TV Review: The Apprentice Week 1 – Honesty is the best policy
Blimey time flies. The rutting season for wannabe entrepreneurs is upon us and once again. The Apprentice has dished up a smorgasbord of egos, preposterous suits and girls who all weirdly look alike. Anyone who read my posts last time will know I do not admire Lord Sugar’ management style. He is a leadership […]
Employee wellness programmes: Proving their worth and paying their way
It’s a known fact that happy and engaged employees are more likely to be productive and loyal. Valuable assets to their employer, they can also help to generate a positive environment for their colleagues, time and resource savings for the HR team and positive financial savings for their employer. Several strategies exist to try […]
Budget 2012: Fears over lack of prep time for Olympics Sunday working plans
With the Olympic and Paralympic Games only just over three months away, plans to suspend Sunday trading laws over the eight weekends of the events have sparked concern over the lack of time that employers have to prepare. In his Budget today, Chancellor George Osborne proposed emergency legislation to enable large shops in England and […]
Budget 2012: Local pay deals ‘could expose public sector to discrimination claims’
The public sector will need to tread carefully when negotiating local pay deals or risk opening itself up to discrimination claims, a law firm has warned. As expected, the Chancellor announced in his Budget speech today that he was looking to see whether he could “make public sector pay more responsive to local pay rates”. […]
Budget 2012: Income tax changes branded ‘Robin Hood lite’ at best
Although the Chancellor may have redrawn taxation boundaries, his Budget has done nothing to improve the outlook for growth and jobs, according to an influential HR body. Dubbed by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, as a ‘Robin Hood Budget”, John Philpott, chief economic adviser at Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development was sceptical, however. […]
Budget 2012: Pensioners are today’s “biggest losers”, claims industry body
Pensioners are the “biggest losers” in today’s Budget, an industry body has claimed. Although the National Association of Pension Funds welcomed the Chancellor’s proposals to introduce a single tier state benefit for future pensioners to replace the Basic and second State Pension, it warned that existing claimants stand to lose more than £2 billion in […]
Budget 2012: Five industries singled out for special treatment
The Chancellor picked out the aerospace, energy and pharmaceuticals, creative media and science industries as being crucial in helping the UK reduce its reliance on the financial services sector. George Osborne said in his Budget speech today that he would be “backing” the five industries as part of a “deliberate strategy to create a more […]
Blog: Eight tips to support staff through difficult organisational change
It's not the organisational change – its how you do it! I recently held a workshop which had a section around organisational change and particularly redundancy. It’s obviously a big subject at the minute, and one which is exercising many managers and HR professionals. What struck me about the difference within this workshop to […]
Blog: Three simple ways to spruce up for spring
March is a great time to get employees motivated about their wellness. The clocks change, days are getting longer, and many people find their mood lifts at this time of the year. To help you capitalise on this seasonal optimism, we've written some top tips to help staff make the most of Springtime and get […]
Talent Spot: Jo Webb, talent director at The Marketing Store
“It’s right I’ve ended up in HR. I’ve found my home,” says Jo Webb, talent director at brand consultancy, The Marketing Store. But it took her a lot of travelling and a few career false starts before she found it. Like so many graduates before her, Webb went travelling when she finished her studies. But […]
In a Nutshell: Four insights into workplace fraudsters
The majority of fraud in most developed countries occurs as a result of lots of people stealing modest amounts from government and large corporations. So while we may occasionally read about the multi-million losses perpetrated by individuals, this situation is comparatively rare. Instead many tens of thousands of people steal £10 – £10,000 every day via activities such […]
European eSkills Week: Europe to be 700,000 ICT professionals short by 2015
Convinced ICT is a strong part of our national economy and a great destination for young people? Brussels agrees – hence its European e-Skills Week campaign, which is trying to accentuate the positive in terms of the sector. Kicking off in Brussels yesterday, the closing event will take place on 30 March in Copenhagen. […]
PCS union to push for 2nd national pension strike in April
Thought public sector pension strikes had all blown over? Not a chance. The Public and Commercial Services Union may have confirmed that it will not join with members of the University and Colleges Union and the National Union of Teachers in a one-day stoppage and demonstration in London next Wednesday (28 March). But it […]
Creative industries ‘collective’ to speed date work placement candidates
Around 100 employers in the creative industries have formed a “co-operative” to offer 300 young people posts as apprentices or paid interns after interviewing them in a speed dating contest. Organisations such as Facebook, RSA Films, Aardman Animation, Saatchi & Saatchi and gaming firm Activision have all signed up to take part in the ‘Creative […]
Blog: The Goldman Sachs resignation – Three lessons on corporate culture
Recognise This! – Your company culture can withstand a multitude of shocks – but should it? I’m guessing most people in the world of HR, management or leadership have read Greg Smith’s resignation letter from Goldman Sachs – which appeared in the New York Times. Personally, I was more interested in the reaction from […]
Blog: Does jargon really enhance HR’s professional credibility?
I have worked in HR since the mid 1990s and over the years have watched whilst the HR environment has become engulfed with jargon. Developments began in the 1990s where the term ‘HR’ overtook the term ‘personnel’ and came from the States. From the mid 1990s it seems the flood gates for HR jargon were […]
Book Review: Career coach by Corinne Mills
In today’s tumultuous working environment, who couldn’t use a career coach? As we all need to recognise (with apologies to John Lennon), our career is what happens while we’re making other plans. Job or retraining opportunities may pop up unexpectedly – as can redundancy or business failure. Qualifications change, skills need upgrading and our […]
Managing career development in a changing world
These days, we’re always hearing about how important ‘adhesion’ is in the workplace. Definitions of the word ‘adhesion’ include ‘attachment, devotion or loyalty’, which is interesting for the average HR director as they expect not only their own subordinates, but everyone else in the workforce to be loyal to them, the company, the brand, its […]
Will the Olympic torch pass by your workplace?
Do you want to know if you’ll be able to watch the Olympic torch pass your workplace or home? Now you can, as the street-by-street route that the Summer London Olympics torch relay will take around the UK has been published. The names of the majority of the 8,000 people who will carry the […]
Budget 2012: The dismantling of national pay bargaining begins
The Chancellor will announce in his Budget speech on Wednesday that he is bringing forward plans to allow a handful of central government departments to set their own local employee pay rates. In a move that could lead to further strike action among unions already angry over proposed changes to staff pensions, three departments are […]
