Stamping out violence at work
With violence in the workplace showing no sign of decreasing, what can HR do to minimise any risk and promote a ‘zero tolerance’ policy within the organisation? Lucie Mitchell talks to some experts to find out. Violence in the workplace is an ongoing concern and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. According […]
HR tip: Timing of redundancy notice
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: "We have to make a number of people redundant and are required to consult collectively for at least 30 days. Some of the people have long service and therefore long notice entitlements. […]
Tough times or times of opportunity?
In these challenging and uncertain times, it is imperative to hold on to your key people. Erik Berggren explains how to implement effective talent and performance management techniques, to ensure you retain your most valuable assets. Confusion, frustration, paralysis – these are all symptoms of uncertainty. Whether the cause is mixed signals from managers, or […]
The leadership crisis
Leadership is trusted influence, nothing more and nothing less, says Judith Germain, who explains how to truly understand the leaders in your organisation. One of the biggest challenges facing businesses right now is a crisis of leadership. There is a need to ensure that the company will remain profitable, employees remain engaged and customers satisfied […]
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust Improves Forecasting and Aids Service-line Reporting with COA Solutions’ Collaborative Planning
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust has gone live with Collaborative Planning, a budgeting and forecasting system from COA Solutions, to improve reporting efficiency and aid service-line reporting. This system, which is currently being rolled-out to 80 budget holders across the Trust, is providing Bedford Hospital with significant cost and time savings as well as increased financial […]
Top tips on tackling absence
Every year, darker mornings and colder weather lead to an increase in both the frequency of lateness and unauthorised absence. Some may expect these figures to reduce in today’s economic climate, with many people concerned about keeping their jobs, yet this doesn’t appear to be the case, says Tim Holden. Let’s start at the very […]
Applying business knowledge, making a strategic difference
Understanding how you can use what you know about the business to add strategic value is key to success, says Jan Hills, who shares some tips and skills that have been proven to work for HRBPs looking to improve the strategic application of their knowledge. “HR is a never ending series of goals and challenges, […]
360 degree appraisal and a high performing law firm partner
“I’ve only got 45 minutes, so can we get straight to the point?” said Charles, the head of corporate law as he strode into the room. The “point” to which he was referring was our meeting to go through his 360 feedback. The “point” that he actually wanted to make was that he didn’t really […]
Ask the expert: Likelihood of compensation payout
An employee has issued his employers with tribunal papers for unfair dismissal, yet the employers believe they followed correct procedures. Esther Smith and Martin Brewer advise on whether they will be hit with a large compensation payout. The question:We have an ongoing situation with a former employee. The person in question has now issued us […]
UK temps given same rights as permanent staff after 12 weeks
The Temporary Agency Workers Directive has been approved by the European Parliament, which means that temporary workers in the UK will be treated the same as their permanent colleagues after 12 weeks with an employer.The UK is the only state to secure this 12-week deal for its 1.3 million agency workers – all other EU […]
HR tip: How long should disciplinary warnings last for?
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: "For how long should disciplinary warnings last?" HR tip: Anything less than a final warning ordinarily should last for no longer than six months. Usually final warnings last for 12 months but […]
Heard but not seen: Managing the remote worker
With more of us wanting to run our own race rather than the rat race, remote working is now used as a tool to attract and retain good staff. But managing employees working outside the office is a real skill, says Anton Levchuk. Remote working is commonplace in business and managing it effectively is an […]
Managing large-scale redundancies in a fast-changing world
If there is one thing we can all learn from the current economic climate, it’s that nothing is ever certain. If redundancy is on the cards at your organisation, David Ludlow warns HR to ignore the statutory procedures at its peril. It is a sign of the times that when I was invited to write […]
Leading Logistics Company Improves Efficiency and Reduces Environmental Impact with COA Solutions’ Electronic Payslips
GAC Logistics (UK) Ltd, a leading logistics services provider and part of the global GAC Group, has significantly improved business efficiency and is reducing its environmental impact as a result of implementing COA Solutions’ Electronic Payslip system. This system, which went live in June 2008, is tightly integrated into the company’s COA Solutions OpenPeople payroll […]
Managing the star performer
We all want amazing talent within our organisations, but, once there, does the star performer need to be managed differently to the rest of the team, and if so, what approach is the best one to take? John Pope has some answers. Some people call them the ‘rain makers’, apparently bringing what is needed to […]
Tribunals: Winning is only the first step
Often a claimant’s employment tribunal victory can be rendered meaningless when compensation rules mean that the award is reduced to nil. Charles Price explains. The Employment Rights Act (ERA) 1996 states that the employer must show that the dismissal was for one of five potentially fair reasons such as misconduct, capability or redundancy and that […]
Talent management: The secret of success
Many organisations seek to develop their ‘top talent’ only, yet Steve Short argues that HR must ensure every employee maximises their contribution to their organisation if the business is to maintain a competitive advantage. In the current climate of financial uncertainty and with the risk of recession in the UK, the ability of all employees […]
Ask the expert: Discrimination in interview
A candidate from a ‘minority group’ didn’t pass an interview process and has now claimed the interview was unfair due to questions on diversity that made him feel uncomfortable. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise whether there is a strong claim for discrimination. The question:A client […]
Caption competition: And the winner is…
A recent news round-up on the site reported that there has been an immigration check amongst traffic wardens in the London Borough of Lambeth, which resulted in over half of them quitting or losing their jobs, with several found to be using forged passports. Therefore, this month’s caption competition shows a traffic warden getting his […]
Whistleblowing
It is ten years since Britain passed a law giving protection to whistleblowers… employees who felt something was wrong in their workplace and told the bosses about it. However given the revelations of malpractice which have emerged with the current Banking Crisis the question may reasonably be asked “Where were the whistleblowers?”The Public Interest Disclosure […]