Government must give gangmasters’ enforcement agency more teeth
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority risks becoming “emasculated” unless the Coalition Government provides it with enough teeth and funding to protect temp workers in the food industry properly, a recruitment consultancy has warned. Media reports in October had suggested that the enforcement agency was under threat of abolition as part of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge. […]
Ask the Expert: What rights do staff have during performance reviews?
The question I am a standalone HR Manager in medium-sized company and took over this year, after the previous HR Manager left. A few months after I started, I was informed by senior management that a member of staff, who has been with us for six years, was to be performance-managed out of the […]
Avoiding the hidden cost of Christmas perks
When it comes to indulging in the Christmas spirit, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs is not generally known for its generosity. Indeed, since the 2010 Bribery Act came into force, there have been strict rules and regulations on gift giving, which could see overly-magnanimous companies landed with a hefty tax bill. This means that, […]
Blog: Some strategic HR predictions for 2012
Recognise This! – Bersin’s predictions for 2012 are already beginning to come true. Are you ready? What can you expect in 2011 in Strategic HR and Talent Management? Bersin’s 14 predictions for the year seem largely on target to me. John Hollon, editor of TLNT, provides an excellent summary of all 14 predictions, but here […]
EU final salary pension proposals could cost employers £100bn
Proposed new European rules for final salary pension schemes would land employers with such a “huge bill” that they would be forced to close them for good, the Pensions Minister has warned. The European Commission is considering whether to introduce so-called ‘Solvency II’ regulations that would mean the 6,850 UK companies still operating such pension […]
Unilever branded “spiteful” for cancelling strikers’ Christmas perks
Unions have accused Unilever of being “spiteful” and a “modern day scrooge” after the firm cancelled workers’ Christmas parties, hampers and bonuses in retaliation over their 36-hour strike. More than 2,500 employees out of a total UK workforce of 7,000 are involved in the first ever industrial action involving the manufacturer of Marmite, Dove shampoo […]
Social media policy: Can your business afford to be without one?
2011 saw the use of social media rocket, with an inevitable impact on the workplace. Employers’ attitudes to it vary: some impose a strict ban on the use of social media at work, while others actively encourage it as part of a new way of working. Whatever their approach, employers need to understand the potential […]
Plan in advance to cope with winter weather, warns ACAS
With the weather expected to turn increasingly wintry over the weekend, HR departments must prepare themselves by ensuring that suitable staff policies in place, ACAS has advised. According to the mediation service, advance planning is key to ensuring that everyone and everything keeps working smoothly when circumstances turn unpredictable. Adrian Wakeling, the organisation’s guidance […]
2011 – The year of social learning: Five keys to realise true ROI
Why care about social learning? "The interaction between learning and forgetting is like racing down an upward-moving escalator. Just like people, companies can forget the know-how they gained, due to labour turnover, periods of inactivity, or failure to institutionalise knowledge that is being taken for granted. An analogy is tennis. I used to play it […]
Call for employers to offer ex-forces training and work placements
Organisations representing the interests of ex-service personnel have called on the Coalition Government to encourage civilian employers to offer practical support in the form of training programmes and work placements. A report submitted to the House of Commons today by former Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mike Jackson, who is head trustee of […]
The growth of learning and development in 2011 – and what lies ahead in 2012
It has been a difficult year for British businesses. Rising unemployment and the growing skills shortage have gripped the nation, once again raising learning and development to the top of boardroom agendas around the country. But the future of the UK workforce lies in having skilled people, ready and able to take jobs in fields […]
Blog: Beware the seven most common justifications for bullying
“You are fired, Get out! I am not going to pay you for two weeks! Leave now and I mean right this minute.” Yes, that is the way that it ended. OK, I gave you the ending. Now I will back up and give you the full story. A friend who had been passively looking […]
2011: The HR year in full
HRZone Editor Cath Everett picks out her personal highlights from a challenging year for the HRD community. January Youth unemployment hits new high – and set to worsen Stress and depression ‘no reason to take time off’ Pension age change will ‘hit women and disadvantaged hardest’ February Company revises Facebook policies after firing employee […]
2011: That was the HR year that was
If it were possible to sum up the key preoccupations of 2011 in just a few words, for me, they would be ‘fairness’ and ‘democratisation’. At the macro-economic level, the climate has got steadily worse as the Eurozone crisis has deepened and economists increasingly start to warn of a double-dip recession. This situation has […]
News Analysis: The HCM battle begins – Will HRDs finally get technology they like using?
The human capital management software market was always going to be a turbulent place in 2012. The battle lines were to be drawn by Oracle rolling out its next generation Fusion applications, while Software-as-a-Service specialist Workday continued its attempts to steal away customers with ageing PeopleSoft systems from under Oracle’s nose. But last week, […]
Legal Insight: Surviving the Christmas party
The Christmas party season is upon us again. But while it is known as a time of goodwill to all men, the Christmas period can cause massive headaches for employers. In particular, the office party, where the mulled wine is flowing freely, can lead to a number of employment-related challenges as alcohol-fuelled employees have […]
More private sector collaboration will lead to brain drain, warn public sector bosses
Increased collaboration with the private sector will harm staff morale and and mean that key skills, experience and knowledge is lost, public sector bosses have warned. Although leaders are bracing themselves for significant increases in public-private sector collaboration over the next few years, the majority have big doubts over the likely success of such a […]
Landmark holiday ruling saves employers of atypical workers from “dramatic” impacts
Today’s Supreme Court’s ruling that employees who do not follow standard 9-till-5 working patterns must take their holiday entitlement during periods of downtime will have “dramatic” implications for employers, according to legal experts. In the case of Russell v Transocean, a number of workers, who were all employed by the oil and gas industry […]
Blog: Recruit now – Why December is the new January
January 1st will see people up and down the country commit to their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s signing up to the gym or searching for a new job – 2012 will signal fresh starts for all. So surely this is a great time to start a recruitment drive? I’d argue, not necessarily. January […]
Pressure rises on banks for more pay transparency
Any large bank operating in the UK could be forced to disclose the pay packages of its eight highest-paid, non-board level executives in a bid to tackle “unacceptable” bonus levels in the City. The Coalition Government launched a consultation yesterday on the proposed new rules, which would come into force in 2012 in order to […]