For experienced managers, probation review meetings can feel as routine as monthly one-to-ones: they know the drill, the questions flow naturally, and they’ve decided exactly what evidence to bring. However, if you’re stepping into this process for the first time, running your first probation review can feel quite daunting. Naturally, you may have a few questions, such as:

The Employment Rights Bill (ERB), first published on 10 October 2024, represents one of the most sweeping overhauls of UK employment law in decades, bringing forward 28 significant reforms designed to modernise and strengthen the workplace. Although Parliament has already debated its provisions, the vast majority of these changes will not come into force until 2026, following Royal Assent and a period of phased implementation.

Performance appraisals are more than just a routine “people management” exercise - they’re a pivotal opportunity to recognise achievements, address challenges within the workplace, and set clear expectations that empower your employees to grow and excel within their role. However, delivering your first appraisal is a significant milestone in your own career, and therefore requires its fair share of thought as to how you’ll go about this. 

Becoming a manager for the first time is a significant milestone in anyone's career. With this promotion comes a host of new responsibilities, from supervising a team to managing projects, all of which require a set of skills that may not necessarily align with the skills that put you in line for a promotion in the first place.

Think of five people in your personal or professional network and you would be hard pressed to find any of them who have not experienced some form of stress in their lives recently. Stress has many negative connotations, yet it is often misunderstood.

As an example, imagine yourself pouring a glass of water for somebody. You would most likely fill the glass so it is almost full, allowing a small amount of space to prevent spillages. The water in the glass represents the good stuff, in other words the stress we all need in our lives which gives us the impetus to get out of bed in the morning and face whatever the world throws out of us.

The source of so-called ‘poor time management’ varies from untimely distractions, unrealistic planning on the part of ourselves and others, procrastination, being in a role that depends on the timing of others, the list is frankly never ending and varies for each of us depending on our individual circumstances.