1/3 suffering with outdated IT
With two thirds of HR departments experiencing significant structural change, many have been left with inadequate or out of date IT provision which is now holding them back. Nearly two thirds of HR departments have experienced significant structural change over the last two years due to a desire to deliver services more cost-effectively and a […]
Employee engagement neglected in 80% of businesses
While nearly 60 per cent of middle managers believe that an engaged workforce contributes significantly to corporate performance, less than a fifth use employee engagement techniques to any great extent, not least because they do not know any. These are the findings of a survey among 300 middle managers in large national and international organisations […]
HR tip: Searching employees
Learn HR is a leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications, and is experienced in advising on common HR and payroll problems. A wide selection of tips and guidance can be seen below. HRzone.co.uk recommends that any tips are taken as a starting point for guidance only. This week, can […]
Developing a sense of ownership and responsibility among staff
Efficiency is about taking ownership and responsibility for behaviours as much as it is about designing new business processes, says Andy Neal of Changemaker International. It is important that businesses are run efficiently, even more now when companies are facing greater challenges from the economy. Yet at times such as this, businesses cannot afford to […]
McDonald’s is the big mac for apprenticeship schemes
Once, working at McDonald’s might have been seen as a career with limited prospects but by offering a variety of qualifications and job opportunities the organisation has given many the chance they’ve needed to gain high-quality diplomas, managerial jobs and a boost of confidence. Since McDonald’s became one of the largest apprenticeship providers in […]
Colborn’s Corner – Do you like your chocolate sweet or bitter?
Is Kraft and Cadbury simply another iconic British brand being sold overseas like Jaguar and Bentley? More importantly, what about the internal culture of the business and the impact on the employees? This month’s Colborn’s Corner addresses the issues that flow from the takeover and considers the implications both inside and outside the organisation. The […]
HR – have you got your head in the Cloud when it comes to technology?
Phil Brown looks at the impact that Cloud-based computing is likely to have on business and HR. The rise of Cloud-based computing is widely predicted to have a significant impact on organisations of all sizes in the next few years and it’s something that those responsible for HR strategy and policies need to be […]
270, 000 may strike after redundancy pay cut
The biggest civil service union intends to both ballot more than quarter of a million workers on strike action and seek a judicial review following government plans to slash redundancy pay-outs by up to a third. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union claimed that cuts to the civil service compensation scheme, which comes into […]
Survey highlights top challenges for HR
A new survey has revealed the challenges HR practitioners feel they are already facing in 2010. While nearly half of HR professionals expect to start hiring again this year, they are also bracing themselves for an increased turnover of disaffected staff. As a result, more than two thirds see employee engagement as the top challenge […]
Nuts about the cloud
European snack food manufacturer Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-World is heading into the Cloud to beef up its goal, performance and talent management programmes in parts of Europe. The firm will be deploying SuccessFactors’ Goal Management, Performance Management, Talent Tracker and Employee Profile to 500 of its senior managers in Germany and Poland. Lorenz Bahlsn, which manufactures […]
Rising stars: National Apprenticeship week launches
The government launched National Apprenticeship Week yesterday and backed up the promotion by unveiling a new grant for organisations willing to take on unemployed 16 and 17 year olds. The National Apprenticeship Service, which was set up in April last year, will offer up to 5,000 Apprenticeship Grants for Employers (AGE) of £2,500 per candidate […]
Happy 100th Birthday, Jobcentre
An employment expert has praised the UK’s Jobcentre network as being one of the most “sophisticated” in Europe as the public employment service begins celebrating its centenary this month. The Public Employment Service was created under the Labour Exchange Act of 1909 when unemployment rates of eight per cent were similar to today. By 1912, […]
Welcoming Web 2.0 to HR
Steve Foster, strategic consultant at NorthgateArinso discusses the recent developments he has noted in organisations and how these can affect HR processes. The rapid growth and acceptance of Amazon, iGoogle, Facebook and a variety of social media channels is opening the doors to a revolution in the way that business processes are delivered, with […]
Survey and transform absenteeism
A true story of how a biopharmaceutical company in North Wales transformed its fortunes in five years to secure its future with employee surveys. 2004: Ipsen Biopharm ceases manufacture of their core product and makes around 100 people redundant, a third of the workforce. The future success of the company relies on launching its […]
Ask the expert: Can we drug test?
Do we need to do any paperwork before we implement pre-employment drug-testing? Esther Smith and Adam Partington advise. The question: Can we drug test? I work for a manufacturing company that is investigating pre-employment drug testing for its locations across the UK. What will I need to do to ensure it is […]
MacLeod steps up engagement
The government-backed campaign to improve employee engagement in Britain’s businesses has stepped up a gear, an audience at the headquarters of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) heard at the Sustainable employee engagement conference. Held to raise awareness of employee engagement on the recommendation of the government sponsored MacLeod Review, the ‘Sustainable employee […]
Sickie Monday – did you notice a high number of sick workers?
Some 350,000 British employees are estimated to have called in sick to work on ‘Sickie Monday’ (the first Monday in February), costing businesses around £30 million in lost revenue. According to research by the Employment Law Advisory Service (ELAS), 25% of employers now accept emails or text messages from staff to say they are ill, […]
Opinion: Online recruitment not that simple?
I took a day out of the office to learn about what the recruitment market has in store at the Online Recruitment Conference 2010, an event run by Enhance Media. What struck me throughout the day was what a disparate marketplace this is, especially for the proverbial ’employer looking for good candidates’. Despite some heady […]
Nearly half of HR look to online for candidate information
A huge 41% of UK HR professionals have rejected potential job candidates because of information they found out about them online, according to a new study. But the figure contrasts markedly with the mere 9% of consumers who believe that internet-based data has any impact on their job prospects. Although such a finding […]
The Public Sector People Managers’ Association to launch website
The Public Sector People Managers’ Association plans to launch a web portal later this year to help HR managers prepare for, manage and measure proposed change. The portal, which will be branded ‘Guiding you tHRu’ is due to be showcased at the PPMA Conference in March and is scheduled to go live later this year. The […]