Quarter of HR don’t want payroll responsibility
New research has found that a quarter of finance professionals in charge of payroll would actually rather it was part of HR, yet almost the same number of their HR counterparts say they would rather it was part of finance.ADP Employer Services, the payroll service provider, surveyed over 750 HR and finance professionals in charge […]
Red Cross unveil iBrochure
The British Red Cross promises its new iBrochure will provide a user-friendly guide to health and safety regulations and help businesses ensure they are compliant with the law.Following the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Bill earlier this year, and the imminent announcement of changes to HSE guidelines on first aid training in the […]
Why is HR so hated?
Following on from his series of articles entitled, ‘My boss is bad’, Chetan Dhruve explores the perception that HR departments are deemed unpopular within organisations. “Human resources is a management term that should strike fear into the heart of every self-respecting entrepreneur. Of course, senior executives understand that HR is powerful – a bit like […]
HR transformation: Maintaining the balance
Tim Palmer and Bettina Pickering discuss transforming strategic HR alongside transactional HR. HR transformation projects involve the adoption of new service delivery models which reduce cost through the establishment of in-house shared services centres (SSCs), the streamlining of HR transactional processes or outsourcing part of or all of their transactional HR activity. As organisations make […]
Ensuring development continues beyond the event
Jan Hills discusses how HR can implement methods to clearly measure training effectiveness, while motivating people to follow through on their development to ensure the very best outcome. In last month’s article, I studied some of the pitfalls that HR can fall victim to that means that a training or development event is never fully […]
Ask the expert: Return to work after long-term sick
An employee wants to return to work after a long absence, but the employer is considering dismissal on the grounds of capability. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise on whether the employer can go down this route. The question:We have an employee who has been off […]
Age regulations fail to clear up pension confusion
The age regulations continue to cause confusion in relation to pensions by their unclear wording and incomplete nature, according to a leading international law firm.Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has said that the cornerstone of the problem is that because pension schemes provided by employers broadly grant benefits depending on age and service, they consequently look inherently […]
Soaring fuel bills spark new calls for flexible working
Employers are being urged to be more flexible with employees, in a bid to ease the financial burden of the cost of travelling to and from work. With the average price of diesel edging towards £1.30 a litre, all workers with cars are likely to be scrutinising the financial cost of commuting to work.Croner, part […]
Graduate hiring still buoyant
Demand for graduates continues despite economic uncertainty.This is according to Elspeth Farrar, communications director at the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, who said that despite media reports to the contrary, the market for graduates is still buoyant. One reason for this, said Farrar, is that companies don’t want to face a ‘skills gap’ in […]
IT voted as key skill of the future
Technology skills are the key to the future, according to a new survey.Respondents voted IT as the most important skill to have by the year 2020 (27%) followed closely by communication skills at 23% and adaptability at 13%. The figures were compiled by lifelong learning charity, the Campaign for Learning, and Reed Learning, following national […]
Pregnant women face discrimination
As many as 70% of women complain of discrimination in the workplace because they are pregnant or already have a child.These are the shocking findings of online job portal TipTopJob.com, which surveyed over 1,000 women, and found that many have either experienced discrimination at work, or feel that they have missed out on a new […]
Bringing up baby: Putting time into paternity leave
The ideal of contemporary fatherhood is at odds with current legislation, which presents an unequal bias in favour of the mother staying at home. Annie Hayes examines whether proposals to change this imbalance can work. Rights of working parentsAspirations are changing and according to a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), many […]
Change is dead… long live inspiration
Jim Lawless explains how, when it comes to encouraging changes in people’s behaviour and attitude, thinking in terms of ‘change management’ is a fatal flaw and a leading reason for failure. Change in business is inevitable, but one thing business leaders could actually benefit from changing is, in fact, ‘change management’.Change fails for a number […]
Illegal workers: Your questions answered
Audrey Elliott, employment law partner at Eversheds law firm, provides answers to some of the questions that have been thrown up by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 that came into force in February. Q. Have the changes to the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 (‘the Act’) resulted in more employers being prosecuted?Around […]
Flexible working: Summer holiday planning
The increasing adoption of flexible working within organisations can add to the annual conundrum of smoothing out staffing peaks and troughs created by those on holiday. Sally Livermore explains how to deal with all those requests. The demand for flexible working arrangements inevitably rises during traditional holiday periods, as members of staff try to cope […]
HR tip: Pets at work
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 employees seem to be watching too much David Attenborough because some have started to bring pets to work. So far we have a tortoise, a jar of stick insects and a gerbil, […]
Workers in the capital more likely to pull a sickie
Workers in Greater London take twice as many ‘fake’ sick days as the national average, according to a new survey.The Britain at work study, by market researcher TNS, surveyed 1,000 people and found that 33% of Londoners regularly phone in sick, when they are not actually ill, with 12% admitting to pulling a ‘sickie’ at […]
Europe’s best places to work revealed
Microsoft and Google top the list for this year’s best places to work in Europe, with Google also being named the best workplace in the UK.Compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute and published by the Financial Times, the list defines a great place to work as: “A place where the employees trust the […]
Skills boost promise for NHS
Bosses have pledged to support and encourage healthcare staff working across the east Midlands to gain skills and qualifications.The pledge was signed on 3 April at the Skills for Health East Midlands Sector Skills Agreement consultation event, along with four other NHS organisations, and has been driven by a Joint Investment Framework (JIF) between the […]
NICE calls for workers to get physical
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published new guidance designed to encourage greater levels of physical activities amongst employees.According to NICE, physical inactivity in England costs an estimated £8.2 billion each year – this includes the direct costs of treating diseases linked to lack of activity and the indirect costs caused through sickness […]