Managers failing to motivate and communicate
Poor management communication and an inability to motivate staff are key reasons why only a third of UK personnel are currently working to their full potential, a report has claimed. A survey among 2,000 workers undertaken by staff development company European Leaders revealed that a huge two thirds failed to understand their company’s vision, which […]
Slavery in Northern Ireland revealed
Modern-day slavery is alive-and-kicking among some workers in Northern Ireland’s fishing, mushroom and catering industries, a report has warned. The research undertaken between June 2009 and December 2010 by a team at the Institute for Conflict Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation revealed that some migrants to Northern Ireland, who were mainly of Filipino and […]
Serious problems with vocational business courses in schools
There is a “serious problem” with the quality of the vocational business courses being offered by the majority of English schools, inspectors have warned. Ofsted said in a report entitled ‘Economics, business and enterprise education’ that it was unhappy with the courses being provided at 30 out of 39 English schools. Even though students often […]
Mind the talent gap – is effective talent management being ignored?
As the public sector takes the necessary steps to meet budget cut demands, is there a danger that organisations will overlook the importance of effective talent management with potentially disastrous long term effects? Public sector management consultancy Hay Group surveyed 131 public sector leaders ranging from board and executive level to middle management and came […]
‘Worrying deceleration’ in job market points to sluggish recovery
The employment market showed a “worrying deceleration” last month, raising fears that sluggish economic recovery will hold back job creation in the private sector and fail to offset widespread public sector job losses. A survey of 400 recruitment consultancies undertaken by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and management consultancy KPMG revealed that the hiring of […]
Manufacturing needs more education and training
The manufacturing industry has warned that unless more government focus is placed on boosting education and training opportunities to counteract skills shortages, it is unlikely to fulfil hopes of driving future economic growth. According to the ‘Manufacturing Outlook’ survey for the second quarter of 2011 published by manufacturers’ organisation EEF and accountancy firm BDO, even […]
Book review: How to get top marks in… Managing poor work performance
Jeremy Badcock is our peer reviewer this time and he finds this advice from Kate Russell a useful tool to pass on to new managers. Title: How to get top marks in… Managing poor work performanceAuthor: Kate RussellISBN: 0954605454 It is quite a challenge to review a book written by someone calling herself the HR […]
Creating calm after the storm: employee engagement best practice following major organisational change
A disenfranchised workforce poses a significant problem to an organisation. In the HR industry it has been widely recognised that employees who are no longer engaged in an organisation are less likely to be flexible, work overtime or take on additional work or responsibilities. This can then have a knock-on effect on an organisation’s overall […]
The elephant in the HR department?
Not a real one, but as good as…. The elephant I’m talking about is stress, overwhelm, burnout. Here’s an example from a recent post on the dilemmas section of an HR jobs board: "I have never been under more pressure at work. I’m an HR manager of a small firm. Two of my team members […]
Calls for government to engage with unions to avoid unrest
Rather than making threats against the unions, the coalition government would do better to actively engage with public sector staff if it wants to avoid mass industrial action this autumn, employment experts have warned. The recommendations came after business secretary Vince Cable was booed and heckled at the GMB union’s annual conference in Brighton yesterday, […]
Banker bonus tax to battle ‘Britain’s lost talent’
The Shadow Chancellor plans to table a motion to levy a new £2 billion tax on bankers’ bonuses in order to fund back-to-work schemes for young people and those living in unemployment black spots. Labour’s Ed Balls is currently try to secure the backing of Liberal Democrat and Tory backbenchers to support an amendment to […]
40,000 jobs could go at Royal Mail
The Royal Mail is preparing to axe as many as one in four of its workers – or 40,000 jobs – over the next five years in the run-up to privatisation. The postal operator has already agreed a three-year deal with the Communication Workers Union to cut headcount by 8,000 per year until 2013. […]
Britain’s got talent: but how do you find yours?
On Saturday, the talent of Jai McDowell was publicly acknowledged when the 24 year old won Britain’s Got Talent, the nation’s favourite talent show. His prize was £100k, a place at the Royal Variety Performance and the potential of a flourishing career in the UK’s music industry. ITV’s successful television programme provides a solid structure […]
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 […]
