Keeping the seat warm
With increasing numbers of senior employees contemplating career breaks or sabbaticals, many UK companies are introducing policies for this, yet there are some employers that are unwilling to implement such a scheme. Chris Phillips argues that they can prove beneficial in revitalising ‘burnt out’ staff. With an increasing trend of senior employees considering career breaks […]
Legislation update: Compromise agreements
Richard White has a warning to employers when it comes to negotiating compromise agreements, and advises on the effective date of termination of employment. Employees have a time limit of three months from the effective date of termination of employment (EDT) within which to bring claims of unfair dismissal. A recent case considered how to […]
Trigger happy: Employment legislation October 2008
October is the second trigger point of the year for new employment legislation. Annie Hayes soothes HR’s brow with a round-up of what to look out for. Employment legislation – October 2008 implementation: 1 October 2008: National Minimum Wage Regulations increases. 1 October 2008: Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. 5 October 2008: Amendments […]
A week in HR: News round-up and commentary
Dip into our new-look commentary to catch up on the latest goings on in the world of HR. Older workers and those looking forward to a peaceful retirement have been dealt a double blow this week. The Guardian newspaper reports on age discrimination this week and finds that fame is no exception. According to the […]
Ask the expert: Company property
What can an employer do when an ex-employee refuses to return company property, including a lap top and mobile phone? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:An ex-employee still has a company laptop, mobile phone and sat nav. We have written to him requesting their […]
Diversity: It’s not just about avoiding discrimination
Tim Holden outlines a few ideas to ensure you benefit from a diverse workforce, thereby strengthening your brand and helping you to become an employer of choice. “But we operate in a sector with skills shortages.”“Agencies try their best but they don’t have people on their books who want to work here.”“Adverts just don’t work […]
Payroll giving: Charity begins at work
Even though payroll giving schemes have risen in popularity tremendously over the last few years, there could still be many more people signing up to it. Lucie Benson examines what HR can do to encourage uptake – and benefit the business, your employees and charities in the process. The basic premise for payroll giving is […]
How to survive a recession
In reality, most of us already know how to solve our problems; we just need someone else to tell us and focus us in on them. So, as the credit crunch continues, Phil Young explains how to survive a recession and come out on top. There is a chance that we might be entering a […]
HR tip: Custom and practice – starting time being changed
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: "Our contracts of employment state that our office hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but our previous general manager has, for the last three years, allowed everyone to leave at […]
Striking the right balance for performance management
Alyson Pellowe wanders into the world of performance management, and discusses who is responsible for it, what it really entails and how to handle poor performers. When I first heard the term performance management (PM) I wasn’t sure what it meant for businesses. After some research I realised it’s very straightforward. It’s about using a […]
Ethical Q&A: Compassionate leave
In this month’s article on how to be an ethical employer, Tor Goldfield tackles the issue of compassionate leave and the main factors to consider when implementing a policy for it. Question:An employee recently asked for a week’s compassionate leave to spend time with a sick relative who isn’t a dependent, which was granted. I […]
Workers down under are happier at work
Our Australian counterparts are more optimistic about their organisations’ growth and are more satisfied at work, a new report has found.Research by the Chartered Management Institute and the Australian Institute of Management, which studied the quality of working life for both UK and Australian managers, found that 65% of Australian managers were positive about the […]
Time off for training too ‘bureaucratic’
An organisation that represents small businesses is voicing concerns that government proposals to give staff the legal right to request time off for training are too bureaucratic and expensive for its members.Responding to a consultation on the government’s push for employees to have the right to request time off to train, the Federation of Small […]
ASR Comes to the Aid of Comic Relief with New HR and Workflow System
Leading UK charity Comic Relief is implementing a human resource (HR) system from ASR Computers Ltd., a COA Solutions company. The HR Pro system with an integrated .NET Workflow module is ‘going-live’ in August 2008.With HR Pro and .NET Workflow in place, manually-intensive administration tasks will be replaced with automated processes, freeing-up staff time which […]
COA Solutions Reports Strong Profitable Growth and Record Level of New Orders
UK business applications software provider, COA Solutions Ltd., has today reported strong profitable growth for the year ending March 31, 2008. Turnover has increased by 10.3% to £55.7m with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increasing by 24% to £12.4m. COA Solutions also reports a record level of new orders with an order […]
In the line of fire: Dealing with difficult situations
We all fall out with our colleagues from time to time but if the situation gets out of hand, Louise Druce examines how HR can help resolve office conflicts and deal with the aftermath. The odd spat between colleagues is nothing unusual in a busy office, but if it starts to get out of hand, […]
Incentive schemes: Is it time to have a rethink?
There have been several examples recently where an organisation has performed badly, yet the head of it has still received a substantial bonus, easily perceived as a reward for failure. It may be time we looked again at the idea of linking reward to performance, says John Pope. Linking reward to performance is likely to […]
Consultation begins on flexible working
The government is to investigate ways to help employers deal with flexible working requests more easily, as part of its consultation published today (26 August).The consultation forms part of the Walsh Review, undertaken by Sainsbury’s HR director Imelda Walsh, which recommended that the right to request flexible working was extended to parents with children who […]
Ask the expert: Notification of job adverts during maternity
Is it a legal requirement to inform employees on maternity leave of any vacancies in the company? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question: Do we legally have to inform employees on maternity leave of vacancies? Also, is there a […]
Motivating temporary staff
The popularity of reward and recognition schemes are increasing each year, but do you extend the programme to your temporary and contract staff? Derrick Hardman outlines the benefits of implementing motivation schemes for this group of workers. As 2008 marches on and the effects of the credit squeeze on staff loyalty and retention become apparent, […]
