Ask the Expert: Can an employee claim for relocation 5 years on?

The question We have an employee who was relocated in 2007 to a different work venue.   He was entitled to claim a reorganisation allowance for a period of three years after the move and failed to claim at the time, but has now asked whether it can be paid in retrospect.   Our policy […]

News: Employers ‘routinely discriminate against women from ethnic minorities’

A group of MPs and peers has urged the government to take steps to improve equality in employment procedures after it was revealed that many employers routinely discriminate against women from ethnic minorities. A report produced by the Runnymede Trust for the all-party parliamentary group on race and community found that females belonging to ethnic […]

News: PPMA unveils competition to attract HR talent to public sector

A public sector HR body has unveiled an Apprentice-style competition in a bid to attract new talent to the area at a time when recruitment is proving tricky. Rising 2013, which is sponsored by recruitment consultancy Manpower, is the brainchild of The Public Sector People Managers’ Association.   Although it is open to anyone currently […]

Blog: New Year’s resolution #1: Become a charity trustee

In his Autumn Statement this week, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the UK economy is set to shrink by a worse than expected 0.1% this year. So with an uncertain business climate ahead, businesses will need to work more smartly than ever to ensure that their employees are productive and engaged during 2013.   One […]

Book Review: Theodore Roosevelt, CEO

This book is the latest in a series by the author, Axel Axelrod, an historian who makes bold attempts to use historical figures to illustrate lessons for modern business leaders. The structure of the book is clever.   You receive a potted history of the individual’s life, followed by a series of chapters in which […]

Seasonal workers – How to ensure many happy returns

Many organisations look forward to the festive season as a time of generating major revenues – and, despite the difficult economic climate, it appears that business was brisker for many in November than had been expected. To ensure that things run smoothly during this busy time, however, most rely on temporary labour to help them […]

2012 – The year in full

HRZone editor, Cath Everett, picks out the key events from what has, once again, been a challenging year for the HR community:       January   The PM’s views on popular capitalism: Employee-ownership, Living Wages etc Increasingly fragile UK jobs market was set to get worse More strikes and legal action threatened over public […]

Varied work styles lead to personality clash between HR and line managers

The personality clash experienced by many HR professionals and line managers in the financial services sector can be put down to their very different styles of working, according to a study. An analysis of the personality profiles of 5,000 financial services employees conducted by assessment system provider, Talent Q, revealed that HR practitioners tended to […]

Analysis: “We don’t plan on screwing up”, says Workday CEO

With Workday’s long-awaited stock market floatation behind it, the Software-as-a-Service provider is now looking to the next 12 months and beyond. Plans for growth include the introduction of a recruiting module and a push into the world of so-called ‘big data’ (the ability to analyse lots of complex data quickly).   The firm unveiled its […]

Blog: Workers to burn out unless something gives soon…

HR professionals will have seen more than anyone the ongoing challenges being faced by both employers and workers as the seemingly never-ending economic crisis rolls on. Some may be claiming that the green shoots of recovery are now visible but others are telling us to prepare for a triple dip recession.   Whatever future difficulties […]

In a Nutshell: Five ways for HR to be true partners with the business

As HR director of British Gas, one of the UK’s best-known organisations and a key employer of 35,000 staff, Angela Williams needs to be on top of her game. Here she shares her views on the key attributes and skills that an HR director needs to become a true, valued partner to the business: 1. […]

Legal Insight: Would you hire a reservist?

A recent government announcement that the Territorial Army and other UK reserve forces are to grow to around 35,000 by 2020 will inevitably have an impact on both private and public sector employers as most reservists also have civilian jobs. A consultation entitled ‘Future Reserves 2020: Delivering the Nation’s Security Together’ proposes measures to create […]

News: Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Statement for HR at-a-glance

Here are the key HR-related announcements of Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Budget Statement:  Civil service spending/job cuts   Whitehall departments will be required to shave 1% off their running costs during the financial year 2013/14 and a further 2% the following year in order to save £3.4 billion on top of existing cuts.   Another […]

News: Govt pursues shares-for-rights scheme despite lack of support

 The government has decided to press ahead with its plans for ‘employee-owner’ contracts despite a lack of support among either employers or employees. A consultation by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed that most organisations would choose not to take up the new rights, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his […]

Blog: Demonstrating the X Factor – 3 things to help you sparkle in a job interview

In front of the Judges…Show them the X Factor!  In today’s job seeker market there are so many different factors to consider when applying for a job – the content of your CV, the answers you give to role specific questions, psychometric profiling, assessment centres, telephone interviews and then of course the face to face […]

Blog: I’ve got an underperformer – Get them out of here!

At some point in their career, most HR profressionals and managers have the challenge of dealing with a persistent underperformer. Clearly it isn’t acceptable to get them to eat creepy crawlies in order to “Get them out of here!” – however much you may feel like it at the time.   Managing someone out of […]

Talking Point: Will shared parental leave work?

"Shared Parenting Matters." And the author of this statement? Not a parenting charity, but the government in a consultation paper.   And indeed, the concept took a step closer to reality last month after the government unveiled its proposals on the practical implementation of shared parenting leave.   But the plans, which are designed to […]

Talent Spot: Community blogger, John Sylvester

Not everyone always understands John Sylvester. The problem is that, for most people, being a motivation and employee incentives specialist requires a bit of an explanation as to what it means.   For instance, after struggling to fathom precisely what their dad did for a living, his two sons eventually hit upon the idea of […]

The emerging discipline of workforce planning

The job of managing the workforce is growing in complexity. At one end of the spectrum, demanding Millennials are now entering the world of employment for the first time, while at the other, growing numbers of employees are choosing to work past the age of 65.   In between these two extremes, however, you will […]

The skills paradox flourishes

We are in a skills paradox. On the one hand, headlines have screamed all year of redundancies, high unemployment, and graduates struggling to get a foot through the corporate door.   On the other, they have also been warning of rising skills shortages and on-going talent wars.   While there has and always will be […]