Ask the Expert: Who is responsible for providing personal protective equipment on site?
The question In the case of agency staff, can you advise who is responsible for the provision of basic non-task specific personal protective equipment such as hard hats, gloves, coveralls, eye protection, high vis vests, cold weather jackets etc? These workers normally arrive on site with their own kit initially. However, my query has […]
Blog: Workforce career development – Are we getting it right?
How people create opportunities for career development, and growth through learning has aways fascinated me. I’ve previously undertaken research into the subject which has yielded some worrying results. For example, at a major UK charity I worked with, over half (53%) of 800 respondents said they did not have a development plan outlining agreed training and […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 3 – Stick to your guns
Lord Sugar took us back to his (Levi) roots last night, to weave his sauce-ery at St Catherine’s docks and introduce the candidates to this week’s task: to create a new condiment – manufacture it, bottle it, brand it, sell it. Sounds simple enough. Not for this lot who managed to get themselves into a […]
Case Study: JT bases leadership development scheme on ideal boss profile
JT (formerly known as Jersey Telecom) has introduced a leadership development initiative centred on an aspirational profile of a senior manager in a bid to encourage proactive organisational change. The company undertook a rebranding exercise last year as part of a new five-year growth strategy intended to take it beyond its civil service background, beyond […]
Performance psychology: Developing the power of the mind
Performance psychology focuses on those factors that enable individuals, teams and groups to flourish and become the best that they can be. It is a long away from other branches of psychology that are often steeped in malady and dysfunction. Instead performance psychology combines business, sports and positive psychology, with the ultimate aim of […]
Experts welcome two-year freeze on skilled migrant cap
Experts have welcomed the coalition government’s decision to freeze the skilled migrant cap for two years, saying that the move will give employers more “certainty” and access to the specialist talent they require. Rather than reduce the current annual limit for the number of skilled non-EU workers allowed to enter the UK, the Home Office […]
How to spot a maverick (and channel their talents)
Ever wondered how to spot a maverick? Look for someone who uses their left rather than their right ear to listen at a closed door or at a colleague’s chest to hear their heartbeat. According to the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of New South Wales in Australia, the […]
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 […]