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 […]
Ask the expert: Return from maternity leave
A maternity returner failed to give the required eight weeks’ notice to confirm her wish to return to work, and wants to decrease the days she works, which may not fit the needs of the business. Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on how to reach a compromise. The question: I have a bit […]
Views on HR news: 10 of the best HR blogs
Jon Ingham highlights 10 of his favourite HR blog posts from the last couple of weeks, so that he can bring a few more great blogs and bloggers to your attention. Leadership Everybody Knows About Your Weaknesses – Do You? at Dan McCarthy’s Great Leadership. Generations Change and Generational Differences at Steve Roesler’s All Things […]
Retaining the talent in a recession
John Pope explains how employers can best attract, retain and motivate the high performers in times which have become tough all round. Too many of us thought that the good times were here to stay. As a result, many organisations became sloppy in managing their talented people; some even thought that talent was an asset […]
Wellbeing in the office: No girls allowed
To mark National Men's Health Week, which runs throughout this week, Jeff Archer explains why men-only wellbeing initiatives at work are getting the message across. It may seem like a step backwards in the fight for equality, but targeting men exclusively has become an effective new weapon in the fight to shape up the nation's workforce. With wellbeing […]
Networking without the hangups
The dreaded conference coffee break can, for some people, present a nerve wracking period of forced conversation, uncomfortable silences and custard creams. Networking at these events can be tricky, but with clear aims and a set strategy, business psychologist Robert Myatt says you can abolish the stress and come away with some useful contacts. Managing […]
HR agenda critical to UK economic success
HR’s role in the effort to keep the UK economy afloat during the recession should not be under estimated, was the key message from the Acas and CIPD ‘Resilience Through Recession’ conference held today in London. Keynote speakers, including Lord Young, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills; Ed Sweeney, chair […]
HR tip: Unfair versus wrongful dismissal
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: What, if any, is the difference between unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal? Answer: They reflect the why and how of dismissal respectively. Dismissal is unfair if it is for reasons other […]
Seven office gadgets from the future
While genetically modified chimpanzees that are able to make sales calls, prepare tea and send emails are yet to be invented, there are plenty of other futuristic gizmos and inventions on the market that could give your office that hi-tech feel. Here are seven gadgets for your office, straight from the set of Star Trek. […]
Leaders urged to take their five-a-day in people management
Acas and the CIPD have teamed up to publish a ‘five-a-day’ manual in a bid to encourage business leaders to take a stand against poor people management – a significant factor in the UK’s productivity gap. The joint guidance covers management fundamentals developed from CIPD and Acas research and offers practical experience of management development grouped […]
Recruitment 2.0
With jobseekers turning to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to find work, how can HR make the most of social networking and unearth the talent? Verity Gough logs on to find out how best to harness the power of Web 2.0. There is a strange revolution going on in the world of recruitment. What was once […]
Equality in the city: Women in charge?
Equalities minister Harriet Harman was recently criticised for suggesting that the Equality Bill could be used to appoint more women to senior positions in the City. Alex Denny and Christabel Oh discuss the issues concerning ‘positive action’, one of the new measures contained in the Bill. The Equality Bill has been hailed as an important move […]
Top tips on managing your company expenses
As political leaders scramble to introduce radical new measures for better governance over the MP expenses system, organisations also need to review their business expense processes, says Tim Hardcastle. Despite the fact we’re at the tail-end of a recession, businesses are still mismanaging their operational expenses, with expense spend up to 40% higher than it […]
Facebook-style talent management software
Talent management software provider SuccessFactors used its SuccessConnect event in San Francisco to claim the biggest ever enterprise application deployment, and to move talent management software closer to social networking functionality. In his keynote address at SuccessConnect, CEO Lars Dalgaard hailed what he claimed is not just the largest Cloud Computing contract ever, […]
