The Workplace: Equipping Starbank for the future
Starbank is a highly successful company. Started in1976 by Gordon and Kathleen Darbyshire, Starbank began as a supplier of furniture components to the caravan industry. It later expanded to service a growing number of industries who required a reliable and quality outsourcing service for the fabrication of high pressure laminates and wood based panel products. […]
Just over half of staff work through their holidays
Just over half of UK staff who are not self-employed work during their holidays, with nearly one in five making a regular habit of it, a study has found. A survey among 2,009 adults undertaken by YouGov on behalf of workplace information and services provider Croner also revealed that young people aged 18 to 24 […]
How is James Murdoch conducting himself?
In light of the News International scandal there is an important question that all organisations should be asking themselves: Is the code of conduct an effective tool that actively helps protect your reputation, or a fig leaf whose shortcomings risk leaving you woefully exposed if things turn tricky? According to James Murdoch’s testimony before the […]
Top director pensions 29 times higher than employees
Top company directors are retiring on pensions that are up to 29 times larger than those of the rest of the workforce, according to the High Pay Commission. Most executives working at FTSE 100 companies draw an average annual pension of about £175,000, while the median pension for employees in a private sector final […]
Stressed!!! Companies are screaming out for HR to help.
How did last week feel for you? Were you feeling a tad more stressed out than usual? If you were, don’t worry, you’re not alone – there were millions of us in the same boat. Last week was, it seems, the most stressful 5 working days of the corporate calendar as those left in the […]
PM and Chancellor plan top tax rate cut to 45p
David Cameron and George Osborne plan to cut the top rate of income tax from 50 pence to 45 pence as early as next March. According to the Daily Mail, the Prime Minister and Chancellor decided to back the move after seeing Treasury figures, which showed that the current 50 pence rate for those earning […]
Ask the expert: Redundancy and re-employment
The question: Redundancy and re-employment "Is there a minimum time after a redundancy that employers can re-advertise for the same post, I’ve seen a lot of conflicting advice some companies wait three months, others six. I’d appreciate any advice please." Legal advice: Esther Smith, partner, Thomas Eggar "Well, the answer generally depends […]
Your job specification: 5 tips to take it from drab to irresistible
Today’s job seekers can access as many as eight million job postings from the Internet alone. To attract the top job candidates in your industry, irresistible and informative job postings are a must. A well-crafted job posting not only gets you the best applicants, but also ensures those applicants have a good understanding of what […]
Interns: opportunity or exploitation?
As a trainee solicitor I have done my fair share of unpaid internships and work experience. In fact, many of my friends have had to work for months, one for even a year, for little or no remuneration. This is particularly the case in the media, fashion and TV industries. In many instances interns work […]
Whither employee benefits?
Has the provision of employee benefits passed its peak? The answer to the question depends on the reasons why benefits were offered in the first place. If they were constructed as part of a package to attract and retain employees, the recession and public sector spending cuts have probably stalled the momentum in benefits provision. […]
Graduates focus on money, not idealism
Contrary to conventional wisdom, salary and other financial considerations are now top of the list for graduates when making their career choice, with idealism apparently having gone out of the window with the recession. According to a study undertaken by talent management consultancy Hay Group, a huge 93% of university leavers now see base pay […]
Shoesmith wins unfair dismissal appeal case claim
Sharon Shoesmith, the social services boss sacked in the wake of the Baby P scandal could receive more than £1 million in compensation after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal against her unfair dismissal claim. The Department for Education and Shoesmith’s former employer, Haringey Council, had challenged a landmark ruling made by the Court […]
Who dares recruits
British Special Forces are undertaking an active online recruitment campaign for the first time in a bid to combat falling numbers. The SAS has posted an advert on a password-protected military job site, which can only be accessed by serving military personnel as they are the only ones eligible to apply. Colonel Clive […]
All IT recruitment roads lead to London
London is the place to be if you want to pick up a new job in IT, according to new research from jobs site CWjobs.co.uk. The second quarter of 2011 is the eighth consecutive quarter of increasing demand for IT jobseekers, with developer roles making up 39 per cent of all jobs advertised in the […]
HSBC plans 30,000 job cuts by 2013
HSBC plans to cut up to 30,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2013 as part of a major refocus of its global banking operations towards Asia and away from less profitable regions. On announcing better than expected first half pre-tax profits of $11.5 billion, a rise of 3%, the group said that it had […]
Top of Acas list of things to do: deal with unfair dismissal
While pay remains the single biggest cause of large-scale industrial disputes, unfair dismissal is the most common reason for individuals to use its conciliation services, says arbitration service Acas. Although the number of large, collective disputes rose by 15% last year to 1,054, a huge 91% were either resolved or saw both parties move […]
Pension rules could lead to pensions exodus
Proposals to increase minimum auto-enrolment pension contributions made by both private sector staff and employers could end up driving people away from schemes altogether, the CBI has warned. From next year, unless employees choose to opt out, they and their employers will be required to pay a minimum of 8% into an occupational pension […]
MP advocates fear and discipline for public sector workers
The only way to achieve excellence among public sector workers is through “some real discipline and some fear”, the coalition government’s policy minister Oliver Letwin has said. According to the Guardian, Letwin, who is the coalition’s architect of public sector reforms, told attendees at the launch of a liberal think tank’s report at the […]
Change – is it all in the mind?
Anyone who has worked in organisations long enough will be familiar with the concept of the change programme. Whether in response to a crisis, such as a turnaround situation, or a growth opportunity as with a corporate takeover, the change process is well established. A classic change management plan might look like this: make it […]
Constructive dismissal: The usual rules apply to football clubs
There is often a perception that football clubs don’t need to concern themselves with employment law. “Well, football is football isn’t it? Things are different aren’t they?” Falkirk Football Club recently learnt that the answer to that was, definitely not. Richard Santy, employment partner at Shoosmiths and head of its Sports Group, explains why football clubs […]
