Ask the Expert: Can employers simply take food allowances away?
The challenge A friend is a residential carer at an organisation that looks after multiple residents with learning difficulties. The job is shift-based and includes sleepovers. Historically, the company has included a food allowance for resident carers (it covers shopping for sustenance while onsite). Due to the nature of service users, carers prepare food […]
News: Whitehall must work “smarter” to deliver services post-jobs cull
In order to prevent civil service staff numbers creeping up again despite heavy job cuts, it will be crucial to revamp business processes and enable people to work “smarter”. This is one of the key findings of a report entitled ‘Managing early departures in Central Government’ published by the Commons Public Accounts Committee. The […]
News: September will be UK’s key holiday month this year
Even though August has traditionally been considered the UK’s key month for taking summer holidays, deserted workplaces will be more common in September this year, according to research. A survey conducted among 153 employees by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professional revealed that just under a quarter would be taking their vacation next month compared […]
Blog: The art of mobile motivation
Gone are the days when managers wanting to motivate their staff simply had to call a team meeting in the office anytime and everyone would be there. As a result of remote working and flexible hours it is very rare for most of the team to be in one building at the same time, certainly […]
Christina’s Counsel: Seven ways to ensure credible performance management
Hello and welcome to this month’s dilemma: The challenge A reader contacted me to talk about the impact of introducing a performance management system into her company a year ago. The process is not linked directly to reward at this point in time, although there are plans to do so in future. As […]
Legal Insight: How to prevent grievances from becoming constructive dismissal claims
In the recent case of Assamoi v Spirit Pub Company (Services) Ltd, it became clear that resolving an employee’s grievance quickly in their favour could prevent a manager’s conduct from escalating into a fundamental breach of contract – and ending up in defeat in a constructive dismissal claim. It also reminded employers that once they […]
EU proposals: Tightening up Ts&Cs for temporarily posted workers
A recent government consultation on the potential impact of a decision by the European Union to enforce its Posting of Workers Directive has just closed, but the responses should help the UK to formulate its negotiating position. So what does it all mean and why is the move significant for employers? A worker is classed […]
News: Half of HR departments will be restructured in next few years
Nearly half of all organisations intend to restructure their HR departments over the next few years in a bid to cater more effectively to the changing needs of the business. According to professional services firm Tower Watson’s HR service delivery survey conducted among HR and HR/IT executives working at 628 organisations across the world, just […]
Blog: Organisational values – Actions speak louder than words
“For us this lawsuit has always been about something much more important than patents or money. It’s about values. We value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on Earth. And we do this to delight our customers, not for competitors to flagrantly copy.” This was part of the missive […]
News: It’s official – Oracle will discount heavily to win contracts
Earlier this year, Oracle executives were doubtless among those who chortled as the Software-as-a-Service battle plans of Lars Dalgaard, SAP‘s head of cloud and former chief executive of its SuccessFactors acquisition, were laid bare in a leaked internal document. But the boot is now on the other foot as Oracle’s sales strategy for its human […]
In a Nutshell: Four ways to ensure that HR serves the business better
The closer HR is to the business, the better it can serve the business, believes Karl Jolly, director of people at Welcome Break Group. He certainly considers himself to be an ‘ops’ man through and through rather than being one step removed from business. As a result, Jolly offers us advice based on his […]
Do you do a Basil Fawlty when talking to foreign partners?
The lack of importance placed on developing language and business communication skills by UK employers is startling. In order to mark our centenary this year (we’re having a party to celebrate this weekend at The Orangery at Kensington Palace), we commissioned some market research among UK HR directors and discovered something that we had […]
News: Holt Review calls for overhaul of SME apprenticeship system
Less than 10% of UK small-to-medium enterprises ever take on apprentices because existing programmes are “misunderstood and inaccessible”, according to a government report. The review into how to make apprenticeships simpler and easier for SMEs to get involved with, which was undertaken by jewellery entrepreneur Jason Holt, found that the entire system needed overhauling. […]
News: UK staff spend 24 mins bonding daily over a cup of tea
UK employees spend an average of 24 minutes each working day bonding with colleagues by either fetching or sharing a cup of tea with them – and drinking a total of about 46 million mugs of the stuff. According to a survey among 5,000 UK workers conducted by Travelodge, the great British tea break is […]
Blog: Never underestimate the value of the great British tea break
Free tea and coffee facilities for employees cost businesses around £276 per year, per employee. If you have a large workforce that cost could soon add up, but hold fire before you commence a cull of this pretty basic benefit as it could end up costing you more money in the long term. Psychologists […]
Blog: How to build rapport during a job interview
Building rapport during a job interview. It’s not always the brightest and the best who get the job. Often it’s the person who interviews well. The bond you establish with an interviewer is a very important factor in doing well at interview. From their point of view, when they meet you they’re considering working […]
Infographic: How much time do you waste at work?
Click on the image to view it at full size.
Talent Spot: Carole Jones, acting group HR director at Aviva
Carole Jones, acting group HR director at Aviva, is very grateful that Commercial Union took a chance 22 years ago and gave her a job, even though she had little relevant experience. She has since stuck with the company through a number of mergers and name changes and, when the post of acting group HR […]
News: Marketing agency installs employee ‘mood monitor’
A nascent trend towards using everyday technology to capture employee views has been taken a step further by one marketing agency after it installed a ‘mood monitor’ to understand how its workers are feeling. WAA, which was ranked number 81 in the Sunday Times’ 100 Best Small Companies to Work For listing this year, introduced […]
News: Employers risk prosecution over lack of disabled evacuation plans
As the UK gears up for the Paralympic Games this week, it emerged that around a third of all employers are breaking the law by failing to prepare adequately for workplace evacuations among disabled workers. According to a survey of 102 HR directors and managers conducted by emergency evacuation chair manufacturer Evac+Chair International, some 35% […]
