‘Overworked’ HR manager sues for £800,000 in compensation
An HR manager has sued her former employer, insurance firm Hartford Europe, for £800,000 in compensation, claiming excessive working hours caused her chronic fatigue syndrome. She alleges she worked 12-hour days during recruitment activities and became too ill to work for five years.
London 2012: Planning for travel disruption
London businesses face major travel disruption during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with an expected three million additional public transport journeys on peak days. Organizations should develop travel demand management plans now to minimize operational impact on staff and customers during the events from late July through early September.
Learning Technologies 2012: Thoughts of the future
Learning Technologies 2012 brought together thought leaders like Edward de Bono and Ray Kurzweil to explore fundamental questions about learning in our digital age. The conference emphasized social learning adoption, tablet integration, and the need for creative thinking to challenge traditional approaches to how we learn and develop.
Blog: The link between culture, brand and PR
Effective diversity management requires engaging all stakeholders with business-focused messaging rather than relying solely on values-based appeals. A cereal company’s PR crisis demonstrates how reframing diversity through customer perspective and brand impact can gain executive buy-in where traditional approaches fail.
Workers more ‘stressed and insecure’ than in Queen’s coronation year
UK workers report higher stress and job insecurity despite greater prosperity since the 1950s, according to a CIPD Work Audit. Rising workplace stress stems from digital technology blurring work-life boundaries and enabling increased surveillance, while widening income inequality and unemployment concerns undermine job satisfaction.
Book Review: Assessment centres and global talent management by Nigel Povah and George Thornton
This comprehensive review of assessment centres and global talent management examines how well-designed assessment methods identify senior leadership potential and development needs. Written primarily by psychologists across 32 chapters, the book offers valuable technical insights but lacks practical perspectives from HR managers and business leaders.
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Derek Irvine
Derek Irvine, vice president of strategy and consulting services at Globoforce, is an HRzone blogger with extensive expertise in employer branding and company culture. His career spans marketing roles at major companies like Johnson & Johnson and Pernod Ricard, before joining Globoforce’s founding team during the dot-com boom to pioneer employee recognition software.
Apprenticeships must provide more value for money, warns NAO
The National Audit Office warns that England’s apprenticeship program could deliver significantly better value for money by raising training standards to match European levels and targeting resources more effectively. While adult apprenticeships generate positive returns on public investment, improving quality and eliminating inefficiencies could yield substantially higher economic benefits.
CIPD aims to find new CEO by November
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is searching for a new permanent CEO by November to replace Jackie Orme, who is on long-term sick leave for cancer treatment. The role requires a visionary leader with international board-level experience and HR expertise.
Trades require more – not less – recognition, says Wolf report contributor
A Wolf report contributor argues that traditional trades like plumbing and carpentry deserve greater recognition in schools, not less. The government is removing over 3,100 vocational qualifications from school league tables, but industry leaders say this risks worsening skills shortages in essential sectors.
Tax workers strike over privatisation fears
Tax workers have struck against plans to privatise HMRC call centres, forcing the closure of tax offices and prompting the government to waive penalties for missed self-assessment deadlines. The Public and Commercial Services Union opposes trials of private firms Sitel and Teleperformance at two centres, citing broader concerns about job cuts and privatisation.
Pension reforms will increase public/private sector gap, warns IFS
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that pension reforms will widen the gap between public and private sector benefits. While changes to schemes will save little long-term costs, they’ll make pensions more generous for lower earners, who already fare better in the public sector.
Blog: Employee stress equals financial risk
Employee stress is a major financial risk factor for companies, yet many leaders overlook it as a primary cause of retention problems. When top performers cite work-related stress as their reason for leaving, organizations that fail to address it face growing difficulty retaining critical talent.
Uncovering the real agenda behind HMRC’s Real Time Information scheme
HMRC’s Real Time Information scheme, mandatory from October 2013, is driven partly by the Department for Work and Pensions’ need for data to introduce Universal Credit. While RTI aims to reduce tax code errors, critics warn it will burden SMEs with frequent reporting and enable government data harvesting beyond PAYE purposes.
Short on rewards – an HR skills crisis
Reward professionals are in high demand as businesses expand internationally and face increasingly complex regulatory requirements, but their specialized skills remain scarce. Training pathways for junior HR professionals have diminished due to outsourced service centers, creating a significant HR skills crisis in the rewards sector.
Woolworths union takes advice over collective redundancy laws
Usdaw union is seeking legal advice to challenge UK collective redundancy laws after an employment tribunal awarded 24,000 former Woolworths staff up to £67.8 million in compensation. However, approximately 3,000 employees from smaller stores with fewer than 20 redundancies were excluded, highlighting what the union calls a legislative loophole.
Legal Insight: Is it discriminatory to sack a depressed tweeter?
Dismissing an employee shortly after they disclose depression may violate the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits disability discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for mental health conditions. Rapid termination without proper procedures could expose companies to significant legal liability and employment tribunal claims.
Blog: How to embed a learning culture
A learning culture helps organizations stay competitive by encouraging employees to develop skills and capabilities. Key strategies include securing management sponsorship, rewarding learning behaviors, measuring progress in appraisals, and establishing learning as a core organizational value.
Tribunal fees could put paid to early dispute resolution, warns ACAS
Employment tribunal fees could discourage employers from resolving workplace disputes early, ACAS warns, as workers without the means to pay legal costs may be unable to pursue claims, potentially escalating grievances and destabilizing industrial relations.
Update: RBS chief rejects £1m bonus
RBS chief Stephen Hester rejected his £1 million bonus amid growing backlash against executive pay. Meanwhile, easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is challenging the airline’s proposed £8 million share deal for senior executives, calling it a “gravy train” that must end.
