When done well the key principles of active listening, feedback and growth will help employees to align their personal development objectives with business goals and help the business to thrive.

Why is this so important in the STEM sector in particular?

It is well recognised that the ‘purely technical’ workplace is a thing of the past. Managers have often been appointed, in part due to their technical expertise and skill, but managing people is a whole other ball game and perhaps one where they might feel uncertain at times. People are of course complex and embedding coaching practices as part of your daily interactions with your team can make a real difference. In the innovative and experimental STEM sector a coaching culture approach supports cross-functional collaboration, encourages curiosity and perhaps most importantly helps teams navigate failure when it doesn’t go according to plan. Furthermore, the multi-generational dynamics of the workplace now require a more people-centric approach to leadership.

These need to be consistently deployed as part of everyday leadership – your BAU. This will enable all team members to have reflective and constructive conversations which support each other’s growth and help with problem solving. Many top-performing engineering teams now credit coaching with enhanced performance, higher morale and more efficient delivery. (see the recent h2h coaching case study)

Putting a coaching culture into practice takes time and a strategic approach, especially if this is something that is fairly new for your organisation. As is often the case, when the Senior Leadership Team leads by example, the chances of success are much improved. If your managers are unaware of the coaching fundamentals, training in what this looks and sounds like is a good place to start.  At h2h we often reference the  70-20-10 model which shows that 70% of the learning comes from experiential, on-the-job activities such as team meetings, project reviews, de-briefs and performance check-ins.

Being mindful of the various generational expectations and communications styles within your workforce is a good tip when trying to roll this out across the organisation. In fact, this approach may help you to bridge any age gaps and foster mutual respect.  Peer coaching programmes and sharing of cross-functional knowledge may be another avenue you choose to explore alongside reverse mentoring which can help to promote an inclusive and sustainable culture where all voices are heard. There are also several digital platforms, tool kits and tech solutions that you may want to look into if you need to scale this up across a large organisation and which can help you measure impact and track results.

Ultimately, engineering empathy through a coaching culture may just be your competitive advantage. From attracting great talent, in onboarding systems through to employee engagement and succession planning. It is the strategic option for businesses, particularly in the scientific and engineering sector, who want to future-proof their workforce, unlock innovation and build resilient, inclusive teams.

At h2h we offer a range of coaching services tailored to individual or organisational requirements, including:

• One-to-one coaching
• Transition coaching
• Team coaching
• Developing internal coaching capability

Contact us at: hello@h2h.uk.com for more information on our coaching services.

The post Engineering empathy: why coaching cultures are crucial in the STEM sector? appeared first on h2h.

The cost of this oversight is high: research by CIPD quotes average staff turnover rates of 34% for all UK workers. For senior leadership roles the figure is generally lower at around 18% but the impact and reach are far wider – when a senior leader leaves this can result in up to 40% attrition across the team. When transitions at this level fail, the consequences ripple far beyond the individual. Teams lose momentum, morale dips, productivity slows, and relationships take time to re-build. Recruitment of a senior leader is expensive, (circa £45K at executive level), but the hidden cost of disruption is often far greater.

Why integration matters

Traditional onboarding can often focus mainly on the logistics: systems, structures, processes and policy. However, what really makes the difference is when it also addresses credibility, relationships, influence, and cultural alignment. This is where we help our customers to really focus in on integration When this is done well, the risk of transition failure can be significantly reduced, and leaders can reach full impact far more efficiently and effectively.

Senior leader integration that is managed with intention drives a significant and measurable impact. Benefits include:

• Early confidence and credibility
• Faster strategic impact and alignment
• Stronger team performance
• Higher engagement and morale
• Enhanced brand and reputation
• Long‑term capability building.

And perhaps most importantly, this approach can also be scaled, using lighter‑touch formats for mid‑level leaders, further extending its impact across the organisation.

Our 90‑Day integration framework

Our senior leader integration framework is intentionally designed around the first 90 days which is the period that most strongly shapes long‑term success.

The process begins before Day One, with the co‑creation of a transition plan tailored to the leader’s priorities, stakeholder landscape, and organisational context. From there, the journey can include:

• Structured workshops
• Performance and leadership diagnostics
• Hands‑on advisory support
• One‑to‑one leadership coaching.

