Trust staff with Facebook, says expert
An expert is urging bosses to allow staff to spend 5% of their time experimenting with web networking tools, including Facebook, whilst at work.Scott Gavin, of Applied Trends, believes Web 2.0 technologies will never reach their true potential or deliver ROI for organisations unless staff are trusted to make the most of collaborative tools in […]
When the going gets tough, talent management gets going
In these uncertain times, the ability of an HR department to properly orchestrate talent management can mean the difference between becoming a value-adding, prized business function and a back office process on the cost chopping-block. Matt Henkes reports. It’s increasingly important in times of economic hardship for an organisation to be able to recognise and […]
Keeping your employees – and yourself – happy
Jessica Pryce-Jones advises on how to spot the telltale signs of unhappiness, both in the workplace and in the HR profession, and suggests a few top tips to maintain a happy team. The current economic downturn is placing increased pressure on many businesses, with the HR department often at the interface of the resulting challenges.Whether […]
Ask the expert: Grievance procedure
An employer wants to dismiss an employee with six months’ service, yet the individual has asked to raise a grievance. Can the employer reject this request? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:An employee joined six months ago to undertake a difficult task. Documented objectives […]
How to be a masterful communicator
By using some of the core tools of neuro-linguistic programming, you can transform your impact and your ability to communicate, says Clive Lewis. If you were asked to improve your communication, how would you go about it? Would you try to develop your PowerPoint presentation skills? Pay more attention to the way you write emails? […]
Retirement gets its Heyday
Heyday, a sister organisation of Age Concern, is taking its fight against the UK’s implementation of European anti-age discrimination legislation before the European Court of Justice.There are currently some 260 forced retirement cases making their way through the tribunals and all have been stayed until the outcome of the Heyday case is known. If this […]
Argos workers prepare to strike
Workers for retail chain Argos have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay.The majority (67%) voted for the action after rejecting the company’s pay offer of 4.0%. Unite, the union that represents Argus workers, argues the pay deal is unfair considering profits are up 16% on last year’s and pay awards […]
Butcher falls foul of minimum wage laws
The owners of a Sheffield butcher’s shop have been found guilty of failing to pay staff the national minimum wage (NMW).According to a report by BBC online, David Jackson and Pauline Smout, who own Jackson’s Butchers in Sheffield, pleaded guilty to offences against two former employees.They have now been ordered to pay more than £11,000 […]
Extra milers believe work matters
Seven out of 10 UK workers believe their work makes a difference to the success of their organisation and is the driving force that makes them go ‘that extra mile’.This is according to a new survey by performance improvement outfit Maritz. The highest proportion of those who feel most valued fall into the millennial and […]
How healthy staff can lead to a healthy bottom line
It really is quite simple – the less healthy your employees, the more they will be absent, and the more that will impact on your bottom line. So what can you do about it? Jeff Archer has a few suggestions. When you walk into an office you've never visited before, you know within minutes what […]
Controlling healthcare costs
Much of the time, the cheaper, off-the-shelf healthcare insurance packages offer very poor value for money. Tom Burfitt explains how a little expert advice can help you find the best and most cost-effective way to build a healthcare plan for your business. When it comes to building a healthcare plan, all too many businesses make […]
Promoting health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace
With sickness absence costing the economy £13bn last year, it is imperative that organisations have effective absence management policies in place. Professor Michael O’Donnell emphasises the importance of promoting rehabilitation in the workplace. Everyone at work will probably need to take sick leave at some point during their working lives and, in most cases, this […]
Software satisfaction awards: Which is your favourite HR provider?
We need your votes on the software awards that matter most – the Software Satisfaction Awards 2008.Organised by HRZone.co.uk’s parent group Sift Media and the software trade body BASDA, the Software Satisfaction Awards set out to honour those software developers and resellers who do the most to keep their customers happy every year. Nearly 2,000 […]
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 […]
