The whole bunch of carrots: what is an employee value proposition?
Dr Anton Franckeiss explains Employment Value Proposition, how to strengthen yours and why you should always keep your promises. An Employment Value Proposition (EVP) defines what an employee receives from their employer in return for the effort and performance they give. In a nutshell, the EVP is the ‘what’s in it for me?’ as […]
Business Cloud Summit: Cloud must win hearts and minds of staff

Your own staff could represent the biggest obstacle to adoption of Cloud technologies according to a panel of experts at the Business Cloud Summit. Employees represent one of the biggest obstacles to Cloud technology adoption according to a panel of experts speaking at the Business Cloud Summit. The panel, which included Paul Cheesborough, CIO of […]
Business Cloud Summit: Human adoption critical to Cloud deployment
Nucleus Research’s Rebecca Wettemann emphasised the human role in Cloud Computing success as she addressed the Summit. Cloud Computing presents a massive opportunity to organisations, but those that fail to take into account the human role in Cloud deployment could fall at the first hurdle. That was the message from Rebecca Wettemann, VP of research at […]
HRzone’s Christmas giveaway
This Christmas HRzone is giving away some great prizes for members with our ‘hunt the robin’ game. This Christmas, beginning this week, HRzone will be holding several competitions for our members. The trick will be to keep a beady eye out for our cheeky robin wishing you a Happy Christmas. He looks like the one […]
Managing people in 2009
We’re looking back over the year here at HRzone and it’s safe to say the recession has had a tremendous effect on business and how we manage people. Some of the most popular articles on HRzone this year have been to do with motivating in the recession. In many ways HR has had to work […]
Ask the expert: Ex-employee still haunts us
This week a troublesome ex-employee is still causing issues. How should they be handled? The question: I have an ex employee who is now requesting a copy of their signed contract of employment. The employee left the company on bad terms. Their contract was terminated within their first year of employment for […]
The battle for equality is not over yet
Where do you think we are in the battle for equality? Ruth Spellman of the CMI warns it’s not yet over – not by a long chalk. The recent Queen’s speech included ideas which may see the Equalities bill become law. But Ruth Spellman warns that even if it does, all things will not be […]
Discovering the leaders of the future
Are we in an upturn or, as some financial analysts would say, ‘a dead cat bounce’? Whichever way the economy moves next, we in the HR community will be the main architects of talent systems and processes that deliver the right people to lead organisations. But will leaders of the future be the same as […]
US ER management firm takes HR into the Cloud
Schumacher Group’s CIO explains the decision to decentralise administration and leverage on demand HR services. The term ‘Cloud Computing’ may sound like a definition of using a laptop PC on a aeroplane, but it’s fast becoming one of the key IT trends. Essentially the use of IT applications and services over the internet, rather than […]
HR tip: Anonymous witness to incident

These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: Goods have been pilfered from our canteen. We have a pretty good idea who is the culprit but the only witness refuses to give evidence for fear of reprisals. Can we do […]
Are MPs opening the floodgates for unfair dismissal claims?
Brian Rogers, head of compliance at law firm Lewis Hymanson Small, argues that the recent announcement that MPs can no longer have members of their family working for them will have far reaching implications for HR professionals and businesses across the UK. The proposals have not detailed how family members will be sacked and if […]
Britain is failing female leadership
The number of directorships held by women on the FTSE 100 corporate boards has remained at the same level of (12%) as 2008, a report has revealed. The 2009 Female FTSE report from Cranfield School of Management that details the number of women directors in the top 100 FTSE companies has revealed a discouraging […]
Unscrupulous employers take advantage of work experience ‘slaves’ to the tune of £214m
The desperation to gain work experience to become more employable in the midst of the worst youth unemployment since 1993 has led to many employers illegally taking advantage of students and young people. A study of nearly 2000 students has found that 16% have worked unpaid hours for an employer in the last year in […]
Ask the expert: Pregnant during a fixed term contract
This week, a contracted worker has announced pregnancy, but still expects to come back after maternity leave to finish the months she missed. Is this correct? Matthew Whelan and Ester Smith advise. The question: I have an employee who announced she was pregnant within one month of commencing a 12 month fixed term […]
HR has reponsibility outside the office
Historically employers might have been forgiven for thinking that, save where conduct took place ‘in the course of employment’, what an employee or worker did outside of work was a matter for them. The prosecution of an employer for failing to monitor employees’ working hours and the failure to take account of risk in circumstances […]
Views on HR news: CIPD special
Jon Ingham trawls the net to provide his round-up of the great and the good of HR thought and opinion, so you don’t have to. This month, he reviews the use of social media at the CIPD Conference. For the last eight months, I’ve been providing an irregular HR blogosphere bulletin to HR […]
10 new leader let downs
The so-called ‘new brooms’ in an organisation might bring new blood and enthusiasm, but they don’t always get it right. Sarah Lewis investigates common pitfalls – and how to avoid them. The pressure on new leaders or senior appointments to make an impact, and quickly, is tremendous. The organisation has spent time and money attracting, […]
Pensions update: Retirement planning for non-doms

New rules for non-domiciled individuals – avoid the minefield with Gillian Everell’s guide. As a result of the new rules for non-domiciled individuals the UK taxation treatment of certain investments (especially retirement planning vehicles such as personal or occupational pension arrangements) may prove a minefield for those who will for the first time be paying […]
We have the technology – aligning HR with business goals
Increase your bottom line, align your company around your strategic goals, raise the efficiency of your employees, achieve outstanding measurable business results all while your employees enjoy the experience…sound like Nirvana? Well, that’s the basic promise of Cloud Computing. Add to that the potential of Business Execution (BizX) software. We all agree that business applications […]
Yes we can – Barack Obama’s leadership lessons
Paul Brindle discusses the effect self belief and confidence can have on leadership – and what lessons HR leaders can learn from Barack Obama. The unipolar world of Bush was not something that could, or would, last forever. An autocratic stance and unilateral attitude when the Asian star was in the ascendant was perhaps unwise: […]