This holistic approach ensures leaders are set up for success and fully embedded personally, culturally, and strategically. We have found that this targeted and tailored approach can get leaders operating at close to full impact by the end of the three months – much more effectively than learning through trial and error on a more ad hoc basis.

Senior leader onboarding is a strategic investment. When organisations move to structured integration, they dramatically increase the odds of success and unlock performance faster.  Getting the first 90 days right can make the difference between a costly mistake and a leadership appointment that delivers lasting value.

Contact us at hello@h2h.uk.com for more information or download a copy of recent report into the employee life cycle – from onboarding to retirement here.

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Where Leaders Get It Wrong 

There are many different ways to dig into what’s behind that statistic but a recent e-Letter from Roy Lilley, a leading UK policy analyst in the health sector, recently suggested seven areas of concern (R. Lilley, NHSManagers.net e-Letter, 12 March 2026) which resonate even eleven years after the Gallup report. 

He says: 

This is the real risk…  

… when leaders align with power rather than the evidence…  

… when leaders are no longer the buffer between power, people and performance…  

… when leaders learn to protect themselves rather than confront uncomfortable truths… 

… when leader’s survival becomes more important than the purpose of the organisation… 

… when, leaders, over time, become skilled at not discussing the real problem… 

… when leaders are managing up and not managing the problem… 

… when leaders are complicit in poor decisions and upheaval becomes routine, instability becomes acceptable and decisions that once would have been challenged simply pass through… 

… when all that happens… 

… we have no need for leaders. 

This is a disturbing, but all too recognisable, “To Don’t” list for leaders with each failure enabling the next. I’m sure we can all think of specific leaders who have displayed one or more of these characteristics at one time or another.  

In his e-Letter, Roy Lilley goes on to contextualise the leadership failures for the healthcare settings on which he commentates. However, there is plenty to take from this for leaders in all sectors, by turning it into a positive “To Do” list.  

Turning That Into A To Do List For Leaders 

So here’s my seven point checklist for any leader who wants to add add value rather than render themselves superfluous by destroying it! 

1. Evidence can be scary when it challenges our current thinking, because the status quo has power. Use quality data, expertise and balanced, honest assessment from multiple sources, as a leader so that you can use even the most uncomfortable evidence in your decision making. 
2. Be the buffer that allows your team to perform, absorbing organisational pressures and power plays. Sometimes this means actively positioning yourself to absorb demands from above. 
3. If it feels uncomfortable, there’s something important going on, and uncovering that is your focus as a leader, rather than protecting yourself from that uncomfortable feeling. 
4. If there is a conflict between something that is good for you personally, and your organisation’s goals and purpose, you know what to do. As a leader in an organisation, sometimes you need to put your personal goals on one side. 
5. Create the psychologically safe environment around you that allows your team to engage with difficult conversations before they become crises. 
6. Spend your time solving problems and enabling your team to do the same rather than curating your appearance within the organisation.  

And finally… 

7. Speak truth to power. Maintain a habit of rigorous scrutiny that calls out poor decision making, especially where it leads to upheaval, rather than opting for a quiet life of compliance. 

Each of these leadership habits builds on the previous one creating an integrated set of principles that add value. Being principled often requires bravery, especially when that means challenging the status quo.  

Leadership Behaviours To Support This 

And what are the behaviours that will enable these habits? They are the ones that are at the heart of the best leadership development: emotional intelligence, ethical leadership, engagement and enablement, influencing with positive intent, and psychological safety.  

With emotional intelligence, leaders recognise discomfort as a signal rather than a threat, prompting them to put their own emotional response to one side initially.  

Ethical leadership requires a moral compass that requires leaders to use evidence openly and honestly, and challenge power-motivated decisions. 

When a leader is acting as a buffer and creating a psychologically safe workplace, they are driving engagement and enablement with their team. 

Leaders who manage the problem rather than their own reputation need to be able to exert 360 influence with positive intent without becoming political or self-serving. It is the intent that separates constructive challenge from careerism. 

