the first time, he asked a janitor carrying a broom what he did, to be told “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
A packed room at the Sutherland Labs in Covent Garden gathered to hear what Being your Best in 2025 was all about. This was a different format from the usual HarknessKennett networking breakfasts which have over the years featured case studies and best practice on a range of issues across many sectors.
Unbelievably, October is already in full swing, but the good news is that it was time for another of our networking breakfasts! We love these sessions, and the enthusiasm that participants and speakers alike bring as they enjoy the opportunity to share great case studies and discuss strategies with peers (old and new) is inspiring.
For as long as I’ve been in comms, line managers have come in for a bit of stick. Lots of blame for poor communication is placed at the feet of these poor individuals who are expected to deliver against a staggering array of responsibilities – everything from performance targets to staff development, innovation to cost control – and in the middle of that we want them to ‘deliver communication’ as well. Line managers are often seen as a tricky middle layer where communication gets ‘stuck’, and which seems impermeable to frustrated comms teams and senior leadership. But is it fair to blame them, or should we be blaming the comms team, senior leaders….or someone else?
The power of an interconnected EVP and Employer Brand informed by research, colleague involvement, and cultural indicators, and that when brilliantly conceptualised, connected, and executed, it can unleash strategic, cultural, and reputational opportunities.
Today’s breakfast session was even more energised and interactive than usual, and no wonder with such an evocative subject at the heart of our discussions! Safe to say AI is here to stay, and we’re all only just starting to get to grips with it – what it can do for us, the pitfalls and all the governance issues it raises. Kudos to Katie Marlow and Lisa Pantelli for agreeing to present today – as finding anyone confident enough to share their thoughts on this topic was not easy! Katie shared insights into how she uses AI within her consulting practice, and Lisa provided a whistle-stop tour of definitions, and an overview of how she uses AI in her role as Director of Communications at Elsevier.
The room at today’s breakfast session was packed with IC pro’s – all keen to hear fresh ideas around the thorny topic of how best to support your leaders to deliver effective communication.
We’re regularly asked by candidates and clients alike about the current ‘state of the market’ – and often that’s a hard question to answer! With another new year just around the corner, experience shows that a lot of people may take the opportunity for some reflection on their career aspirations during the festive break – and companies may be gearing up to start their candidate searches in the new year.
We’re regularly asked by candidates and clients alike about the current ‘state of the market’ – and often that’s a hard question to answer! With another new year just around the corner, experience shows that a lot of people may take the opportunity for some reflection on their career aspirations during the festive break – and companies may be gearing up to start their candidate searches in the new year.
Once regarded as a specialism, having the skills to support change initiatives is now arguably a pre-requisite for our everyday toolkit as communicators! With the help of a little Slido interaction, Phil and Lou really brought the conversation to life and it was great to hear so much discussion around the topic. Here are their top tips for making sure your change comms hit the mark:
We were delighted to get together with some of our network last week for a breakfast session on the role of IC professionals in supporting ESG. Huge thanks to our client, Hyve for hosting us in their fabulous Paddington offices!
ESG can help organisations articulate, live and breathe a sense of purpose and meaning that is good for our people. And it’s good for business too - affording genuine competitive advantage, not just some standardised thing that’s indistinguishable from others in the same industry.
I’ve been taking a look at structure, culture and power sources within organisations and how this impacts internal communication. In this final blog of three I’ll be looking at organisational power sources. Whilst this isn’t meant to be an academic paper, you’ll find here a brief overview of some of the models, and the references are listed at the end if you want to go and find out more. Obviously – there are lots of models out there – and this is not an exhaustive review of them all!
I’ve been taking a look at structure, culture and power sources within organisations and how this impacts internal communication. In this second blog of three I’ll be looking at organisational culture. Whilst this isn’t meant to be an academic paper, you’ll find here a brief overview of some of the models, and the references are listed at the end if you want to go and find out more. Obviously – there are lots of models out there – and this is not an exhaustive review of them all!
I’ve been taking a look at structure, culture and power sources within organisations and how this impacts internal communication. In this first blog of three I’ll be looking at organisational structure. Whilst this isn’t meant to be an academic paper, you’ll find here a brief overview of some of the models, and the references are listed at the end if you want to go and find out more. Obviously – there are lots of models out there – and this is not an exhaustive review of them all!
As a business that’s worked a lot with partnerships and professional services, I took that there’s much learning not only within the sector to be shared but also with other organisations on how engagement and collaboration can make for better communication.
We’re hoping to celebrate throughout the year – and to get the ball rolling we thought we’d share 21 facts about HarknessKennett that you may not have known about:
It was a real treat today to be back face-to-face at one of our breakfast sessions after more than two years of running them virtually. It was a reminder to everyone just how important it is to meet ‘IRL’ (in real life) and was a living example of the benefits of face-to-face communication!
It’s not new news that front line managers are key to successful internal communication, particularly during periods of change, but the challenges of implementing effective line management communication is something that many organisations still struggle with.
I was delighted to be asked to present at the CIPR Inside and CIPR South West group on Workplace Wellbeing on Wednesday 18th May. Unusually, I was asked to present as a trustee of iprovision and not in my usual day job as a comms pro. I’ve been a trustee of iprovision since March 2019 and it was a great opportunity to showcase some of the great work iprovision does.
More people are leaving their jobs voluntarily than at any time before; it has become apparent that nearly half of the employees who voluntarily left the workforce during the pandemic aren’t planning on coming back*.
Here at HK ‘Workshop Day’ always brings great excitement – and last week’s was no exception. We were particularly pleased to be able to share a joint case study with our client Susan Quain, Associate Director of Global Digital Channels at Fidelity International. During last year and despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, Susan and her boss joined forces with our Associate Director Chris Crofts and HK Partner James Harkness to deliver a bespoke training programme to build a world class communications team.
Well, the end of 2021 is not the one any of us had hoped for, with Covid-19 once again reinventing and causing chaos. So here at HK, with our Christmas meet-up on ice and in a bid to stay positive, we’ve taken a few moments to reflect on the last 12 months. At the end of this second crazy year, we know that we still have much to be thankful for. So, in the words of Ian Dury, here’s our reasons to be cheerful….
Like me, I’m sure most of you still revert to the old school days’ habit of clearing your desk in preparation for the new school year. Not only can it serve as a boost of inspiration, that sense of a fresh beginning can do wonders for your productivity levels, positive mindset and creativity.
Part of this trend towards inhouse recruitment is about cutting costs, but when I look at the findings from the report by Thomas International I take some comfort that our business would not be trading if 57% of the people we placed were ‘not working out to some degree’.
Work-life balance has taken on a whole new dimension in the last 15 months or so. Whilst many were seeing working from home as possibly the only silver lining of the pandemic, others now struggle to draw a line between home and work, and feel like they live at work, not work from home. So as communicators, how do we help to develop a new approach to work that is healthy for individuals and beneficial for organisations?
On a cold June, morning, we welcomed around forty communicators to a workshop on a theme that is very topical at the moment: How Internal Comms can spark AI adoption.
We were joined by Becky Williams, Communications Consultant and Coach, and Paul Middleton, Internal and Change Communications Consultant (currently contracting at Flutter Entertainment); who shared with us how comms teams can start adapting, reduce fear, encourage safe experimentation, support leadership role‑modelling and build momentum that spreads beyond the early adopters.