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 […]
Workforce planning: How many staff does it take to run an organisation?
Workforce planning is become an essential element in these lean times. In the first of this four part series George Blair looks at how many staff you actual need and how to increase their productivity. Workforce planning is rapidly rising to the top of the HR agenda. Companies are being forced to consider the prospect […]
Volunteering – but who benefits?
Voluntary work for charities has become an increasingly popular government-backed activity to be offered in the workplace over the last few years, and has been shown to give great satisfaction to those who volunteer. But is it really a useful and beneficial tool for charities themselves? Or does volunteering detract from the fundraising efforts of […]
2010: The year of interesting jobs?
As HR professionals know only too well, the recent months have been a difficult time for organisations but in 2010, this fluctuating operating environment can actually offer a great chance for HR teams to improve engagement among staff, says Carla Cavanagh of Best Companies. Coping with radical change has been one of the biggest challenges, […]
Abandoned to their fate – ex-employees whose companies cannot afford outplacement?
Richard Alberg, CEO of MyWorkSearch, says there’s no excuse for ‘not affording outplacement’ when so much is offered for free… I must declare a vested interest. I run an online outplacement firm. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides our services free of charge to jobseekers via its Jobcentre Plus offices. I am writing […]
HR tip: Phone before sick visiting?
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 […]
HR professionals exploit the potential of social media
HR is becoming the next key function after sales and marketing to explore the potential of social media and other Web 2.0 technologies as managers increasingly set their sights on acquiring and retaining high quality staff. According to Rachel Philips, technology director for Oracle’s Enterprise 2.0 collaboration software, HR professionals are now "starting to realise that […]
Group call for government support on equal pay research
An employers’ membership group has called on the government to support organisations in collecting, analysing and publishing pay data in order to help them get to grips with tackling the ongoing gender divide. The move came in response to recommendations published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) around the government’s pay reporting and […]
Survey uncovers ‘simmering employee discontent’
Although the UK has now officially limped out of the worst and longest recession since records began in 1948, job satisfaction levels have hit an all-time low, with younger workers particularly unhappy at work. News that the economy grew a mere 0.1% in the final three months of 2009 alarmed financial experts, who were predicting […]
Retirement age abolishment would herald major HR rethink
Proposals by the UK’s equality watchdog to abolish a default retirement age would require a careful rethink of many existing HR policies and practices, according to one consultancy. A report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has recommended that the government scrap a law, which enables employers to force staff to finish work at […]
New legal ruling clarifies employers’ obligation to risks assessments of pregnant workers
A new legal ruling clarifying that employers are only obliged to carry out assessments on pregnant workers if evidence shows they are subject to health and safety risks should help to reduce the burden on HR professionals. The clarification in the law came about following a judgement handed down in respect of O’Neill versus Buckinghamshire County […]