Finally, psychological safety is a foundational thread running through the whole To Do list. Leaders who model their own willingness to embrace discomfort and learn from it, stand a much greater chance of creating climates that support these behaviours more widely. And when this climate is in place, it supports all the other behaviours in turn and a leader can truly add value to the experience of their employees and their organisation. 

Leadership needs people with minds that are open and curious, that are willing to grow and learn, so that they can continue to add value in a world that is changing more rapidly than ever, and presents us with new and unexpected challenges every day. That’s the route to tipping the scales towards the positive end of that 70% variance in engagement. 

 Contact us at hello@h2h.uk.com or click here to find out more about how we can help support and enable leadership capability across your organisation.

References 

Gallup. (2015). State of the American manager: Analytics and advice for leaders. Industrial Report Magazine, 2(1), 1-21.  

The post Where Do You Add Value As A Leader? by Caryn Douglas appeared first on h2h.

Long gone are the days of one employer, one job and one career ladder, today people will often have at least 2 or 3 career changes over the life span of their working lives. However, in the last 5 years the world of work has shifted significantly due to rapid advances in technology, AI, the rise of flexible working and the multi-generational workplace. People are now looking for more variety and fluidity in their work and more balance in their lives, where multiple roles, part-time positions, freelance and side-hustles are combined to make up a portfolio career.

“I think more people of all ages will move towards portfolio careers and approach their working life with a more flexible attitude. With skills shortages impacting all industries – particularly STEM sectors – we will need to think differently about how to get the people we need in the roles that are so vital to the economy.” – Senior HR Leader

A portfolio career brings several benefits for the employee such as flexibility and autonomy which dovetails well with the emerging trend of more project based and part-time roles. This shift in approach is of particular appeal to those under 30 and can lead to an improved set of transferable skills and adaptability amongst this population. There are many articles on the benefits for individuals  such as this from Forbes on non-linear careers. However, this also needs to be counterbalanced with the flip side of the coin – potential instability, isolation and perhaps some push back from employers who may question commitment and reliability.

Advice is not so readily available for employers. So how can employers react to the emerging trend of the portfolio career and use this to their advantage? In a nutshell we cannot resist this shift and need to rethink traditional systems and practices in order to create an environment that attracts and retains multi-skilled professionals and embraces flexible talent models. Easy to say, but not so easy to do.

Organisations should consider the following:

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A Blessing in Disguise?

When deployed appropriately, AI has the potential to transform onboarding into a smooth, interactive, and personalised experience.

• Personalisation at scale: AI can tailor training into bite-sized, manageable modules aligned to specific roles and learning preferences.
• Consistency across sites: For multi-location organisations, AI ensures that key messages are delivered uniformly, reducing the risk of things being lost in translation.
• 24/7 accessibility: Chatbots can handle straightforward FAQs, while virtual office tours and health & safety briefings can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This is particularly valuable for flexible or remote workers.
• Efficiency: The automation or digitalisation of repetitive administrative tasks frees up managers to focus on building genuine connections with new employees.
• Data-driven insights: AI can collate onboarding data, anticipate training needs, and highlight emerging trends and provide real-time monitoring of progress and engagement.

According to McKinsey’s HR Monitor 2025, the UK is leading the way in AI-enabled HR services, with 40% of organisations surveyed using shared HR platforms – the highest adoption rate in Europe. This signals a clear appetite for innovation in the employee experience.

The Poisoned Chalice?

Yet, with opportunity comes risk. The danger lies in allowing automation to dominate at the expense of empathy, trust, and human judgement.

Over-reliance on AI can undermine the very human connection that onboarding is designed to foster.

Striking the Balance

AI in onboarding is neither wholly a blessing nor entirely a curse. It is a powerful, but imperfect tool. The real advantage lies in using it to reduce administrative burdens, enabling managers to focus on meaningful work and human connection from day one.

The challenge for HR leaders is to strike the right balance: using AI to enhance efficiency and personalisation, while safeguarding against over-automation, bias, and privacy risks.

As AI continues to develop, people professionals must remain vigilant. The goal is not to replace human connection but to augment it. By blending the efficiency of AI with the empathy of human interaction, organisations can create onboarding experiences that drive engagement, performance, and retention and ensure that technology serves people, not the other way around.

