Most employers believe fit notes don’t work, studies reveal
The majority of employers do not believe that fit notes work effectively in cutting sickness absence rates, two studies have revealed. An online poll undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professonials discovered that a huge nine out of ten employers felt that ‘The Statement of Fitness for Work’, which replaced the old ‘sick note’ […]
Blog: Growing your brain with the help of a ‘little online learning video’
After a few weeks prep, and a lot of fun we have launched the Little Online Learning Video (LOL_V) project, which is based on the premise that you really can grow your brain. The concept is simple and something that everyone can get involved in. LOL_v 🙂 is a library of innovative, challenging, […]
Blog: What will increasing the unfair dismissal qualifying period mean in reality?
On 6 April 2012 the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims rises from one to two years. The change will only affect new employees whose employment starts on or after April 6 2012. Those employees already in employment will retain the current qualifying period of one year. The change will not affect automatic unfair […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Doug Shaw
Doug Shaw has his nine-year-old daughter to thank for coming up with the most appropriate description of his job: “I make work better,” he says. The clue to how he performs this feat is in the name of his consultancy – ‘What Goes Around’. Treat staff well and they will treat their employer and its […]
In a Nutshell: Five legal tips for easing Diamond Jubilee holiday headaches
Marks & Spencer, Edinburgh Woollen Mills and Dorchester NHS Trust have been named and shamed for refusing to give staff paid leave on both days of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend at the start of June. The TUC criticised all three organisations for requiring personnel to work on Tuesday 5 June, the final day of […]
International HR Academy to act as knowledge-sharing forum for HRDs
A UK and US university have got together to set up an HR Academy in order to share cutting-edge research, knowledge and ideas on global HR management issues with HR leaders. The International Human Resources Management Academy was established by King’s College London’s Management Learning Board and Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labour Relations […]
Blog: How one company coped with tragic loss
Recognise This! – Your values and your culture can sustain you through horrific loss. What would you do if you were tapped to be the CEO of an organisation that had just lost every single member of the top two tiers of leadership in a plane crash? Culture can carry your organisation through great […]
Book review: Managing coaching at work by Jackie Keddy & Clive Johnson
The essence of this book is about how to plan and prepare for implementing a coaching initiative. It explores how to embed coaching throughout the organisation by monitoring and coordinating various processes such as coach selection and how to evaluate, promote and extend the scheme’s reach. The work’s main contribution to the field of […]
Blog: What to do if your staff win the lottery
As recent events at a certain bus company have shown, it’s sometimes the case that when employees are winners, it’s their employer that loses – usually losing a bunch of staff! With so many staff syndicates playing the lottery, how can employers mitigate the risks of big-time winners all downing tools (or stopping their buses) […]
Seven ways for HRDs to boost their influence at the top table
The easiest way for HR directors to make a big impact at the top table is to have big responsibilities – ideally, bigger than most of the people you work alongside. This means taking on the type of role that grabs the limelight and, to a large extent, the organisation relies upon. Functions such […]
Line manager training is key to flexible working success, advises O2
Although four weeks of “intense preparation” were the key to ensuring that O2’s flexible working pilot went off without a major hitch, providing training for line managers dealing with remote teams is now considered a priority. These are the main findings of a trial undertaken by the mobile phone operator in February. O2 asked […]
Employers offered hiring incentives under £1bn ‘Youth Contract’ scheme
Employers are to be given financial incentives for taking on young people and/or providing them with work experience or apprenticeship places as part of the coalition government’s £1 billion Youth Contract scheme. The aim of the initiative, which is being led by deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, is to help 18 to 24-year olds either […]
Blog: Three tips for enhancing your online job pages
With a background in web design, I’ve heard it all. "Make my site pop!" "I want this page to really grab people’s attention." "Can you make the logo smaller?" "I want one of those rotating .gifs, and it’ll ideally be on fire" (mostly joking about that one). Anyone with a background in any sort of […]
Blog: Crappy performance management rule 1 – Don’t tell anyone about the vision
Over my next three blogs I am going to discuss three rules that you need to implement if you are looking for a ‘chocolate teapot’ of a performance management system. Here is the first: Crappy Performance Management Rule 1: Don’t tell anyone about the vision. It’s a rule well rehearsed in many organisations, […]
Five characteristics of an effective leader in times of crisis
The Bradford Bulls rugby league club is an organisation in crisis. Mounting financial pressure has painted its leadership into a corner, forcing it to make a desperate request to loyal supporters to put their hands into their pockets and dig deep to help fill a £1 million black hole. And the pressure is on because, […]
UK faces spring of discontent
The UK is facing a spring of discontent, with baggage handlers at Stansted airport voting to strike, doctors balloting for action in May and the police planning a protest that month too. Holidaymakers travelling through Stansted over the Easter weekend face disruption after 150 members of the GMB union voted to take industrial action over […]
HP gives contractors a 5% pay cut ultimatum
High tech giant HP is reportedly offering IT contractors at its Enterprise Security Services division a stark choice in pay terms: either take a 5% rate cut next month or lose your post. That 5% is a minimum, by the way – it could be bigger in some cases. (One slice of the workforce, the ones […]
British Safety Council to unveil first workplace health manifesto in April
The British Safety Council plans to unveil its first manifesto for workplace health and safety next month to coincide with the launch of a broader European-wide awareness-raising campaign. The Council will launch its ‘Working Well’ proposals at the House of Commons on Monday 23 April, which will focus on how to reduce risk, increase leadership […]
Agency Worker Regs lead to creation of new staff payment models
Contrary to expectations, the introduction of the Agency Worker Regulations has not had a negative impact on demand for temps, although it has given rise to new payment models in the industrial and driving sectors. These are the key findings of research undertaken by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation to commemorate the six month anniversary […]
Blog: The high cost of presenteeism
UK employers lost £36 billion last year due to employee absence. Sounds a lot? Not if we look at the other side of the coin. The cost of lower than normal productivity caused by employees showing up for work when they are not feeling 100% could be up to three times higher than absenteeism’s […]
