Legal Insight: Dealing with the aftermath of whistle-blowing
The Court of Appeal has issued an important judgment on the subject of vicarious liability in whistle-blowing cases that result in accusations of victimisation. The ruling, which was handed down on Tuesday 25 October in the case of NHS Manchester v Fecitt and others [2011] EWCA Civ 1190, has led to calls for the Public […]
Blog: Why bother with managing staff careers?
In today’s tough economic circumstances, organisations are seeking competitive advantage through the best use of their people more than ever before. In a time when the job market is uncertain many companies and business leaders may feel that career management is not a priority, seeing it as something that is personal to employees. But […]
Creating a supportive culture in stressful times
Stress is now the most common cause of long-term sick leave in the UK, which means that organisations can no longer afford to ignore the issue. But line managers need clear guidance from the HR department on how to identify early signs of stress within their teams and manage the situation so that it works […]
Ask the Expert: Do staff accrue holiday while on unpaid leave?
The question We have a part-time employee who has asked to take two periods of unpaid leave during the next calendar year so that she can go travelling. We are happy to grant her these periods of unpaid leave, but the question is, will she continue to accrue holiday leave entitlement during this period […]
Employers reject offshore call centres due to staff quality concerns
A huge four out of five senior executives in English-speaking countries have no plans to offshore their customer contact centres because concerns over staff quality are failing to outweigh cost benefits. A report by analyst firm Ovum, based on a survey of senior executives at large North American, European and Australian companies, revealed that only […]
Investment in work-based training has direct impact on bottom line
Investment in work experience, quality work-based training and apprenticeships provides not just soft intangible benefits, but also has a positive impact on the bottom line, a UK academic has advised. Jonathan Garnett, dean of the Institute for Work-Based Learning at Middlesex University, which held a ‘Getting the UK Working’ conference with employers lobby group, the […]
HR Forum: Shropshire Council – a talent strategy for change
In a bid to cope with huge organisational change as well as the implications of employing an ageing workforce, Shropshire County Council has introduced a proactive talent management strategy to try and ‘grow its own’ leaders of the future. The Conservative-led local authority hit the headlines this July after sending letters to each of its […]
Blog: Is it worth fighting discrimination claims in court?
The UK has never been so awash with solicitors and their numbers are growing at 4% a year. Although employment law cases account for around 10% of Solicitors’ time, threats of litigation are also rising as an increasing number of solicitors are signing up claimants on a “no win, no fee basis” and achieving substantial […]
HR Forum: HR lessons from the beautiful game
The Beautiful Game has important lessons to offer team-based, talent-dependent industries, believes Professor Chris Brady, former dean of the BPP Business School, who is now helping his son to run Southend United. “People say that business is more complex than football. But rather than saying that ‘business is complex and football is simple’, it’s […]
The changing face of the European HR technology market
Over the last few years, the delivery of HR services in Europe has evolved significantly, driven largely by a need to balance increased demand with the ability to manage costs – and improve quality. European economies are more diverse than in any other region of the world and businesses are under tremendous pressure to be […]
Update: Government pension proposals not enough to stop industrial action
Coalition Government concessions on public sector pension changes have not proved enough for the unions to call off their proposed day of action at the end of this month. The point was rammed home earlier today when members of Unison, the UK’s largest union, voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking by 245,359 for to 70,253 […]
Blog: Using the London Olympics as a motivational tool
With less than a year to go before London hosts the largest sporting event in the world, businesses in the UK are now starting to consider ways in which to increase staff motivation during the 2012 Olympics. The recent release of an article from the Telegraph titled ‘Sickies to soar during Games’ not only reiterated […]
Legal Insight: Does your organisation pass the stress test?
Stress has become the most common cause of long-term absence from work for the first time, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual absence report, which was published last month. Given this development and that 2 November was National Stress Awareness Day, it would make sense for organisations to take the opportunity […]
Lincolnshire shared services deal to save £1.3m by axing 20 posts
Plans for North and North East Lincolnshire councils to enter into a shared agreement to jointly provide local taxation and benefits services could save taxpayers £1.3m, mainly by getting rid of 20 full-time equivalent posts. The agreement, which will cover housing and council tax benefits administration, collection of council tax and non-domestic rates and other […]
HMRC staff balloted for action over call centre privatisation plans
A union representing more than 21,000 Revenue and Customs staff is threatening to stage regular walk-outs over the government agency’s plans to use private sector providers in order to answer taxpayers’ phone calls. At the end of last week, the Public and Commercial Services union began a two-week ballot of 12,000 of its members […]
Talent Spot: John Ainley, group HR director at Aviva
“Authenticity is very important. You can be authentically awful, but being comfortable with who you are, is crucial as an HR director,” says John Ainley, group HR director at Aviva. Ainley, who is a member of the insurance group’s executive committee and reports directly to its chief executive, started working there as a divisional HR […]
Blog: Does HR belong in finance?
Recognise This! – HR must provide strategic value to claim a place on the executive team. What’s the reporting structure for HR in your organisation? Do you have a CHRO or similar that reports directly to the CEO? Or does HR report up through operations (the COO) or finance (the CFO)? Workforce Management recently […]
News Analysis: Two thirds of workers suffering high stress levels
Two thirds of all workers are suffering from high levels of stress and are having to take time off work as a result. These are the key findings of a survey among employees at 1,500 companies worldwide undertaken by employee assistance programme provider, ComPsych, to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day today. The poll […]
Book Review: Corporate confidential by Cynthia Shapiro
I found reading this book to be a particularly depressing experience and had to force myself to get anywhere near the end. My advice to other potential readers would be not to bother. Cynthia Shapiro was a senior HR manager in various US organisations and had to get involved in some pretty dirty business to […]
Melody Hossaini’s verdict on the Young Apprentice: Episode two
Melody Hossaini, a candidate in the last series of BBC TV’s The Apprentice, social entrepreneur and founder of InspirEngage International blogs about the second episode in the new season of Young Apprentice: Week two task: Design a product for the parent and baby market and pitch it to leading retailers. This week saw a classic […]