Talent Spot: Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground
“I’ve made it my business to get as close to the business and operations as possible. As an HR director, it’s not desirable, it’s essential that I know every role in the organisation and that I’m out there speaking to people and knowing how things are done,” says Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground […]
Survey: Do you engage in training and if not, why not?
Just under two thirds of practitioners regularly or occasionally undertake training, work towards qualifications or carry out any form of continuing professional development, according to a recent poll by The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. But while the figure appears promising, the Insitute, which is focusing on CPD this year due to the introduction of […]
Tweeter allegedly sacked after admitting depression
A Twitter user who opened up to the boss earlier today about his depression was apparently fired three hours later after allegedly being told that “we’re a small company, there’s no room for passengers”. The tweeter aka @badlydrawnroy claimed that his employer initially tried to make him resign, but later sent him a letter of […]
Blog: Is there a link between staff resilience and engagement levels?
Resilience has been a hot topic for me lately and that trend isn’t slowing. One of my colleagues recently attended the Division of Occupational Psychology’s Annual Conference where he presented a paper: Is an employee’s level of resilience related to their work engagement? In this, Ali Shalfrooshan studied the relationship between individual resilience and […]
1000s of private sector jobs ‘at risk’ across all industries
As the Ministry of Defence revealed plans for a second round of redundancies in the armed forces, thousands of jobs also appeared to be at risk across the private sector. The government department announced that 2,900 personnel were to go in the Army, along with up to 1,000 RAF jobs and up to 300 positions […]
Accord Energy Solutions: Becoming an employee-owned company
If your organisation has ambitious plans for the future and wants to employ the most talented and productive people, then making the transition to employee-ownership could be for you. In 2010, we set up Accord Energy Solutions, an independent hydrocarbon accounting company to provide services to the international oil and gas industry. The aim […]
Update: Public sector job cuts ‘only just beginning’
A huge 710,000 public sector job losses are expected by 2017 and will hit the poorest areas of the UK hardest, according to the TUC. The job cuts, which were originally expected to number 400,000, will have a "devastating" impact on regional labour markets in the North East of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, […]
Health worker fined after illegally accessing patient records
A former health worker has been fined for unlawfully obtaining patient information by accessing the medical records of five members of her ex-husband’s family in order to obtain their new telephone numbers. Juliah Kechil, formerly Merritt, a former health care assistant in the Outpatients Department at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital was convicted under section […]
Unemployment to hit 9.3% by 2013, warns economic think tank
The UK may have already slipped back into recession and is likely to see unemployment hit just under three million over the year ahead, several economic think tanks have warned. The latest quarterly forecast from the Ernst & Young ITEM Club indicates that the country's Gross Domestic Product will 'flatline' for the rest of year […]
HMRC staff stage series of lightning strikes
Around 20,000 HMRC call centre staff and enquiry officers held a half-hour walkout this morning over alleged moves towards privatisation – a charge strongly denied by HM Revenue & Customs. Tax officers did the same this afternoon at 4.30pm and those on late shifts plan to leave half an hour prior to their usual 7pm finish. […]
Understanding ‘what good looks like’ when hiring
As discussed in part one of this two-part series of articles, it is important to understand ‘what good looks like’ in your organisation, not least because there is a cost involved in not doing so. But what exactly can do we do in practical terms to make sure that we are on top of the […]
Blog: Why you need a mobile recruitment strategy – today
Some 96% of the Sunday Times 25 Best Large Companies to work for do not have a mobile website. But almost half the population now access the internet via a mobile device and 2.8 million people use one in their job search. A mobile career website is no longer a luxury for ‘big brands’, […]
Tax reform in works to create “John Lewis economy”
The Deputy Prime Minister has urged employers to offer shares to their workers in order to improve productivity and unlock growth, while promising them tax breaks in return. Nick Clegg told an audience at an event hosted by the City of London Corporation and the Centre Forum liberal think tank today that the Coalition Government […]
Test case could see employers set their own DRA
A landmark court case due to take place this week could make it possible for UK employers to set their own default retirement age, even though the state does not have one. The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on whether a City law firm was within its rights to force former partner, Leslie Seldon, […]
Ask the Expert: What questions can I legally ask on a job application form?
The question Can the following questions legally be asked on a standard application form to be filled in during the interview stage and before a job offer is made? Are you able to attend your main place of work for the hours applicable to the specific job applied for? Are you aware of any […]
NHS spends £7m on management training after axing 2,000 bosses
NHS London has reportedly paid consultants as much as £7 million to train GPs in management skills after losing up to 2,000 bosses during 2010/11 as part of a Government-backed drive to axe managerial positions. The Guardian said it had seen an internal NHS London document, which showed that, as of 28 November 2011, contracts […]
Blog: Alternative benefits to give you a hiring edge
As we move forward, it has quickly become common for the modern workplace to relax in order to stay competitive. In a world now dominated by startups and “Google” environments, things like allowing a relaxed dress code and being able to enjoy the occasional beer at work are the new norm. So what are […]
Age discrimination still “firmly embedded” in UK workplaces
Age-related discrimination and stereotyping remains “firmly embedded” in UK society, but needs to be tackled due to the rapidly ageing population, according to a new government report. The analysis undertaken by the Department of Work and Pensions on an Office for National Statistics survey of almost 2,200 people, revealed that one in three had experienced […]
100 employers pledge to open up equality of internship opportunities
More than 100 companies have signed up to Nick Clegg’s social mobility strategy and pledged to take concrete steps to open up work experience opportunities to young people from all backgrounds. Signatories to the Government’s so-called ‘Business Compact’ include nearly 20 financial services companies such as Barclays and HSBC, 10 high street retailers including Tesco […]
Update: PCS threatens further strikes and legal action over pensions
Leaders of the biggest civil service union, the PCS, have warned about the possibility of more strikes and court action if the Government goes ahead with its threat to exclude it from more pension talks. The news came as the GMB, along with 10 other unions, said that they would appeal the High Court’s ruling […]