Unions rubbish ministerial claims of £500m strike cost
Unions have dismissed ministerial claims that next week’s national day of action will cost the UK economy up to £500 million and lead to public sector job losses as “fantasy economics”. The Treasury arrived at its figure by totting up the potential impact on public sector output as well as the knock-on effect on the […]
Legal Insight: Working through the internship issue
Interns Anonymous recently revealed that 50% of the 647 interns it surveyed had completed at least two placements, with 86% indicating that each had lasted longer than a month. Given the apparent confusion about the legal situation surrounding internships and the fact that their popularity is continuing to mount, it is essential that HR professionals […]
HMRC staff vote for strike action over call centre privatisation plans
A majority of HM Revenue and Customs’ staff have voted to take strike action over plans to privatise two contact centres. Private contractors are scheduled, to take over the call centres, which deal with tax credits queries, from January next year as a trial exercise. Seven out of 10 members of the Public and […]
Should HR be regulated?
HR departments play an important role in ensuring that businesses comply with regulatory requirements. By monitoring conformance with industry-specific guidelines, guaranteeing adherence to legislation and keeping paper trails updated, HR professionals help organisations to avoid the penalties and fines that can damage or even destroy reputations. But what about regulation relating to the HR […]
Blog: How Google will learn to love your career website
There is a lot of confusion surrounding recruitment search engine optimisation and it could be easy for HR professionals to assume that a corporate career website will never be able to beat the job boards and agency recruiters to high page rankings. The truth is that a well optimised career website can be more attractive […]
Cable denies creating climate of fear with employment law shakeup
The Business Secretary has denied fostering a climate in which workers will fear for their jobs in the wake of a proposed big shake up of current employment law. During a speech to manufacturers’ organisation, the EEF, in London today, Vince Cable announced a call for evidence on whether the 90-day minimum consultation period for […]
‘Protected conversations’ will create business “nightmare”
Coalition Government proposals to introduce ‘protected conversations’ risk “creating a field day for employment lawyers and a nightmare for businesses”, experts have warned. Among a raft of proposed changes to UK employment law mooted by Business Secretary Vince Cable this morning, one of the most controversial was enabling employers to hold ‘protected conversations’ with staff […]
Talent Spot: Damian Hughes, HR author, speaker and consultant
HR practitioners know the value of having a varied CV. But in the case of Damian Hughes, now running his own consultancy Liquid Thinker, varied doesn’t appear to do justice to the eclectic mix of careers and experiences that he’s amassed – and all before turning 40. Hughes has been a footballer and Manchester United […]
Blog: Four tips to help staff keep calm in the face of change
Change is inevitable and necessary, but it is also a major cause of stress and anxiety. As many organisations face up to big cultural and financial changes, it is important to have some simple techniques up your sleeve to help people handle the uncertainty. Even the smallest of changes can have a big impact, […]
“Stratospheric” executive pay rises are ‘damaging British business’
“Stratospheric” pay increases that have seen the salaries of top executives at a number of FTSE companies soar by more than 4,000% over the last 30 years are undermining productivity and “damaging” trust in British business. According to a report published by the High Pay Commission following a year-long inquiry, such high growth rates compare […]
HR vacancies rise, but salaries remain flat
The number of permanent HR vacancies, particularly for global and public sector posts, is on the rise, even though pay continues to remain relatively flat month-on-month, a report has revealed. According to October’s Talent Spotlight from recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, the amount of permanent HR positions available increased by 1.3% last month compared with […]
HRD Insight: HSS’ John Hardman on moving beyond HR theory
What’s important if you want to succeed in an HR context? The first thing is not to get too caught up in text book approaches to people management or too bogged down by the theory. What is far more important is being able to understand the business and your people and, to some extent, […]
Regional Health Authority goes social to support new NHS commissioning groups
South East Coast Strategic Health Authority has set up a virtual learning environment to help new ‘clinical commissioning groups’ share their experiences and tap into the expertise of other workers in Primary Care Trusts and local authorities. The Learning Network is a collaborative web site that is intended to provide support to those members of […]
HMRC to change year-end PAYE system
In a move that should help to reduce year-end penalties for employers, HM Revenue & Customs is to change its Pay As You Earn system to handle tax and other deductions on a monthly rather than annual basis. HMRC’s new ‘Real Time Information‘ approach will mean that tax and deductions data is transmitted to it each […]
Blog: Why you should stop motivating staff
Recognise This! – Factors that serve to demotivate employees are stronger than those that motivate them. For decades, “good” managers have concerned themselves with how to motivate employees – how to encourage their employees to give their best. New research from Jim Collins, co-author of Good to Great and Great by Choice, offers a […]
Government minister threatens strike law changes
The case for reforming strike laws will become “very pressing” if public sector workers press ahead with industrial action at the end of the month, a Coalition Government Minister has warned. Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude told BBC 1’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday that such legislation was kept “under review”, adding that a mass […]
Medical panel should sign off long-term sick, report recommends
An independent panel of medical experts should be set up to decide whether or not people are fit for work, stripping GPs of the power to issue sick notes for long-term absence. Employers should also be given the right to appeal decisions made by family doctors to sign off workers, while being offered tax breaks […]
Ask the Expert: Can I change the job offer for a pregnant candidate?
The question We recently offered a full-time role to an applicant who has now indicated that she may be pregnant. She is considering not joining us because of this. We have no problem with her pregnancy, but the role offered could be strenuous in the later months of pregnancy. We want to consider other […]
Blog: The value of early intervention
Mary is an established member of her team, with good social and professional relationships with her co-workers. Her boss has managed the unit with a fair degree of success (neither perfect nor imperfect), and everyone knows where the boundaries are and what is expected of them. Boss moves on with fond farewells. New boss […]
Employee vetting in recruitment – a must or a nice-to-have?
How effective is making pre-employment vetting part of the recruitment process in order to reduce subsequent fraud and theft? Which pre-employment checks are necessary and where do you stand on hiring ex-offenders? Such topics have been widely debated in the HR world for years without any clear-cut answers having emerged. But what is […]