Industry View: Trouble at the rumour mill
Restructuring; outsourcing; relocation; mergers and acquisitions help to ensure the survival of many companies. Alongside the legal processes of such changes, their implementation also has to be carefully handled by skilled HR professionals. Managing the communication of change is a key part of maintaining company morale. Although the UK has officially emerged from the recession the […]
Krafty job cuts at Cadbury?
Following the shareholder approval of the Cadbury’s board recommended takeover offer by Kraft, the world’s second largest food company, there will inevitably be concerns amongst its staff that this will result in job losses. It has already been announced that Cadbury’s head office in Uxbridge will close and there are union fears that this will […]
Navigating the new learning map
The CIPD has changed its courses in order to better support modern HR. Trainer Derek Robertson explains what it means for HR. Over the past decade we’ve seen a huge amount of changes in the role HR has taken in the business, from an admin and payroll centre in many cases to a decision making, […]
Ask the expert: Bonuses for all?
Do these TUPE employees still have a right to their undefined bonuses? Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise. The question: Bonuses for all? I work for a company who have some employees following a TUPE transfer a few years ago. We now have issues around who we can, and cannot pay bonuses […]
The benefits of hi-tech, hi-touch mentoring
Mentoring might not be an obvious area to apply software, but it could help your organisation be more effective and help with ROI of a mentoring initiative. In today’s market conditions, when concerns of cost and efficiency are a priority for firms who want to stay ahead of the competition, complementing a mentoring initiative with […]
SuccessFactors acquires Inform
SuccessFactors has beefed up its business execution offering with the purchase of Inform, an Australian firm which offers consulting and software to help companies analyse and plan for the future of their workforce. SuccessFactors’ roots are in performance management and talent management, but the firm last year launched into an ambitious gambit to reposition as […]
Select HR bought by Access
Select HR, one of the UK’s dwindling band of independent HR software houses, has become part of the Essex-based business software group Access. The Select team will remain in Canterbury and operate as Access Select, a division of the wider group. The plan is to integrate the web-based Select HR suite with the accounting products […]
When Twitter goes bad – Vodafone apologises
Vodafone UK has been forced to apologise to hundreds of its Twitter followers following the posting of an obscene message by one of its customer service staff. The rogue employee, who has been suspended until further notice, used the mobile phone operator’s official account to post a message saying: “Vodafone UK is fed up of […]
Public sector job cuts crossroads on road to recovery
Although the UK jobs market is moving ‘out of intensive care’ and confidence is returning to the private sector, it is likely to be hit by public sector redundancies over the next 12 to 18 months, according to experts. The latest ‘Report on Jobs’ published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and management consultants […]
HR should be on the lookout for internet addiction
Internet addiction is now a bigger problem in the UK than gambling and one that HR professionals should monitor it’s use due to its link with depression. According to the first large scale study of its kind undertaken by psychologists at the University of Leeds among 1,319 people aged 16-51, 1.2% of the sample group […]
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 […]
