The Hiblog

Kick HR Time Wasters to the Curb

The human capital landscape is changing radically and CEOs need HR departments to be orchestrators of business strategy and innovation. According to Deloitte, the role of Human Resources is evolving rapidly to cover business-critical talent agendas, such as ‘workplace redesign, wellbeing and productivity systems’, so how can you keep up? The future is here Technology breakthroughs are tipped to be the leading catalyst for workplace change, reveals PwC’s survey, ‘The future of work: A Journey to 2022’. Amid a lot of hype about emerging technologies stealing our jobs, rest assured…

Careers are Changing: What Should Companies Do to Adapt?

When I was growing up, my concept of work was based on roles I was exposed to in my daily life: doctors, emergency workers or shop assistants. Even when I got older and better understood the breadth and depth of business and the roles within it, I still never imagined that I would be a  ‘growth manager’ today. To be fair, that’s probably something that didn’t exist five years ago; technology has completely changed the way companies recruit and the way people build and manage their careers. Now that people…

New in bob: Cycle-to-Work

I’m 24 and still don’t have a driver's license. I grew up in a walkable city, and make sure that wherever I live, the majority of the time I can walk or bike. A 40 minute walk to work is the perfect amount of time for me to catch up on podcasts and listen to some tunes before I start my day at the office (not to mention that it’s my main form of exercise).   Don't ignore pedal power I was speaking with a friend about how I walk…

Are Pensions More Important Than You Think?

2017 UK Employee Benefits Survey: A Fresh Perspective on Pensions As the pensions landscape advances, business leaders are having to embrace changing requirements and carve out a competitive edge for prospective candidates. Our survey of more than 4,000 employees and 500 benefit decision makers reveals that there are serious gaps between what employers and employees think about pensions. See below for 3 of many questions we asked employees and 500 benefit decision makers about pensions.  The numbers will surprise you. A call to action for HR and business leaders There…

Retaining new parents – why and how?

Many new businesses start with great intentions, to create an innovative service or product and flexible and inclusive culture that attracts and keeps great talent. But marrying the two can be a challenge when HR budgets are slim and set up costs focus on output and delivery rather than internal policies and procedures. Hoping that your business will naturally grow with your employees and meet their changing needs as they arise is not the best plan for success. Unless you have a good understanding of what it means to become…

The father trap: How nearly all businesses fail

This is a guest post from David Willans, one of the two speakers at 'What to Expect When They're Expecting' on 22nd June 2017.  A brief story Two years ago, at 10:30 pm I was on my way back from London City airport after a big client meeting in Zurich. My cabby was John. He’s a proper East-Ender, late 40’s. Born and bred in the East End. He would have made pro for West Ham until an injury ruined it. We talked about our kids and what it means to…

Exceptional Talent

This is a guest post from strategist and broadcaster, Matt Alder, about his new book 'Exceptional Talent'. The world of work is changing. For the HR profession the technological developments, behavioural changes and shifts in expectations and preferences that are impacting how businesses operate and grow, present unique challenges. In an increasing noisy digital world, promoting an employer brand to top talent is increasingly difficult and is being exacerbated by skill shortages in many sectors. The Employee Experience is now a competitive advantage meaning that HR teams need to balance…

bob announced as Interbrand ‘one-to-watch’

We're excited to announce that bob has been announced by the uber-agency Interbrand as one of the 'ones-to-watch' in the Working Future category of their Breakthrough Brands 2017. In fast company Breakthrough Brands is such a high profile award that it's covered by leading publication Fast Company, amongst others. "One standout point is the Clubs feature, which encourages employees to create groups and promote their own interests". In good company We are honoured to be listed alongside brands like Slack (who we integrate with) and General Assembly. Both of these companies are…

Announcing $17.5 Series A Investment

ENTERING NEW MARKETS & TRANSFORMING THE WAY BUSINESSES ENGAGE WITH EMPLOYEES We’re excited to announce that hibob has just raised $17.5 million in series A funding. This latest investment round is led by the US-based Battery Ventures with additional participation from Eight Roads Ventures (the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International Limited) and Arbor Ventures, as well as Bessemer Venture Partners, who led our seed round of $7.5 Million in June 2016. Today’s series A announcement, one of the largest of its kind in the UK, brings our total funding…

HR Influencers: Catherine Allen, making people happy, Ella’s Kitchen

“The most important thing is to prepare for the reality that things change as organizations grow...” Catherine Allen is in charge of a team known as ‘The Happies’ at Ella’s Kitchen. She has worked with the business since it was owner-led, and is responsible for making sure Ella’s recruit the best, most passionate people and then keep them happy and committed with a strong culture, clear goals and a fantastic working environment. Hi Catherine, tell us a little about Ella’s Kitchen as a company, and the role you play. Ella’s Kitchen…

It’s all about the people

How do you hire and keep great employees? ...OR why did I really join Hibob. The biggest worry that most CEOs and founders have will surprise you. It’s neither finances, focus, nor lack of time. It’s how to recruit, engage, and retain the best people for their business. A recent survey by First Round Capital confirms this. For the second year in a row, First Round reported that founders’ primary concern is talent management. Even more important than sales and revenue, company founders believe that hiring great employees remains their…

New stuff: bob mobile

Okay, so it's not new-new, but it may be new-to-you and that's good enough. Have you tried logging into bob on your mobile phone - because you can! We have a special mobile version that's you access in the same way as desktop bob. When you log in, you get a view of bob that means you don't have to pinch and scroll all over the place. Pictures and text are the right size, and you can read what's there. What can I do in bob mobile? When you log…

Show me the money

How gender pay gap regulations can be good for your business What would you do if you knew - without question - that you were working alongside a colleague of equal or lesser competency who was earning significantly more than you? That you knew your skills and qualifications stacked up equally, and your ambition and commitment to the business were also on par? That this disparity wasn’t even a secret and had already been acknowledged by management to be unfair with a verbal promise to rectify at the next round…

HR influencers: Barry Flack, HR and business change mentor

“A decade ago, I was the oddball advocating HR Technology when our profession viewed it as an obvious threat to be managed… Thankfully the tables are turning”. Barry is an experienced business change professional with a background of senior HR and Talent roles spanning large and small businesses in various industries. Describing himself as jargon-free, pragmatic and ‘not afraid to tell it like it is’, Barry has developed a unique toolkit of expertise from which he advises clients, delivers keynote speeches and champions HR Tech. He’s a prolific writer on…

bob makes the RealBusiness Future 50

"Entrepreneurs not afraid to change the way we look at things and build incredibly disruptive UK companies" We just got the news that bob has made the RealBusiness Future 50 - The list of the most disruptive companies of the year for 2017. About Future 50 RealBusiness describes the Future 50 like this: "Each year, our Future 50 ranking gives the young players a chance to shine. Its class of disruptive UK businesses is now 300-strong and includes startup ventures that have gone on to become household names". In great…