Council censured for revealing personal details of 900 staff online
Dumfries and Galloway Council breached data protection laws by disclosing the names, salaries and dates of birth of nearly 900 staff, the Information Commissioner’s Office has ruled. The personal data, recorded in a spreadsheet, was mistakenly made available for two months on a Council web site following an enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act. […]
Mobile case management system saves the equivalent of 13 NHS staff
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has equipped community health staff with notebooks to save time by enabling them to access and update patient information wherever they are. Some 370 district nurses and health visitors have been kitted out with machines running Civica‘s Paris case management software, saving them 8,300 hours over the last year. […]
Blog: Why do we tolerate jerks at work (and what to do about it)?
Recognise This! – Tolerating badly behaving high performers drives down productivity whilst increasing the level of aggression in the workplace. Do you work with a jerk? Are managers inclined to sweep the jerk’s poor behaviour under the rug saying, “That’s just his personality?” Tony Wilson reported on research showing why this is incredibly […]
Technical skills seen as key barrier in move to HR shared services
Technology and the skills required to implement and use it are key concerns when migrating to HR and payroll shared services. A survey of more than 100 public sector organisations undertaken by software supplier MidlandHR revealed that many of them were currently looking on the black side, overestimating the challenges associated with implementing shared services, […]
Top mandarin’s pay link to PM’s salary “crude” and “arbitrary”
The perceived link between senior public servant’s pay and the Prime Minister’s £142,500 salary has been criticised by an influential Commons Committee as "arbitrary" and "too crude" to be meaningful. In a report published today, the Public Administration Select Committee said that, while there was an acknowledged need for civil service pay restraint in the […]
Lessons from across the pond: could regional talent hubs create a ‘Big Society’?
The Government is missing out on a powerful online tool for regenerating communities. Since his famous ‘Big Society’ speech in July 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron and the Coalition government have both been looking for ways to deliver on the vision outlined. With the Cabinet Office tasked with transforming this relatively abstract idea into […]
Talent Spot: Denise Keating, head of the Employers’ Network for Equality and Inclusion
There isn’t much in either an HR or business setting that Denise Keating hasn’t tried and mastered. As well as systematically working to make herself an expert in every aspect of HR, along the way she has also picked up experience of areas such as IT and clinical governance. “I never lost jobs, just gained […]
Blog: Is social media a legal nightmare or a boon?
As an HR director, are you worried about what effect social media is having on the business, and in particular your employees’ use of it? Have you had problems with employees posting inappropriate or even damaging comments on social networking sites? Most businesses are aware of the positive benefits of social media in promoting their […]
Employers forced to cut pay rises to fund pensions, warns head of NEST
Employers will need to cut pay rises from next year in order to fund plans to automatically enrol the entire workforce in a workplace pension scheme, the head of NEST has warned. Tim Jones, chief executive of the Government’s new pension offering, the National Employment Savings Trust, told the Telegraph that the proposed changes would […]
White officers sue Metropolitan Police for racism
Six white officers are taking the Metropolitan Police to an employment tribunal, accusing the force of racial discrimination and ‘political correctness gone mad’. The men, all members of the Met’s Territorial Support Group, were acquitted two years ago in a trial relating to alleged race-related assaults, but claim that, since the court case took place, […]
Mediation: Part One – When to use it and why
Mediation is increasingly gaining prominence as an effective means of resolving workplace disputes. Yet for many organisations, it is still a relatively untested approach compared to more formal processes such as disciplinary and grievance procedures. In the first of a four part series on the subject, we provide guidance on how to ensure that […]
Blog: Is regulation really to blame for hiring caution?
I have looked with surprise at the debate around changing the unfair dismissal qualification period from one year to two. Is the unfair dismissal qualifying period really what drives small businesses away from employing people? Fear of employment law (which is used by many to sell employment law insurance) does not seem to tie in with […]
Proposals to change parental rights slammed as “hideous”
A Liberal Democrat minister has branded recommendations to restrict maternity and paternity rights as “hideous” amid rumours of a Cabinet split on the issue. Lynne Featherstone, LibDem equalities minister, made it clear to the Observer newspaper yesterday that her party would not tolerate any watering down of parental rights, lashing out at private equity […]
Employers sign up to Recruitment Protocol to tackle disability discrimination
A group of 16 employers are to sign up to an agreement requiring all of the recruitment agencies they work with to remove employment barriers for disabled people. The ‘Recruitment Protocol’, which was developed by the Employers’ Forum on Disability in consultation with the employers concerned and recruitment agencies, is intended to make it easier […]
Roll up, roll up: 10 complimentary passes for the Business Cloud Summit
As HR director, what has Cloud really got to do with you? If you’ve been asking yourself that question, then maybe you need to get some practical advice. And the Business Cloud Summit 2011 could be just the thing for you – it’s aiming to give real-life insights into all things Cloud and how the […]
Positive moves: Dealing with the back pain epidemic
Lord Sugar may have mocked Tom Pellereau when he presented his plans for an office chair designed to alleviate back pain. But the Apprentice winner knew what many employers have been forced to learn: the crippling cost of back problems for both staff and the business. Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE […]
Government funds released to train more online spooks
The Coalition Government is to channel funds from its £650m National Cyber Security Programme into making good a shortfall in the number of internet specialists required to combat online information security threats. Concerns about the inability of GCHQ to retain enough cyber experts were raised earlier this year in the Security and Intelligence Committee’s annual […]
‘Humanising’ HR through social media
Traditionally, HR’s main involvement with social media has been to police employees’ online activities and ensure that they are not breaching company policies if using social networking sites within working hours. But the function is also gradually starting to see the benefits of employing the channel more widely itself. A recent survey conducted by SysComm […]
Blog: Committing to a compassionate culture within the NHS
Compliance to compassion was a phrase that has resonated with me this week, since another damning report was released on the state of the national health service’s approach to eldercare. A lady on the radio yesterday (Thursday) urged officials to shift thinking across the organisation, and actually change the way that individuals approach their day-to-day […]
State pension age to hit 67 up to a decade earlier than planned
The state pension age will rise to 67 for both men and women up to a decade earlier than previously planned, the Coalition Government is expected to announce next week. Under a timetable set by the last government, the pension age was scheduled to reach 67 between 2034 and 2036. But Government ministers have told […]