The consequences of failing in health and safety
Employers risk huge fines and even imprisonment if they fail to implement the correct health and safety duties, however the effective enforcement of this law has recently been questioned. Charles Price explains. An employer’s duties The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA 1974) sets out the basic health and safety duties of […]
Essential free apps for your BlackBerry
Trendy iPod Touch and iPhone owners readily boast how ‘apps’ (applications) have quickly become a staple part of the portable tech and gadgetry world. As Apple’s commercials relentlessly push, there’s an app for anything, from splitting the cost of a restaurant bill to finding a restaurant in the first place. This penetration of apps into […]
Jaded jobseeker pledges to work 365 jobs in 365 days
A 30-year-old unemployed father of three from Lancashire is attempting a record-breaking challenge by working 365 different jobs, one each day, for an entire year. Jamie Dodd, supported by online recruitment resource Monster.co.uk, decided to set up ‘Project-365’ in an attempt to find his dream career after getting disheartened by the job-seeking process. The project […]
Emails you wish you hadn’t sent
Most people will know the sinking sensation one feels as an email blunder zips its way across cyber-space, your embarrassment moving irretrievably towards its destination at light speed. We’re not going to give you another list of email etiquette dos and don’ts – we want to hear about interesting and entertaining email mistakes you’ve witnessed, and […]
Legislation update: Stress at work – ignore at your peril
A recent case has shown that the mere presence of support services is not adequate if an employer wants to avoid being held liable for stress at work. Richard White considers this case further. The leading case in the area of stress at work is Hatton v Sutherland in which the Court of […]
Ask the expert: Garden leave
If an employee is given notice and goes on garden leave, what are the consequences if they go to work for another organisation? Esther Smith and Matthew Whelan advise. The question If, within a contract, it states that when a person gives notice and goes on garden leave they cannot work for anyone else, […]
Meetings…yawn!
People spend countless hours involved in meetings, but what if this time could be more productive? Steve Turner reveals how to achieve optimum results from your meetings to make them more proactive and exciting for all team members. Meetings can be a great place to start a forum for a debate. Most people assume meetings will […]
The war for talent: Fiercer now than before?
The recession is an ideal opportunity to revisit your talent management strategies, but how should organisations be fighting the war on talent in this climate? Becky Midgley speaks to the CIPD’s Claire McCartney to find out. There isn’t one business out there at the moment that isn’t having to change the way it does […]
Danone scoops top spot in UK’s best place to work list
Great Place to Work Institute, the global research and management consultancy, today crowned dairy company Danone UK as the winner of the Best UK Workplaces Programme 2009. One of 50 companies to be ranked, Danone UK beat Cadbury, British Gas and Coca Cola UK and Ireland to the top post, while recruitment company, Total Jobs […]
Success in a recession: Elbow grease and hard slog
Organisations with employees who work very hard are usually the ones which succeed. However, in a recession, how do you get people to put in the long hours without losing their commitment and loyalty? Blaire Palmer explains how to communicate the need for hard work effectively. In the last 20 years, the number of people working […]
Managing virtual teams in a recession
Travel bans induced by the credit crunch mean that virtual teams may find it increasingly tough to meet in person. Pradip Gajjar considers two important strategies to help HR to support virtual teams during these turbulent times. A real scenario: A team leader approaches HR for support. She wants to run a team-building programme and wants to […]
Facebook dismissals: Misuse of IT in the workplace
Nick Hobden and Ben Stepney discuss some steps that can be taken to prevent misuse of IT in the workplace, focusing on social networking sites, blogs and the regulation of workers use of the internet. In February, a 16-year-old from Essex was dismissed three weeks into her job after she described it as "boring" on […]
HR tip: Reporting sexual harassment
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 a couple of women in my section are being sexually harassed but are reluctant to report the matter to me, a male, as I will not take […]
Ask the expert: Employee given a prison sentence
An employee has been given a custodial sentence. Esther Smith and Martin Brewer advise on whether the employer should deal with this as a frustration of contract or not. The question: One of our employees has just been given a six-month custodial sentence. I am wondering how to deal with his employment. I see that […]
Tomorrow’s workforce: Right people, right place, right skills?
The constant changing nature of today’s workforce presents many challenges for HR. Paul Lambert explains why effective workforce planning can give organisations a strategic advantage in a knowledge-based economy. The changing workforce – a business challenge for HR A skilled workforce is the key ingredient in delivering high quality services and great products for […]
Views on HR news: Metrics and measures
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 week, he discusses his continuing interest in HR metrics. My interest in metrics was raised through a couple of posts on this month’s HR […]
Take part in the Customer Experience State of the Nation survey
HRzone.co.uk’s sister site, MyCustomer.com, has teamed up with ClickTools to present the2009 Customer Experience State of the Nation survey, an annual poll that identifies the current issues and key trends in customer experience across a range of industries. To make this the most comprehensive survey ever, MyCustomer.com wants to hear your thoughts on what improvements your […]
Case study: Handling large-scale redundancies
Countless organisations have had to make job cuts in the last few months, making HR’s job a particularly tough one. Nick Golding talks to Buckinghamshire County Council to find out how they are handling their large-scale redundancy process. Back in January this year, the 14,000-strong workforce at Buckinghamshire County Council was confronted with the news […]
HCM: Using analytics to help organisations fight back
Peter Howes highlights how the use of eight metrics, that have specifically been identified for use in a downturn, can lead to greater workforce insight, improving efficiency and driving cost savings. With the recession in full swing, rapid changes within the global business environment have left many HR directors reeling. Until recently most were […]
Celebrating National Work from Home Day
To coincide with National Work from Home Day, Mick Hegarty discusses new research on remote working and highlights why home working is helping both employees and UK businesses. On National Work from Home Day, it is safe to say that the uptake of remote working practices has rocketed over recent times. In the last year, a growing number […]
