Cider, crowds, rock & roll | Five challenges HR shares with the British festival season

Whether it's the rock and roll of Reading and Leeds or the more sedate foodie vibes of Big Feastival, this bank holiday the UK festival season begins to wrap up with two final flag-flying hurrahs. 

Here are five ways HR is like a festival - and what you can do to make sure employees are as happy as a cider-sipping sequinned music fan.

1. Festivals are about long-haul commitment, and planning

Festivals are about planning ahead - packing the right clothes from waterproof and wellies to sparkly kaftans and enough underwear, as well as planning your schedule while you're there, which bands you'll see, which food you want to eat and who you'll try and meet up with if you also have friends who are going.

In HR, the same kind of forrward planning is a key part of talent management. You need to think about the whole picture, not just one or two departments or areas to focus on. It's about planning for all eventualities, from rain to scorching sunshine, not just the 'norm' inbetween.