European Parliament votes to scrap working time opt-out
European MPs have voted to scrap the UK’s opt-out from the Working Time Directive, limiting the working week to an average of 48 hours.MEPs voted in favour of ending it by 421 votes to 273. The UK government will now enter negotiations with the European council of ministers, with the aim of reaching a final […]
Jobless claimant count reaches 1m
The number of people unemployed and claiming benefit rose by 75,700 in November, the biggest increase since March 1991, official data released on Wednesday has shown.The unemployment rate has now increased to 1.86 million, which is its highest level since November 1997, and up by 137,000 from the previous quarter.The official statistics also revealed that […]
COA Solutions Signs-up to Major New Green IT Initiative
UK business management and information systems provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), today announces that it has signed up to the Green Charter of the Business Application Software Developers Association (BASDA), the voice of the UK software industry. This recently launched green IT initiative shows a commitment by software developers to tackling climate change both within their […]
People performance dynamics: How to make the intangible tangible
Claire Logan and Lee Kearns explore the benefits of applying a ‘systems thinking’ approach to people performance to find the cause and effect links between employee engagement and business performance. Academics and HR professionals alike have been trying over the years to prove the value HR functions and people management activities add to organisations. A […]
Top tips on being an employer of choice
Do you need to save money on new hires during 2009? Are you keen to hang onto your top talent when pay rises are unlikely? Tim Holden outlines the steps that can genuinely deliver results and ensure you are an employer of choice. More and more employers are recognising that there are a number of […]
Christmas on a budget: The office party
Don’t play Scrooge this year and cancel the Christmas party just because funds are tight. In the current economic climate, it is crucial to ensure staff feel valued and are motivated, says Penny de Valk. At a time of financial uncertainty, managers may be considering cancelling their office or team Christmas party. However, this year […]
Profile: SSA winner – SuccessFactors
SuccessFactors was this year’s winner at the Software Satisfaction Awards, in the talent management category. Andy Leaver, vice president of sales EMEA at the company, speaks to Lucie Mitchell about the key to customer satisfaction and developments in store for the software industry in 2009. 1. Why do you feel you won this award? I […]
Ask the expert: Depression and self-certification of absence
An employee has been off work due to self-certified stress and depression, but refuses to see a doctor or get a doctor’s note. Esther Smith and Martin Brewer advise on how to handle this situation. The question:We have a situation where an employee (X) has taken three days off work. A meeting was arranged during […]
Forestry Commission Tracks Carbon Emissions with COA Solutions System
The Forestry Commission, the Government department responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain’s forests and woodlands, is measuring its carbon emissions using COA Solutions’ Employee Expense Management (EEM) system. As a Government department, the Forestry Commission is required to measure and then make efforts to reduce its carbon emissions as outlined by the Climate […]
A week in HR: ‘Tis the season to be stressed
Posties are being told to pick up the delivery pace; thousands are being given jobs warnings; and the government is bracing itself this week for the unemployment count to rise above the symbolic 1m level. Annie Hayes reports on why there is little ‘ho, ho, ho’ this Christmas. Snail mail is back, according to a […]
360 feedback in 3rd person?
I have been working through a series of 360 degree feedback reports. As ever, I have been concentrating on the narrative element. And something struck me for the first time – having read a lot of 360 feedback reports!People write about the recipients in the third person – “he, she”. It is like they are […]
HR predictions 2009: Exclusive insight into the year ahead
Our HR experts have been crystal ball gazing exclusively for HRZone.co.uk. Annie Hayes rounds-up the predictions for the year ahead. What do you think HR will look like in 2009? “Focus”: David Fairhurst, senior vice president, chief people officer, McDonald’s UK & Northern Europe“Given the current economic climate, I think there’ll be a noticeable distinction […]
HR tip: Dealing with a poor performer
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: "We have an employee whose performance is well below par. What can we do with him?" HR tip: You should talk to him, explain the performance required, point out the performance he […]
Generating the magic: Putting the creativity back in business
With all the doom and gloom associated with today’s economic climate comes the risk that staff focus more on keeping their jobs than being innovative. Gareth Chick explains how employers can encourage their employees to get those creative juices flowing again. With the economic situation worsening daily, it is easy for the office to become […]
Colborn’s Corner: Managing redundancies
Reports from the CIPD and many other commentators suggest that the growth of job losses will continue, indeed may speed up, in the new year. So Quentin Colborn asks, what will be the implications for HR teams? How well geared up are we to handle large-scale job losses? Plenty has been written […]
Employee engagement… with what?
Chris Rodgers questions what we actually mean by the term ’employee engagement’ and suggests that the practice of engagement is getting ever more removed from reality. Raising ’employee engagement’ has become one of the taken-for-granted objectives of modern management practice – fuelled largely by the ready availability of a multitude of questionnaires, surveys and models […]
Age discrimination: Mandatory retirement
Nick Sheppard explains where the law currently stands on the default retirement age, what Heyday will mean for employers, and how a decision expected in 2009 will impact organisations. The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 (the regulations) came into force on 1 October 2006. The regulations implement parts of the Equal Treatment Framework Directive 2000/78/EC […]
Ask the expert: Credit checks
Is an employer allowed to carry out credit checks on staff and, if so, is their consent required? Esther Smith and Martin Brewer advise. The question:We have been asked by a client governed by the FSA to confirm that we have carried out police and credit checks on our employees who will work at the […]
Ten tips for delivering bad news well
The current economic climate unfortunately means that there are many employers delivering bad news to their workforce, as they are forced to make job losses. Hilary Jeanes offers some top tips to handle the situation with empathy and sensitivity. The impact of the credit crunch is forcing many organisations to reduce their workforce. Telling someone […]
Legislation update: Right to time off for family emergencies
In the recent case of RBS v Harrison, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled on the circumstances in which an unexpected disruption of arrangements for a dependant’s care entitles an employee to take reasonable time off work under the Dependant Leave Regulations. Richard White considers this case further. RBS v Harrison: The factsThe employee, who worked […]
