DRA: frequently asked questions
The law on age and retirement has changed. The Government is phasing out the default retirement age (DRA): how will it affect you? In one of the biggest changes to retirement legislation in recent times, employers are no longer be able to issue notifications of retirement using the DRA procedure. In certain cases it might […]
Chairman of Glencore makes sexist gaffe
The chairman of the world’s largest commodities trader has sparked off a sexism row after indicating his reluctance to hire young women, particularly to the boardroom, because they have a habit of getting married and having babies. Septuagenarian Simon Murray, who was only hired as chairman of Glencore last month to facilitate […]
SuccessFactors purchases Plateau for $290m
SuccessFactors has purchased Software-as-a-Service-based learning management system provider Plateau for $290 million in cash and stock in a bid to build out its talent management system and compete more effectively with on-premise vendors. The acquisition will be integrated with Jambok’s SaaS-based social video learning system, which SuccessFactors acquired in March, as well as its own […]
Absenteeism costs UK business £32bn a year
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Absenteeism is costing UK business about £32bn per annum, with workers taking an average of 10 unscheduled days off, about twice that of their counterparts in the US and Asia-Pacific. According to a study among 2,000 companies undertaken by management consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers, UK personnel, who are […]
Teachers likely to strike over changes to pensions
Workers with children could be in for a difficult summer and autumn after two teachers’ unions voted to ballot for strike action against the coalition government’s proposed changes to their pensions. The National Union of Teachers voted this weekend for a ballot on a one-day walkout before the end of the summer term, only days after […]
Recruitment ROI in the ‘new normal’
When I talk to HR leaders across the private and public sectors, and even in the not for profit space, it’s quite clear that attitudes towards recruitment have changed significantly in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. In my opinion, the change is entirely positive for the recruitment industry, which has been greedy and […]
Where will you be on 5 May? We’ll be at the ConnectingHR unconference
The 5/5 ConnectingHR Unconference is only a week away and if you haven’t signed up for this event check it out and give it some serious thought. Here’s why. The ConnectingHR community has grown and evolved since the first Unconference in October 2010 where around 70 people got together and shared a special day where […]
Book review: Winning With a Culture of Recognition by Eric Mosley and Derek Irvine
Title: Winning With a Culture of RecognitionAuthor: Eric Mosley and Derek IrvineISBN 978-0-9566291-0-4 Designing and implementing a recognition programme for any business is difficult, especially in tough times when the ‘cultural’ side of a business can be neglected in favour of ‘commercial’ survival. What Irvine and Mosley have done with this compact volume is to […]
Top tips: how to get involved with the Work Programme
Anton Roe, Operations Director of Alderwood Education gives his top tips for getting involved in the Work Programme. As you will probably know, The Work Programme is aimed at supporting the most vulnerable people and helping them break the cycle of benefit dependency. It represents a big change for Welfare to Work in this country […]
Facing up to social media
With an estimated 30 million Facebook and 9 million ‘Tweeters’ in the UK, social networking sites are more popular then ever. However, the potential problems they can cause for businesses mean they are not so popular with employers. How can employers tackle these issues? Amy Pearce, Senior Employment Consultant at Croner discusses some of the […]
Financial Times to offer first non-exec director post grad course
The Financial Times will start offering the UK’s first formally accredited post-graduate qualification for non-executives directors from 1 September this year. The six-month-long Non-Executive Director Certificate is based on the UK Corporate Governance Code and will be accredited by Edexcel in a bid to support the professionalisation of the sector. Lesley Stephenson, a Financial Times publisher […]
And our survey said… the HRzone member survey results
Last month we asked the whole audience several questions about what type of information they want from us, as well as in which format, how they want it delivered, what subjects they are most interested in and what they’d like to see more of. I’d like to share with you some of the results most […]
1/3 of unionised workplaces expect a strike over next year
Just over three quarters of employers believe the UK is moving into a new and more unstable era of industrial relations, with a third of those that recognise a union expecting their workers to go on strike over the next 12 months. According to an online poll among 371 HR practitioners undertaken by the Chartered […]
Latest research gives tips for ERP success
To ensure success when introducing complex ERP systems, organisations must ensure that staff training is differentiated, focuses on changes to working practices and takes place at all stages of the project lifecycle, research has found. A study undertaken by Dr Stephen Grourlay, a reader in the leadership, HRM and organisation department of Kingston University’s Business […]
Organisations could use social tools to aid ROI and engagement
Enterprise social media and collaboration tools could help employers to obtain a better return on investment from their knowledge workers and improve engagement, a study has found. A survey among 150 managers and knowledge workers undertaken by Forrester Research on behalf of project and portfolio management software provider AtTask revealed that, despite often high levels […]
The guide to… rewarding staff when salary increases and promotion are frozen
Recent economic data has revealed low levels of wage inflation, indicating that many organisations are implementing low or no pay increases for the coming year. In addition, headcount freezes are reducing opportunities for promotion. Vincent Belliveau, EMEA General Manager for Cornerstone OnDemand, outlines how businesses can motivate their employees in this challenging environment. Pay raises […]
New study highlights decision-making differences between genders
Men are prone to make black-or-white judgements when making decisions, while women are more inclined to see shades of grey, according to a study from Warwick University. This means that the former gender appear more suited to work environments that require decisive action, while the latter are likely to be more effective in occupations where […]
Ageism ‘endemic’ in the workplace
Ageist attitudes are endemic in the workplace and must be tackled by appointing a dedicated minister to champion over-60s at the highest level, a care home and retirement property provider has warned. The call for change came after Anchor commissioned ICM to undertake a survey among 2,011 adults who were over 18. The research revealed […]
CIPD HRD: How can HR and L&D work better together?
On 6-7 April 2011 we joined TrainingZone.co.uk to exhibit at and attend the CIPD HRD conference. We also met a lot of training professionals and experts and some chipped in to our vox pops. See the video here and find out what biscuits are doing to engage learners in your organisation…
Wellbeing – can it work with flex?
In recent years ‘wellbeing’ has become a bit of a benefits buzz-word with many employers now feeling that they have some level of responsibility for looking after their employees. The reasons are varying, including factors such as commercial benefit, legislative requirements or the desire to be seen as an employer of choice. A typical wellbeing […]
