News: Work is biggest cause of stress in people’s lives

Work is the most stressful factor in peoples’ lives, with one in three people (34 percent) saying their work life was either very or quite stressful, above debt or financial problems (30 percent) and health (17 percent). This is according to a study of 2000 people conducted by mental health charity Mind. Frustration with poor […]

Interview: Jenny Westworth, 2013 Apprentice Champion of the Year

BAE Systems apprentice Jenny Westworth, 23, was recently announced as the first Apprentice Champion of the Year, an award which recognises inspirational role models that champion the benefits of apprenticeships in the UK. She talks to HRZone about her journey so far and the ways in which HR functions can better attract and nurture apprentices. […]

News: older workers more worried about job security than Gen Y

 Older workers’ confidence in their job security fell by as much as 10 percent in January 2013, according to new research from Legal & General’s Job Security Index. Confidence over job security among workers aged 45 and 54 fell by 10 percent since October 2012 to 69 percent. Workers aged 55 and over experienced a […]

How to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace

This article was written by Vanessa James, Joint Head of the Employment department at SA Law. It seems sexual harassment in the workplace is rarely out of the headlines at the moment, with the recent Liberal Democrat scandal surrounding claims that Lord Rennard behaved improperly to female members of the party again shining a light on […]

The Position of Employer in the Family Unit

A person’s primary social group is called their family unit. The family unit traditionally includes parents and children; some will include grandparents and wider relatives. Close friends will be included in a minority but the family unit is typically populated by blood relatives only. The workplace has been historically outside the family unit. Work divides […]

Research: concerns over trust in flexible working highest among HR professionals

Almost half of HR professionals (46 percent) responding to a new study said that a lack of trust over productivity was the biggest barrier to flexible working, compared to an average of 28 percent and 19 percent in the legal profession. HR respondents were also divided on whether they make more of a conscious effort […]

Book Review: Exposure by Michael Woodford

Title: ExposureAuthors: Michael WoodfordISBN: 978-0670922222 Reviewed by Alan Warner, MTP plc Michael Woodford is the man who was appointed CEO of Japanese company Olympus, only to be sacked soon afterwards when he tried to expose past wrong doing by fellow senior managers. The fact that the press, other media and the shareholders outside Japan were so solidly […]

News: personal issues main reason for employees leaving

Three quarters of UK CEOs have cited personal issues – such as stress – as the main reason their employees leave the company, according to new research. Pay was cited at 34 percent and job dissatisfaction 19 percent by respondents to the study, which was commissioned by Skillsoft. The research also found a lack of […]

Are companies meeting the needs of an ageing workforce?

This feature was written by Kevin Young, General Manager, Skillsoft EMEA It is rare for a Government initiative to be of direct relevance to almost every business in the UK. However, with recent changes to the retirement age and pension payouts, businesses need to start thinking about how they will manage an ageing workforce. By […]

News: benefits packages stagnating as employees demand more

Benefits packages provided by employers are out of step with the needs of employees, according to new research commissioned by Unum from Populus and Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). UK employees are becoming increasingly risk averse because of the recession. Over three-quarters (77 percent) are concerned over financial security and are prioritising long-term financial security in […]

News: young people want green skills to get green jobs

More than half (59 percent) of the UK’s young people (19-25) say they would be interested in working in the green economy, yet 38 percent say they don’t have the skills required to do so. This is according to new research released recently by British Gas, which also found a quarter of young people (26 […]

HRD Insight: Creating Person-centred Organisations

This feature was written by Stephen Stirk, HR Director at United Reponse. Person Centred Organisations work on two simple premises – the first is a belief that the person centred thinking tools and practices developed primarily for use in interactions and relationships with and between people with learning disabilities could be applied to a range of […]

News: employers to design their own apprenticeships

Employers will soon have the power to design and develop their own Apprenticeship standards in order to tackle skills shortages, announced Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today. This initiative is in response to the Richard Review, carried out by entrepreneur Doug Richard last year, which called for an improvement in the quality of apprenticeships. Richard […]

Businesses as living entities – the shift to corporate communities

“The only long-term sustainable advantage is the ability to adapt to change.” In his book The Living Company, Arie de Geus differentiates between businesses that prioritise their growth as a living, breathing community and those that prioritise short-term return on capital. De Geus argues that while profit-driven companies can succeed, they have a poor record […]

News: productivity being ‘sabotaged’ by email addiction

Business productivity is suffering because firms are not taking steps to curb “email addiction” in the workplace. This is according to Jerry Hopkins, founder of The Leadership Team, which provides training to leaders who need to create more time in their working lives. Hopkins said that organisations would benefit from introducing strict guidelines on the […]

News: Pay gap influenced by low applications, says research

Women are underrepresented in high-paying jobs because they don’t apply for them, according to new research. Workplace discrimination at the point of hiring is a factor but many women choose not to apply for higher-paying positions because of ‘preconceived notions’ of job roles. This research came from Professor Roxana Barbulescu of the Desautels Faculty of […]

Talent spot: Tim Munden, Unilever’s VP of HR for UK and Ireland

Tim Munden, Unilever’s vice president of HR for UK and Ireland, knew from an early age that he wanted to join the army. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. While the army sponsored him through ‘A’ levels and university, an accident at officer training school Sandhurst put an end to his army career before it had […]

Is training key to preventing spear-phishing attacks?

This feature was written by Scott Gréaux, Vice President Product Management and Services at PhishMe. One of the most common ways for cybercriminals to gain access to sensitive data on enterprise networks is through phishing. Phishing is a method where cybercriminals send spoofed emails to try to trick recipients into doing something they shouldn’t. They can […]

News: Organisations invest in talent – but is it paying off?

Organisations across the world are investing in key talent, but are starting to ask questions about when they’ll see a return on investment. This is according to the Talent Barometer Survey from Mercer, which reveals 60 percent of organisations worldwide have increased their investment in talent in recent years. Yet just 24 percent say their […]

Interview: Peter Cheese, CEO of the CIPD

Peter Cheese, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) believes we are at an inflection point in HR and that the opportunities for the profession to make an impact on the business has never been greater. With the CIPD’s centenary year in full swing, HRZone recently caught up with Cheese, to […]