When I was young, I remember being chastised, if not too regularly – I wasn’t a complete tyro as a child – for occasionally ‘making something of nothing.’ Usually the response of a tired adult to some trying, if not completely bad, behaviour. It might have been for sulking because a sibling was sat in my preferred seat or for starting to blubber because I didn’t like the socks I had to wear to school that day.
Fast forward a couple of decades and whilst the waterworks might come on if I’m not completely happy with my choice of foot hosiery in the morning, I’ve come to understand that making something of nothing is a positive thing. It would appear that the corporate world agrees. In the world of HR, practitioners might be rewarded for making something of nothing: such as creating a company culture that meets the needs of employees where previously there was none or forging links between sub-functions of HR – such as Learning & Development with recruitment and retention in order to boost the bottom line – when previously they were non-existent.
In this edition of HR Grapevine, we showcase HR departments who are making something of nothing – in the good way. There’s the newly founded Lacoste PCL who had to ‘scale HR from scratch’ when two firms merged, companies that went it alone to create a company culture that work better for their staff, and firms who are starting employee-minded mental health schemes to look after staff.
As ever, stay safe and enjoy.
