Ask the Expert: Is there a minimum hours requirement for lodging a tribunal claim?
The question I have a part-time employee who works 12 hours per week. He has decided that he does not like his job, does not want to do it anymore and is openly seeking another one. But the worker is being disruptive and is demotivating other team members. He has been with the organisation […]
Update: Redknapp allegedly had sole control of Monaco bank account
Harry Redknapp had sole responsibility for the Monaco bank account under the combined name of his dog and birth date, ‘Rosie 47’, into which money was paid by Milan Mandaric, Southwark Crown Court heard today. Jurors were told that the only signature on records for the account at the centre of £189,000 ‘bung’ – or […]
The Costa Concordia disaster: A personality problem?
Although it is difficult to separate fact from speculation right now, the evidence would appear to suggest that, after the Costa Concordia ran aground, its captain, Francesco Schettino, did not react well. First of all, he seemed to go into denial, before apparently falling to pieces, abandoning ship before his passengers and having to be […]
Clegg calls for urgent action in upping income tax thresholds
The Deputy Prime Minister has urged his Coalition colleagues to move “further and faster” in raising the income tax threshold to £10,000 per annum, while introducing extra taxes for the rich to fund the move. At the last election, the Liberal Democrats pledged to increase the threshold and the Coalition agreed to implement the policy […]
Blog: Cultivating a success culture
Culture is a complex concept for managers and leaders to understand. It’s hardly surprising, even ‘experts’ have different views about just what it is. Here are just a few of the definitions I found in a few minutes online: The way things are done around here The specific collection of values and norms that […]
Shift over last year in way HR viewed, reveals survey
Two thirds of HR directors believe that the last 12 months has seen a shift in the way the function is viewed, with most feeling that they now have the right level of senior management representation. Video interviews with 18 senior HR professionals from large UK private and public sector organisations undertaken by HR consultancy, […]
HRD Summit: ‘HR’s biggest failure has been an over-focus on process’
HR’s biggest single failure over the last 10 years has been an over-focus on process at the expense of outcomes, despite there being little evidence that the majority of such processes even work. This was the key finding of a keynote panel discussion at the HR Directors’ Summit in Birmingham earlier this week entitled ‘Reflections […]
EU data protection law proposals to make “huge demands” on HR
The European Commission is suggesting changes to existing data protection legislation that could see employers fined up to 2% of their global turnover if they and their workers fail to comply with it. The proposals, which will now go before the European Parliament and are expected to take as much as two years to come […]
Vince Cable unveils plans to curb excessive executive pay
Business Secretary Vince Cable has unveiled government plans to curb executive pay and address what he described as “a clear market failing”. In a speech to MPs this week, Cable focused on matters of transparency, shareholder power, diversity and good practice, saying that. although it was “not government’s role to micro-manage company pay”, there were […]
Blog: ReServe – A new way of working for the over-55s
A recent article in the New York Times featured the work of ReServe, an innovative non-profit organisation that links people over 55 with meaningful second careers. As a model for what is needed to address the nature of later life careers for a sector of the UK population ReServe appears to have much to offer. […]
HRD Summit: The art of becoming a ‘leader’ rather than a ‘manager’
To become effective leaders, HR directors must look at how they think as well as understand both the nature of responsibility and the impact of their communications. But, according to Penny Ferguson, managing partner at The Living Leader, during her keynote speech at the HR Directors’ Summit in Birmingham today, the majority of HR bosses […]
Book Review: Executive coaching – A psychodynamic approach by Catherine Sandler
Catherine Sandler is a trained psychologist with her own flourishing practice as a coach to senior executives. If I understand it correctly, her view is that in order to coach people successfully, it is essential to help each individual understand their own personality, their implicit underlying values, the experiences that have shaped their character and […]
Talent Spot: Dan Grant, head of HR at Dell UK
There’s a saying within Dell: ‘It’s not just what you do that’s important, but how you do it…’ It’s a maxim that Dell’s head of HR, Dan Grant, strives to live by. If you’re honest in the way you deal with people and keep your promises, then you can’t go far wrong, he believes. […]
HRD Summit: BT develops own internal Olympics legacy
BT is already working on the internal legacy of being an Olympics sponsor, with plans to introduce a redeployment initiative for project staff as well as a community scheme to enhance the overall working environment. The telco, which is the official communication services provider for both the Olympics and Paralympic Games, explained its rationale during […]
HRD Summit: ‘HR must hive off strategic activities to be truly effective’
To effectively take that much coveted seat at the top table, HR must follow the example of other functions and separate out strategic activities from transaction-based, operational tasks. But while departments such as IT, marketing and finance have already made the move, it is politically still not considered the right thing to say in the […]
Legal Insight: Coulson and the compromise agreement issue
The News of the World debacle and the subsequent Leveson Inquiry have raised all manner of issues about all manner of things. But one matter that has not been talked about much so far is the issue of compromise agreements. If you have ever dealt with a compromise agreement in relation to an employee, […]
Blog: Managing change during an office move
Moving office doesn’t happen every day. In fact, it’s a big milestone in the life of a business and a change in working environment can bring about many benefits. It presents an ideal opportunity to embrace a new corporate image, implement new processes and team restructuring; all of which can have a positive impact on staff […]
Trends 2012: Modern life skills
The demands and challenges that HR professionals face at the moment are becoming increasingly complex. Stress-related illness and mental health problems have a huge impact on staff morale, not to mention their effect on productivity and, therefore, business success. The cost of absenteeism is huge and the issues surrounding presenteeism are both time-consuming and […]
Fujitsu workers agree to end long-running dispute
A long-running dispute over pensions, pay and overtime between Unite and Fujitsu has ended after union members accepted a new offer from the IT services supplier. The UK’s largest union called off its industrial action on Friday, 20 January, after members welcomed the agreement, ending a long running dispute that has affected sites in Crewe […]
Survey reveals UK employers of choice
Google, Apple and John Lewis are perceived to be the best three employers in the UK, with the ability to create a good working environment considered the key criteria in desirability terms. According to a survey among 2,133 adults undertaken by pollster YouGov on behalf of workplace services provider, Croner, Google was nominated 81 time, […]