News: Acas launches new guidance on collective redundancies
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) today published new guidance to help employers deal effectively with collective redundancies. Collective redundancies are when employers consider making 20 or more employees redundant within a 90 day window. This situation might occur if the employer, for example: Needs to close/move all or part of the firm Reorganise […]
Are you ready for the next War on Talent?
Paula Harvey is Senior Talent Consultant at Kallidus, a leading provider of learning and talent management solutions. For further information please visit www.kallidus.com or follow @KallidusLimited on Twitter. Just over 15 years ago McKinsey & Company declared the start of the ‘war for talent’ and, as predicted, prolonged periods of intense competition for talent has […]
Analysis: 2013 changes to immigration rules and how they affect HR
UK immigration rules are subject to annual change each April. Here, immigration specialist Newland Chase summarises some of the key changes for this year, to be implemented on 6th April 2013. UK immigration practitioners are now becoming very familiar with the frequent changes to UK immigration rules and the now regular annual changes that occur […]
Web recruitment – is it worth it?
This article was written by Chris Berry, Managing Director of SaaS provider CIPHR. Pressures on organisations to do more with less have been increasing as budgets are squeezed across the board. So, as the talent pool effectively shrinks it becomes ever more important for organisations to hone their recruitment processes to identify the relevant skills needed, […]
Family-Friendly – why should employers worry about their parents and carers?
This article was written by Ben Black, CEO of My Family Care. Why should employers worry about their parents and carers? Well, a number of reasons. Firstly childcare vouchers as we know them are going. With no childcare voucher scheme to hide behind employers will need to decide just how much support their working mothers, fathers […]
News: Half of workers assume bosses would foot sick leave bill
UK workers are risking their own financial stability by failing to protect themselves in the event of long-term sickness absence. This is according to new research from think-tank Demos, which found that respondents were twice as likely to insure their mobile phone or pet as their own income. One in 100 UK workers will face […]
The five myths of organisational change
This article was written by Sarah Lewis M.Sc. C.Psychol, chartered psychologist and author of ‘Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management’ Change is a permanent feature of organisational life – so why do organisations struggle with the concept of change? I constantly hear that ‘people don’t like change’ and ‘change is hard’. Neither of these are necessarily […]
Book Review: Stretch: Leading Beyond Boundaries by James Brook & Dr Paul Brewerton
Title: Stretch: Leading Beyond BoundariesAuthors: James Brook & Dr Paul BrewertonISBN: 978-1780884189 This book was reviewed by Michael Farry, Human Resources Director at PhotoBox. There are numerous leadership books on the market today. What sets this one apart from others I have read is the fact that it is written as an engaging fable full of practical ideas, tips […]
When pennies get pinched, training mustn’t suffer
This article was written by Thomas Brown, Head of Insights at The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). In times of economic uncertainty businesses need to do more with less. Each and every pound spent has to travel further, last longer and offer a greater return on investment. As the recession rumbles on and budgets remain tight, […]
News: ‘Best practice’ damages talent management efforts
Focusing on ‘best practice’ rather than business needs is preventing organisations from finding and nurturing staff that can drive progress. This inflexibility is also killing organisations’ ability to manage talent effectively, according to Anna Marie Detert, Head of People & Talent at KPMG. She argues in a new whitepaper that organisations are failing to take […]
News: Skills strategy brings £214m of investment to tackle poor performance
Skills Minister Matthew Hancock recently unveiled £214m investment in 47 colleges across the country, alongside plans for a more rigorous and responsive skills system. These measures form part of the Government’s new skills strategy, Rigour and Responsiveness in Skills, which also includes action to support good and outstanding colleges and step in where colleges are […]
Invisible glass ceiling – the hidden side of gender discrimination
This article was written by Tara Daynes, director of HR consultancy Tara Daynes HR. “She’ll never be a senior manager, because she’ll always put her children before the business.” These words said to me once about a very competent, long-serving middle manager who was also a single mum, but incredibly, they were spoken by a […]
Effective employee monitoring… or snooping?
This article was written by Mike Gillespie, MD of security consultancy Advent IM. Monitoring employees for potential disciplinary reasons is a standard part of the HR role, however a lack of awareness of how to do this within ICO guidelines and Data Protection best practice could end up in a costly tribunal for employers. Do […]
News: HR and payroll to share auto-enrolment burden
Payroll and HR departments are likely to share responsibility for implementing pensions auto-enrolment, according to a report from the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP). The report, the second from the CIPP to analyse employer readiness for automatic enrolment, gathered responses from 95 employers, pension providers, payroll software developers and payroll providers from different sectors. […]
Talent spot: Hari Thalapalli, chief people officer at IT services firm Mahindra Satyam
Hari Thalapalli, chief people officer at IT services firm Mahindra Satyam, has worked for technology firms since the 1980s, joining each organisation when they were at the cusp of a huge growth cycle. “This is the third IT organisation in my career,” he says, “and I’ve had the opportunity to join them when they were […]
News: UK employees demotivated by rise of ‘crisis’ leadership
Overstretched UK leaders are creating demotivating working environments by failing to adapt their leadership styles to the situation at hand. A rise in the use of ‘just do it’ approaches, useful in a crisis but incompatible with long-term engagement and motivation, is responsible, according to new research from global management consultancy Hay Group. The study […]
Short-term thinking – a plague on British businesses
This article was written by Tom Quayle, Consultant at The Chemistry Group. The Germans, as a group of people, are seen as efficient, long-term thinkers. They do it in business and as a country. They are known for efficiency and quality; they think about sustainability and the long-term and implement accordingly. It’s an obvious point […]
Hidden in the noise? Key Budget take-aways for HR professionals
This article was written by Steve Herbert, Head of Benefits Strategy at Jelf Employee Benefits. Every year The Chancellor’s annual budget statement is reduced by the media to only a few headline messages. This year is no different, with help for homebuyers, personal tax thresholds, and a penny off the pint all trending as the key […]
Is Gamification HR’s New Best Friend?
This article was written by Peter Grant, CEO of CloudApps. Gone are the days of passive employee engagement techniques, such as coffee room poster campaigns and intranet information sites. They are simply no longer able to hold the attention of employees long enough to make any impact other than to waste HR budgets. The posters […]
News: First quarter of 2013 sees accelerated jobs growth
The UK jobs market grew in March, continuing positive growth seen throughout the first quarter of 2013. Reed Job Index’s monthly measure of conditions and trends in employment opportunities stands at 156, its highest ever level, eclipsing last month’s previous high by one percent. In total there were nine percent more job opportunities on offer […]
