This is my first foray into the mist of CIPD online discussions and I have to admit to being a bit disappointed with the quality of some discussion for debate.
Not to say that the items listed are not relevant but I think it would be better to have an 'advice section' for those individuals who have simple questions about practice to be answered?
Then the space for discussions can be recogised and valued more as one where real debate will occur.
Hi Amanda
Welcome to the Communities - good to see you starting a discussion that I feel sure will invite lots of interesting and varied responses and invoke real debate.
My own personal opinion of the discussion forum is as follows (apologies for the length):
This is an extremely useful tool for members to use their colleagues as a sounding board, to seek clarification from those who are either more experienced / knowledgeable than themselves or who have experienced similar situations.
Some contributors will readily signpost members to useful information points, such as Clare Anderson. Others, like Anna Allen, often post discussions that are meant to stimulate thought. Peter Cunningham has a real breadth of experience in terms of the employment law side of matters. Emily Wraw draws on her experience within the NHS to help others within the same sector. Similarly Sherry Preece has contributed greatly to discussions, particularly within the retail sector. David Boyd can be counted on in terms of industrial relations matters, Peter Greenaway, Keith Luxon and David Perry are excellent sources of knowledge.
I could go on and I don't want people to think I don't value the contributions of others, but if I named everyone we'd be here for ages!
I myself have posed several questions and am extremely grateful for the support I've had, both as a professional and as a student (currently struggling through Management Research Report). I personally try to contribute to other people's discussions wherever I can, giving back to the community that has helped me.
It is frustrating to see the same / similar questions posted on a weekly basis. Part time workers and holiday comes to mind, which I'm guilty of myself! However, if you look closely at the content of the discussion it's often related to a bespoke situation for which the likes of CIPD and ACAS just can't provide individual information on their websites - again we'd be here all day.
But there are those who you can't help but feel want something for nothing to make their lives easier. e.g. Can anyone email me a xxx policy? Much more inclined to assist these people if they can tell us what research they've done so far / how far they've progressed rather than just attach something that's taken me hours or days to design.
The more background information people can give in their initial post, the better quality the response we can give. It's also great when people thank you for your help and even better when they come back at a later date to let us all know how it's panned out.
The nature of HR is such that no-one can be an expert in all areas. I wonder whether the majority of the membership classes themselves as generalist? I've also started to notice that some people who are more qualified than I have only recently started to use the forum and I wonder why that is.
There's a great variety of topics where discussion can be posted, the Book Club being one of them (can't check out all the others whilst I type, don't want to lose this posting!) but I fear that many of us just don't have the time to juggle contributions with our jobs.
I've joined many of the groups on Linked In, but get fed up with the number of jobs that are posted. There does tend to be a certain amount of debate on there, but none of the practical support.
So yes, there is an area for rich debate on the CIPD forums, but it's the practical support aspect I personally use this forum for most. Having said that, the further I progress in my studies, the more developed my thirst for knowledge and debate.
Thanks again for kicking off what I'm sure will be an extremely interesting discussion.
Hi Amanda
Welcome to the Communities - good to see you starting a discussion that I feel sure will invite lots of interesting and varied responses and invoke real debate.
My own personal opinion of the discussion forum is as follows (apologies for the length):
This is an extremely useful tool for members to use their colleagues as a sounding board, to seek clarification from those who are either more experienced / knowledgeable than themselves or who have experienced similar situations.
Some contributors will readily signpost members to useful information points, such as Clare Anderson. Others, like Anna Allen, often post discussions that are meant to stimulate thought. Peter Cunningham has a real breadth of experience in terms of the employment law side of matters. Emily Wraw draws on her experience within the NHS to help others within the same sector. Similarly Sherry Preece has contributed greatly to discussions, particularly within the retail sector. David Boyd can be counted on in terms of industrial relations matters, Peter Greenaway, Keith Luxon and David Perry are excellent sources of knowledge.
I could go on and I don't want people to think I don't value the contributions of others, but if I named everyone we'd be here for ages!
I myself have posed several questions and am extremely grateful for the support I've had, both as a professional and as a student (currently struggling through Management Research Report). I personally try to contribute to other people's discussions wherever I can, giving back to the community that has helped me.
It is frustrating to see the same / similar questions posted on a weekly basis. Part time workers and holiday comes to mind, which I'm guilty of myself! However, if you look closely at the content of the discussion it's often related to a bespoke situation for which the likes of CIPD and ACAS just can't provide individual information on their websites - again we'd be here all day.
But there are those who you can't help but feel want something for nothing to make their lives easier. e.g. Can anyone email me a xxx policy? Much more inclined to assist these people if they can tell us what research they've done so far / how far they've progressed rather than just attach something that's taken me hours or days to design.
The more background information people can give in their initial post, the better quality the response we can give. It's also great when people thank you for your help and even better when they come back at a later date to let us all know how it's panned out.
The nature of HR is such that no-one can be an expert in all areas. I wonder whether the majority of the membership classes themselves as generalist? I've also started to notice that some people who are more qualified than I have only recently started to use the forum and I wonder why that is.
There's a great variety of topics where discussion can be posted, the Book Club being one of them (can't check out all the others whilst I type, don't want to lose this posting!) but I fear that many of us just don't have the time to juggle contributions with our jobs.
I've joined many of the groups on Linked In, but get fed up with the number of jobs that are posted. There does tend to be a certain amount of debate on there, but none of the practical support.
So yes, there is an area for rich debate on the CIPD forums, but it's the practical support aspect I personally use this forum for most. Having said that, the further I progress in my studies, the more developed my thirst for knowledge and debate.
Thanks again for kicking off what I'm sure will be an extremely interesting discussion.
