Coral bets on SaaS-based workforce management system
A UK bookie has rolled out WorkPlace System’s Software-as-a-Service-based workforce management offering across 1,700 of its licensed betting shops in order to manage the whereabouts of its 10,000 employees. Coral, which is part of the Gala Coral Group, is the third largest retail bookmaking business in the country, with a market share of approximately 20%. The […]
Analysis: Increasingly fragile UK jobs market set to get “much worse”
The latest official figures paint a picture of “increasing fragility” in the UK jobs market, which is set to get “much worse” over the year ahead. According to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November, accounting for 2.69 million or 8.4% of the total workforce, up from […]
Blog: Global recognition stereotyping – don’t believe the lie
Recognise This! – The power of employee recognition and appreciation knows no geographic or cultural boundaries. I hear time and again that “it’s different over there.” Or “They do things differently. They don’t have the same expectations our employees here have.” I hear this most often about the Asia/Pacific region and usually specifically about […]
Book Review: How to be good at performance appraisals by Dick Grote
I must say that I approached Dick Grote’s book with some misgivings. Since designing and helping clients to install performance appraisal systems and advising on possible approaches to management development, I have become rather cynical about their usefulness after they have been around for a couple of years. This is not least because of […]
Update: Unilever workers start 11 days of strikes
Thousands of staff at Unilever are starting 11 days of strike action in a dispute over plans to close their final salary pension scheme later this year. Some 2,500 mostly factory-floor staff – out of a total workforce of 7,000 – took part in the first national strike at the company in December following an […]
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 […]
