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 […]
HRZone.co.uk exclusive: European Commission to tackle gender pay gap
A European-wide campaign to close the gender pay gap was launched this week by the European Commission. Verity Gough went to Brussels to find out what this means for HR professionals in the UK.The buzz around the latest Commission campaign is certainly impressive, and for those who have championed equality and diversity in the workplace, […]
Putting the business into business partner
To become true business partners, HR practitioners have to ‘change the rules’. Gordon Barker outlines how HR can better engage people during change and drive sustainable performance. The economic downturn has created new priorities for HR, with the core emphasis on recruitment needing to be replaced by a greater focus on organisational performance, according to […]
Building a compelling case for change
Experience shows us that HR programmes often don’t make it past the first investment hurdle, especially in times of uncertainty. It is therefore critical, says Janet Curtis, that HR not only gets the numbers right, but develops the business case in a way that gains buy-in to the proposed changes. It’s too easy to assume […]
Diversity is not a single issue
Diversity in the workplace is an area where employers can bring about big cultural shifts and lead the way in creating a more equal society, says Beth Vaughan. In an increasingly regulated world of employment and with an increasingly diverse workforce in the UK, it is crucial individuals are not simply segmented into single equality […]
Ask the expert: Working if signed off by medical expert
An employee, who has been signed off work by a medical expert, would still like to come into work and do reduced hours. Esther Smith and Matthew Whelan advise on the consequences of this. The question:We have an employee who has had a minor operation and has been signed off work by medical experts for […]
Overcoming age bias in recruitment
In the current economic climate, both older and younger individuals face even greater difficulties than usual in obtaining or changing jobs. Dianne Bown-Wilson comments on how improvements to the recruitment process might help cut down on age discrimination. Age discrimination in employee recruitment continues to be rife despite legislation which should by now have resulted […]
HR on a budget: Reward in a cold climate
Yes it’s bleak out there, but if ever there was a time for businesses to show their staff just how much they care, then this is it. Christiana Tollast reports on why recognition and reward could be the key to getting companies through to the other side of this economic cold spell. Slashing budgets for […]
How to be more resilient at work
Resilience is a much sought-after quality during these times of economic turbulence, says Jessica Pryce-Jones, who examines the positive impact resilience can have on workplace performance and employee morale. When budget cuts, redundancies and an obsession with the bottom line are leading to unprecedented levels of workplace anxiety, people who stay committed, focused and resilient […]
Success in a recession: Don’t forget your manners
Over the next few months, we will be featuring a series by Blaire Palmer, who examines HR’s role in managing the human factor during a recession. In the first instalment, she looks at how good manners deteriorate under pressure, why they are so important, and what HR can do to maintain high standards of behaviour. […]
HR tip: A problem of discrimination?
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 just joined a company to head up manufacturing. One section of the operation involves a group of people working in a hot, noisy, smelly and generally highly unpleasant department, cut […]
Asking too much of the annual appraisal
I’ve been doing some research for a white paper we are writing on Best Practice in Performance Appraisals. I came across an article written for a 2004 conference on performance appraisals.The authors suggest that performance appraisals are often asked to fulfill the following goals * feedback * coaching * goal setting * skill development * […]
