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 […]
Blog: Dealing with summer absences
Thoughts are now beginning to turn to summer holidays: for many employees a chance for much deserved and needed rest and recuperation. It would be easy to think the summer, with blue skies and warmer temperatures, might be an easier time for business. Yet unfortunately the figures show otherwise, and many organisations can expect […]
Legal Insight: The impact of the Bribery Act on Olympics hospitality
1 July 2012 marked the first anniversary of the introduction of the Bribery Act 2010. Less than a month later, one of the biggest sporting events ever to take place in the UK starts in London – the 2012 Olympic Games. Inevitably, it will be London 2012 that receives the most attention but, given […]
News: NHS whistleblower subject to “super gag”
The former head of an NHS Trust has been paid more than £500,000 as part of a “super gag” severance deal that prevents him from discussing patient safety issues. The official reason that Gary Walker was sacked from his £140,000 a year post as chief executive of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust in February 2010 […]
News: London bus workers set two pre-Olympic strike dates
Demonstrations staged by London bus drivers disrupted services during rush hour this morning as they geared up for two further days of action in the run up to this summer’s Olympics. At least 40 routes were affected due to action at bus garages in Edgware, Westbourne Park, Willesden, Brixton, Garston and Alperton. Drivers at […]
Blog: Making the abstract real – Living workplace values
Recognise This! – Your company values do you no good unless employees know how to live them in their daily work. I think it’s a fairly safe bet to say most companies today have defined set of core values – behaviors and ideals the executive team has invested a good deal of time and effort […]
Blog: Recruitment – What jobseekers really want
We recognise that there is a war on talent, which is making it difficult for employers to find candidates with desired skill sets. With this in mind, when you’ve found the ideal person for the role, you don’t want to lose out because they decline the position, so it’s vital that applicants have a positive […]
Christina’s Counsel: Help! My boss is creating a long hours culture
The challenge Recently appointed in a relatively new company as its first HR manager, my client has a dilemma. She described with some dismay her fear that the managing director was starting to instil a long hours’ culture in the organisation. No explicit statement existed in this regard, but some behavioural trends, which seemed […]
The HRZone Interview: The CMI’s CEO Ann Francke on management
Ann Francke only started her new job as chief executive at the Chartered Management Institute on 12 June, but she is already on a mission. As you’d expect, she not only wants to encourage more managers to gain professional qualifications, but she also wants them – and their employers – to recognise the power of […]
News: HR salaries rise at nearly twice the national average
The salaries of HR professionals grew at nearly twice the national average last year, with HR business partners seeing the heftiest increases due to high demand. Recruitment consultancy Robert Walters’ 2012 Salary Survey revealed that the salaries of permanent UK HR staff grew by an average of 2.6% year-on-year compared with only 1.5% in other […]
News: Northumbrian Water wins award for health and well-being initiative
Northumbrian Water has won a prestigious accolade after introducing an holistic wellbeing initiative that helped to cut its sickness absence rates by 3.1% between 2010 and 2011. The provider of water and sewage services to customers in the North East of England received charity Business in the Community’s Workwell Award last night after seeing absence […]
Blog: 6 tips to ensure project success
I remember attending SHRM a few years back, and I met a gentleman who was diligently taking notes in each session. He had sheaf of paper and was taking so many notes you would have thought that he was a stenographer. I just had to wait for the right moment before I casually introduced […]
Blog: Why a balanced boardroom is a better boardroom
So, it’s a proven fact that having women in the boardroom improves business performance. Now, before you write me off as a radical feminist with a chip on her shoulder pad – hear me out. Drawing upon a database of 441 companies, the McKinsey Women Matter 2010 report found that “companies with the highest share of women outperform companies […]
Is leadership development really the answer to your problems?
The idea that there is a key requirement for ‘better leadership’ as the ‘answer’ to most, if not all, business and organisational problems remains prevalent. Numerous surveys by management consultancies reinforce the notion that there is a leadership talent ‘gap’ and, by extension, a need for more and better leadership development activity. This idea […]
News: Union welcomes Fujitsu’s move to tackle low pay
Unite has welcomed steps taken by Fujitsu towards tackling low pay after the IT services giant pledged to boost its UK-wide minimum wage to £14,000 per annum for all of its staff. As part of an agreement reached with the union in 2010, Fujitsu had already set a £12,000 company-wide minimum wage, but committed to review […]
News: Employers in jobless blackspots to get ‘speeded up’ youth subsidies
Employers in 20 areas of high unemployment across the UK are to be given wage subsidies in order to encourage them to hire 18-to-24 year olds who have been out-of-work for six months. The initiative is part of the government’s £1 billion Youth Contract announced in November in a bid to tackle record levels of […]
Are you being paid what you’re worth?
Most people have a reasonable feel for what they should be paid, though for some it’s not the most important thing keeping them in their role. For many others, however, falling disposable incomes make salary a question of increasing significance. In most organisations, prospects for pay rises look bleak and even if you’re lucky […]
In a Nutshell: Five considerations when creating a welcome pack for new hires
When lastminute.com moved its group headquarters to a swanky new Farringdon office in April, it seemed like a good chance to revamp its welcome pack for new joiners. As a result, it turned to us, the same language consultancy that had worked on the ‘tone of voice’ of its marketing collateral a few years before, […]
News: Junior IT technician blamed for RBS debacle
A junior IT technician who was hired after RBS laid off more than 20,000 UK staff and outsourced their work to India was to blame for the bank’s massive computer failure last week, it is being claimed. According to a source at tech website, The Register, the “inexperienced operative” who is understood to be part […]
Blog: An anti-engagement manifesto
A few weeks ago, in my Alien Abduction blog, I promised a bit more on the topic of employee engagement. So here is the employee anti-engagement guide…It is a pretty well-established fact that when it comes to keeping people enthusiastic, money is surprisingly far down the list of effective motivators! Fat salaries and bonuses […]