Contact us at hello@h2h.uk for an informal chat about how we can help to augment your employee onboarding experience or download our free report – From Onboarding to Retirement here.

The post Onboarding with AI – Human Touch or Tech Trap? appeared first on h2h.

A recent study by LinkedIn and Microsoft which found that in 2025 even more people want to quit their jobs than did in 2021. The survey of 31,000 individuals across 31 countries has found that 46% of employees want to leave their jobs in the year ahead – more than the 40% in 2021. A further study undertaken by Universum identifies that 36% of highly skilled professionals in Europe are considering changing employers in 2025. Whilst various other sources are also indicating that those most likely to make the move are Millennials and Generation Z – the latter of which now make up over 27^% of the workforce in the UK.

So, what is driving this? There are of course a number of causes and trends but some of these are quite different from the ones at play in 2021. They include:

• The trend for employers requiring the workforce to be based in their place of work rather than working remotely or flexibly
• A lack of investment and/or reduced offering around training and development
• Limited career advancement opportunities and pathways
• Compensation concerns and reduction in salary increases and accompanying benefits
• Shifting workplace priorities that are often out of balance with individual needs for flexibility and work-life balance.

If you consider the main motivation and engagement factors at work for many millennial and gen Z employees, then many of the above are high in priority. Given that these age groups are projected to make up roughly two-thirds of the workforce within the next few years (Deloitte)  – what can be done to change the narrative and find a long -lasting solution?

UK based organisations are currently having to cope with the implications around minimum wage and NI contributions as well as changes to international tariffs. These are of course having a far-reaching impact on how business’s operate. However, you can try to monitor these trends and find solutions to improve retention and hold on to your employees if you can:

1. Re-enforce and promote the flexible working policies that do exist to ensure employees and prospective ones are aware of them. Evaluate the impact of different approaches so that the ones that work best are retained and benchmark what you are doing against competitors in order to stay informed of marketplace trends.
2. Develop line management capability and flexibility so leaders are agile and know how to get the best out of their teams. Provide clarity around flexible working and give managers some autonomy within their role to enact this as they know their people best.
3. Invest in focused career development. Developing clear career pathways can help with this, as can dedicated upskilling and technical/leadership development programmes that have a clear alignment with on-the-job activity.
4. Develop a creative and well promoted training and L & D offering. There are many different development approaches that can happen directly in the workplace and have limited upfront costs. These include mentoring schemes, shadowing, project opportunities, secondments and the use of subject matter experts.
5. Promote the employee offer. Ensure current and potential employees are clear on what is on offer to them in terms of wellbeing, flexibility, development and career growth.

If this blog resonates with you and you would like to find out more about potential solutions to The Next Great Resignation. Then take a look at the following pages of our website and explore how you can encourage your employees to stay through developing your line management capability, career development toolkits and increased training and development opportunities or contact us at enquiries@h2h.uk.com for an informal conversation.

The post The Next Great Resignation: Causes, Trends, and Solutions by h2h Lead Consultant Robbie Lightfoot appeared first on h2h.

Common and perhaps questionable arguments in this space include:

At h2h we disagree and believe that supporting a charity adds a great deal of value to any organisation. In our latest blog, our Growth Manager, Sarah Tiffany discusses the key benefits of supporting a charity and references these findings from McKinsey which gives some further ideas on why ESG really does matter.

We have been really working hard on our ESG over the last couple of years and have focused on improving our sustainable business practices. This has included accreditation for both the Good Business Charter  and Cyber Essentials schemes, reviewing our business policies and improving employee engagement and quality assurance processes. We are now looking at embedding our commitment to social responsibility, for example, through the sponsorship of several charities, donation of surplus office equipment to local schools and community groups and the offer of some pro-bono services to various organisations including the NHS.

When it comes to supporting a charity, we believe that the key benefits for us will be:

#3 It’s good Corporate Social Responsibility.

