HR tip: Demands for contractual statements
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: "An employee has demanded a copy of his contract of employment although he was issued with one when he joined us some years ago. What should we do?" HR tip: There are […]
Redundancy foul ups land bosses in the dock
Employers looking to cut costs by axing staff are finding themselves in hot water.Instead of making financial gain via redundancy, employers are facing greater costs by falling foul of employment legislation, according to Croner, a workplace information and consultancy provider.Statistics from the UK Tribunals Service highlights the growing problems. It has seen a 42% rise […]
Passport strike begins
The first of a three-day strike by workers at the Passport Service has begun.Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are in a dispute with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) over office closures, below inflation pay and what they call ‘draconian’ working practices.Staff are angry over restructuring plans which could see the […]
HR fails to trust line on absence
HR doesn’t trust line managers to provide accurate information regarding absence.These are the findings of new research conducted by HR and payroll software provider MidlandHR, and people solutions provider FirstCare. Nearly half of respondents said they can’t rely on managers to provide accurate information. This is despite the fact that line managers are increasingly being […]
Welfare reform is ‘a mistake’
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called the proposals that force the unemployed to do community work in exchange for benefits a ‘mistake’.A paper has been published by the government which is now open for consultation until 22 October 2008. Key to the recommendations are suggestions on how to simplify the benefits system to a […]
Diversity means business
Diversity within your workforce is a sure-fire way to enhance your team and the skills and experience which you can then offer clients and suppliers. But, as Alyson Pellowe discusses, diversity and equality are complex issues – you have to be clear from the start what you expect from your team. Creating a diverse workforce […]
Don’t lose face over Facebook snooping
With personal internet use at work and the popularity of social networking sites on the rise, Charles Price advises employers on what steps to take to monitor employees, without the risk of an unfair dismissal claim. Traditionally, our judiciary has been accused of being long in the tooth and out of touch. It was well […]
Do staff only treasure cash rewards?
When budgets are tight, what can employers use to motivate staff who see rewards as just another part of their salary? Global rewards strategy expert Derek Irvine examines the world of cash versus non-cash rewards. As more corporations open and expand operations in worldwide locations, the need to implement relevant multi-cultural programmes continues to increase. […]
Ask the expert: Refusing paternity leave
When staff go on holiday and another team member requests paternity leave, what rights does a company have to postpone the paternity leave request on the grounds that it will leave a department unmanned? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:One of our employees has […]
Caption competition: And the winner is…
We had a great variety of entries to our latest caption competition! We have decided to crown David Cook our winner, with: Linda looked uneasy as she realised the board had taken the term ‘grassroots business’ a step too far. David will be receiving a bottle of either Spanish Red (Conde de Los Andes Gran […]
Examine the Examiner
The man at the centre of the SATS marking fiasco has the use of a £1 million Chelsea flat as part of his pay and perks package, it was revealed today. Ken Boston, 65, came under increasing pressure to justify his £328,000-ayear deal as it emerged that half a million children could be forced to […]
Spelling slipups top CV blunder list
A misspelt word is the number one CV crime according to a new poll.Over half of respondents (54%) in a poll conducted by recruitment outfit, Select Appointments cited spelling mistakes as their biggest pet hate, 17% admitted to being annoyed by a bad layout, and 16% said they are turned off if an applicant’s resume […]
Temping is ethnic bridge to permanent employment
An official report reveals that temporary work is being used as a stepping stone for ethnic minorities to enter the labour market.Increasing Employment Rates for Ethnic Minorities, the report published by the House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee shows that the gap between ethnic minorities in employment and the overall population is 14.2%.Anne Fairweather, head […]
Are you getting enough satisfaction?
The countdown begins; have your say on your levels of satisfaction with your software suppliers in this year’s Software Satisfaction Awards. Large corporate HR systems are struggling to keep up with the popular vote for smaller independent UK software houses in the early voting for the Software Satisfaction Awards 2008.With just two weeks to go […]
HR interims benefit from downturn as demand soars
The economic downturn is raising demand for experienced HR interim managers.This is according to research from HR resourcing outfit, Ochre House. “Demand is up by nearly 10% on this time last year,” said director of HR resourcing Louise Davies. “In fact I’d say it’s higher than I have ever seen in a career in this […]
Bloggers on UK HR Issues
Thanks to those of you who commented here and contacted me directly I have now put together a list of blogs relating to UK HR Issues and you can find it here! http://www.consultcameron.com/its-time-to-support-bloggers-writing-on-uk-hr-issues/ I sense that we HR professionals are picking up social networking habits slowly (and probably more cautiously) and the growth in blogging […]
Managers Guide/Induction
Hello,I have been working on a new manager induction programme as part of a graduate placement within a career development team. From my research across the business, it appears that one of the key issues that managers are facing is how to and where to find basic information from day one. This can be as […]
Temp and agency workers: A fair deal?
As early as 2010 temporary workers could be enjoying the same pay, perks and general bonhomie as their permanent colleagues; Annie Hayes quizzed the business community to find out what the impact will be. The DirectiveThe Agency Workers Directive is mostly a done deal. A further rubber stamping exercise involving a second reading in Europe […]
HR tip: A new fair reason for dismissal
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: "I always understood that there are five reasons for fair dismissal, but have just been told that there are six. Is this so?" HR tip: Yes. For many years the five reasons […]
Once upon a time… ‘I resign’
Anne Beitel explores the telltale signs organisations should look out for if a key member of staff is about to leave, and emphasises the importance of conducting an audit of employees in key roles to gain valuable insights into identifying where succession planning is most needed. Recent research from Executives Online indicates that 35% of […]
