Redundancy consultation may be scrapped
UK workers may lose the right to be consulted over redundancies following an appeal by the US Government to clarify EU law. The EU Court of Appeal has asked the European Court of Justice to rule whether employers need to consult with staff before or after deciding to make them redundant, following an appeal by the […]
HR not ready for future workforce headaches
The very different demands of Generation Y and an increasingly ageing workforce combined with a progressive move to remote and flexible working will generate a number of HR headaches over the next few years. But according to an online poll undertaken among 262 facilities managers by employee satisfaction measurement tools provider Leesman on behalf of […]
Working with children blacklist ruled ‘against human rights’
Legislation that blacklists people convicted of certain crimes from working with children and vulnerable adults without allowing them a ‘right to be heard’ first is in breach of human rights law, the High Court has ruled. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which introduced a “vetting and barring” scheme, also allowed for the creation of […]
CIPD Conference 2010: Chris Grayling seeks HR support for government scheme
Government minister Chris Grayling asked the HR community to ‘give the long-term unemployed a chance’ by working with the government on their back to work scheme when he addressed them at the CIPD conference. The MP issued the plea to the assembled human resource practitioners at the CIPD annual conference’s closing session for business […]
Unemployed: take work or lose benefits
Under a new ‘three strikes and you’re out’ rule due to be announced later today, unemployed people who refuse to take up offers of work will lose their unemployment benefits for three years. The sliding-scale penalty will be triggered automatically on the third occasion that claimants on Jobseekers Allowance turn down a job offer, fail […]
Report extract: HR’s role in enabling innovation
This extract draws on K2 Advisory’s research entitled: “The CIO’s role in enabling innovation” and provides a snapshot of what training to support innovation is happening in the UK as well as indicating that it is an area positioned to grow. Key messages from the report: K2’s research shows that 81% of organisations consider innovation […]
The five myths of outsourcing
All HR directors should consider their sourcing options; how they should secure the capabilities required to deliver an effective an efficient HR service, and particularly whether or not they should use outsourcing to deliver key HR services. It is not credible to argue that the HR function should be excluded from the attention given to […]
Pub academy, have Tennent’s staff got the pint factor?
Tennet’s Lager has invested £1 million in Scotland’s first pub academy to equip staff with the necessary skills to work in the hospitality industry. The academy will be based in Glasgow at the company’s Wellpark Brewery and a derelict building has been newly converted to include a bar, beer cellar and kitchen in order to […]
3/5 workers overestimate their value to employers
Although nearly four out of five UK workers would like to change employer, three fifths overestimate their financial value. According to a survey undertaken by vocational distance learning provider the Home Learning College, while some 78% of staff would like a new job, just over a third are actively looking. Some 27% have chosen not […]
Businesses at risk from poor communication of security policy
One in four workers believe their employer needs to do more to communicate information security policies effectively, with just under two thirds admitting that ignorance or lack of understanding had already led to a security breach. These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 2,000 office workers across the world by security software provider […]
HR ineffective at conflict resolution
Although workplace conflict is on the up as a result of the stress caused by increasing workloads, less than one in five employees would turn to the HR function to bring about a resolution. According to a study among 1,000 UK workers commissioned by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), some 87% of […]
Podcast: Working with unions
Whether you have never dealt with unions before, have forged a good working relationship or actively love to hate them, for many HR practitioners, dealing with unions is likely to become part of your job. In this podcast Croner discuss what HR professionals need to be aware of given possible union activity in the coming […]
Five steps to bagging the best talent
How to retain the best talent is a pressing issue for many businesses across the UK. To ensure they are able to attract the cream of the crop, businesses must endeavour to become an employer of choice – not only asking what the employee can offer the employer, but what tangible benefits the employer can […]
Low take-home pay still squeezing private sector employees
Although the take-home pay of private sector employees has hit a 12-month high, it has still not returned to pre-recession levels and contrasts with the “stagnating” situation in the public sector, according to a report. The VocaLink FTSE 350 Take Home Pay Index revealed that take-home pay in the private sector rose by 1.6% in […]
Ministers defend ‘work activity’ scheme
Ministers have been forced to defend plans to compel the long-term unemployed to undertake manual work or lose benefits after the Archbishop of Canterbury branded the proposals unfair. In a surprise intervention, Rowan Williams, the head of the Church of England, said he had “a lot of worries” about the coalition government Work Activity scheme, […]
Employment law round-up: Interesting developments in 2010
It’s been a busy year so far for employment lawyers. While we can’t cover all the changes that have happened in one article, here are a few interesting developments, plus ideas for ones to watch for in the near future. Fit notesThe Government suggested these would save British industry £240 million by getting us all […]
Five minutes with… Doug Shaw
On HRzone.co.uk we want to get up close and personal for five minutes with a member each month. Doug Shaw is an active blogger and songwriter on site and has in the past been voted blogger of the month. So, take a community coffee break and find out something you didn’t know about this month’s […]
Get reward and recognition right; or don’t do it at all
Many companies have a reward and recognition scheme in place, but a programme is only as good as the communication and execution of it. Glenn Elliot considers how you can boost the value in your R&R. If not personally, most of us probably have a friend or family member who would identify with this employee’s […]
National Stress Awareness Day misses the point – focus on resilience
Stress Awareness Day should be rebranded Resilience Awareness Day in order to focus attention less on the symptoms and more on potential cures for the now widespread malaise, according to an HR services firm. Kevin Friery, clinical director of Right Management’s Right CoreCare business, said that staff today were stressed about two key things – […]
Top tips to beat stress at work
Stress is still a growing problem for British workers and there is a need for greater understanding and management of it by employers in all industries. Clive James of St John Ambulance has put together his top tips to help businesses address these issues. According to a recent survey by the TUC, stress has become […]