Legal Insight: Playing the Games within the letter of the law
With only a few months to go to the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and amid widespread predictions that London could come to a complete standstill, employers need to start planning now to ensure that they can cope with the many issues that will undoubtedly arise. Transport Inevitably, the Games will cause […]
Blog: How to boost employee engagement
Recognise This! – Recognition, reputation, and performance management are among the top opportunities for improving engagement as identified by Aon Hewitt. Aon Hewitt recently released their 2012 Trends in Global Engagement. Several findings were unsurprising, but worthy of highlighting as many organisations still struggle with getting these basic factors of engagement success right. First, it’s […]
Blog: Five ways to make your office a comfortable place to work
What makes an office a great place to work? This article reveals the secrets behind great office design and what you need to consider to retain and attract new talent to your workplace. Business owners and HR Managers all have a vision for their company, and part of this vision should include creating the right working environment. […]
In a Nutshell: Five tips for being an effective manager
As chief executive of the Institute of Leadership & Management, Charles Elvin is responsible for setting the UK’s largest management body’s agenda and striving to improve skills through a focus on qualifications. But he is also a fan of the management style of former Tesco chief executive, Terry Leahy. When asked how that style […]
News: Managers and staff differ over value of social media in the workplace
Although 41% of executives believe that social networking helps to build a positive workplace culture and makes them more accessible to the workforce, only 21% of employees have the same view, according to research. The survey of more than 1,300 employees and executives conducted by Deloitte and Harris Interactive revealed that business leaders and staff also differ on whether social media […]
Film Review: Water for Elephants
The plot “Water for Elephants” is a 2011 US romantic drama directed by Francis Lawrence. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese was based on the historical novel of the same name by Sara Gruen. The plot revolves around Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), a student of veterinary science at Cornell University. He is on the […]
Case Study: Medtronic introduces global well-being scheme to cut absenteeism
Medtronic introduced a global well-being programme last year in a bid to help its employees deal with damaging health issues ranging from obesity and stress to smoking. As a manufacturer of pacemakers, defibrillators and other medical equipment, the vendor knows the value of good health and has long been committed to improving the wellbeing of […]
Talent Spot: Gill Crowther, HR director at Nominet
By the time Gill Crowther, director of HR at Nominet, had finished university, she already knew that she wanted to work in HR. She had studied engineering, but the fact that she seemed to be very good at getting people to help her with her studies gave her a “moment of revelation” that management […]
Video Interview: Beecroft talks to the TUC – Should it be easier to sack staff?
Venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft has caused controversy with his proposals to make it easier for bosses to fire underperforming employees. In this video debate from The Telegraph, Beecroft debates the issues with Trades Union Congress boss, Brendan Barber.
News: Legal costs see most employers settle tribunal cases out-of-court
The majority of employers settle tribunal cases out-of-court despite good odds of making a successful defence because it is cheaper to give in early rather than fight and win, according to a legal expert. Dan Peyton, an employment law partner at McGuireWoods, said that the latest figures for the first quarter of this year […]
News: Government attempts to inspire UK’s future workforce
The government has launched a scheme to encourage employees to go into state schools on a volunteer basis and talk about their careers in order to inspire the next generation. The Inspiring the Future initiative was unveiled by the deputy prime minister and such famous faces as entrepreneur Karren Brady, actress Joanna Lumley, radio presenter Margherita Taylor […]
Blog: Does gender equality stretch to pensions?
In the clean and well-rewarded land of management it’s easy to believe that the situation for women at work isn’t really too bad these days and to overlook what’s actually going on at the employment coalface – particularly in respect of older working women. While we managers, diversity specialists and HR professionals focus our attention […]
Blog: The Olympics – Learning lessons in flexible working
RBS has announced that its staff will be able to work flexibly during the Olympics. This news echoes that of Whitehall who also recently announced staff would be permitted to work from home for the 7 week period covering the Olympics and Paralympics. Whilst the intentions of both these organisations is to help employees […]
Book review: Engaged: Unleashing your organization’s potential through employee engagement
It is no secret that widely differing, and sometimes conflicting, views exist on exactly what employee engagement looks like and how it is achieved. It has been referred to as just plain old job satisfaction dressed up in 21st century language. It has been likened to an updated version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs […]
How business savvy are you – really?
Let’s face it, the phrase ‘HR needs to be commercial’ is nothing new. Yet it’s a theme that keeps recurring. Time and again we hear the argument that HR is not business focused enough and more HR directors need to be on the board. Ellie Rich, operations director at Michael Page Human Resources, comments: […]
HRD Insight: Fujitsu UK’s Ella Bennett on HR’s role in supporting change
The rate of change that organisations face appears to be increasing on a daily basis. At the end of 2011, Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, pronounced: “Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone next month?” And just to confirm the situation, Harvard Business School professor, John Kotter also wrote: […]
News: Police set to shed 32,400 jobs by 2015
A huge 32,400 police officers and civilian staff in England and Wales are to lose their jobs by 2015 due to spending cuts of 20%, according to a study. The survey conducted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary revealed that some 17,600 jobs have already gone since March 2010 in a bid to save £749 […]
News: One million UK workers drugged up at work
Nearly one million UK employees have illegal drugs in their system at any given point in time, with the number testing positive having jumped by a huge 43% over the last five years. According to a report entitled ‘High Society: Drug Prevalence in the UK workplace’, which is based on the results of drug tests […]
Ask the Expert: Can changes to employment terms be imposed without discussion?
The question My husband works for the NHS and has been told that, as from the middle of next month, he has to work one evening a week on top of his daytime duties (he is being paid for the extra hours). Apart from the fact that this situation is creating all sorts of […]
Blog: Why it makes sense to upgrade your HR system
There are many good reasons to work in Human Resources. Perhaps you like helping people grow their careers, or it gives you a thrill to capture the latest talent for your firm. But the one thing you probably didn’t put in your “must have” dream job description was wading through a pile of administrative […]