HR tip: Reinstatement and re-engagement in tribunals
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:"If, as seems likely, we lose a case of unfair dismissal at an upcoming employment tribunal, and the tribunal requires us to take the employee back, are we obliged to do so? And […]
The evolution of change
Tracy Whybrow explains how to avoid failed change programmes, and instead help companies to evolve and develop. Companies around the world are required to evolve and undergo change faster than ever, whether it’s a re-branding exercise, the result of an acquisition or the appointment of a CEO with a new strategic vision. Classically, what happens […]
One-size-fits all approach puts retention in danger
Managers must shake off their one-size fits all approach to retaining their staff, says a new report.The ‘One Size Does Not Fit All’ study, published by employee engagement and retention specialist TalentDrain, has highlighted the need for managers to accept differences between employees with regards to gender, race, age and culture and has called for […]
Skills gap blamed on money and time
A new study by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) shows that a lack of time and money are the barriers standing in the way of learning new skills.More than a third of adults claimed time constraints are stopping them learning while 29% feel their finances hold them back; however, 13% admit to feeling too […]
Minister speaks out against working time ruling
Green party MEP Jean Lambert has condemned the decision to formalise the UK opt-out of the 48-hour working week.Yesterday, HRZone.co.uk reported on the landmark agreement by ministers allowing UK workers to continue to choose to work longer than 48 hours a week.Lambert said: “It is a huge disappointment that the working time opt-out has not […]
Jobless count climbs
The effects of the credit crunch are being felt in the jobs market as official figures show the claimant count has risen.Data released from the Office of National Statistics shows that unemployment rose for the fourth consecutive month in April, reaching 819,300.The release also shows that the ILO (International Labour Office) measure of unemployment increased […]
Looking for UK based HR bloggers!
I have been blogging for almost 2 years now. The benefits to my practice and my own personal development have been huge. Most bloggers spend a lot of time on other people’s blogs and the range of HR/leadership/management/personal development blogs out there is wide and varied.BUT – and here is a big problem for me […]
HR brings in crisis training to tackle credit crunch
A hike in crisis training is the result of HR bosses turning to media tactics as a way of dealing with the economic downturn.Ann Alexander of Alexander Macdonald, a media training consultancy, said: “There is a real paranoia in certain sectors that their firm’s failings will be highlighted in the media and they will be […]
Bosses fail to log on to benefits of Web 2.0
Employers are failing to boost the attraction and retention of key talent through the benefits of Web 2.0.These are the findings of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) recruitment, retention and turnover survey.According to the results, 80% of organisations do not currently use Web 2.0 online methods to attract or recruit employees, with […]
Post holiday blues: A look at the EU annual leave table
Our holiday entitlement may be amongst the lowest in Europe, but luckily we're tough enough to take it. However, whether UK business is tough enough to take further increases in statutory annual leave is a question that remains unanswered. Matt Henkes reports. It probably won't come as a surprise to anyone that the UK currently […]
Engagement: Will we ever learn?
In decades past, organisations would take a sensible approach to employee engagement, which, says John Pope, we seem to have forgotten about now. But can we learn from this time gone by? There is currently a great deal of emphasis on engagement. There are systems to measure how well people are engaged; there is a […]
Job evaluation: Outdated bureaucracy or modern support mechanism?
Used for many years in the public sector, job evaluation is emerging as a useful tool for the private sector too. Sandra Beale examines whether it can now become a modern HR support mechanism. Job evaluation has long been in operation in the UK as a tool to determine the relative worth of jobs. It […]
A million working days lost to strikes in 2007
Official statistics reveal that just over a million working days were lost in the UK from 142 stoppages of work arising from labour disputes.These are the findings of the Office of National Statistics, which show that 96% of these were lost in the public sector. The figure for 2007 (1,041,100 working days lost) is significantly […]
DIY employment contracts put businesses at risk
New research shows that as many as one in three businesses make up their own employment contracts.Giles Dixon, managing director of ContractStore.com, says the findings are worrying and believes that the trend is due to a renewed focus on the economy. Less than 10% of business owners regard being taken to a tribunal as their […]
Ask the expert: Employee references – who can see them?
Is a job applicant entitled to see all references provided by their current or previous employer, even if it was provided in confidence? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:I know under the Data Protection Act an employee can ask to see information held on […]
UK secures right to work overtime
A landmark agreement has been reached that allows UK workers to choose to work longer than 48 hours a week.Ministers reached a new agreement in Europe on both the Working Time Directive and the Agency Workers Directive at the EU Employment Council.Business secretary John Hutton said this is a very good deal for the UK. […]
Surf time costs economy £10.6bn a year
The average office worker spends as much as an hour and a half per week whilst at work surfing the web for personal use.The CBI, the business lobby group, estimates that this is costing the economy as much as £10.6bn per year.Its research showed that while many organisations are supportive of staff visiting non-work related […]
Public support fair pay for public sector
Union calls for public sector wages to keep up with the cost of living and private sector pay is widely backed by the public, a YouGov poll has found.Ministers say that public sector wage negotiations should be based on the Consumer Prices Index – a measure of inflation that excludes housing. Yet 90% of adults […]
Summer holiday begins at work
Over half of workers spend time at work booking their summer holidays.This is according to research by recruitment website Monster, which carried out a survey last month.The results show that 32% of workers are carrying out the whole process, from initial research through to booking the trip, whilst in the office, with 24% admitting to […]
Numbers working over 48 hours a week climbs to 3.3 million
Official statistics show that an extra 180,000 people are now working more than 48 hours a week.The analysis, included in a new Trades Union Congress (TUC) report – The Return of the Long Hours Culture – has found that the number of people working long hours has increased at a faster rate over the last […]