Motivating a workforce through EAPs and reward
When times are tough, trying to keep your workforce motivated and loyal can be difficult. Paul Avis and Michael Newstead suggest implementing tailored rewards and an employee assistance programme. In tough economic conditions, with added pressures to perform, motivating employees to give their best on behalf of an organisation can become even more challenging. With […]
COA Solutions is Multiple Finalist in Business Software Satisfaction Awards
COA Solutions, is a multiple finalist in the Business Software Satisfaction Awards 2008 after its human capital management (HCM) suite of products reached the final in three separate categories. COA Solutions is also a finalist in the Enterprise Software Package of the Year category with its OpenAccounts financial management system, completing an impressive line-up.HR Pro […]
HR tip: Entitlements on gross misconduct
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: "When we dismiss someone for gross misconduct, we stop their pay and do not give them anything for unused holiday entitlement or accrued bonus. We have been challenged on this. How do […]
Oracle OpenWorld Conference 2008
Stuart Lauchlan reports from the Oracle OpenWorld Conference 2008. Oracle OpenWorld 2008 will probably be best remembered as the conference at which Oracle became a hardware company with its new Database Machine, but before that market-changing announcement was made there was much traditional software business to be dealt with. “We are in three basic categories […]
Ethical Q&A: Office romance
The final article in her series on being an ethical employer sees Tor Goldfield tackle the delicate issue of office relationships. Question:I run a medium sized company and suspect that a couple of my employees are either already in a relationship or about to embark on one. While I don’t necessarily disapprove I am keen […]
Flexing the benefits of flexible workers
Securing the right person for the role is only the beginning of the journey. Shirley Soskin advises on how to get the best out of your flexible workers. There has been some recent coverage in the media stating that large organisations are reviewing their policies on flexible working as they seek greater outputs from a […]
Be prepared for when your HR service provider is acquired
When your service provider is acquired it may throw your business into flux. But Bill Thomas suggests if you’re already prepared you could turn the situation to your advantage. Your service provider is delivering the required service levels and more, the contract is robust and all is well with world. Then suddenly, your service provider […]
Ask the expert: Salary confidentiality
Can an employer include a clause in the contract stipulating that employees can’t disclose their salary details to other colleagues? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:We currently have the following clause in our terms and conditions of employment:“You shall not, during or (without limitation […]
Boost your business value with succession planning
The time will inevitably arrive when managers of a successful business must pass on the responsibility to new management. It is a critical time, says Stephen Seymour, who explains that careful succession planning can minimise the risk of damage during the change and enhance the value of the business. Over time, all enterprises evolve and […]
Good vibrations: Energise your team
How often do you reflect on the impact of your energy on others? Did you energise your team today or leave them feeling drained? Paolo Moscuzza looks at how energy can impact our relationships at work and what HR can do to help positively charge their people. We can all think of people who leave […]
Safeguarding company information against whistleblowers
Having a clearly defined whistleblowing policy would safeguard any sensitive company information and make employees aware of the consequences of publicising any such data. Laura Mitchell outlines some key advice for keeping your data safe. A worker at Marks & Spencer who ‘blew the whistle’ on plans by the retailer to cut redundancy payments has […]
CIPD conference news: Sugary treats, survival lessons and sad goodbyes
Annie Hayes reports on the highlights from this year’s annual Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) conference. Exhibition goodies:The lack of ‘big name’ speakers of conferences past including Joe Simpson, Sven-Goran Eriksson, and Adrian Moorhouse was perhaps the biggest tie in with the CIPD’s theme of Surviving in Turbulent Times. While the CIPD pocket […]
Using reward to become an employer of choice
Sylvia Doyle gives an insight into what it takes to become an Employer of Choice, and how best to reward employees to keep them on side. How often do you hear companies talking about becoming an employer of choice? This is hardly surprising since there is growing evidence that links high levels of engagement typically […]
HR tip: Phone strike as employees refuse to answer phones to protest pay
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: "A group of our employees is refusing to answer the telephone in an attempt to force us to increase the level of a pay offer. Answering the phone is part of their […]
You are what you wear
How important is a uniform to help engage and unify a workforce? Dan Murray explores the importance of embedding brand concepts in a staff uniform and keeping them involved with the design process. McDonalds’ new uniform designed by Bruce Oldfield and unveiled earlier this year highlights the investment that employers are prepared to make in […]
It’s crunch time: How will the HR sector respond to the war for talent?
Gavin Ingham Brooke defines the now widely coined phrase 'Web 2.0' and offers some insight into why HR professionals should be harnessing the technology to attract the pioneers and innovators of the future's workforce. Increasingly, 'Web 2.0' is being touted as the next big thing for HR – but should we believe the hype? Recent […]
Employee benefits: Are your people in the know?
Although most companies offer some sort of benefits package, you might be surprised how few staff are aware of what they actually are. Joanne Christie looks at some of the different ways to get the message across. “Did you know that we could get free dental and optical cover just by filling in a form,” […]
HR interims: The ‘crunch’ beaters
In an economic downturn where immediate and fluid resources win the day, HR are seeing the ‘plug and play’ capacity of the HR interim as a positive. Annie Hayes reports on a market that is beating the credit crunch. Soaring demandAccording to HR resourcing outfit Ochre House, demand for interims is up by nearly 10% […]
Clear the decks for action
With serious economic problems threatening, perhaps it is time to ‘slim down’ the HR workload, suggests John Pope, who explains that HR should concentrate on the few, really essential things to give themselves time to deal with the bigger problems. I claim ownership of the phrase: “About as much use as rearranging the deckchairs on […]
Ask the expert: Flexible working
If an employer accepts a request by an employee to work flexibly, will it open the floodgates for the rest of the workforce? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:An employee has requested to amend his contracted working pattern to come into the office earlier […]
