Talent Spot: David Kast, head of HR at Hogg Robinson Group
When David Kast first started working in a branch of travel agency Hogg Robinson Group in the early 1970s, he had no inkling that he would still be working for the same firm 39 years later – or that his career would have veered off into HR and training. Kast had left school unsure of […]
Blog: Why is coaching still an elitist sport?
Nearly every respondent to a recent survey of 250 UK companies said coaching in the workplace has helped individuals and their organizations. As I wrote in my previous blog post on coaching culture, they cited improved personal skills, better communication, higher confidence levels and greater motivation. With so many benefits, one might expect all […]
Talking Point: Is the fit note fit-for-purpose?
The fit note was introduced in April 2010 and replaced the ‘all or nothing’ classification of the traditional sick note, under which people were either ‘fit’ or ‘unfit’ for work. Based on the premise that you don’t need to be totally ‘fit’ to do some kinds of activities, establishing a third option of ‘may be […]
Training budgets first to be cut due to unclear business value
Learning and development budgets are among the first to be cut when times are hard because it is unclear what value training brings to the organisation and what return on investment it generates. According to a survey among 104 learning and development managers undertaken by managed learning company, KnowledgePool, three out of five said that […]
HRD Insight: Enterprise-Rent-A-Car’s Donna Miller on graduate recruitment
Enterprise-Rent-A-Car puts a huge focus on graduate recruitment schemes, with the aim of encouraging fresh thinking and bringing new ideas into the company. The firm, which was set up in 1957, has a culture of promoting from within. It recognises that providing employees with clear opportunities for advancement motivates them and encourages them to […]
Blog: The necessity of developing management resilience
The resilience theme is continuing in my blog posts, this time due to a recent news item I’ve read. According to the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development‘s (CIPD) quarterly Employee Outlook survey, UK middle managers are feeling the squeeze as a result of the economic downturn. The results highlighted that almost half […]
UK unemployment is double official figures at 6.3m, reveals study
The true state of UK unemployment is more than double official figures at 6.3 million if US rather than domestic metrics are used, research has revealed. If the US U6 measure, which includes unemployed, economically inactive (discouraged), marginally attached and under-employed workers, is applied to measure ‘total’ worklessness in the UK, the figure is higher […]
Indirect age discrimination legit when making voluntary redundancies, rules EAT
It is permissible for employers to implement voluntary redundancy schemes that indirectly discriminate against particular age groups, the employment appeal tribunal has ruled. The decision was made in the case of HM Land Registry v Benson, after the former closed and merged offices and established a £12 million budget to fund voluntary redundancies, while still […]
Valentines Day: Two out of five employees look for love at work
Although many UK employers have traditionally frowned on workplace romances, a huge two out of five employees will nonetheless be looking for love at work this year, according to a survey. The poll undertaken by Jobsite.co.uk also revealed that a third of men would take a job based on the attractiveness of new colleagues. Some […]
Unions launch year-long ‘treat interns fairly’ campaign
The TUC and the National Union of Students have launched a year-long campaign calling for interns to be treated fairly. The initiative, which kicked off at a seminar at TUC headquarters in central London today, is intended to address concerns that graduates undertaking work experience are being exploited as a useful source of free labour […]
Redundancies expected to hit highest levels since spring 2009
The proportion of private sector employers planning to make redundancies this quarter is at its highest level since spring 2009, with those cutting jobs expecting to axe about 4% of their total workforce. According to a survey among more than 1,000 employers undertaken by YouGov on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, […]
Blog: Does taking an inventory approach to human capital work?
Applying the 80/20 rule through taking an inventory approach to human capital means that organisational success probably depends disproportionately on a vital subset of employees. That’s the premise adopted by an interesting article published recently in the US. It maintains that applying the principles of inventory management can “retool” traditional HR numbers like turnover rates, […]
CEO Insight: LinkedIn’s Jeff Weiner on the site’s recruitment ambitions
In the wake of much consolidation in the HR applications space, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the world’s most popular HR system in the space of online recruitment anyway is, in fact, LinkedIn. And if LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner gets his way, this is something that more and more […]
Ask the Expert: What is the notice period for a perm gone freelance?
The question One of our members of staff was employed by our organisation in a permanent capacity on a fixed-term basis. He had a two-month notice period. At the end of the contract, the employee was kept on but asked to act as a freelancer, which meant coming off payroll and billing us on […]
Shaping future strategy: Workforce analytics
We see it every day in the headlines, particularly over the last few years – ‘Top Company Cuts 1000s of Staff’. All too often, there is a knee-jerk reaction after senior executives and managers conclude that headcount equals only cost and they neglect to consider what value their people bring to the business. They […]
National Apprenticeship Week: ‘Schemes cut hiring costs’
Four out of five employers that currently provide apprenticeship schemes claim that they will play a bigger role in their recruitment policy in future as they help to cut hiring costs. A survey undertaken among 349 people responsible for apprenticeship recruitment at their company by Populus Research revealed that three quarters believed providing apprenticeship places […]
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 […]
