Lone workers unhappy – and at risk
Although seven out of 10 full-time staff qualify as ‘lone workers’, just under half are unhappy with having to work by themselves. The term ‘lone worker’ applies to self-employed people and home workers, employees in fields such as painting and decorating or repairs who work away from the office, personnel who work outside of normal […]
Conservatives under fire for internship auction
The Conservative Party has come under fire after auctioning off internship places at leading City and PR firms for the children of wealthy backers during a fundraising event last week. The move comes at a time when youth unemployment is hitting 20% and work experience is deemed crucial to future job prospects in a highly […]
Microsoft sets out to stop employee moving to rival
Microsoft is seeking an injunction to prevent the former head of its Dynamics CRM team from working at rival Salesforce.com after he allegedly removed hundreds of sensitive documents on his personal laptop before leaving. The company claims in a legal motion filed with the Washington Superior Court that former Dynamics CRM general manager Matt Miszewski […]
Tiny bikes set to save health of office workers
A portable mini-exercise bike used by office staff while working at their desks could help improve the health of those with sedentary occupations, according to US scientists. The researchers at East Carolina University argued in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that, while sedentary lifestyles were a serious problem as lack of exercise was linked […]
Long service soldiers sacked by email in personnel blunder
The Ministry of Defence has apologised for any distress caused after sacking 38 soldiers – including one on the front line in Afghanistan – by email. According to the Sun newspaper, the warrant officers, who had each put in more than 20 years of service, received a round-robin email from career manager Major Andy Simpson […]
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Breast cancer – what can employers do to help?
John Picken, Director of the health and wellbeing consultancy Shandwell, reviews the latest research on breast cancer and the implications for employers. It’s a startling statistic, but according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK) one woman in eight will get breast cancer. The risk increases with age yet this is not a condition that just affects […]
Ask the expert: Disability discrimination questions
This time the experts, Esther Smith and Adam Partington advise on asking questions regarding health on an application form. The question: Disability discrimination questions… Would we be in contravention of the DDA by asking applicants the following question on an application form? "Do you consider yourself to have a disability?Yes/No Please state the type of […]
FTSE 100 need to diversify boardrooms or face quotas
A government inquiry is expected to recommend that FTSE 100 companies be given two years to radically increase the number of women in boardrooms or face the imposition of quotas. The review by Lord Davies of Abersoch, ex-trade minister and former chairman of bank Standard Chartered, is likely to reject the immediate introduction of statutory […]
Redundancies ahead as cuts bite
The first three months of 2011 will be “a quarter of reckoning” for the jobs market, with the number of redundancies across the economy set to rise “sharply” as coalition government cuts start to bite. According to this quarter’s Labour Market Outlook from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and management consultancy KPMG, the […]
Love in the office – heartbreak for HR
A stolen kiss in the stationery cupboard is one thing, but when love blooms in the office it can turn into heartbreak for HR managers, explains Adrian Martin, Partner at Burges Salmon LLP. If members of staff develop a personal relationship, there is a risk of conflict of interest and potential for discrimination and […]
Employers face fines over inappropriate background checks
Employers that repeatedly make inappropriate or even unlawful background checks on staff will in future face fines of up to £500,000 as part of the coalition government’s revamp of the controversial Vetting and Barring Scheme. The proposals are contained in the Protection of Freedoms Bill, which is due to be published today, and would see […]
Chris Last appointed head of Government HR Operations
The implementation of a single civil service HR policy across all Whitehall agencies has moved a step closer following the appointment of the first head of Government HR Operations. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s in-house publication People Management, Chris Last, HR director general of the Department for Work and Pensions, has […]
Company revises Facebook policies after firing employee
A US company that fired an employee after she criticised her boss on Facebook has agreed to revamp its policies to ensure they do not restrict workers’ rights. Ambulance service American Medical Response of Connecticut reached a private settlement with employee Dawnmaire Souza, after the US National Labor Relations Board, a US federal agency that […]
Oakeshott resigns over coalition bonus cave-in
The Liberal Democrats’ Treasury spokesman in the House of Lords resigned last night in protest at what he saw as a cave-in by the coalition government on a deal over bankers’ salaries and bonuses. Lord Oakeshott, who was a City fund manager for 35 years and advised Business Secretary Vince Cable when the Lib Dems […]
Align social media strategy with business objectives
Employers need to approach the development of a social media policy in an organised and planned fashion and ensure that it is consistent with the organisation’s mission, strategy and values, Gartner has advised. Social media provides “tempting opportunities” to interact more effectively with employees, customers, prospects, business partners and other anonymous users, but also “disrupts […]
Defining resilience: what we can learn from resilient role models?
Resilience is becoming a common word in the HR community and an increasingly important and desirable quality for employees. In this article, we look at what resilience really means for individuals, the key components that make up resilience and explain why it’s important to learn from our resilient role models. Why is resilience important?Resilience is […]
Forcing retirement after the DRA? A high hurdle…
The recent announcement by the Government that the default retirement age (DRA) will, as expected, be abolished with effect from 1 October has been welcomed by age campaigners. It does not, however, necessarily spell the end of forced retirement and employers groups, including the CBI, have pointed out. The proposed abolition of the DRA in […]
Catching stars – talent management and technology
Talent management is a thorny issue which touches everything from recruitment, to retention, through to succession planning. Many are utilising technology to help them plan for and manage their talent needs, but what difference can it make to HR? 1 What are the main challenges you find HR is facing today?As companies begin to emerge […]
January figures good but unemployment to remain high
The CBI has warned that unemployment will remain “stubbornly high” over the next two years, as new figures revealed that hiring in January grew at the fastest rate for six months. The employers’ lobby group predicted that the number of people out of work would jump from 7.9% last year to peak at 8.4% or […]
