================================================================
HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 83
25 January 2005
http://www.hrzone.co.uk
================================================================
SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS ****
1. Editor’s Comment: Bricks and mortar trap workers
2. Focus On: HR Specialists – OH Manager SW Trains
3. The Couch?! Gets grumpy
4. Labour market buckles under weight of contradictions
5. Any Answers: employee status, absence management procedures
SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS ****
******************* Featured sponsors **********************
Become a Protectics Anger Management Coach
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/protectics.html
CIPD Annual Reward Conference, 9 February 2005
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/cipd1.html
Learning Technologies: Olympia 2, London, January 26-27 2005
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/learningtech.html
************************************************************
Editor’s note
=============
Official statistics out last week show that movement in the
labour market has reached its lowest ebb – employment is high
but the number of unfilled vacancies is up.
With only one in ten renting, is home-ownership putting the
brakes on the passage of skills and labour?
Editor’s Comment looks at the issues and tests the position
across the pond:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136025
Regards,
Annie Hayes
Editor
mailto:editor@hrzone.co.uk
Welcome new members
——————-
This week, HR Zone welcomes members from the following
organisations, among others, to the site:
Academy HR; CW Consulting; WhitmuirHR; CIPD; Goldfish Card
Services; Snowdrop; Scottish Environment Protection Agency;
Accor Services; Xerox; British Psychological Society; Towry Law;
Accenture; Chiumento; Starbucks Coffee; Royal Bank of Scotland;
The Work Foundation; Clyde & Co; Black and Decker Europe; Oracle
Corporation UK Ltd; Imperial Tobacco; KPMG LLP; Transport for
London; Britannic Asset Management; Visit Britain; Sunglass Hut
Become a Protectics Anger Management Coach
/—————————————————————
“Imagine the pleasure of being able to help others deal with
issues that have caused them anguish.”
Find out how you can do just that and earn a part or full-time
income by becoming an Independent A.Tect Anger Management Coach.
Click here for details:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/protectics.html
—————————————————————/
Top features
============
Editor’s Comment: Bricks and mortar trap workers
————————————————
Editor’s Comment examines how the nation’s obsession with home-
ownership is restricting the passage of skills and workers.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136025
Focus On: HR Specialists – OH Manager SW Trains
———————————————–
Barbara Davenport, Head of Occupational Health at South West
Trains explains the ins and outs of her job including the
responsibility to ensure consistency of fitness standards for
safety critical employees across the regions and how she changed
hearing-safety standards by challenging an ancient law.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136033
The Couch?! Gets grumpy
———————–
Yesterday, the 24th of January, was declared the most miserable
day of the year by Cardiff University psychologist Cliff
Arnalls.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135999
CIPD Annual Reward Conference, 9 February 2005
/—————————————————————
Taking place at the Olympia Conference Centre on 9 February
2005, our event brings together experts and practitioners from
across the reward field.
The conference will feature key issues, recent trends and
current thinking and will demonstrate how theory is being put
into practice with real-life case studies from leading
organisations.
Hurry – Book Now!
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/cipd1.html
—————————————————————/
Top news stories
================
Labour market buckles under weight of contradictions
—————————————————-
Official figures from the Office of National Statistics show a
mixed picture.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135999
Cold baths ‘antidote to working stress’
—————————————
The old-fashioned recipe of tough outdoors training & cold baths
really is character-building, according to latest research.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135865
Mid-sized firms dominate HR outsourcing
—————————————
According to analysts Datamonitor, medium-sized businesses will
lead the way in HR outsourcing deals this year.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136001
Revenue targets eBay traders
—————————-
Workers who supplement their income by buying and selling goods
via the online auction site eBay have been warned not to neglect
their tax liabilities.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136003
TUC call for equal pay ‘reality’
——————————–
Frances O’Grady will tell delegates at an equality law
conference that progress in equal pay must be speeded up.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136005
Risk-takers reap financial rewards
———————————-
Researchers claim that risk-takers are likely to achieve the
highest sales growth, but that over-confidence can also lead to
poor profit performance by owner-managers.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135900
Workers get a life
——————
Nearly two thirds of employees are now satisfied with their
levels of work/life balance.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135947
Linguists are key to global success
———————————–
The ability to speak more than one language is critical if
businesses are to succeed overseas.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136008
Learning Technologies: Olympia 2, London, January 26-27 2005
/—————————————————————
Learning Technologies is Europe’s largest learning and skills
exhibition and conference, covering every aspect of
organisational learning and learning technology. With over 100
exhibitors and free seminars every hour, Learning Technologies
is the single-most important event for learning and development
professionals. Entry to the exhibition is FREE.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/learningtech.html
————————————————————–/
Any Answers answered: Employee status
————————————-
Q – Are there any Tax or NI implications for long-term
‘temporary’ labour?
Katherine Wilson
—————-
A – Firstly, from the description of the employment arrangements
and under the provisions of IR35 they may be classed as
employees. For tax purposes this will mean they have to treat
themselves as being staff when completing their tax returns etc.
You should have in place an element within their contract that
makes clear that they are responsible for tax and NI, even so if
they don’t pay their tax, the Inland Revenue may still come
after you for it.
Secondly, I suspect they may have accrued employment rights with
you. It sounds as if you treat them as employees in all senses,
except payment and while both parties do not intend there to be
an employee/employer relationship it could still exist. If you
decided to end the relationship they could try to take a claim
to tribunal and claim they were employees and therefore unfairly
dismissed. I have seen cases won at Tribunal on this basis.
I think you need to ask why this contractual situation has been
allowed to run on for so long. It may be better to put them onto
the payroll.
Quentin Colborn
—————
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/135951
If you have a question – or can offer an answer – go to
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/
Any Answers
===========
Any Answers is the place to go to share your professional
experiences with others. A selection of new Any Answers
questions posted this week:
Matt Young needs an absence management procedure to tackle
rising rates of ‘sickies’ in his manufacturing business.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136052
What is the minimum percentage response rate for a credible
survey? Asks Jenny Lawton:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136102
Wendy Hines is hoping you can help with a comparison of factory
operative duties.
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/item/136015
Subscription Information
========================
HR Zone publishes a range of regular newswires, including:
– HR Zone Members Newswire
– HR Briefing
Update your subscriptions by visiting the Profile page and
selecting the “My Services” link.
https://secure.hrzone.co.uk/profile
—————————————————————-
To unsubscribe click:
http://www.hrzone.co.uk/unsubscribe
Alternatively email: unsubscribe@hrzone.co.uk
In the BODY of the message type unsubscribe HR Zone Members
newswire
Unsubscribing can currently take up to 14 days to process.
—————————————————————-
Copyright (C) 2005 HR Zone. All rights reserved.
================================================================
HR Zone, 100 Victoria Street, Bristol, BS1 6HZ
Tel:+44 117 915 9600 Fax:+44 117 915 9630
http://www.hrzone.co.uk
================================================================
