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.
Equality Bill: More red tape for employers
The Equality Bill requires employers with over 250 staff to report on gender pay gaps starting in 2013, aiming to address the 23% average pay disparity between men and women. While the government argues this will create transparency and equality, business groups warn it will increase bureaucracy and compliance costs for struggling employers.
Success in a recession: How trustworthy are you?
Building trust in your organization is critical during uncertain times, as research shows most employees and managers lack confidence in leadership. According to experts, trust depends on credibility, reliability, intimacy, and demonstrating genuine concern beyond self-interest—and how others perceive you matters more than your intentions.
Redundancy survivors: Managing increased workloads and stress
After redundancies, surviving employees often face increased workloads and longer hours, which significantly raises stress and anxiety levels. Employers must provide adequate support and communication to help remaining staff manage the additional pressure and prevent productivity from declining.
HR tip: Validity of warnings
Disciplinary warnings typically remain valid for 6-12 months, though employers can set longer or shorter periods based on offense severity. The validity period should be clearly stated in the written warning, and warnings can be kept on file after expiration to identify behavioral patterns.
Business psychology: Are you making the most of it?
Learn how HR professionals can leverage business psychology and psychometric testing to develop talent. Discover how technology and modern assessment tools have made psychology-based selection and development accessible and cost-effective for organizations of all sizes.
Budget 2009: Chancellor moves on unemployment to avoid another ‘lost generation’
Chancellor Alistair Darling announced measures to prevent youth unemployment becoming long-term joblessness, including job guarantees and training for those under 25 unemployed over 12 months. The 2009 budget response came as UK unemployment reached 2.1 million, the highest since Labour took power in 1997.
HRD 2009: Web 2.0 critical to HR’s innovation agenda
Web 2.0 technology is essential to HR’s innovation agenda, enabling collaboration, knowledge sharing, and employee engagement while helping the field add value and stay competitive, according to HR experts at the HRD 2009 conference.
Training your way out of the recession…
A Cranfield School of Management study confirms that investing in employee training during economic downturns is more cost-effective than recruiting new talent. The research found that training existing staff improves retention, motivation, and can save companies money while preparing them for recovery.
HRD 2009: HR must be “confidante” to CEO in a recession
During economic downturns, CEOs expect HR directors to serve as trusted confidantes and strategic partners on people issues, helping them navigate workforce challenges while seizing talent opportunities. HR leaders must demonstrate their value by embedding themselves in strategy meetings and maintaining focus on talent development despite restructuring pressures.
HRD 2009: Three rules to sustaining performance in a downturn, says expert
During an economic downturn, organizations can maintain performance and loyalty through three key principles: solidarity (fostering sociability and purpose), energy (cultivating purposeful momentum), and autonomy (granting employees control and flexibility). Expert Richard Reeves also emphasized that how companies handle redundancies significantly impacts retention and productivity for years to come.
How does top talent react to cost cutting?
Top talent often leaves organizations during cost-cutting initiatives when development opportunities disappear. HR leaders can retain key employees by involving them in cost-reduction and redundancy programs, which provides valuable development experience while building a cost-conscious culture and maintaining engagement.
Mental illness in the workplace: The hidden epidemic
Mental illness costs UK employers an estimated £4bn annually in stress-related absences, yet remains largely unaddressed in workplaces. With nearly 30% of employees experiencing mental health problems yearly, HR professionals must recognize behavioral changes early and create supportive environments to tackle this hidden epidemic.
