3/5 employers have no plan for NEST pensions
Despite widespread publicity about new auto-enrolment legislation for pension schemes, the regulations have completely passed a worrying three out of five UK employers by, according to a study. But the survey among 2,000 managers undertaken by OnePoll on behalf of Close Asset Management also revealed that a third of those who were aware of […]
Council off shoring move leads to Union anger
Unions warned that Birmingham City Council’s plans to offshore 100 IT roles to India were only the “tip of the iceberg” as members began voting on strike action over job cuts and changes to pay and conditions. In what the Local Government Association said was the first move by a local authority to outsource […]
Smartworking: the future of work
Do you spend your working day on conference calls? Are you a member of a couple of dozen LinkedIn groups, and several different teams? If it feels as though project working, and dispersed team membership, are becoming more common and more complex, it’s because they are. There has been a three-fold increase in the number […]
Women in technical roles get training funding
The science Sector Skills Council has set up a £213,000 training pot to help UK employers finance the training and development of female staff, with the aim of increasing representation in non-traditional technical roles. The creation of the fund, which will see beneficiaries receive a maximum training grant of £600 per person, follows Cogent’s successful […]
Institute of Recruiters launched
The recruitment industry has set up its own Institute in a bid to boost standards of professionalism in the sector and offer members a range of personal development options. The Manchester-based Institute of Recruiters, which was launched yesterday, joins an increasingly crowded marketplace of organisations providing interested parties with education and training possibilities. The Recruitment […]
Agency workers: looking less attractive
The Government has published detailed guidance on the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (“the Regulations”) which are due to become law on 1st October 2011. During the recession many employers have taken advantage of the greater flexibility and cheaper costs associated with agency workers on short term temporary contracts. However, after the Agency Workers Regulations become […]
The success factors: goal setting, execution tools and performance feedback
A study has found that companies which set and align goals, vary performance feedback and use tools effectively to increase business execution see higher stock returns and grow more quickly than those who don’t. The research, which was undertaken with data on goal setting, alignment, and system usage characteristics in 153 of SuccessFactors publicly […]
Employees need holiday every 60 days
UK workers need to take a holiday every 60 days if they are to stay fresh, focused and avoid feeling stressed, according to research. A survey among 2,000 adults undertaken by Post Office Travel Insurance revealed that one in four felt the need to take a break from work every two months, with 20% feeling […]
Top pay at Tesco reviewed
Tesco has overhauled its pay policy for top managers in a bid to prevent a repeat of last year’s shareholder revolt, just as a new report revealed that chief executive renumeration was out of kilter with share prices and employee pay. The changes, which were revealed in the supermarket chain’s annual report, will see it […]
Twitter forced to hand over account details to Council
Council bosses in South Tyneside have won a legal battle forcing Twitter to hand over the personal details of accounts allegedly used by a councillor to make damaging claims again its staff. The local authority took the micro-blogging site to court in California after three other councillors and an official complained of being libelled in […]
Unpaid internships land Lib Dems in hot water
The contentious issue of internships has erupted again after it emerged that one in three posts on a government jobsite was unsalaried and the Liberal Democrats were advertising for unpaid work experience online. The revelations follow a political row last month after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg criticised unwaged internships, saying that workers should be […]
Ask the expert: Do we have to pay sleeping workers?
This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith advise on whether the pay-to hours ratio on this sleep shift is correct and legal. The question: Paying the sleeping shift Currently staff work a shift of 7pm to 7am. They work (awake) from 7pm to 11pm and then can sleep from 11pm to […]
Communicating with your employees – don’t be anti-social!
Employee engagement should be high on business leaders’ agenda, especially given the economic uncertainty of recent years. This has been particularly challenging with a number of companies being unable to offer their staff a pay increase to maintain levels of engagement. However, an attractive employee benefits scheme can be a cost-effective alternative to a pay […]
‘Our Chezza’ style sacking could land you in court, warn lawyers
Cheryl Cole’s reported sacking from the US version of X Factor due to Americans’ failure to understand Geordie has led a UK law firm to warn employers that discriminating against individuals with regional accents could get them sued. The Girls Aloud star is believed to have been sacked ahead of the show’s launch in the […]
Low skilled immigrant workers have doubled
Official figures revealing that the number of foreign-born workers filling low skill jobs has doubled in nine years has reignited the debate over immigration and whether welfare reform is enough to encourage UK citizens to take poorly paid jobs. The Office for National Statistics indicated that nearly 20% of low skilled posts, the equivalent of […]
Online tools make employees ruder and less productive
Always-on access to technology ranging from email to social networks is not only making employees less productive, it is also making them ruder, a study has claimed. According to a survey among 500 firms undertaken by online market researcher uSamp on behalf of collaboration software provider harmon.ie, a huge three out of five interruptions to […]
Case in point: Treating maternity leavers too favourably
Caught between a rock and a hard place: too favourable a treatment of employees on maternity leave during a redundancy process can lead to discrimination issues. The Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in Eversheds Legal Services Limited v Mr J De Belin has highlighted the difficulties facing employers who, in a bid to avoid discriminating against […]
Discrimination multi-faceted, reveals report
Three quarters of staff who have experienced discrimination believe their treatment is not just down to one factor such as gender but to a range of identity-related issues, a study has found. The research, which was published to coincide with the launch of The Inclusive Employers Foundation, revealed that the most commonly cited reasons for […]
The promotion card – why your top performers are not always the best candidates
Cris Beswick on why your top performers are not always those you want to promote. Really? Read on and find out… In my experiences of working with businesses, stimulating fresh thinking and new answers comes from diverse viewpoints and perspectives. I encourage businesses to actively seek out and recruit people who offer something different […]
Classroom based learning still favoured
In spite of a wealth of technology-based learning and development tools being adopted, classroom-based learning remains the most popular training format. According to a survey undertaken among 2,500 employees at companies in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain by learning and development provider Cegos Group, nine out of 10 still receive training in a […]
