Changing your HRIS software? Read this first
Choosing the wrong HRIS software can be one of the most time-consuming and costly mistakes you ever make. Denis Barnard reveals the questions you need to ask to guarantee the perfect system. Whether due to company expansion, new management or simply time for a change, before long every HR department will be looking […]
HR tip: Challenging doctor’s fit note
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: An employee has returned to work following a period of sickness absence, with a doctor’s certificate saying that he is now fit for work. However we have our doubts. Can we challenge […]
Opinion: Cost-effective recruitment strategies
In a new regular series, Lisette Howlett provides expert thought and opinion on recruitment and retention in today’s business landscape. This month, she looks at how HR departments can implement cost-effective recruitment methods. I have always believed that cost-effective, high-quality recruitment and retention requires a good strategy (vision plus plan of action) and combination of […]
Childcare vouchers: Parents and employers need a break
Businesses were recently advised to withdraw from the government’s childcare vouchers scheme, as a result of an equal opportunities European ruling last year. Pam Loch and Wendy Hayes explain where this leaves employers now. Since the birth of the childcare voucher scheme in 2005, around 20% of employers have set up arrangements for their employees enabling them to sacrifice […]
Recruitment in a downturn: Planning for the future
Employers must spend time now examining how best to attract talent to nurture the business and invest in the future. Raj Tulsiani explains how organisations can get it right. A disturbingly large number of organisations have reacted to uncertain economic times by downsizing with an axe rather than a scalpel. To a certain extent, that […]
Abercrombie & Fitch accused of ‘lookism’
US clothing firm Abercrombie & Fitch is being taken to an employment tribunal after a sales assistant claimed that she was made to work in the stockroom because her prosthetic arm did not fit the shop’s image. Riam Dean, a 22-year-old law student, is suing for disability discrimination and seeking up to £20,000 in damages […]
Caption competition: And the winner is…
This month’s caption competition featured someone who is no stranger to the headlines – Lord Mandelson, pictured here earlier this year. We decided to crown HR manager John Gillic as the winner this time, and he has chosen a bottle of Chilean red (Vina Carmen Pinot Noir) as his prize. John’s winning caption was: "If I can just swallow […]
Online recruitment: Returning more for less
During these difficult times, your recruitment budget has to give even more ROI, so how can online recruitment methods help to deliver this? Technology correspondent Jon Wilcox reports. Let’s not pull any punches – the UK jobs market has been decimated in recent months. Vacancies for permanent roles have diminished; the manufacturing sector has crumbled; and […]
People and their screensavers
New research suggests that looking at certain screensavers can spare professionals the ill effects of workplace stress and make them more productive. The study found that people who had scenic scenes on their computers were able to reduce their stress levels by up to 30%. However, there are fundamental flaws in the notion that having […]
Ask the expert: Sending home without pay
An employer has a clause which states that staff who are late for a shift, resulting in cover being brought in, will be sent home and not paid. Matthew Whelan and Esther Smith advise whether this is legal. The question We are currently reviewing our disciplinary rules and we have a clause which states that […]
Legislation update: Climate change and philosophical beliefs
Richard White discusses a recent case in which the employment tribunal held that an employee’s belief in climate change could be considered a religious belief, rather than an opinion. In the recent case of Nicholson v Grainger PLC and others, the employment tribunal held that Mr Nicholson’s belief in climate change could […]
Summer holidays: A source of stress?
Many employees have to work significantly harder before leaving for, and returning from, their summer holiday. Melodie Gilbert outlines the measures employers can take to limit this stress. It’s that time of year when employees’ minds begin to turn to sun-drenched beaches and time out from their everyday jobs. We all look forward to a break […]
Undercover boss: It’s worth investing in your people
In a new two-part series on Channel 4, Undercover Boss features a senior executive who goes undercover in their own company to find out what is happening at the coalface and what employees really think about the business. Penny de Valk shares her thoughts on last night’s episode. Channel 4’s new series Undercover Boss, […]
Using temporary workers in a recession
As the culling of staff continues and the availability of permanent roles remains sparse, the number of individuals going it alone, whether in a freelance capacity or as a temporary employee, is climbing. Nick Golding investigates. The latest Report on Jobs survey (June 2009) by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), reports […]
The Stringer case: Much ado about nothing?
The long-awaited House of Lords decision on the Stringer v HMRC case was issued on 10 June 2009. However the judgment did not deliver the expected outcome on long-term sickness and statutory annual leave. Pam Loch considers the case further. The background The House of Lords decision in Stringer and others (which includes Ainsworth) […]
Success in a recession: What not to do
What are the biggest obstacles to success? Blaire Palmer examines how certain approaches can stand in the way of success for both individuals and organisations, and suggests ways to change those attitudes. So far in this series I have looked at some of the qualities needed to succeed, particularly the qualities needed […]
HR tip: Personal hygiene problem
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: I have been told that one of my employees has a body odour problem. His colleagues have told me that it is unpleasant working near him. They have dropped hints but to […]
Sick to fit: The optimistic angle to employee sickness
Simon Collingridge and Rachel Watkins provide an update and explanation on the government’s ‘fit note’ initiative, as well as clearing up the confusion between statutory and company sick pay. The practice of an employee providing their employer with a sick note has been in place since 1948. The employer’s policy will usually explain to the employee when […]
Unemployment figures hit a 12-year high
UK unemployment has hit the highest level since 1997, with the numbers of jobless having risen to 2.261 million in the three months to April, the Office for National Statistics has said. The official figures published today show that the UK employment rate has fallen to 73.3 percent, down 0.8 from the previous quarter and […]
Staff development is weapon of choice in recession
Employers are choosing to focus on retention rather than recruitment in response to current resourcing issues, finds the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey. This year’s report revealed that 73% of organisations find a lack of necessary specialist skills remains the key resourcing challenge, whilst 56% of employers are […]