Carry on Cabby – self-employment fuelled by recession and by choice

 The number of people listed as self-employed rose by 367,000 between 2008 and 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics, with 60% of the increase coming between 2011 and 2012    The figures represent a 9% rise in self-employed workers since the start of the economic downturn in 2008. In total, 4.2 million people […]

Legal: no mass sackings, but check your equality policies in the wake of gay marriage vote

With the gay marriage bill safely voted through the Commons with a massive majority, legal experts have dismissed the HR-centric scaremongering by opponents, but advise a re-examination of existing equality policies.  MPs voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 400 to 175, a majority of 225. Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday’s […]

News: Cyber-loafing – employees latest way to be bone idle

Up to 80% of employees time on the Internet is spent ‘cyberloafing’ rather doing anything work related, reveals a university study. Cyberloafing – the art of time-wasting online – is endemic in business, accounting for 60% to 80% of time spent on the Internet by all employees, regardless of age. Businesses were struggling to police […]

News: man-flu cured by sick economy

Worry over job security is forcing many UK workers to haul themselves off their sickbeds and trudge into work, according to Fisherman’s Friends annual British Cold and Flu Survey.   Six out of 10 workers did not take a single day off work with cold or flu in 2012, even though on average most people […]

Technology: stopping employees going rogue

It seems that stories of employees ‘going rogue’ are always in the press – but how can companies stop them before they make the headlines? Do you even know if you have a rogue employee? If you’re a large multi-national organisation, the laws of probability aren’t in your favour. Add to the mix a person […]

News: work experience and a vicious circle

Many young job seekers are finding difficult to break through the cycle of ‘no experience, no job’ and kickstart their careers.   A study of 2,000 UK people by defence recruitment firm Advanced Resource Managers (ARM) found 70% of young adults knew someone who’d been told by potential employers to go away and get experience […]

News: employees still fear redundancy in 2013

Around one in 12 employers fear they may need to make redundancies in the next six months as the stalling economy fails to ignite growth.   This 8% figure represents a marked slide in confidence from 2012 when just 2% of employers were unsure whether redundancies would be needed, according to a survey of 783 […]

Blog: how fiefdoms destroy company cultures

This morning I had breakfast with a friend, Martha. As friends do over coffee and pastry, we filled each other in on the latest happenings in our work and personal lives. I was particularly concerned about Martha’s work experiences as her company has gone through some “right sizing” in recent months. As part of the […]

Talent Spot: Kath Austin, HR and Marketing Director, Pizza Hut

Like so many graduates, when Kath Austin, HR and marketing director at Pizza Hut, left university in 1997, she wasn’t entirely sure which direction to go in. Joining a graduate training scheme seemed like the sensible thing to do and British Airways a good brand to work for. It turned out to be an inspired […]

News: UK jobs market remains in rude health

The UK jobs market remains in rude health and growing steadily, despite dire warnings of torrid times ahead for job seekers and fears of a triple-dip recession.   Defying the doom and gloom merchants, the UK jobs market is up a third compared to 2010 after three years of steady growth, according to Reed Jobs […]

Gay marriage: will a licence to marry really be a licence to sack?

Tonight MPs in the House of Commons will vote on whether or not to make same sex marriage legal. Despite vocal opposition from some elements in the Conservative party, the vote seems certain to be passed with Labour and Liberal Democrat support.  The result will be a landmark one politically and socially.  But what should […]

Ask the Expert: Does my job advert fall foul of age discrimination law?

Question:   Would the wording on a job advert saying something like "at least five years’ experience required in process flow technology" be discriminatory? I think it might fall foul of age discrimination law as it excludes some people because of their age. Is that correct and, if so, what would be permissible in these […]

Is that an auto-enrolment time bomb ticking?

Auto-enrolment is a “ticking time bomb” that could leave 30,000 mid-sized firms with a big, costly mess to mop up, warned a benefits expert.   Companies falling into the 60 to 249 employee bracket have neither the time, money or resources of larger firms to tackle this major shake-up to pensions legislation, warned Michael Whitfield, […]

Social media powers bullying in the workplace

More than half of adults believe privacy in the workplace has been eroded with the proliferation of social media.    According to a new study by AVG Technologies, mis-use of social media infiltrates the workplace with often negative effects on employees’ privacy, forcing many to switch off or limit their use of social networking sites. […]

News: UK firms turn to temporary staff

UK firms are taking on more temporary workers, finds a survey by staffing firm Venn Group. The Venn report noted a 5.2% increase in hiring levels across the UK, but the picture varied greatly according to region and industry.    Altogether, temporary vacancies in commerce and industry across the UK soared 32.% between the fourth […]

Why focus on engaging teams?

Now’s the time to re-energise your teams for a more productive workforce, says Vernon Bryce.   Of the many adverts using the latest ‘must have’ messages like ‘you need’, ‘have you heard’, ‘the essentials of’ and, ‘new to our current ongoing portfolio of e-lessons’, the words ‘team’, also ‘engagement’  must feature strongly in any of […]

Technology and the changing face of work

Stephen Walker dares to gaze into the future and predict the next working revolution and the skills that will be needed. The human race’s story is one of the development of technology. From the discovery of fire and the flint-cutting edge to the iPhone and 3D printing, technological developments have changed the daily tasks of […]

News: Catholic Church threatens to sack teachers in gay marriages

With the UK government on track to push through same sex marriage legislation, the Catholic Church has warned that teachers entering what it calls  “non-chaste” relationships outside of Church-sanctioned marriage face the sack. The guidance – contained in Christ at the Centre: Why the Church provides Catholic Schools – also says that teachers in Catholic […]

News: why we’re all totally stressed out!!!

One in five workers are too busy to take lunch breaks, according to report which aims to lift the lid on the true state of the nation’s workplace health.   The survey by charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) revealed employees felt let down by their bosses who didn’t prioritise their wellbeing or care about […]

I want to be alone – but it’s not good for business!

UK businesses risk scuppering productivity and profits by failing to support effective team working.   Almost half of the 2,030 UK employees surveyed by talent development firm Cedar felt their organisation did not help develop team working practices. Meanwhile, 37% of respondents said they preferred working alone, suggesting that businesses needed to do more to […]