HR administration certificate boosts competence levels
A new joint initiative in HR administration, that promises to help administrators to gain a better understanding of employment law and good employment practices, has been launched.InitialFirst Learning and Development, part of the Rentokil Initial Group of companies, and HR4UK.com are spearheading the certificate.The four unit distance learning course is written to a level two […]
Critic slams equality bill proposal
The new equality bill won’t address discrimination, says Dr Nic Sale, head of diversity at Pearn Kandola Business Psychologists.Sale said that by far the “most short-sighted and ultimately dangerous” aspect of the bill is the proposal to allow firms to discriminate in favour of female and ethnic minority applicants. “This has the potential to set […]
Credit crunch insomnia hits professionals
Workers are getting less than the prescribed eight hours of sleep each night, with worries over the credit crunch triggering a national insomnia.This is according to a new survey by budget hotel chain, Travelodge, which polled 4,000 UK workers and found that 75% aren’t getting enough sleep. Topping the professional’s sleep deprivation poll are estate […]
Civil servants to undergo compulsory data training
Civil servants dealing with personal data will be forced to take annual training following the fiasco surrounding the loss of personal details of 25m child benefits claimants.The move, described as a change in culture, comes as one of the changes announced in cabinet secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell’s review of information security in government. Action already […]
Caption competition: And the winner is…
This photo of a women taking remote working a bit too far certainly encouraged the comics amongst you – we were inundated with funny entries to the caption competition this month and it was really hard deciding on the most amusing one! But there could only be one winner, so congratulations to Lorraine Whale, who […]
Time to shine for business leaders
Strong leadership is one of the key factors in the success of an organisation, according to business development specialists SFL.Business leaders need to raise their game now more than ever, with economic uncertainty and soaring living costs playing on the minds of employees, it said. Driving engagement and productivity are vital, and companies need to […]
Relocation gives rise to HR concern
Half of HR managers consider support for relocated spouses and children to be a major cause for concern.This is according to a new survey by global mobility specialists Crown Relocations, that says a lack of information regarding families settling and child-education options are causing employers a headache, with the Middle East presenting the biggest problem.Barry […]
Toxic Blacklist
The BBC has reported that Employers have begun a blacklist of “bad” employees who have been dismissed or those who have left before disciplinary proceedings can be commenced. To critics it sounds like a scenario from some Orwellian nightmare. An online database of workers accused of theft and dishonesty, regardless of whether they have been […]
Illegal workers: Prosecutions on the rise
In the four months since the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 came into force, almost 300 fines have been imposed on UK organisations. Laura Mitchell outlines what employers need to do to ensure they don’t fall foul of the law. It may have only been four months since the government introduced stricter penalties on […]
Ethical Q&A: Persistent lateness
Over the next few months, Tor Goldfield will be looking at what it takes to be an ethical employer, each month answering a different question on common business issues. This month, she discusses what to do when an employee is persistently late. QuestionOur start time is 9am and while most employees arrive on time or […]
Innovative internal communications get better results
Tim Moore and Breda O’Connor discuss how spending some time improving your business-to-employee communications can drive your organisation forward and enhance your employee engagement strategy. New media technologies, Web 2.0 and experiential marketing techniques are changing the way brands communicate with consumers. Today, simply asking them directly to buy into your brand will no longer […]
Understanding your employees’ demographic differences
Different demographic groups of employees have different needs and priorities. By adopting a more flexible approach, HR professionals can take advantage of this to enhance employee commitment and job satisfaction, claims Ron Eldridge. Why do people leave your organisation? What proportion of your turnover is due to a mismatch between the personal priorities of employees […]
HR Software Show round-up
HRZone.co.uk’s technology editor John Stokdyk spent last Thursday at the annual HR Software Show in London. This is what he found. NorthgateArinso adds PeopleChecking to its portfolioThe first thing visitors encountered at the HR Software Show (HRSS) exhibition was the stand of NorthgateArinso. One of the HR software industry’s bigger players, and the winner of […]
Harman defends positive discrimination plans
Equalities minister Harriet Harman has defended plans to encourage organisations to discriminate in favour of female and ethnic minorities job candidates.In plans to be published today, it is reported that the Equality Bill will also make private companies demonstrate whether they pay male and female staff equally, in a bid to make the pay gap […]
Flexible working business case more compelling than legislation
Over 90% of businesses say that they would operate a flexible working policy even if there was no legislative requirement, a survey from the Institute of Directors (IoD) has found. However, over a quarter of respondents said that the proposed extension of the law to allow parents of older children to request flexible working would […]
HR tip: Time off for redundant employees
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 made some employees redundant and they are now demanding that we let them have time off to seek other work. How do we and they stand?" HR tip:Employees who have two […]
Fall in productivity since smoking ban introduced
Many employers have reported a drop in productivity amongst their workers, as a result of the smoking ban that was introduced a year ago.This is according to a survey of 1,100 company bosses and HR managers, by Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), which found that 71% have seen a decrease in productivity levels in the […]
Applicants not selling their achievements
Not putting workplace achievements on their CVs is stopping people securing the jobs they want, research from the online CV provider iProfile.org has found. In a survey of recruiters, 73% said they had rejected candidates because of vague CVs containing no evidence of workplace achievements. Over half said that applicants who sell their achievements effectively […]
Employees unmotivated due to lack of training
Two out of every three UK workers whose employers do not contribute to their skills training are unmotivated and have little desire to progress, according to a report.An independent survey commissioned by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) questioned a UK cross-section of over 1,000 individuals to ascertain how much impact training has on staff […]
The mechanics of salary sacrifice car schemes
Salary sacrifice car schemes are a shrewd way of getting tax breaks while offering a perk to attract new talent; but are they all they are cracked up to be, or will they end up driving you mad? Verity Gough looks at the pros and cons. Not only do salary sacrifice programmes offer employees the […]