TUPE still protects workers in bought out company
Workers are fully protected under TUPE regulations if their employer comes out of administration and is purchased by another company, an employment tribunal has ruled. Bruce Caldow and Paula Skinner, lawyers with commercial law firm Harper Macleod, welcomed the findings in the case of AE Olds versus Late Editions as much needed clarification of the […]
50 thousand NHS staff to go by 2015
More than 50,000 doctors, nurses and other NHS staff are set to lose their jobs over the next four years, according to the largest survey undertaken since the coalition government came to power. The study is based on a series of Freedom of Information requests asking for “confirmed, proposed or potential” job losses over the […]
Many employers missing the benefits of social media in recruitment
Restrictive corporate policies and poor organisational understanding of the potential benefits of social media as a recruitment tool mean that many employers are not exploiting the channel as effectively as they could. According to a global survey of HR professionals undertaken by talent acquisition and management software provider StepStone Solutions, three out of five organisations […]
Older workers have emotional intelligence to share
Although too many employers discriminate against older workers by focusing on potential decreases in physical and cognitive abilities, they should instead be harnessing their valuable emotional skills to help support younger colleagues. Research from the Manchester Business School reveals that older staff members are generally more effective at coping with emotional stress and burnout than […]
HR headmistress: How to manage workplace performance
Kate Russell, the HR headmistress, provides this to brush up the basic skills of experienced pros and give beginners a headstart. Lesson 1: promises v performance – how to manage performance in the organisation. Mae West said that an ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises. Poor work performance is one of the most […]
Employability skills – graduates and beyond
The recruiting unconference, truLondon, welcomed delegates from all over the world. One of the issues facing us all is youth unemployment, whether graduates or not. This live streamed video hosted by Alan Whitford starred our very own Charlie Duff along with some bright talent to dicsuss the next generation and their stories. Damon Klotz, aka […]
Ask the expert: Employee’ residence permit expires on maternity leave – what do we do?
This time the experts, Esther Smith and Martin Brewer give their advice on what an employer should do when an employee’s residency permit runs out during maternity leave. The question: Employee’ residence permit expires on maternity leave – what do we do? I realise that one of our employees’ residence permit expires shortly (whilst she […]
Sickness review welcomed by employer bodies
The setting up of a sickness review as part of the coalition government’s benefits shake-up could “help shine a light” on the obstacles that currently prevent employers from supporting staff during illness and managing absence more effectively. The review led by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work and a former […]
Company convicted for corporate manslaughter
Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings, the first company to be convicted for corporate manslaughter in the UK, has been fined £385,000 – a penalty that risks putting it out of business. The move follows the death of junior geologist 27-year old Alexander Wright from Cheltenham in September 2008. He was investigating soil conditions in a deep trench […]
Training valued by employees, overlooked by employers
Although nearly three quarters of staff consider learning and development opportunities to be as important as salary when choosing their next job, more than half are currently receiving no training from their employer. According to a survey of 700 learning and development managers and staff within both commercial and IT departments undertaken by training provider […]
Positive action gets support to smash glass ceiling
Just under three quarters of women believe that they continue to face barriers to top-level promotion in the UK compared with only 38% of men who acknowledge that a glass ceiling still exists. The survey of 3,000 members of the Institute of Leadership and Management also revealed that some 47% of females compared with only […]
Reed Learning partners with ASTD to deliver training certification
Reed Learning has launched its UK partnership with the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). Although the official announcement will not come until next month, a breakfast briefing held in London on 17 February confirmed the move, which has been interpreted by some as a challenge to the CIPD for their members who […]
Risk in the workplace – the role of HR in helping to manage incidents
The number of costly injury claims against business has risen sharply but human resources can play a role in helping the organisation avoid risk of injury at work and associated fines, says expert laywer, Fiona Gill. In the past few years, the number of high value injury claims contested in the High Court has jumped […]
Apple report reveals poor manufacturing conditions
Technology giant Apple has admitted that child labour is a growing problem in Chinese factories that manufacture its computers, iPods and mobile phones. The US company also acknowledged for the first time that 137 workers were poisoned at a Chinese company that makes its products and said that less than a third of the facilities […]
Teams and leadership: Patrick Lencioni talks to HRzone.co.uk
For Patrick Lencioni life could be simple – if only we stopped looking for the harder answers. From being a good parent and a great spouse, to fitness and work, life is simple. It’s hard, he admits, but there’s no hard and fast answers – we look for scientific answers but there are none needed. […]
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 […]