The changing market for HCM applications

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The market for HR applications is in a state of flux as a wealth of systems start coming up for renewal and cloud computing begins to enter the mainstream. Cloud offerings – where users pay a subscription to access software over the internet instead of licencing and running it in-house at a hefty capital cost […]

News: Bad careers advice is harming next generation of workers

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Poor careers advice and lack of understanding about the workplace mean young people are ill-prepared to enter the jobs market, warned the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).   More than half (53%) of the employers surveyed by the CIPD believed youngsters careers advice was inadequate, while 63% said their young recruits lacked insight […]

News: Let’s sack the boss!

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More than three quarters of workers would sack their boss if they had the chance, a global poll by job site Monster reveals.   A confident one third (30%) of respondents said they could do a better job than their boss, a quarter said they would nominate another colleague, while one in five favoured a […]

Job confidence tumbles?

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Job confidence has tumbled 5% as the New Year brings fresh worries about job security.   Just under three quarters (73%) of UK workers believed their job was secure, a 5% drop from October 2012 and a 2% slide since January 2012, according to the latest Legal & General Job Security Index. Those fearing redundancy […]

Business meet HR, HR meet the Business – you’ve got a lot in common!

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  A failure to demonstrate strategic value is damaging HR’s reputation with business leaders, warns a new Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report.    HR is perceived as implementing rather than devising strategy by business leaders, according to the CIPD survey of 369 business leaders and 107 senior HR professionals.    This means […]

News: Capping unfair dismissal payments is “soundbite politics”

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The Government’s announcement that unfair dismissal awards will be capped at a maximum of one year’s salary has met with a mixed response.   Martin Patt, associate at law firm Lester Aldridge LLP warned that the announcement appeared to be “soundbite politics”. He pointed out that the average award for a straightforward unfair dismissal claim […]

News: Management on the move in 2013

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Almost a third of UK senior managers are looking to switch jobs this year, according to an independent report commissioned by career advisor AGM Transitions. The research found that the desire for a new job was high among senior managers, prompted by the prospect of better pay (37%) as well as a fresh challenge (18%). […]

Blog: Jodie Foster and Behavioural Intelligence

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Jodie Foster’s Golden Globes speech, in which she made her first public acknowledgement of her sexuality, perfectly illustrated an excellent and moving speaker whose powerful use of rhetoric enraptured her audience.   By looking at Foster’s speech, which came after she accepted the Cecil B DeMille award for lifetime achievement, we can shed light on […]

British workers beat the blues

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Blue Monday, the so-called most depressing day of the year, will claim fewer victims this year, as workers say they are happier and more secure in their jobs in 2013. The third Monday in January, which falls today, has been dubbed the most miserable day of the year. But despite the cold snap in the […]

Talent Spot: Monica Walls, vice president of Human Resources at Nexenta Systems

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 Monica Walls, vice president of HR at Nexenta Systems loves working for startups. “You can have a bigger impact and see results much quicker,” she says. “I fell in love with working for startups and and cannot imagine going back to working for a company with 13,000 employees.”  Walls has her work cut out feeding […]

The pros and cons of SaaS-based HCM systems

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Analyses of the human capital management applications market indicate that Software-as-a-Service-based offerings are steadily gaining market share over their on-premise counterparts. While the consensus is that SaaS HR implementations still only make up just over a tenth of all deployments, current adoption rates are far outstripping those of more traditional approaches.   This trend appears […]

Analysis: Govt’s response to Frost sickness absence review “disappointing”

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Experts have branded the government’s response to the Frost review of workplace sickness absence as “disappointing”, warning that it did not go far enough. The 2011 review was originally led by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work and a former president of the Royal College of Physicians, and David Frost, […]

News: ‘Sign up to ethical code or quit,’ Barclays’ CEO warns staff

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Barclays’ new chief executive issued employees with an ultimatum today to either sign up to an ethical code of conduct or quit, as part of the bank’s attempt to try and repair its battered reputation. In a memo sent to its 140,000 staff worldwide, Antony Jenkins warned that, in future, performance would be judged on […]

Blog: Driver licensing changes – Pushing eyecare up the HR agenda

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Employee eyecare. It’s the benefit that always seems to sit at middle or even the bottom of many to do lists.   This week’s changes to driver licencing, which mean regular medical certification for lorry and bus drivers, will have pushed eyecare up the agenda for employers whose business involves these vehicles.   But for most organisations, eyecare policy […]

Generating success: How to build a culture of confidence

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Confidence is at the heart of effective performance. But the media continuously bombards us with very public examples of people in every sphere of life buckling under pressure.   In terms of the performing arts, think of the contestants on Britain’s Got Talent! or the X-Factor. A botched performance can either make or break them. […]

Blog: The importance of thorough investigation in staff disputes

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The recent case of Stuart v London City Airport has highlighted the importance of undertaking a reasonable investigation before an employer takes action.  In this case, the employer failed to investigate the conduct of an employee whom the employer considered had stolen goods.  The employee was a grounds services agent who entered the duty-free store […]

The art of change management

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When an organisation has to effect fundamental change, it usually implements it from top to bottom.   Typically back room operations as well as the products and/or services that it offers will all be affected.   As a result, a 360 degree investigation and feedback process can be a good place from which to start. […]

In a Nutshell: Five considerations when setting up an HR department from scratch

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When Jennifer Longden joined Cititec, the technology recruitment firm did not have an HR department and she had no experience of HR. Nearly four years later, the HR department that she subsequently set up has become integral to the firm’s business strategy. Longden shares the personal lessons that she’s learned from having to establish an […]

Ask the Expert: How can I stop being forced out after being bullied?

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The question After a difficult start to 2012, I informed my managing director that I thought I was being bullied by three members of staff (I am the site manager).   After showing some initial concern, no action was taken against the three individuals. Since then, they have submitted repeated grievances and complaints against me, […]