Fee hikes for skilled migrant worker visas a “bitter blow”, says CBI
The CBI has condemned the coalition government’s decision to double the visa fees that employers have to pay in order to hire working migrants as a “bitter blow” to UK business. The Home Office announced yesterday that, while fee increases for the majority of visas had been kept at about 2%, those for skilled workers […]
Unilever scientist jumps to death following redundancy
A top food scientist jumped to his death from the roof of his laboratory only hours after being made redundant, an inquest has heard. Dr Clive Blackburn, who had worked for Unilever for 15 years developing ready-to-consume drinks for big brands such as Slimfast and Lipton Tea, was told that he was at risk of […]
Blog: Are most diversity initiatives just PR stunts?
If we want to create truly sustainable change and a culture of involvement and responsibility throughout our organisations, then we need to examine our every action to ensure that it supports our objectives. Sustainable change requires total commitment, not just rhetoric. Sadly, this isn’t always the case – as a recent survey from recruitment […]
Analysis: Oracle’s Taleo buy marks tipping point in talent management sector
Oracle’s takeover of Taleo yesterday could mark a tipping point in the evolution of the talent management software sector, analysts believe. The story so far is this: SAP buys Software-as-a-Service vendor, SuccessFactors, to beef up its next generation human capital and talent management offerings. Newcomer Workday, which is also an SaaS provider, readies itself […]
Remote working: How to get started
Over the last ten years remote working has been steadily gaining a foothold in the UK workplace, changing the nature of work and the daily commute. For many businesses, it now also forms a key part of their contingency plans, enabling employees to carry on working should unexpected or even expected events such as the […]
Recruitment agencies indulge in “casual racial discrimination”
UK recruitment agencies are indulging in "casual racial discrimination" against job seekers from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, making them more likely than white applicants to apply to employers directly. This is the key finding of a survey among 2,500 people who have sought work over the last 12 months conducted by SPA Future […]
HMRC to charge PAYE dodgers from April
HM Revenue & Customs will require employers to pay a security from April if it believes that there is serious risk they will fail to pay the requisite PAYE tax deductions or National Insurance Contributions on behalf of employees. The powers are an extension of an initiative that has already been successfully used to ensure the […]
Oracle aims to up SaaS HCM credentials with Taleo swoop
If HR directors ever felt that they were being neglected by the software industry, those days should now be well and truly over. Instead there is a big old war brewing to try and woo them over to the next generation of human capital management applications. And to this end, Oracle swooped on Taleo […]
PM refuses to rule out ‘golden skirt quotas’ of 30%
The Prime Minister has said he will not rule out introducing so-called ‘gold skirt quotas’ as a means of boosting the number of women at board level. At the Northern Future Forum summit in Sweden today, David Cameron said that he wanted to “accelerate” the amount of high-level female representation and, while it should happen […]
Blog: The emerging discipline of strategic workforce planning
The most recent Ochre House HR Network meeting – a think tank of over 650 senior HR figures from employers including BT, Fujitsu and Vodafone – held in Munich in December, brought to light some very interesting issues. We discovered that while practically all large companies now believe that a strategic approach to workforce planning […]
Corporate karma: ‘Being good is good business’
The ethics of businesses are increasingly under the microscope. We only need to think back to the recent banking crisis and the phone hacking scandal to realise the damage that can be done to organisations that are deemed to be acting in an unethical manner. More and more, HR directors are being asked to […]
Update: Redknapp and Mandaric cleared of tax evasion
Both Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric have been found not guilty on all charges in the high-profile tax evasion trial at Southwark Crown Court. Redknapp and Mandaric hugged as the jury cleared them of all counts. After a two-week trial jurors accepted Redknapp’s denials that he avoided tax on any payments over £189,000 found in […]
London 2012: 02 staff pilot flexible working options
O2 has asked a quarter of its staff to work remotely today in order to test whether contingency plans intended to manage expected travel disruption during the Olympic Games will work. The mobile telephone operator has closed its Slough headquarters and provided 3,000 employees with access to the necessary technology and support to do their […]
Minister promises private sector pensions overhaul
The coalition government plans to launch a consultation later this year in a bid to find a “third option” between expensive final salary pensions and far less generous defined contribution workplace schemes. According to the Daily Telegraph, Pensions Minister Steve Webb said at a dinner last night that, as more and more final salary pension […]
Blog: Why learning should never end
I will be glad when this is over. I will never have to study again". That was a statement from my daughter during finals week in her senior year of college at Penn State. She sounded worn out. As I listened on the other end of the phone, I looked at my watch and […]
Talent Spot: Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London
For Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London, work is much more than a necessary evil to pay the bills. “Noel Coward said ‘work is more fun than fun’ and he’s right,” he says. A self-professed “well-adjusted workaholic”, Furnham is ready to start grafting by 5am. Alongside his role at the university, […]
Book Review: Age discrimination – Ageism in employment and service provision by Malcolm Sargeant
Malcolm Sargeant is professor of labour law at Middlesex University and could be considered an authority on the subject of employment and discrimination legislation. He has published four books as well as many papers on the topic, has been a speaker at international conferences and also worked on a broad range of international projects to […]
Leadership training mandated for senior Whitehall project managers
Civil servants are to receive mandatory training in leadership and project management skills thanks to the creation of a new £7 million Major Projects Leadership Academy. But the initiative, which will be delivered in partnership with Oxford’s Saïd Business School and consultants, Deloitte, is targeted to save the government £10 billion per year once it […]
P45s will not get a pink slip
The traditional P45 form that summarises the amount of tax paid at the end of an employment contract will not be scrapped after a change of heart at HM Revenue & Customs. The form had been due to be replaced by a ‘leaver statement’ as part of the move to the Real Time Information system […]
Youth unemployment “time bomb” to cost economy £9.2bn per year
Employers must be given more incentives to hire young people in order to avert a youth unemployment “time-bomb” that will cost the country £9.2 billion per year from 2013, a report has warned. The study undertaken by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations predicted that, from next year, some £2.9 billion per annum […]
