Colborn’s Corner: Swine flu – a media frenzy
HR professionals should develop comprehensive contingency plans to manage workplace disruptions from swine flu and other crises. Clear communication and updated risk assessments help prevent employee panic and irrational behavior during health emergencies.
No time for silence: Breaking news to employees
Effective employee communication is critical during economic uncertainty. HR professionals must break difficult news—like layoffs or frozen bonuses—truthfully and strategically to maintain employee morale, productivity, and retention during challenging times.
HR Tip: Recovering relocation expenses
Protect your relocation investment by including a recovery clause in offer letters. Specify that employees must reimburse all or part of relocation expenses if they leave within a set period, with reimbursement amounts decreasing over time to remain reasonable and enforceable.
How to beat the recession by empowering your line managers
During economic downturns, organizations must cut costs while maintaining productivity and employee motivation. Empowering line managers to take greater responsibility for people management is critical, as research shows strong correlation between effective line management and organizational performance and profitability.
Views on HR news: The dangers of a tyrannical approach to Web 2.0
HR leaders debate Web 2.0 adoption, with UK organizations taking a more restrictive approach through social media bans compared to more open international practices. Experts warn that overly controlling policies risk damaging employee engagement and talent attraction, while advocating for HR functions to embrace social platforms now.
HR in a recession: A change of focus
During economic downturns, HR professionals must shift focus from employee development to performance management and organizational efficiency. This means identifying underperforming staff, strengthening management practices, and advising leadership on necessary changes while preparing the business for eventual recovery.
Up in smoke: True liberation
Becky Midgley celebrates reaching her non-smoker milestone after weeks of support group meetings and nicotine patches. Despite facing extreme workplace stress, she resisted the urge to smoke and feels increasingly liberated from the habit.
Vox pop: HR’s role during a recession
During a recession, HR departments shift from centralized models to closer engagement with line managers and employees. Industry experts emphasize that HR must act as a strategic business partner, focusing on managing redundancies fairly, developing remaining staff, and maintaining clear communication to preserve organizational morale during economic downturns.
Ask the expert: Disability and failure to attend work
An employee with mental health issues was suspended for one day’s absence and insubordination, but the employer failed to contact them before issuing suspension. Legal experts question whether suspension was justified and whether employers have duty of care obligations toward employees with known health conditions.
Cutting the cost of wellness
Maintain employee wellness on a limited budget by appointing in-house health champions and addressing workplace culture. Cost-effective strategies deliver measurable results without expensive external consultants or initiatives, helping retain staff during economic downturns.
HR tip: Proof of drunkenness
When an employee arrives at work appearing drunk, supervisors should document their observations immediately, such as erratic speech or unsteady gait, and have a witness corroborate the report. This contemporaneous documentation is sufficient evidence for disciplinary action without requiring medical proof of intoxication.
Talent management: The leaders of tomorrow
Talent management is crucial for organizations to identify and develop future leaders effectively. Yet many companies lack aligned processes and integrated approaches linking recruitment, development, and succession planning. Early identification through assessment combined with structured development and strategic deployment helps retain top talent.
Ask the expert: Short-time working, now redundancy
When employees on reduced hours since 2008 face redundancy, their severance and notice pay should be calculated based on their current reduced salary, not their pre-reduction wages, provided the pay cut was a permanent contractual change they agreed to without protest.
A week in HR: Equality Bill and Working Time Directive
The UK government published its Equality Bill this week with mixed reactions, requiring employers to report gender pay gaps while drawing criticism over administrative burden. Separately, the UK retained its opt-out from the European Working Time Directive after Brussels talks collapsed, and the CIPD launched its new HR Profession Map to restructure professional development standards.
Legislation update: Can a shareholder be an employee?
Recent court rulings clarify that a controlling shareholder can also be an employee of a company. The Court of Appeal overturned previous confusion by establishing that shareholding status and personal financial commitments to the company do not automatically disqualify someone from employee status.
How to manage sickness absence in a downturn
Effective absence management during economic downturns is critical for employers to minimize costs, protect employee welfare, and reduce litigation risk. During recessions, staff may avoid taking sick leave due to job insecurity, leading to presenteeism and increased stress that can trigger longer-term absence issues. Employers must monitor absence patterns carefully, enforce policies consistently, and demonstrate support to prevent bullying, harassment, and potential legal claims.
Employment tribunals and April’s new procedures
Employment tribunals introduced procedural changes in April 2009, including allowing judges to sit alone for working time regulation cases to speed hearings. However, a significant change removed tribunals’ enforcement powers, requiring claimants to use the civil court system to recover unpaid awards, leaving many low-wage workers unable to collect compensation.
Up in smoke: The strength continues, for now
Becky Midgley shares her progress nearly two weeks into quitting smoking, celebrating her strength and willpower despite facing challenging social situations. She credits mental preparation and nicotine patches for her success, while reflecting on the ongoing psychological battle with cravings and the adjustments ahead.
Stop talking learning: Start talking business
L&D professionals must shift focus from training delivery to business performance and productivity. By stopping conversations about learning and starting conversations about business results, training managers can demonstrate real value to their organizations during economic uncertainty and organizational change.
Video: Your business is the training and development of your people
William Pollard, ServiceMaster’s chairman emeritus, explains why investing in employee training and development is essential for business success, drawing on his 30+ years of leadership experience.
