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 […]
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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 […]
