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 […]
BMW negotiates with unions over agency worker get-out clause
BMW has entered into negotiations with unions over its use of a legal get-out clause to the Agency Worker Regulations, which would result in it not having to pay temp workers the same as permanent ones. The luxury car manufacturer had intended to employ the so-called ‘Swedish derogation’, which enables recruitment agencies to employ temps […]
The emerging practice of strengths-based recruitment
There are greater numbers of candidates and more people with high potential on the market than ever before. As a result, it is vital that HR professionals think differently about recruitment and approach interviews in a new way in order to ensure that the right candidates are chosen for the right roles. Although the […]
Case Study: Cloud HR system key to Direct Line Group’s transformation
RBS Insurance Group announced earlier this year that it intended to rename itself Direct Line Insurance Group. The move comes ahead of a divestment of the division, which owns the Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege and Green Flag brands, by parent RBS. It has to sell the assets by the end of 2014, under the […]
Blog: Do employee benefits really improve recruitment and retention?
A good deal of businesses see their benefits packages as tools to enhance their retention and recruitment strategies, and employees don’t disagree with them; according to a 2010 survey by MetLife, 43% of employees state that their benefits package has kept them in their current role. Staff turnover costs businesses money, there’s no escaping that, […]
How many of your workforce would you hire again?
A couple of years ago, we asked a number of FTSE 250 HR directors the question: "Given the option, would you rehire your workforce or would you start again?" While the response to the survey wasn’t huge, it was sufficient to draw a few conclusions – not least because a huge 68% of respondents said […]
Graduate recruitment to return to 2007 levels this year
Graduate recruitment is expected to return to pre-credit crunch volumes this year, although median starting salaries will remain unchanged at £29,000 per annum across all sectors. These are the key findings of a report entitled ‘High Fliers: The Graduate Market in 2012’, which was published by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The study revealed that hiring among the […]
One third of UK businesses have no staff contingency plans for Olympics
Although the vast majority of UK organisations recognise that this summer’s Olympic Games will be disruptive in workforce terms, almost a third have yet to develop basic contingency plans to cope. A survey of 1,200 public and private sector organisations across the country undertaken by BT revealed that 29% had failed to consider how they […]
Blog: The art of communication in tough economic times
We all felt it. The incredible desire to get 2012 off to a great start, this Olympic year that’s full of hope, only to be confronted with headlines indicating that the next 12 months could in fact be far worse in terms of the economy and employment market than the ones that have passed. Not […]
Cleaning manager hangs himself at Heathrow over job security fears
The manager of a cleaning sub-contractor for the major airlines hung himself at Heathrow Airport over fears about the security of his job. Keith Stone, who was 50 years old, was found hanging from a de-icing vehicle at Terminal 5 in full view of passengers taking off and landing. According to the Sun, the father […]
Talent Spot: David Arkless, president of End Human Trafficking Now!
David Arkless, ManpowerGroup’s president of global corporate and government affairs, constantly criss-crosses the globe advising on labour issues, talking to governments and spearheading a campaign against human trafficking. It’s an impressive and worthy remit that more than fulfils his modest childhood ambition: “I grew up in a very, very working class family in a council […]
Capita plans to offshore TV Licensing jobs branded as “callous”
Hundreds of TV Licensing jobs are at risk of redundancy under plans by outsourcer Capita to relocate – and partly offshore – work from Bristol. Capita is proposing to move 350 jobs from its office in the city to alternative sites in Lancashire and India. The Communication Workers Union branded the move as […]
Accountant jailed for stealing cash due to share disappointment
A company accountant has been jailed for theft after admitting that he stole tens of thousands of pounds from his employer when the shares he bought from the company did not provide the returns expected. According to the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, Mark Hewitt, an accountant earning more than £65,000 per year, stole £80,000 in […]
Olympus sues 19 current and former execs for £30m in compensation
Olympus is suing 19 former and current executives for £30 million (Y3.61bn) in compensation as it struggles to recover from a long-running £1.1 billion accounting scandal. The Japanese camera manufacturer filed legal papers on 8 January with the Tokyo district court and confirmed today that all board members subject to the lawsuit, including president Shuichi […]
Blog: 7 guidelines for employee engagement – lessons from Stryker
Recognise This! – A desire to increase employee engagement is useless without commitment and follow-through. Gallup issued a brilliant case study of Stryker, a global medical devices company. Focussing on just one unit in New Jersey, the case study highlights several key tenets of success for an employee engagement or strategic employee recognition programme. 1. […]
Book Review: The Hedgehog Effect by Manfred Kets de Vries
Manfred Kets de Vries has been writing about organisational psychodynamics and consulting internationally for 30 years. He is rated as one of the world’s leading leadership theoreticians, is programme director at international graduate business school, INSEAD, and holds a number of professorial posts internationally. He has also written and published many books and articles. […]
