Wellbeing – the crucial engagement factor
Do not underestimate the power of wellbeing when it comes to engagement and business performance, explains Ian Jameson. According to Best Companies’ survey of over 250,000 employees, almost 90% of employees who felt strongly negative towards the wellbeing aspects of their workplace said they would leave tomorrow if they had another job. Not a great […]
Election 2010: Are the unemployment policies redundant?
Even though unemployment policy is likely to play a significant role in the forthcoming general election, it appears that none of the major parties have convinced voters that they have the answer. According to a survey undertaken among 4,000 voters and commissioned by online job board TipTopjob.com, a huge 69% of jobseekers said that their […]
Presenteeism – there in body, but not in mind
Presenteeism – a term that describes the ‘working sick’ – refers to employees who are physically present in work but who are less productive due to difficulties they’re facing in their personal or professional lives, mental health issues or a physical illness. These circumstances can affect an individual’s quality of work as well as, depending […]
Recession still biting, warns CMI
The impact of the global economic slump is still being felt among eight out of 10 employers, leading to falling levels of staff morale and ever-growing fears for the future among senior managers. According to the new ‘Economic Outlook’ report written by Lord John Eatwell, chief economic adviser to the Chartered Management Institute, even though […]
How to handle: Absenteeism and return to work
Successful absence management is about moving away from focusing on sickness to encouraging employees to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. Pamela Gellatly, chief executive of healthcare risk consultancy, Healthcare RM tells us why. The number of days lost through absence and the associated cost to UK businesses has been well documented. But […]
Ask the expert: Occupational health and stress
Matthew Whelan and Esther Smith advise on the role of OH in a ‘company caused’ stress case. Occupational health and stress Employee off work for six months with stress (consequence of work/bad management), attending MIND and Addiction Counselling treatment. How could Occ Health (with RGNs) offer help? They are not trained in mental health issues. […]
Job cuts hit NHS and IBM
The seemingly unrelenting news about job cuts continued apace today, with a possible 36,000 nursing positions due for the axe in the NHS and potentially as many as 299,000 permanent posts to go at IBM worldwide. A survey of 26 of England’s 168 NHS Trusts by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that 5,600 […]
Pensions reform: support is waning
Pensions timebomb: Will the UK suffer from empty NEST syndrome? AXA has revealed a lack of support for the planned pension reform, while the CBI has reported that savers are likely to be put off by high charges and a complicated structure. New research from AXA has highlighted declining support among both employers and employees […]
Are your employees aware of your sickness policy?
A survey of 500 businesses has revealed up to 1/4 do not routinely tell employees about any benefits of the sickness policy, leaving many employees unaware of any benefits to them if they fall ill. When asked to elaborate, eight per cent of businesses questioned had a policy in place but preferred to maintain secrecy […]
Layla Bunni’s On the Case: Drug testing at work
Layla investigates real life cases and brings the conclusions to HRzone, shedding light on important employment law issues. This month: if you force an employee to undergo a blood test for alcohol and dismiss them, can they appeal on grounds of data protection and human rights? The case:A manufacturing company employs a number of field […]
Positive discrimination gets thumbs down
A survey of 545 senior UK business figures has revealed overwhelming opposition to legislative intervention to encourage under-represented minorities in UK companies. More than four fifths (81%) of respondents to DLA Piper’s General Election Survey 2010, interviewed online by YouGovStone, said that they opposed ‘positive action’ to give priority to candidates for employment or […]
Social media? We’re seeing the light, say managers
New research has highlighted a sea change in the way management consider’s social media’s role in the business – however security remains a concern. Clearswift, the software security company has today unveiled new research outlining the latest business adoption of social media in the UK. The report outlines a startling change in the adoption of […]
HR – do we have the technology, and do we love the technology?
Are HR managers geeks in disguise or firm technophobes? According to a recent survey most of us are into social media and tech but just wish we had more resources to spend on these shiny things. But is this accurate? On HRzone we’re investigating where you stand when it comes to technology in the organisation. […]
73% of HR think there’s too much employment law
Over seven in ten HR professionals in the UK (73%) believe that employment is excessively regulated, according to a new research study by national law firm Dickinson Dees. The HR Legal Tracker 2010 also reveals that over half of respondents (55%) believe that simplifying employment law must be top of the agenda for the […]
CIPD warns UK must prepare for 10% public sector cut
The CIPD has estimated that the UK should be braced for a 10% cull in the public sector workforce in the lifetime of the next government – whoever wins the May 6 General Election. The cut would bring the current 5.8 million roster of such jobs down by at least 500,000, says the CIPD (Chartered […]
Ask the expert: Rest day after night shift
Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on whether an extra rest day is required for a 20 hour employee after a night shift. Rest day after night shift A member of staff moved from a 30 hour contract to a 16 hour contract to allow him to study for a course which he doesn’t need […]
Opening up talent for business success
Diversity should be threaded through all talent management activities and strategies so organisations can reap the benefits of accessing and developing talent from the widest possible pool. This is the main finding from our new CIPD research report, Opening Up Talent for Business Success: Integrating Talent Management and Diversity. Our research draws upon focus groups […]
From delegating to overtaking: the purpose of empowerment
Empowerment is not delegation or buckpassing or abnegation. So what is it, how can you nuture it and help your employees achieve it? Empowerment is a powerful thing, but one that strikes me as being too often confused with other things. It isn’t, as we would all acknowledge, delegation: delegation is a process by which […]
It’s only words – the war against jargon continues
The Local Government Association has banned another list of jargon. But it’s minds that need to change as much as words, says Neil Taylor. I don’t know what a trialogue is. I’ve never heard of predictors of beaconicity (I’m struggling to say it, let along predict it). And a deep dive sounds vaguely rude […]
Wellbeing: Your best posture ever
Bad posture is so widespread – how can we go about improving it and what benefits does it bring? Look around your workplace and you will see numerous examples of bad posture. Many people have rounded shoulders, hunched upper backs, tense necks, overarched lower backs and protruding abdominals. What can be done about it? Get […]