Public sector job cuts likely to hit three quarters of a million
Public sector job cuts are likely to hit three quarters of a million rather than the implied 490,000 over the next few years as the coalition government looks to completely restructure service provision in the UK, an HR body has warned. The chancellor in his Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) announcement said that planned real cuts in […]
Call for Foundation Pension to offset increase to state pension age
A pension funds body has called for the creation of a universal Foundation Pension of £8,000 to offset the coalition government’s decision to increase the state pension age to 66 by 2020. In his Comprehensive Spending Review announcement yesterday, chancellor George Osborne revealed that the state pension age for both men and women would rise from […]
Lord Alan leads the call for realistic strategy to clear public sector deficit
The coalition government must lay out a clear strategy for economic growth if the private sector is to have enough confidence to create the positions required to absorb public sector job cuts, business leaders have warned. In the wake of the Comprehensive Spending Review announcement yesterday, Lord Alan Sugar, entrepreneur and star of the BBC's Apprentice […]
Risky business: Balancing the risk types in teams and organisations
One man’s risk taker is another one’s high performer, but you need to balance teams to create effective, sustainable success, says Geoff Trickey. The City was divided about Bob Diamond, the new CEO at Barclays, and so were the politicians and the media. For some he is the apotheosis of the dangerously reckless bankers who […]
The ultimate guide to the Equality Act
Michael Slade, managing director of employment specialists, Bibby Consulting & Support (previously mhl support) explains how the Equality Act may affect employers. 1 October 2010 saw the implementation of the Equality Act 2010. This is both an important and extensive review in the area of discrimination and equality. Periodically, employment law is codified and […]
Agency worker directive ‘not for review’
The coalition government has lost its standoff with the CBI and the TUC over attempts to water down legislation giving 1.3 million agency workers the same employment rights as permanent staff. Employment relations minster Ed Davey said that the government would not proceed with any amendments to the regulations, which come into force in October […]
Supporting employees out of the public sector
Reducing staff numbers is never easy, and is a problem most public sector organisations will face. The NHS has implemented an idea for employees to help lighten the load. The recent introduction of the Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS), which has since been adopted by a number of NHS organisations, shows how the NHS is […]
610,000 jobs will be axed in the public sector by 2016
Some 610,000 jobs will be axed in the public sector by 2016 as a result of coalition government budget cuts of more than 50% in some departments, according to draft copies of today’s Comprehensive Spending Review document. The plans were unwittingly revealed yesterday by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, when he fell foul of […]
Charities must improve leadership talent to tackle global challenges effectively
To tackle global challenges such as climate change effectively, international charities must improve their leadership-related talent and performance management processes and ensure that they work across interagency boundaries. This is because, over the next decade, it will no longer be possible to deal with issues ranging from climate change to global insecurity, scarce resources and increasing […]
Employers back government’s minimum threshold on strike ballots proposal
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Three quarters of employers back coalition government proposals to introduce a minimum threshold on strike ballots over fears that increased levels of industrial action following swingeing budget cuts could stifle the UK’s economic recovery. These are the findings of a study among 507 senior UK decision […]
Video: Marcus Buckingham, the strengths finder
Marcus Buckingham, developer of the Gallup Strengthsfinder system, on why we should be developing our strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses. Charlie Duff met Marcus at a Benchmark for Business event in Manchester. The next event is taking place in London on 17 November 2010. Titled Exceptional Talent, Extraordinary Teams, it will feature Sir Ken […]
Ask the expert: Extension of probation period
This week the experts, Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on how to deal with extending an employee’s probation period. The question: Should a meeting to extend an employee’s probationary period be treated as a disciplinary meeting, i.e. have the right to be accompanied etc. or does their lack of one year’s service preclude that? […]
Siemens: HR and IT work together 4Success
Siemens, the German electronics giant, is 18 months into what most observers agree is the world’s largest cloud HR implementation, with over 400,000 subscribers, across 80 countries and 20 languages. It’s an incredible feat but it only happened because HR acted within the business with other departments, from the board to IT to make a […]
Public sector workers not suitable for private sector jobs
Although 85% of the 600,000 public sector workers facing redundancy would consider working in the private sector, more than 90% of commercial employers believe that their background and experience is irrelevant. The situation is not helped by the fact that 87% of private sector bosses believe that public sector candidates need to better identify and communicate […]
Public sector workers say striking worth the public perception risk
Although just under three in five public sector workers understand that they risk losing public sympathy if they cause disruption through strike action, 49% believe that they must do what is necessary to protect their jobs. But according to a survey of 2,000 UK private and public sector workers undertaken by the Chartered Institute of […]
Should UK brace for winter of discontent?
With the spending review due to be announced this week and last week’s announcements of quangos to be closed down sparking talk of a ‘quango bonfire’, union action is expected over government cuts – but how soon and in which sectors remains to be seen. Tomorrow (Tuesday 10 October) the TUC will hold a rally […]
Measuring the effectiveness and gain of training
John Pope asks the tough questions and examines the tangible measurements of training. There have been several articles on measuring the gain from training and development and on the need to maintain investment in training. I also see articles showing fantastic financial benefits. Some of those claims for the benefits of training lead me to […]
The Digital Workplace: HR in focus
Our advisory arm, K2, has published some of the data collected in part on HRzone when it comes to the role digital media and devices have in the workplace. They have analysed the findings to uncover advice for HR professionals. Thank you to everyone who took part: this extract below draws on K2 Advisory’s research […]
Leadership styles – What can HR learn from The Apprentice?
Reflecting on the first episode of the 2010 series of The Apprentice, it’s somehow reminiscent of the David Brent scenes in The Office – only this time for real. The show had many cringe-worthy, toe curling moments; particularly when a certain character (Dan Harris) tried unsuccessfully to assert his authority in a desperate attempt to […]
Staff retention failures costing businesses £42bn a year
British business is losing £42bn a year through its failure to retain key staff, according to reseach from accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) PwC found nearly a quarter of UK employees are either actively looking or planning to look for a new job because of unhappiness about expected pay and conditions in the coming year. Around […]