Employees want supportive, approachable communicators for managers
The top three key traits that staff would like to see in their bosses are approachability, good communication skills and supportive behaviour, according to study. But it appears that many are being disappointed. An online poll of 1,000 UK workers undertaken by ICM on behalf of bank First Direct revealed that a huge 88% felt […]
Immigration cap could be challenged
The coalition government’s decision to cut off Tier One visas to skilled workers from outside of the EU with effectively no notice could be subject to legal challenge, an immigration specialist has warned. The same applies to the setting of an interim limit of 10,832 on the number of certificates of sponsorship that are available […]
Revising the remuneration code – prepare to meet the new FSA regulations
Ruth Thomas supplies a guide to the new FSA regulations and how they may affect renumeration. After much media and market speculation, the FSA has just published its Policy Statement 10/19. Most reward professionals were familiar with the potential changes due to the huge coverage it has received fuelled to some degree by political and […]
CIPD: HR must be at the centre of public service change
The coalition government’s plans to reform public services are at risk of failing to deliver any lasting benefits unless HR is placed at the heart of the change process, according to a study. A joint report entitled ‘Boosting HR performance in the public sector’ published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and […]
Profit-sharing affects female employee-boss relationships
Relations between female workers and their bosses deteriorate markedly when profit-sharing schemes are introduced, although the same is not true of men, according to research. A paper released by Dr Colin Green from Lancaster University’s Management School revealed that males were largely unaffected by pressure from their line managers and colleagues to hit group […]
Top ten of 2010 on HRzone.co.uk
It’s been quite a decade online here at HRzone, and we’ve seen a lot of legislation, political issues and other fun and games as human resources has gone from ‘personnel’ to ‘HR’ and witnessed changes in employment law from equality to paternity, recruitment advertising, health and safety and employer liability. Employment law is still a […]
Employees still dogged by money worries
Although fewer employees are likely to be subject to pay freezes next year, six out of 10 are worried that they will not be able to make ends meet financially. According to a study entitled ‘Employee Attitudes to Pay’ published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), even though the economy has remained […]
Economic recovery concerns for 2011
Much worse than expected labour market figures have reinforced fears that economic recovery could falter in 2011, experts have warned. According to the Office of National Statistics, unemployment rose by 35,000 to 2.5 million in the three months to October – the period before Chancellor George Osborne announced details of his spending cuts and VAT […]
Civil service boards will be able to fire senior officials
Non-executive business directors being brought into the heart of the civil service will be given the power to fire senior officials if they fail to fulfil their mandates. A major shakeup of Whitehall will see four business executives appointed to the beefed-up boards of each of the 16 government departments in order to help the […]
UK hangover costs £620 million
Staff pulling ‘sickies’ due to almighty hangovers after the Christmas party will cost the UK economy £620 million this festive season, with many planning to get more drunk than usual after a stressful year. According to a survey of 6,000 UK workers undertaken by hotel chain Travelodge, just under two thirds of workers will be […]
Europe turns down maternity leave extension
The European parliament has turned town proposals to extend maternity leave from 14 to 20 weeks. The proposals to amend the Pregnant Workers Directive would have allowed new mothers to take 20 weeks maternity leave on full pay. However, ministers said they went “too far” and that the terms were “not a basis for negotiation”, […]
How will the Equality Act impact your Christmas celebrations?
It is well established that employers can be held vicariously liable for their employees actions in the course of their employment. This can include actions which take place outside the workplace, and outside of normal working hours including employers own Christmas parties and those of clients or customers. We have all heard stories of unruly […]
Don’t let snow stop your business
Much of the UK’s workforce ground to a halt at the beginning of the month in the freezing conditions that closed schools, rail links and airports. Mary Clarke offers some advice to help you plan ahead for the next forecast freeze. The Federation of Small businesses estimated that 10% of the UK’s 30 million workforce […]
How time flies…10 years of time and attendance
Today, flexible working and a greater work-life balance are real priorities for the modern worker rather than just a tempting bonus. To keep up with the changing expectations and demands of employees, businesses must begin to realise that time and attendance and workforce management systems provide critical support. With economic uncertainty and prolonged budget cuts […]
Employee engagement: the pursuit of workplace happiness
When an employee’s own self-interest is aligned with the interests of the organisation, that employee is engaged. So your workforce is engaged if a critical mass pro-actively furthers the interests of the business while simultaneously furthering their own interests. That’s a working definition of employee engagement and while it won’t resonate with everyone, it is […]
DRA scrapping could lead to more discrimination tribunals
Lack of clarity over future retirement rules could result in an escalation of discrimination-based tribunal claims once the default retirement age is scrapped next April, the CBI has warned. The employers lobby group said that the coalition government’s failure to produce any guidance or draft regulations on what a new legislative framework would look like […]
CBI demands companies ‘comply or explain’ board ratios
The CBI has called for all publicly listed companies to set targets for boosting the number of women on their boards and to report progress on a ‘comply or explain’ basis. The move comes only weeks after the heads of some of the UK’s largest companies set up ‘The 30% Club’ in a bid to […]
Nearly half feel organisation lacks skills
Although just under half of UK managers are expecting to make further redundancies next year, around 43% believe that their organisation does not have the right skills in place to fulfil its 2011 business objectives. A survey undertaken among 809 managers in the public, private and third sector by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) revealed […]
Good relations with MD helps retain talent
Personnel in small-to-medium enterprises in Scotland and the North of England are the least likely to change employers because their managing directors treat them more as friends than colleagues, according to a study. A survey undertaken among 250 MDs and owner/managers by Illuma Research on behalf of Manpower’s talent and careers management consultancy Right Management […]
Take the pain out of training seasonal staff
The customers that pack your stores during the festive period don’t know – or care – whether a member of staff is seasonal or permanent. They just know that the employee represents your business. And that means, as well as compelling product range and product availability, customers expect prompt answers to any queries they have […]