Mission possible: Employee engagement in the public sector
In May of this year, David Cameron and Nick Clegg joined forces to form a coalition government charged with the unenviable task of taking the reins of a country in crisis. At possibly the lowest ebb of a global recession which had gained momentum since the latter half of 2007, the United Kingdom faced high […]
Top tips for mitigating seasonal recruitment risks
Fiona Dawson of Experian Background Checking explores the risks and rewards of recruiting temporary staff and offers top tips for building a reliable and flexible workforce to meet seasonal as well as ongoing business demands. According to the latest figures from the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT), the UK has the highest number […]
Make learning sweet, says Peter Honey
Even the most unwilling can be encouraged to learn, but the experience does not have to be fun to be effective, according to learning styles guru, Dr Peter Honey. Speaking at an event hosted by the Charity Learning Consortium, Honey, who developed the Learning Styles Questionnaire, turned the old adage of ‘you can lead a […]
Cable announces 10% Royal Mail employee shares scheme
Business Secretary Vince Cable today announced that at least 10% of the shares in Royal Mail will go to its employees. This makes it the largest employee shares scheme of any privatisation for 25 years in terms of the number of workers who will benefit – second only to the privatisation of British Telecom in […]
Vince Cable to announce consultation into exec banking pay
Vince Cable is expected to announce a ‘wide-ranging’ consultation into banking executives’ pay today, following warnings that the industry could be heading for a “train crash” if it continues to award staff huge bonuses while refusing to lend money to businesses. On the closing day of the Liberal Democrat party conference in Liverpool, the Business […]
HR taking action but management not owning engagement
Although just over half of HR professionals are concerned about staff motivation levels, the majority of organisations are failing to put practices in place to ensure managers own the issue. According to a survey among HR managers undertaken by law firm Davies Arnold Cooper, some 55% are worried about staff engagement are and are, therefore, […]
Hilton sets up Chef Apprenticeship Academy
An international hotel chain has set up a Chef Apprenticeship Academy, which will fully fund each place and provide participants with a salary during the programme. The Academy, which will be opened by Hilton Worldwide early next month, is to take on 20 apprentices who will undertake a combination of college-based courses and on-the-job training […]
Strike action threatened over pay and conditions
Unions have warned of potential industrial action if Northampton Borough Council tries to impose changes in terms and conditions that they claim would hit the salaries of the local authority’s lowest paid workers. The Council’s approval of new pay structures and cuts in allowances led more than 200 angry workers to stage a demonstration outside […]
What can HR learn from the X Factor?
As we settle into the winter routine of watching the X-Factor on a Saturday night, is there anything that HR professionals can learn from the hugely successful programme? After all, the purpose of the show is to find and nurture talent in a bid to discover the ‘next big thing’. Some people seem destined to […]
Companies continue with ex-pat execs despite downsides
The number of executives posted to emerging markets such as China and India will continue to rise over the next five years despite the difficulties in finding suitable candidates. A survey undertaken among 418 senior executives by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of HR software supplier Regus revealed that just under two in five […]
EU maternity laws ‘unaffordable’ for UK businesses
European Union plans to extend maternity leave are “completely unaffordable” for already overburdened companies, a business group has warned. Under proposals to amend the Pregnant Workers Directive that are scheduled to be voted on next month, maternity leave would be extended from a formerly suggested 14 weeks to 20 weeks on full pay. Female workers […]
Ask the expert: Grievance response time
This week the experts, Martin Brewer and Esther Smith consider what an employer needs to do to respond to a grievance raised by an employee – and in what timeframe? The question: Grievance response time – how long do we have? If you raise a grievance with your employer, how long do they have to […]
Team Extreme: Teambuilding can be a rollercoaster
Can rollercoaster endurance really make your staff work better together? The Sift Media crew tested the latest team building craze to hit the market. According to the latest annual CIPD annual recruitment survey, the average cost of recruiting a new member of staff (excluding their salary) is around £4k, although this can go up to […]
Exec pay on ice
The time of executive salaries increasing far in excess of inflation are now over, with more than half of FTSE 350 companies choosing not to boost the salaries of executive directors this year. This situation equates to a two-year salary freeze for many as over two thirds received no increment last year either. Where wage […]
Talent drain evident as ‘notice week’ ends
Almost half of UK workers intend to start looking for a new job by the end of the year, but more employees are likely to hand in their notice this week than at any other time during the previous 12 month period. According to a survey undertaken among 7,500 staff in 10 of Europe’s leading […]
Institute of Directors slates Time to Train
‘Spectacularly bad’ ‘Time to Train’ regulations, which are unnecessary, poorly thought-through and shoddily designed, should be scrapped before they cause any further harm, the Institute of Directors has warned. The warning came only days after a five-week consultation, launched by Skills Minister John Hayes last month over the future of the legislation, closed. The […]
UK unprepared to deal with ageing workforce
The failure of senior executives to recognise the widespread implications of an ageing workforce mean that UK organisations are “woefully underprepared” to deal with the impact on their business. Despite the impending abolition of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) and the fact that a third of UK workers will be aged over 50 by 2020, […]
Organising the chaos in HR
John McGuire from the Center for Creative Leadership, who is currently in attendance at the NG HR US Summit, spoke about ‘transforming your leadership culture’. He believes that too many changes with management initiatives can prove detrimental to morale. “Our work with clients around the world has shown that there is a hierarchy of […]
Not enough jobs to offset public sector cuts
Industry watchers have expressed concern over the fragile state of the labour market following the publication of government statistics yesterday, amid fears that private sector job creation will be unable to offset heavy public sector job cuts. The figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed a mixed picture for the three months to […]
More cuts in L&D expected
Learning and development managers may be over-optimistic about their ability to cope with expected budget and staff cuts over the next six months, a new report has warned. The study entitled the ‘UK Learning Trends Index’, the first in a regular six-month survey to be undertaken by online learning content provider GoodPractice and industry training […]