Working with a charity can lead to unexpected opportunities such as new partnerships or community leadership roles. Supporting a cause not directly linked to our core business activity, encourages our organisation to consider our impact on the environment and the well-being of the wider community and how we can start to balance these with our economic, social, and environmental responsibilities. It helps us to demonstrate that our business cares about more than just profit or ROI and reflects who we are as an organisation.

#2 It improves our working relationships and hi-lights new skills

It’s great for our employees to pull together on a non-work-based project as a team. Volunteer days or team fundraising activities showcases a whole new set of skills that we may never have known our employees possessed. Being united in a common cause brings all sorts of different people together – it boosts morale, encourages cross divisional working and makes our employees proud to work for a socially responsible company. This can also have a knock on benefit of boosting employee satisfaction, improving retention and making our organisation more attractive to new recruits.

#1 It boosts community engagement.

Supporting a charity allows us to give back in a meaningful way. It can help us to;

• build goodwill within our community
• bring together our clients, suppliers and associates
• and can open doors to new partnerships and collaborations.

Most importantly it gives us a different focus and purpose, as well as bringing all parts of the business together in one united cause. In summary, supporting a charity isn’t just a nice gesture — it’s a smart, forward-thinking strategy that enriches our working relationships, reflects our values and creates a positive ripple effect far beyond the walls of our business.

Our challenge this year is to raise £10,000 and awareness for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. You can read more about how we plan to do this in our latest press release or contact us at enquiries@h2h.uk.com if you would like to get involved in any of the activities that we have planned. If you would like to make a donation then please do so here.

Here’s and overview of how your donations can help:

About the author

Sarah is our Growth Manager and oversees our business development plan and activities including event management, promotional materials, social media presence, newsletters and marketing. She is focussed, results-driven and self-motivated and uses these strengths to drive our business forward.  She has strong interpersonal skills and is proud to work for an organisation whose overarching aim is to make a positive difference to working lives.

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1. The more you can communicate with everyone the better they feel.

• Hold frequent meetings to update employees on the transition process and what it means for them and their teams.
• Create opportunities for employees to ask questions and express their concerns.
• Ensure that all communications are clear, honest, and consistent to avoid misinformation and rumours.
• Give lots of opportunity for everyone to give feedback & tell you how they honestly feel.

2. Create formal and informal support networks for all employees, not just those at risk of redundancy

• Provide either career transition support, including CV writing, job search assistance, and interview preparation.
• Encourage the formation of peer-to-peer mentoring and buddy groups where employees can share experiences and advice.
• Ensure regular check ins and signpost employees to qualified support (counsellors, mental health first aiders) if needed.
• Consider the impact of high workloads on those processing job change (as well as those processing team change). To avoid burn out it may be necessary to reallocate work for a while or renegotiate deliverables.

3. Start lots of conversations about career development

• Offer career coaching sessions to help employees develop new skills relevant to the changing organisational needs or to help them understand their strengths as they leave the organisation.
• Encourage those affected to focus on internal networking to explore all internal job opportunities and alternative career pathways.
• Provide access to a career planning tool such as Passport2Progress to empower impacted employees to take ownership of their future career.

Investing in these initiatives can help retain talent and ensure that those leaving do so in a healthy way as well as strengthening the overall resilience and productivity of the organisation.

If you would like to speak to a member of the h2h team about navigating the redundancy process, outplacement or coaching, you can call us on 01347 879056 or email us at enquiries@h2h.uk.com

The post Our top tips on building and maintaining employee engagement during a redundancy programme by h2h Lead Consultant, Caroline Forman appeared first on h2h.

Here are our Top 5 Tips to try to start to do this more effectively:

1. Understand The Other Person’s Priorities

Your line manager may have a very different set of priorities, deadlines and challenges to face on a daily basis. Our first tip is to spend a bit of time listening and observing and try to work out what their key goals are – essentially, what motivates them? Is it productivity and efficiency, cost savings and budget or innovation? Whatever it is – if you can align your ideas with their key priorities and show how your suggestions can help them to work towards these, then you stand a much better chance of being heard.

2. Build Up Credibility & Trust

We all like ideas and suggestion from trusted colleagues that can make our jobs easier, give us more time and make our working day more straightforward. If you can consistently complete the tasks assigned to you to deliver results – then you start to build up your professional reputation and establish yourself as a reliable voice with value-adding expertise. Then, when it comes to presenting a new idea or process, your team will be keen to hear what you have to say.

