News: Lack of first aid skills leads to death of 140,000 workers each year

Although up to 140,000 people die each year due to lack of access to first aid, about half of all UK employers have no formal processes in place to assess workers’ needs in an emergency. According to research conducted among 4,000 people by One Poll on behalf of St John’s Ambulance, less than 20% acknowledged […]

Ask the Expert: What legal issues do well-being initiatives generate?

The question  I have been asked to introduce some health and well-being initiatives into our workplace. Where should I start and are there any particular legal issues/pitfalls that I need to be aware of?     The legal verdict   Esther Smith, a partner at Thomas Eggar   Where to start indeed! There is pretty […]

Blog: How ‘big data’ can help you maximise your people investment

Recognise This! – Your single greatest “expense” is your employees. Big Data can help you get the most out of that investment. Big data (the ability to analyse lots of complex data quickly) is coming into its own. The Harvard Business Review blog published this excerpt of an article on “Big Data’s Management Revolution” saying, […]

Infographic: Overall staffing levels down despite Olympics boost

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In a Nutshell: Six considerations when devising an HR strategy

What’s the best way to develop an effective HR strategy? Christina Lattimer, founder of HR and leadership development consultancy People Discovery, shares some of her ideas on the subject, while maintaining all the while that simplicity and clear communication are key: 1. Understand the business and its people On the one hand, it is crucial […]

The Retail Distribution Review: How will it affect you?

By New Year’s Day 2013, recommendations from the Retail Distribution Review will need to have been implemented. The Review is significant as it will have a major impact on the way in which financial advisers and financial adviser firms do their dealings – or ‘distribute their advice’ – to consumers who are known as ‘retail […]

News: Lawyers disagree over impact of tribunal “shake-up” proposals

Vince Cable’s so-called tribunal system “shake up” has sparked disagreement among lawyers as to how significant the impact on employers is likely to be. The Business Secretary confirmed today that the controversial ‘no fault dismissal’ proposals made in a Downing Street-commissioned report by venture capitalist, Adrian Beecroft, were being dropped due to a lack of […]

News: Heart attack risk higher for disempowered workers under stress

Being under stress at work but not having the power to change the situation increases the risk of a heart attack or death from coronary heart disease, researchers have found. As a result, according to a team at the University College London, ‘job strain’, which is a form of stress, appears to be most common […]

Blog: Five ways to encourage a proper workplace dialogue

Once upon a time, effective internal communication meant simply sharing information through top-down channels – via a cascade approach as information filtered down through the organization. Now it means helping organisations deliver better performance; enabling employees to understand and play their role in the corporate strategy – that’s a key role for HR to play, […]

Living Leader Learnings: Longer hours for less pay – How can I motivate my team?

The challenge  The project team manager at a building refurbishment company asks:             “Motivating my team is really hard at the moment – their salaries have been frozen for the last two years and, because we have been unable to replace some staff members who left, everyone is working harder than ever. They all feel […]

Legal Insight: National Minumum Wage – How to avoid being named and shamed

The first employer was outed this month under a “naming and shaming” scheme designed to highlight breaches of the National Minimum Wage Act. Norman Lamb, who until the recent government reshuffle was minister for employment relations, named the afore-mentioned employer as Leicester-based Rita Patel.   Following an investigation by HM Revenue & Customs, Patel, who […]

News: Govt rush to offload public sector jobs leads to hike in tribunal claims

The coalition government’s rush to offload public sector jobs onto the private sector led to a 37% hike in TUPE-related employment tribunal claims last year, according to lawyers. Cases relating to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 have been the only form of employment dispute to increase significantly over the last two […]

News: TUC boss to receive six figure “golden goodbye”

Brendan Barber, current general secretary of the TUC, is expected to receive a six figure “golden goodbye” when he retires at the end of the year. According to the Daily Mail, he will be given the equivalent of a year’s salary, which amounts to more than £100,526 – around four times the average full-time UK […]

Blog: The future of HR – Statistics, analytics and marketing

“It is important for communities to educate our children for their future, not our past.” In a recent interview, Romain Dallemand, the superintendent of schools in Bibb County, Georgia,  talked about how he came into the job last year with a bag of changes he calls “The Macon Miracle.” One of the tools in that tool kit […]

Book Review: Workforce crisis – How to beat the coming shortage of skills and talent

The baby boomer generation are starting to retire and declining birth rates mean fewer young people are entering the workforce.  Unsurprisingly, therefore, exploring the implications of what this situation means for the economy and for workforce planning as well as understanding the different generational needs, is currently a hot topic.   In fact, it appears […]

Dealing with a double whammy: RTI and pension auto-enrolment

To describe pension auto-enrolment and Real-Time Information as hot topics in the payroll world would be something of an understatement. Over the next five years, HR and payroll departments will have to deal with two of the biggest changes to hit them in decades.   RTI, which goes live in April 2013, means that information […]

News: “Not realistic” to deploy troops as strike-breakers, say defence sources

Defence sources have dismissed reports that soldiers will be brought in to act as strike-breakers following a TUC vote to explore the practicalities of organising a general strike in protest at government spending cuts. In the past, members of the military have been brought in to provide cover when industrial action has taken place, the […]

News: Two whistleblowers find themselves vindicated

Two whistleblowers, one employed by the UK’s Care Quality Commission and the other a US former banker at UBS, both found themselves vindicated in their actions this week. Dame Jo Williams, who stepped down as chairman of the health regulator last week, was forced to apologise to a hearing of MPs for making public allegations […]

Talent Spot: Karen Gill, co-founder of everywoman

Karen Gill knows all about the hard work and knock-backs entailed in setting up a new business. Thirteen years ago, with the help of a friend, Maxine Benson, she established everywoman, a women’s membership organisation that aims to increase the number and status of females in business.   The organisation, which today has 40,000 members, […]

Blog: Recruitment – The growing trend of asking curveball questions

HR professionals are often swamped by candidates that look similar on paper, with similar work experience, education and qualifications. When faced with equally qualified candidates, it can be difficult to find a point of differentiation.   Obscure interview questions such as ‘how do you fit an elephant into a fridge?’ or ‘why are manhole covers […]