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HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 82
18 January 2005
http://www.hrzone.co.uk
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SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS ****
1. Lighting the torch for jobs creation in 2012
2. Feature: NLP – The fast track to skills?
3. HR grows its ‘influence’
4. Work-life balance wins over pay … again
5. Any Answers: suspended promotion, working with relatives
SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS ****
******************* Featured sponsors *********************
Big savings for working parents and employers
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/accor.html
Eversheds – Age Discrimination Conference
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/eversheds.html
Become a Protectics Anger Management Coach
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/protectics.html
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Editor’s note
=============
If working with your partner or relative sends shivers down your
spine then you may not be alone.
HRZone member, Alice Blackham is however, considering doing just
this and ponders over the potential problems while balancing the
prospect that the candidate, a partner of a member of staff is
the best person for the job.
Do you have any guidelines you can offer her to ensure that the
reporting line which would involve partner answering to partner
remains purely professional and personal lives are left at home?
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135688
Regards,
Annie Hayes
Editor
mailto:[email protected]
Welcome new members
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This week, HR Zone welcomes members from the following
organisations, among others, to the site:
CVBuddies.com; RSPCA; Baker Oil Tools; ICM Computer group; Aegis
Media; Blue Chip Recruitment; Protocol Skills; Businesshealth
Group Ltd; Value Partnership; Siemens Business Services;
Marriott Construction; Barclays Capital; Northgate;
Computacenter; Towry Law; LloydsTSB; Staffordshire County
Council; Grant Thornton; Raleigh International; Royal Mail;
Xerox Ltd; PA Consulting Group; Hackney Council; Associated
Newspapers Ltd; Flight Centre Limited; Halifax General
Insurance; Dixons; London Business School; Oracle Corporation;
Scottish Water; Air International; Blue Apple HR Solutions
Big savings for working parents and employers
—————————————————————
One of the UK’s fastest growing staff benefits provided by
employers is Childcare Vouchers. The reason for their success
is that they are exempt from National Insurance Contributions so
they can help save money for both the working parent and the
employer. From 6 April 2005 Childcare Vouchers will become Tax
and National Insurance exempt for up to 50 pounds per week.
This will provide huge savings for both the working parent and
the employer.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/accor.html
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Editor’s Comment: Lighting the torch for jobs creation in 2012
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Editor’s Comment looks at what the Olympic Games would mean for
jobs creation and skills.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135738
Feature: NLP – The fast track to skills?
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Robert Ballentine of Maheono explains how NLP modelling examines
the behaviour of top performers in order to help others learn to
replicate this behaviour and improve their own performance.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/134949
HR grows its ‘influence’
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Most HR professionals agree that the function has become more
influential over the past five years.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135771
Work-life balance wins over pay … again
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A raft of recent surveys shows that workers value work-life
balance over pay rewards.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135571
Council face million pound pay out for failure to ‘consult’
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Leicestershire County Council face shelling out 8 billion
pounds to 2,500 staff in compensation over their failure to
consult when dismissing workers.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135777
Taxman may be best way to beat absenteeism
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Law firm Rowe Cohen believe “people would rather be at work than
have the taxman snooping around their affairs”, the threat of
which might “slash soaring ‘sickie’ rates across the UK.”
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135662
Europe leads the world in outsourcing
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Europe is now the world’s leading market for new outsourcing
contracts, according to research from international sourcing
advisory firm TPI.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135717
Bank predicts worsening skills gap in 2005
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The UK’s skills gap is expected to stretch this year, making it
hard for employers to fill technical positions.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135670
Get ready for Softworld HR & Payroll event
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The twice yearly Softworld HR & Payroll event is back this
Spring, exhibiting at London’s Grand Hall, Olympia.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135686
Jobs cull as shoemaker bows out of UK production
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Shoe giant, Clarks International has announced the closure of
its last remaining UK factory based in Ilminster, Somerset.
Olympia.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135719
Eversheds
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Age discrimination law will fundamentally change the way that
age is currently used as a criterion for making employment
decisions. With this in mind Eversheds has organised a Second
Conference to examine the challenges this new law will pose to
employers. A diverse range of perspectives are covered and all
the speakers have personal experience of the issues employers
must contend with. To find out more please click here
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/eversheds1.html
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Any Answers answered: Suspended promotion
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Q – My wife and some other employees were notified by letter of
a promotion, putting them on a higher pay grade. Those that
weren’t promoted were reported to be unhappy, however, about the
methods involved. No official grievance was made but complaints
were heard. Following this, The Head of Department has stated
verbally, not in writing, that the promotions are suspended,
giving no reasons for this action or outlining a time limit for
the suspension period.
What is the legal position here?
Paul Dover
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A – The written word carries more weight than the spoken word.
There has been a change to the contract (terms and conditions)
and the letter is part of this. This can not now be changed
without doing a proper consultation process which should have
happened before any promotion/pay increase took place with all
those to be affected.
Sandra Beale
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http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135788
If you have a question – or can offer an answer – go to
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/
Become a Protectics Anger Management Coach
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income by becoming an Independent A.Tect Anger Management Coach.
Click here for details:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/protectics.html
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Any Answers
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Any Answers is the place to go to share your professional
experiences with others. A selection of new Any Answers
questions posted this week:
Alice Blackham is looking for guidelines on recruiting partners
or relatives of staff.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135688
Anna Brown looks for employment law advice on notice periods
following trial re-deployment.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135782
Holiday allowances: Andrew Berry deliberates over part-timer
rights.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135791
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