Ask the expert: Gross misconduct for bullying
A bullied employee has resigned and informed management as to the reasons for the resignation. Can the employer then dismiss the bully on the grounds of gross misconduct? Esther Smith and Matthew Whelan advise. The question:If one staff is constantly bullying another one and the bullied staff resigns suddenly, but advises the management about this […]
Development times – appraisal times
I have a fledgling thought about the merits of separating the annual performance appraisal process from any personal development work that comes out of a competency based feedback process – such as 360 degree feedback.The thoughts come from the different mindset that I have seen in people when they are being assessed – particularly with […]
Additional paternity leave: Sleepless nights for businesses?
If Lord Mandelson is overruled and the government’s proposed additional paternity leave and pay legislation does eventually come into force, what will it mean for businesses? Christiana Tollast spoke to the experts and found this is a subject of much-heated debate. The lawIn 2007, the government drew up a consultation document on its proposed additional […]
HR tip: Workplace affairs
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: "Can we stop people having affairs at work? We think that one of our supervisors is having an affair with a married woman." HR tip: Generally speaking you should not moralise but […]
Corporate manslaughter: One year on
The introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter Act almost a year ago has meant that organisations have had to change their duty of care requirements in order to protect an employee’s health, safety and wellbeing. Matthew Judge examines the implications faced by HR professionals over the last 12 months. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Acts […]
Employee assessment: Uncovering the corporate knowledge gap
Mary Clarke considers why regular assessments can help HR professionals make informed and accurate decisions about employees in a redundancy situation. In these tough economic times, managers in companies across the UK are examining how to make the best use of their employees and increase productivity and competitiveness. In many cases, they are making decisions […]
Colborn’s Corner: 65 and out!
The recent judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), that the default retirement age of 65 breaches the European Directive on equal treatment, may have signalled the end for the Heyday challenge. So this week Quentin Colborn asks, is it reasonable to expect people to retire at 65? What focussed the ECJ in making […]
Releasing change in today’s complex workforce
Many change projects fail but is this because organisations are still focusing on driving change and not releasing it? Clare Roberts and Kate Spencer explore the importance of inspiring, enabling and encouraging change in people and their behaviours. Have you ever considered why, despite a well-structured change approach with a clear vision, defined deliverables and […]
Ask the expert: Grievance and disciplinary meeting
An employee, who is on sick leave, has been through a grievance meeting but now it seems a disciplinary meeting is needed for the same employee. Esther Smith and Martin Brewer advise on whether the grievance should be fully concluded beforehand. The question: An employee has gone through a grievance meeting (GM) with his line […]
Is it bye bye bonuses?
Are we witnessing the demise of bonuses? Will the government’s intervention to prevent the payment of ‘exorbitant’ bonuses result in financial institutions and businesses revisiting their remuneration packages? Pam Loch considers the pros and cons of the bonus conundrum. Today’s world involves the business secretary, Lord Mandelson, urging self-restraint on executives’ bonuses and the government […]
HR blogosphere bulletin
Jon Ingham trawls the net to provide his round-up of the great and the good of the HR blogs out there right now. Welcome to the first of what will be a regular, twice-monthly series of updates on HR issues recently discussed within the social media, i.e., on blogs, podcasts, microblogs (Twitter) etc.The idea is […]
A week in HR: Discrimination, data and Women’s Day
This week, Neil Davey reports on the mixed feelings surrounding the European Court of Justice's ruling on forced retirement, the rising number of unfair dismissal claims and a disturbing case of data misuse. Age discrimination was the top story last week. First of all it was revealed that the number of unfair […]
Updated… A week in HR: Do employers need ‘thicker skins’?
This week, Verity Gough reports on the ‘Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies’ list, as well as news that employers need “thicker skins” when it comes to browsing employees’ social networking profiles. This week saw the publishing of the illustrious Sunday Times Best 100 SMEs to work for list which was interesting for a number […]
Start studying: Employment law round-up
From changes to the flexible working laws and statutory holiday allowance increases to amendments to the disciplinary and grievance procedure, April is set to be a busy time. Verity Gough speaks to the experts to find out which key laws HR needs to get its head round. This spring a series of […]
HR blunder of the month: Money for nothing
Few companies these days can afford unproductive employees. What would happen if HR found an employee who sat in his office all day doing nothing and got paid a full-time salary? For starters, the person might be given something to do, or the position might be eliminated.But that’s not the case for Randall Hinton, an […]
Heydey case to be sent back to UK high court
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has this morning given its decision on the ‘Heyday challenge’ to the default retirement age of 65 as set out in the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.In the latest round of legal rulings, the ECJ has found that the Default Retirement Age (DRA) does not contravene the European Framework […]
Making 360 feedback work in your organisation
Using 360 feedback within performance management is becoming increasingly popular. Peter Goodge explains how HR can ensure buy-in from everyone and support managers throughout the process. Using 360 feedback in performance management is not new, but it seems to be a developing theme for HR. The CIPD’s recently updated factsheet reports that “360 feedback is […]
Law Firm Streamlines HR and Payroll Processes, Supports Green Agenda and Improves Recruitment with COA Solutions
Browne Jacobson, one of the most successful Midlands based commercial law firms in England, has significantly streamlined its human resource (HR) and payroll processes as a result of implementing a Human Capital Management (HCM) system from COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com) This HCM system – HR Pro – with integrated HR, personnel, self-service intranet (SSI) and .NET […]
Past, present and future: Health & safety at work
This month marks the 35th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act, so Karen Baxter looks back over this time to see how the law has transformed health and safety in the workplace, plus she offers her predictions for the future. The introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act, the primary […]
HR tip: Moonlighting
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: "Can we prevent our full-time employees from taking on evening work with other employers, for example taxi driving?" HR tip: Really there are only three common circumstances in which you can impose […]
