Make e-recruitment work for you
E-recruitment systems can be beneficial to all companies, large and small, but the key is in ensuring you maximise its benefits, says HRZone.co.uk’s technology editor John Stokdyk. E-recruitment and applicant tracking systems (ATS) used to be the preserve of large employers who had the means to develop an online presence. By effectively building their own […]
Corporate social networking: Why should HR embrace it?
Frédéric Radier looks at the benefits that social networking can provide in the workplace, and offers some advice to help HR professionals implement a corporate network within the organisation. Social networking sites have revolutionised communication and the art of personal marketing. A huge number of people now have profiles on sites such as Facebook, MySpace […]
People: Your greatest asset or biggest threat?
People who lie about their background can cost your business wasted time, money and untold damage. So how do you know your staff are who they say they are? Nick Ryan and Chris Macmillan discuss. The number of cases of people caught lying on their CV has risen dramatically over the past couple of years.Hardly […]
Embedding positive employee health
Paul Avis questions what effects online health risk assessments have had on employee health, and discusses the next stage of evolution for this service. Traditional approachesAs with all areas of health management, services exist to support employers already. For example, Occupational Health (OH) practices will offer pre-employment screening, health surveillance and health promotion. This could […]
Employees want to give something back
UK workers are increasingly seeking a more rewarding career, a survey has found.The poll by Lifelong Learning UK revealed that, whilst a higher salary is still the biggest reason to re-evaluate a career choice, one in five employees stated that their career must enable them to ‘give something back’ or make a difference to the […]
Generation Y spells trouble for talent management
Many organisations risk losing their most talented employees as the credit crunch takes hold, according to leadership company Dynamic Transitions. Speaking at the HR director’s talent management breakfast event at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, Dynamic Transitions MD Judith Germain warned that the emergence of Generation Y is “spelling further trouble for organisations who continue to […]
HR tip: Heavy lifting and sex 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:"Our warehouse staff are required to carry out a great deal of heavy lifting, so as a result we tend to recruit only men. Is this a problem? We may be discriminating but […]
Debenhams among winners of first LEP awards
The winners of the first annual Local Employment Partnership (LEP) awards have been announced at an awards ceremony hosted by former Apprentice winner, Tim Campbell.HRZone.co.uk first reported on the shortlist last month and can now reveal that Debenhams, Marriott Hotels and Tesco have all won an award.The awards recognise the outstanding contributions made by employers, […]
Majority want tax justice
Only 7% of people believe that Britain’s tax system gets the balance right between the amount of tax paid by the rich, the poor and those in the middle.The results of a new poll by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) show that even among those with household incomes of more than £100,000, only 13% think […]
Restless workers struggle to find happiness
A new survey has revealed that 37% of workers are not enjoying their job as much as they used to.The research by Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks, which looked at attitudes within small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), found that only those workers from the East Midlands, South West and Scotland feel that they are happier […]
Lack of flexible working fails mums
Mothers are hungry for work but feel that a lack of flexible working opportunities are holding them back, a poll of over 1,000 working mums has shown.The second annual survey from Workingmums.co.uk revealed that as many as 73% blamed a lack of appropriate and available flexible jobs for their failure to return to work. In […]
Ashes to ashes: Smoking ban one year on
Chaos was predicted when the smoking ban was first introduced on 1 July last year. But apart from a drop in nicotine-addicted regulars down the pub, it seems there was smoke without fire in the majority of workplaces. Louise Druce looks at the law a year on. It’s not unusual to see little groups of […]
Murray mania puts absence centre court
Thousands of workers are expected to pull a sickie this Wednesday as tennis player Andy Murray, the British Wimbledon hopeful, faces Rafael Nadal.Research by personnel software company Employersafe suggests that employees dodging work already costs British business £1 million a week, adding to Britain’s £13 billion workplace absenteeism crisis.Employment experts predict that staff across the […]
Budget blow for training departments
Almost half of training and development professionals are expecting a budget cut of 20% or more.This is according to a new report Taming the Wolf at the Door, by leadership development organisation Common Purpose, that predicts team building and soft skills development to be hit the hardest, while technical skills training and leadership development are […]
Legislation update: Redundant employee refuses alternative job
Richard White examines a recent case involving an employee who was made redundant, and refused an offer of a suitable alternative job; yet the tribunal considered that the employee acted reasonably in doing so. In a redundancy situation, an employee who unreasonably refuses an offer of suitable alternative employment made before termination, or within four […]
Successful contracting for HR outsourcing
More HR outsourcing contracts succeed than fail, yet success depends on the positions taken and behaviours used when contracting for these services. Tim Palmer offers some practical advice. Prepare wellUnderstand why you are considering using outsourcing and what you want to achieve. You have many options in approach, and your intent will impact which route […]
Interviews: First impressions count for employees too
Employees are not the only ones under scrutiny in interviews, says employment law expert Martin Warren, who advises employers on how they can avoid finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Television programmes are often judged by their popularity and ability to spark discussion. If that is the case, the latest BBC series […]
Ask the expert: Termination of employment
An employee, who has been working for his company for nine months, has not improved his performance despite previous warnings. What does the employer need to know before they decide to dismiss him? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:I have an employee who, in […]
Southern sickies spiral
Absence rates in the south of England are up from 2007 figures, according to a survey by HR firm Jaluch. The research reveals that 45% of companies in the south report a rise in absence rates from the previous year with over half having experienced an employee phoning in sick shortly after being asked to […]
Property concerns dent productivity
A new report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) suggests that housing shortages, falling prices and mortgage issues are impacting on workplace productivity.Commenting on the report, Fair Homes: Building a New Deal for Housing, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “Housing can have a huge impact upon an individual’s working life and how productive they […]