3. Communicate With Clarity & Confidence

People have busy working lives and line managers, in particular, can be very short on time; as such it is often better to be succinct when first explaining your idea. Get to the point quickly but make sure that you cover the basics– what that the problem is, how your idea can help them solve it/or solve it more efficiently and what the benefits will potentially be. There will be time to present further details later.

If you know how they like to receive information then you can adapt your communication style and include – a concise overview, visuals, graphs, bullet points or clear outcome- focused data as appropriate.

4. Anticipate & Address Concerns

It is always worthwhile trying to think a few steps ahead and look at the proposal from the other person’s perspective — what risks or objections might they have? If you anticipate any potential concerns or issues with your idea, then you can have a readymade response to these already in your back pocket.

Even better if you have a small set of data and evidence to support your ideas. If your line manager responds particularly well to data and results it may all be an idea to run a small test or simulation and collect the evidence to back up your new concept.

5. Be Patient & Build Up Relationships First

Pick your moment wisely, be patient and avoid approaching your manager when they are under pressure or distracted. Also, with reference back to our Top Tip #2, it is a good idea to call upon the professional relationships you are building and sound out an colleague who you trust and who may support your idea. If there are one or two team members who also can see the value in your suggestion, then this helps to reinforce your arguments.

It is useful to remember that in it does take time for people to accept change to their ways of working and sometimes managers may be a little hesitant at first. It is ok to stay professional and persistent and try again when appropriate.

These are just some of the ways that you can start to influence upward. Give them a try and see how it goes. What have you got to lose?

At h2h we offer Personal Influence and Impact workshops that are fully interactive, experiential and positioned in the context of emotional intelligence. In these sessions we address day-to-day issues and take participants on a journey of self-awareness, appreciation of difference and growth in capability to positively impact interactions with others.

If you would like to find out more about how h2h can support you and your people then take an in depth look at our Leadership Development Portfolio or contact us at enquiries@h2h.uk.com

The post How to start to influence upwards by h2h Growth Manager, Sarah Tiffany appeared first on h2h.

A mentor can provide insights, constructive feedback, and encouragement to foster your growth, irrespective of whether you’re embarking on a career change, taking on a leadership role or just striving to be as successful as you can be in your current role. If you haven’t already, then now is the perfect time to find a mentor.

Here’s my top 5 reasons why finding a mentor in 2025 should be a priority:

1. Learn from their experience: 
   Choosing the right mentor is crucial. Ideally you are looking for someone who has a background that you feel you can learn from. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have to work in the same role or sector as you. Choosing someone who has strengths in areas you want to develop is a good place to start.
2. Have access to a constructively critical sounding board:
   A successful mentorship partnership is based on trust, honesty, and transparency. Mentors can give you unbiased and constructive feedback. This can help you broaden your perspective on situations & look at new ways to approach challenges or opportunities. Their positive reinforcement can also help you maintain a positive mindset, even when facing significant challenges.
3. Accelerate your personal growth: 
   Mentors want to help you grow & thrive. In your conversations they will spend time getting top know you & what you want out of your working life. Their personalised (& objective) support and challenge can help you build knowledge, skills and experience much quicker than trying to do it alone.
4. Get help with goal setting:
   A mentor can be a great aid for anyone who is struggling to set and or achieve goals. They can support with setting challenging, yet attainable, goals, and help hold you accountable, ensuring you stay on track and maintain motivation. 
   
5. Build your connections:
   Mentors can connect you to their own networks with mentees, introducing you to other professional contacts who could positively impact your opportunities and experiences in the present or future.

The benefits of mentorship are immense, from expanding your knowledge to gaining a fresh perspective on your potential. Finding the right mentor can be a game-changer in both your personal and professional life. As we step into 2025, make mentorship a priority and take the initiative to seek out someone who can guide, support, and challenge you. The right mentor can be the catalyst for unlocking your full potential.

The post “Everyone Needs a Mentor” and why you should find one by h2h Lead Consultant, Caroline Forman appeared first on h2h.