Small businesses call for tax relief to help with sickness absence costs
The Federation of Small Businesses has called for the introduction of tax relief to help employers cope with the high cost and administrative burden of sickness absence. Ahead of the publication of findings from an independant review of the sickness absence system later this autumn, the FSB’s ‘Voice of Small Business’ survey revealed sickness absence […]
Tube drivers to start industrial action on Friday
Tube train drivers are to begin industrial action on Friday morning in a move likely to cause delays and disruption to the capital’s underground network. The action was agreed by a margin of four to one by members of the UK’s largest transport union, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, in a row with London […]
Legal Insight: The Bribery Act revisited
That the Bribery Act has claimed its first victim less than four months after coming into force serves as a timely reminder to employers to be aware of their responsibilities. Munir Patel, who worked at Redbridge Magistrates’ Court in east London, pleaded guilty to accepting £500 to ‘get rid’ of someone’s speeding charge, which amounted […]
The pros and cons of social recruitment
Employers are starting to recognise the benefits of using social media to source and engage talent. Facebook has opened up recruiters’ doors to just under 20% of the global population. LinkedIn is providing access to more than 125 million workers throughout the world and Google’s Google+ social networking site is gaining traction at a breath-taking […]
Cloud HCM market set for a big shake-up next year
“Marriages don’t last that long!” So said Dave Duffield, joint founder of HR Software-as-a-Service provider Workday and former PeopleSoft chief executive, of the time he’s worked with his co-CEO Aneel Bhusri this week. Duffield’s comment came on the opening day of the supplier’s ‘Rising’ user event in Las Vegas, a gathering that took place […]
Blog: 10 top tips to build an engaged workforce
An engaged employee is someone who will go that extra mile for your company. Companies with high employee engagement levels grow on average 4.5 times faster than those with low levels, according to a 2010 study by Hays. Engaged employees means lower staff turnover & higher productivity. However, engagement takes work – here are […]
Book Review: The why of work by Ulrich & Ulrich
The initial response many people will have to the Ulrichs’ book title will be to focus on the ‘why’ and ‘work’ words. They will then contrast them with the increasing pressure they probably feel at the moment to simply keep the show on the road, before reaching for the ‘Ten Minute Manager’ or some […]
Axing unfair dismissal rights “not beneficial” for employers or staff, warn experts
Radical proposals to allow employers to sack unproductive workers without explanation would “not be beneficial” to themselves, their staff or the economy, experts have warned. A leaked final draft report, commissioned by the Prime Minister and written by Adrian Beecroft, a venture capitalist and Conservative Party donor, suggests that UK workers should be banned from […]
Employers lose top talent due to neglect not pay, says study
Low trust levels in senior management, job dissatisfaction and excessive amounts of daily stress are the key reasons why employers lose top talent. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s quarterly Employee Outlook survey, staff are, unsurprisingly, much more likely to position themselves among the 22% currently looking for a new job if […]
Talent Spot: John Hardman, HR director at HSS Hire
The various jobs and responsibilities may have changed over the years, but for John Hardman, HR director at HSS Hire, one thing has remained constant. “Dealing with people is what I do, and what I love,” he says. His natural people skills were noticed early on by his first employer, NatWest. Hardman had started on […]
Melody Hossaini’s verdict on the Young Apprentice: Episode one
Melody Hossaini, a candidate in the last series of BBC TV’s The Apprentice, social entrepreneur and founder of InspirEngage International blogs about the first episode in the new season of Young Apprentice: Week 1 task: Make frozen treats and sell to the public for the highest profit We’re off! Twelve 16 and 17 year-olds battle it […]
Blog: What HR can learn from Hannibal the Great
In 216 BC Hannibal crossed the Alps in terrible conditions to attack Italy. His generals pleaded with him not to attempt it saying it would be impossible to cross the Alps with elephants. On hearing this Hannibal said “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam” or translated from Latin, I will either find a way, or make […]
Cunard denies ship registration switch is “smoke screen” for staff wage cuts
Cunard has denied that the decision to switch the registration of its ships from the UK to Bermuda at the start of next year is aimed at circumventing domestic employment laws on pay and conditions. Peter Shanks, the luxury cruise operator’s managing director, told the Telegraph that the move was instead intended to enable ships […]
Clegg promises yet more employment law change this autumn
The Coalition Government plans to introduce a “major package” of employment law changes this autumn, which includes “significant reforms” to the tribunal system. This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told a meeting of small business leaders gathered at the Shoreditch offices of Holition, which creates augmented reality marketing software, that the aim of implementing […]
Mediation: Part Two – How to find the right provider
The mediation industry has no single regulatory body. The Civil Mediation Council runs a workplace mediation provider registration scheme, which provides a register of mediation suppliers. Although this is a positive step forward, as yet there is no single code of good practice for workplace mediators and the scheme relies on self-certification. As a result, […]
Getting women on the board is not about quick fixes
The newspapers have been awash lately with damning surveys suggesting that large companies still have a long way to go to balance up their boardrooms and create working environments that support women’s career progression as much as they do men’s. So it came as no surprise that Lord Davies’ Review has so far yielded minimal […]
Unions mount legal challenge to Government pension changes
A new front will open up tomorrow in the ongoing battle over public sector pensions between unions and the Coalition Government when a judicial review hearing kicks off in the High Court. The aim of the legal challenge, which has been mounted by the UK’s six largest public sector unions, is to question the lawfulness […]
Blog: How to take the pay issue off the table
Recognise This! – Recognition and rewards cannot replace compensation – it’s an entirely different “currency.” Fellow blogger and Compensation Café founder Ann Bares recently ran a survey looking into what level of pay (or pay increase) would be needed to “take the issue of pay off the table.” This is a highly complex but […]
Brain drain from 50p tax rate underestimated, warns Diageo chief
The 50 pence income tax rate is resulting in a trickle of high earners starting to leave the UK, while inhibiting others from coming here, Diageo boss Paul Walsh has claimed. Walsh, who has run one of the world’s largest drinks manufacturers for the last 11 years, told the Sunday Telegraph that the impact of […]
Tesco temp agencies ask workers to waive EU employment rights
Thousands of temps working for Tesco have been asked to sign contracts waiving their new employment rights under the Agency Worker Regulations in a scenario that is becoming increasingly widespread across the UK. According to the Sunday Telegraph, many of the recruitment agencies for the country’s largest supermarket chain have introduced a get-out clause, which […]