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% […]
Blog: Back to basics – Getting to the essence of HR
Time and again we hear “if only HR could get the basics right?”. Everyone nods sagely and HR takes one on the chin! But what if we think differently about what the basics should be. There is the simple basic of “pay people correctly, on time”. Hear Hear! But is this really HR’s accountability? […]
Blog: What value do you bring to the table?
“Can we speak later? I have a big interview next week and I have some thoughts that I want to run by you. My response was that I would be more than glad to hear what is on her mind. When we spoke later that afternoon, she told me about the value that she […]
Analysis: IBM buys Kenexa to create ‘Smarter Workforce’
SuccessFactors, Rypple, Taleo, and now Kenexa. IBM has taken a leaf out of the respective books of SAP, Salesforce.com and Oracle to mount a takeover bid in the cloud human capital management applications space, by making a $1.3 billion punt for Kenexa. The acquisition target’s HR software is intended to help companies recruit and manage […]
Infographic: The impact of a misaligned HR and management team
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Diary of a misfit: Becoming a wildcard
On my own personal change curve, I appear to have progressed from misunderstood misfit to shortlist wildcard in just under a month. Result, right? So, I am in my second month of job hunting and the transformation has come about largely as a result of a new and improved CV, thanks to a panel of […]
Making a difference by mentoring
Ever thought about mentoring? According to Andy Coxall, curriculum director for Common Purpose, mentoring gives you ‘soul food’. Here, Andy speaks to Natalie Cooper about his year-long mentoring placement with Chance UK, a charity that works with 5-11 year old children who have behavioural problems. Andy offered to spend a year mentoring an eight year […]