CIPD Conference: “HR must become business leaders and strategists”
If HR professionals are to take up their rightful mantle as agents of change, they must become “first and foremost business leaders and strategists driving performance and change through people”. Gill Rider, president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, warned in her keynote speech to open the organisation’s annual conference in Manchester today […]
Melody Hossaini’s verdict on the Young Apprentice: Episode three
Melody Hossaini, a candidate in the last series of BBC TV’s The Apprentice, social entrepreneur and founder of InspirEngage International, blogs about the third episode in the new season of Young Apprentice: Week three task: £800 to start up their own floristry businesses. Each must pitch to three corporate clients set up by Lord Sugar, […]
Half of public sector workers fail to recommend it as career choice
Nearly half of all public sector workers would not recommend working in the area to either those just embarking on their career or people fancying a career change. According to a study of more than 1,000 staff by recruiter Badenoch & Clark, disillusionment was particularly high among central and local government staff, with 63.3% and […]
E-learning charity goes into administration due to government cuts
The 25-year-old Learning and Skills Network has been pushed into administration due to cuts in government expenditure. The charity, which provided private sector companies and educationalists with research, training and consultancy services around e-learning, saw its income drop from £27.5 million for the financial year that ended in March 2010 to around £13 million in […]
Blog: Three lessons for measuring HR success
Recognise This! – What you measure and how you report the results is critical to proving the HR value proposition. In a recent article in TLNT, Lance Haun did an exceptional job highlighting recent research showing HR reports the most important measures for gauging HR’s value to the organisation are retention and employee satisfaction. […]
Seven secrets to staff engagement
The fundamental role of HR is to motivate the right people to do the right things at the right time. This situation puts the spotlight on how to boost employee engagement and ensure that workers are committed to the organisation. If you want staff to perform effectively, what are you going to give them in […]
Mediation: Part Four – How to deal with the outcome
When destructive workplace conflict rears its ugly head, it will typically be an HR professional who suggests mediation as an option to try and resolve the situation By the time the case gets to mediation, this ‘referrer’ will probably have invested significant time and emotion in it and will most likely have expectations about the […]
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 […]