Blog: How to hold on to good employees – Part 2
In my last HRZone blog entry I set out the five main reasons why employees leave their companies. Today I’m going to describe some corresponding employee retention strategies: 1. Create and maintain a working environment that attracts, retains and nourishes good people The issues you need to attend to include developing a corporate […]
Blog: Will pensions auto-enrolment hit the spot?
With pension auto enrolment due to come into effect towards the end of this year, businesses need to start planning now if they want to get themselves in order ahead of the big switch. If planned correctly the impact on resources for your business required to put the workplace pension scheme into place can be […]
The value of flexible benefits
Recent figures have shown a considerable rise in the take-up of flexible benefits packages lately. In part, this situation can be attributed to factors such as the difficult economic climate and changing employee demographics. Add to these issues the HR community’s growing interest in the subject and it is likely that we will see flexible […]
Ask the Expert: Can a sacked employee with less than a year’s service claim discrimination?
The question If an employee with less than one year’s service (six months) is instantly dismissed for breaching company policy, is there any legal obligation to hear their side of the story? Other members of staff have been breaching the same rule (use of company vehicles), but have not yet been disciplined – they […]
News: Male air steward loses BA lawsuit over colleague calling him ‘darling’
A male air steward who sued British Airways because a female colleague called him “darling” has had his case dismissed by an employment tribunal. Rothstein Williams, who is 42 years old and a Seventh Day Adventist, sued the airline for discrimination on religious grounds. According to the Daily Telegraph, during a pre-hearing review of […]
News: Social networking site unveiled to connect volunteers with charities
A dedicated third sector social network to connect volunteers to charities, each other and local projects has just been unveiled. Ivo is a follow-on to an 18-month pilot project entitled i-volunteer, which was set up to more effectively connect “people and organisations who want to change their world”. The site’s founder and chief executive, […]
News: Kate Bleasdale v Healthcare Locums case turns dirty
The former chairman of Healthcare Locums, Alan Walker, has denied “sexual impropriety” with dismissed chief executive Kate Bleasdale amid allegations of accounting irregularities at the company. Bleasdale, who is representing herself at the London employment tribunal, is suing Walker – and HCL’s board members – for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal. The medical staffing […]
Film Review: Headhunters
The plot The recently released film ‘Headhunters’ is a fast-moving thriller adapted from a novel by Jo Nesbo, the Norwegian crime writer who is giving Swedish author, Stieg Larsson, a run for his money. Headhunters is narrated by the suave, secretive and vertically-challenged business executive, Roger Brown, whose physical shortcomings have driven him to […]
Analysis: Oracle – Why we bought Taleo
The cloud human capital management application wars are set to be one of the prevailing technology topics of 2012 and beyond. SAP’s acquisition of SuccessFactors, Oracle’s purchase of talent management and recruitment firm Taleo, which completed last month, and Workday’s forthcoming stock market flotation all bear testimony to the importance of the HR marketplace to […]
Blog: How to make your verbal communications sticky
How do we make new communication sticky? The answer is well known but not particularly well implemented. The answer is consistent practice. I work in the field of communication – verbal communication. Public speaking and presentation skills courses are highly effective but most attendees find it hard to follow up regularly. This means […]
Blog: Employee engagement taskforce – Impressions from the one-year-on conference
Warning! Long blog post alert, do yourself a favour and grab a cuppa first. Background As regular readers will know I’ve had an interest and involvement with the EE Taskforce since I (and of course many others) contributed to the original Engaging for Success report. This report got kicked into the long grass partly […]
Flexible benefits revealed: CIPP report
More than seven out of ten employees are offered salary sacrifice schemes by their employers, with the most popular options being either pension contributions or childcare vouchers. These are the key findings of a Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals survey conducted among 213 people during December and early January to establish what type of flexible benefits […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 6 – Lead rather than manage
I had a vested interest Lord Sugar’s band of merry men and women; being a Scot I was intrigued to see what they would muster up to force upon our discerning people. Before the candidates even set foot on the Caledonian Sleeper to Bonny Scotland, Lord Sugar dropped in on our stilettoed and brogued clad […]
Case Study: Baker & McKenzie attempts to optimise leaders’ performance with 360 degree feedback
International law firm Baker & McKenzie has embedded 360 degree feedback processes into its people strategy in a bid to enable staff “to be the best they can be”. The company provides legal services to multinational companies and financial institutions. It employs more than 3,750 lawyers in 70 countries around the world, including more than […]
Legal Insight: Health matters part 2 – Dealing with ‘problem absences’
In the first instalment of this three-part guide to managing sickness absence, we considered both the importance of developing a good policy and how to manage sickness absence on a day-to-day basis. And in this second article, it will become all too clear exactly how important these initial stages are when you are presented with […]
Blog: Are your rewards schemes being misused financially?
Recognise This! – Lack of complete and total understanding of your recognition & reward activities globally opens your organisation to financial risk. If you don’t know what is going on in your organisation in terms of recognition and reward, you open your organisation to great risk. Case in point, news out of the US about […]
In a Nutshell: Six steps to becoming a goal-driven organisation
If you really want to ensure that your business performs, ensure that individual and corporate goals are managed effectively. Becoming a goal-driven organisation doesn’t have to be onerous. Start with these six simple steps: Establish clear goals for everyone: That means from the chief executive to the most junior person in your organisation. These goals […]
News: Employers can force retirement in ‘public interest’, rules Supreme Court
Employers are within their rights to force employees to retire if they can prove that there is a public interest reason in doing so, according to a landmark legal ruling. The UK’s Supreme Court unanimously dismissed an appeal today by solicitor, Leslie Seldon, who was told to retire by Clarkson Wright & Jakes just after […]
News: Employers cling to ineffective training methods – study
Too many employers are clinging on to traditional training methods despite having reservations about how effective they are, a survey has found. The poll was undertaken by Software-as-a-Service-based learning and talent management software supplier, Cornerstone OnDemand, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, which published the findings today to coincide with the start of […]
Blog: Making your employee benefits count – and not just the financial ones
Make your employee benefits count! I am not talking here about financial benefits. If you are a great employer you know the market levels of financial reward and presumably you are paying a fair salary in return for the work of your employees. Pensions are another financial reward which I know is subject to […]