News: Tesco faces £200k fine for illegal working by foreign students
Tesco faces a fine of up to £200,000 after immigration officials found foreign students to be working illegally at one of its warehouses. According to the Daily Telegraph, UK Border Agency officials arrested 20 students of nearly a dozen nationalities at the site in Croydon, South London last month for alleged breaches of their visa […]
Blog: Communication is the essence of good leadership
All eyes turned towards the manager as she gave her opinion of a strategy that was being discussed. This was part of the strategic meeting with the leadership team, with the C-Level executive sitting at the head of the table. As she walked through her reasoning, everyone was nodding their head in agreement. She […]
Blog: Four arguments for why staff engagement is impossible
Recognise This! – You can’t change someone; you can’t engage someone. You can create environments of trust, appreciation and purpose in which people want to engage, grow and develop. What’s the number one most helpful (or most heard) relationship advice? I reckon it’s to remind people, “You can’t change the other person.” And this […]
How to tackle your first 100 days as HR director – Part 2
These days, an HR director’s achievements in their first 100 days of taking on a new position are routinely seen as an indication of their future leadership potential. This means that swift delivery on goals and an immediate return on investment are considered more essential than ever. So how can you ensure that you […]
How to get ahead in HR
HR professionals have been put in the spotlight over the last two years as the function became even more critical during the downturn. Most are now working to execute strategies and make changes across various business functions to come up with innovative solutions to offset business cost pressures. Throughout the economic crisis, many HR […]
News: British workers “among the worst idlers in the world”, claim Tory MPs
The UK’s “poor productivity” is down to the fact that British workers are “among the worst idlers in the world”, a group of Tory MPs has claimed. The five MPs, who are joint authors of a book that is out next month entitled ‘Britannia Unchained’, attest that the country “rewards laziness”, bails out the reckless […]
News: Govt evaluates creation of German-style “mini jobs”
The creation of German-style “mini jobs”, which enable workers to earn up to E400 per month tax-free, is being explored by the Treasury in a bid to reduce long-term employment. But according to one German think-tank, the flexible contract system, which was introduced 10 years ago, should be treated with scepticism as it has only […]
Book Review: Human resources or human capital? Managing people as assets
‘Human Resources or Human Capital?’ is a comprehensive introduction to HR but, for the more seasoned professional, also provides a thorough and practical analysis of the contribution of HR to the business. The purpose of the book is to help HR pros and line managers alike boost their ability to manage ‘human capital’, which author, […]
Blog: Learning to manage sickness absence more creatively
Newly published figures by the Health and Social Care Information Centre have revealed that NHS workers took an average of 15 days of sickness absence over the last year – an improvement on figures from three years ago. Sceptics have been quick to note that the level of sickness absence in the NHS is considerably […]
Legal Insight: How do you control social media usage in a BYOD world?
Media reports and a growing number of employment tribunal cases have revealed just how naive but also cruel and sometimes defamatory people can be when it comes to communicating online. But if social networking does get out of hand, it can generate potential problems and liabilities for employers. Social media buffs can use the […]
News: FTSE CEO pay rises ‘cool off’, but wage inequality continues to heat up
Although pay rises for FTSE 100 chief executives may be “cooling off”, wage inequalities between high and middle and low earners still appear to be heating up. According to research from the Incomes Data Service, earnings growth among the UK’s top bosses slowed over the last year to a median of 8.5% lower than it […]
Case Study: Welcome Break revamps workforce management to make big savings
Welcome Break Group is revamping the way that it manages its workforce in a bid to optimise performance and generate annual six figure savings. The aim of the motorway service station and hotel operator is to ensure that its 4,300 employees are aligned with corporate goals at every level of the organisation. A further […]
Blog: Workers crave recognition but don’t get enough – survey
Recognise This! – Employees everywhere need and want recognition for work well done. For a couple of years now, Globoforce (my company) has been running semi-annual Workforce Mood Tracker™ surveys, testing the opinions and moods of fully employed US workers. (I’ve featured the results of those studies in past posts here and here.) Now […]
Living Leader Learnings: How do I get my team to take me seriously?
The challenge The manager of a production team at an animal feed manufacturer asks: “Six months ago, I was promoted to a management position within my team, replacing the manager who was also promoted to the level above. Soon after I took up my new position, I noticed that team members were still going […]
Ask the Expert: What do we do about a new hire who hasn’t told us about her disability?
The question We have recently offered a job to someone who gladly accepted it and the contract has now been issued and signed. But just before her start date, she indicated that she has a disability that has an effect both on her health and her ability to carry out the role. We […]
News: Holiday season stress levels rocket for colleagues stuck at work
While some may be off relaxing in sunnier climes, it appears that the rest of us are having to pick up the slack – and are likely to need a holiday of our own when they get back to de-stress. According to a survey among 200 UK-based HR directors conducted by recruitment agency OfficeTeam, a […]
News: Strikes to become “increasingly routine” over year ahead
Although industrial action at the end of last year represented an “acute high water mark”, strikes are becoming “increasingly routine”, which means that employers must implement robust contingency plans, a legal expert has warned. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, almost 1.4 million days were lost to labour disputes last year, four […]
Blog: Me and my Blackberry are on holiday….
One of the things we often hear from our HR alumni and network is that, however much they’d love to change the way they and their teams or functions ‘do’ HR, they simply don’t have time. The daily dilemma: you may have found a new way to help their clients solve their business problems, but […]
Ernst & Young uses strengths-based assessment for graduate recruitment
Research from HM Treasury published prior to the release of this year’s A-level results has shown that a record number of young people are seeking alternatives to university and are turning instead to apprenticeships or on-the-job training schemes. But with more job candidates on the market than ever before, the importance for HR directors to […]
In a Nutshell: Five ways to run a successful apprenticeship programme
The world of higher and further education is changing. Graduate unemployment rates are up and recent reports reveal that applications to English universities are down by 8.8% compared with 2010. As a result, young people are looking for alternative ways to enter into a career and, after opening their A-level results today, more than […]