HR Tip: Using solicitor in Employment Tribunal
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: We have been summoned to appear in the Employment Tribunal to defend a claim of unfair dismissal. Do you advise that we engage a solicitor or handle the case ourselves by sending […]
Size acceptance – hard to stomach?
The recent demonstration by the Size Acceptance Movement has raised some thought-provoking issues. Unlawful or not, there is no doubt that size-ism and look-ism go on in workplaces, but what can realistically be done? James Williams offers a legal perspective. The Size Acceptance Movement held a demonstration in front of the Mayor of London’s office […]
Is the war for talent now flooded with recruits?
From a talent drought to a potential talent flood – but how to sort the great from the good? Lisa Proctor, Director of Changeworknow, explains how online and 'might as well' applications have swelled the talent pool's banks fit to burst – and how to handle it well. What a difference a year makes. Only one […]
Redundancy: sink or swim
Heidi Blakey finds that when undertaking redundancy, determining the correct selection pool is a key issue in avoiding legal challenges. Dismissal on grounds of redundancy has arguably become simpler to justify in view of the economic downturn. Not only is it easier in these recessionary times to demonstrate that a redundancy is genuine, but […]
When opposites frustrate – don’t give up!
Diversity can bring huge benefits to an organisation, but are you getting the most from it? Matthew Hill gives advice and guidance on managing diverse teams. When the pressure is on within a team, the cracks will begin to show. This is often evidenced by escalating displays of emotion and tension. Sometimes a negative spiral […]
Ask the expert: NI contributions for older employees
This week there is confusion over whether NI contributions are higher for older workers or not, and if so, why? Esther Smith and Harry Scott advise. The question We have previously looked at this. Looking through the work we produced in 2007 we came across this;"Employers’ national insurance contribution rates are higher for workers over […]
Fostering innovation
Innovative organisations are successful ones. Lisette Howlett explores how innovation can become part of your HR department and organisation’s DNA. As companies wrestle with the never-ending challenge of finding new sources of growth in stagnant or declining markets, the pressure to innovate is higher than ever. But can companies learn how to innovate? Or is […]
Legislation update: deferring holiday until after sick leave
With winter approaching fast, questions have been raised over what to do if workers are sick at a time when they were due to be on annual leave. In a recent case, one employee who was injured just before he was due to take annual leave. Richard White, specialist employment solicitor at Withy King, considers […]
Is there any life in LIFO?
‘Last in first out’ was a simple but crude formula well-used by businesses when needing to make redundancies. Stephen Ross explains why it fell out of favour and whether there’s room for LIFO now. ‘Last in first out’ or ‘LIFO’ used to be a popular method of making selections for redundancy. It was a simple […]
Saving the endangered business partner
Grahame Russell considers how far the Ulrich model has come and where it fits in with today’s human resources department. Three years ago I rather mischievously suggested that we were entering the ‘post Ulrich era’, a period of reflection for global HR given that our beloved guru and HR proponent had been quiet for three […]
HR tip: Making rules work
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. The question:Our […]
Tesco picking up pieces of ‘woeful’ education system
Standards are so low in schools that employers and HR departments are forced to pick up the pieces, claimed Tesco’s chief executive in a recent speech to grocery retailing body IDG. Tesco’s chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy, called on the government to increase schooling standards and simplify the education system for the sake of British […]
Views on HR News: HR’s Role in the Social Business
Jon Ingham trawls the net to provide his round-up of the great and the good of HR thought and opinion found on the web, so you don't have to. This month, he reviews HR’s role in the ‘social business’. I have been writing this bulletin over the last six months or so to help […]
Autumn fall in recruitment
A small dip in recruitment opportunities occurred in September following a small fall in August, according to the Monster Online Employment Index. Year-on-year hirings are down by a third: the highest fall last month was seen in the public sector, which fell by 10%. Technology continues to suffer with less opportunities available in IT and […]
Protect your staff from swine flu – or risk being sued
Employers who are not seen to be adequately protecting staff from swine flu could be sued by angry employees, says Gary Tait, who advises on how you can protect both employees and the business. Being sued by an employee is a nightmare scenario for an HR team, but one which could possibly come true if […]
All on board?
Clare Roberts, managing consultant at PA Consulting, discusses how to assess the responsiveness to change in your organisation. One of the challenges of delivering significant organisational change in today’s climate of economic uncertainty is the way in which people are engaged through the process of change. It is widely understood that transformational change needs the […]
It’s HR, not a magic pill
Continuing his series, Paul Kearns explains how HR can work wonders, but the temptation of ‘magic pill’ quick fixes must be avoided. Some of us might like to think we can work miracles for our organisations but none of us should ever fool ourselves into thinking we can perform magic. Yet in practice that is […]
Maintaining the talent pipeline through a downturn
Nick Griffin, Head of Graduate Services at GRADdirect, part of Reed Specialist Recruitment, discusses how recruiters can meet the increased demands for higher quality recruits from the business with fewer resources, less time and a reduced budget. Close to half (42.3%) of graduate recruiters who responded to a GRADdirect survey said they were going to […]
Ask the expert: Removing allowances from contracts
This week a public service client is seeking to remove a car allowance. How should this be managed? Esther Smith and Matthew Whelan advise. The question I work for a public sector organisation and we are looking for ways to make efficiencies. It has been highlighted that some of our employees have […]
Poll: What effect will the Pereda decision have on your organisation?
The ECJ in Pereda v Madrid Movilidad SA has held that if a worker becomes sick during a period of annual leave, they are entitled to delay their holiday and carry their annual leave forward. What effect will this have on the way you deal with employees who may become sick while on leave? There’s […]
