After a plane crash 25 years ago, Neville Aitchison developed a fear of flying. He completed a course to deal with his fear and is still getting on planes. You can live your life avoiding what you fear, he says, but it will not be the same life and opportunities will slip by unnoticed.

He’s yet to get his very own robot, but tablets and smartphones have helped Terry Williams take tremendous strides in his personal and professional productivity. However, he says, if we really want to drive our productivity levels, our brains need to be in optimal shape.

Changing the culture at the Ports of Auckland was never going to be easy, but Diane Edwards was up for the challenge. She talks to Sally Wenley about the huge strides that have been taken in a workplace strong on tradition.

Studies show employee engagement and talent retention are major challenges for HR leaders today, but are they being dealt with effectively? Jessica Xu explains how to apply science to take the guesswork out of engagement and retention.

If engaged employees are more productive, what can you do differently to improve employee engagement in your organisation? Rob McTague discusses two tools designed to measure the bond between employee and organisation.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, says Jane Kennelly. She takes a look at what makes an effective team and a great team leader, and provides some pointers on how to bring out the best in others.

Most employees who experience conflict at work turn to their manager, rather than to HR, but they’re often disappointed by the response they get. Greg Pollock outlines the findings of a recent study and explains why it’s important to address conflict in a healthy, robust way.

Donna McTavish offers some simple tips to help win the email war and manage your inbox.

People often have a negative perception of HR, says Mike Johnson. What’s causing this? And what can be done to shake off a process-oriented past and be seen as a profession of leaders—of both people and business?

With an ageing workforce, organisations need to focus on injury prevention and early post-injury intervention, says Stephen Bevan. Peter Bateman reports on his address to the recent OHSIG conference and the “cocktail of concerning issues” facing the workforce in the next 15 to 20 years.

Staff engagement at Christchurch City Council rose from 44 percent to 66 percent between 2007 and 2013. Chris Till, former head of HR at the council, takes a look at the key factors that led to such a positive increase, and offers some practical insights, reflections and tips.

The unjustified dismissal of the manager of an early learning centre has lessons for all employers, says Paul Robertson. The case illustrates the importance, for a full and fair investigation, of asking questions to get to the heart of a dispute and of taking good notes.