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 […]
Blogging brings legal baggage
Employment lawyers are sending a stark warning to employers that allow their employees to blog at will.Glovers Solicitors are warning both employees and employers to be aware of the problems that blogs may cause. According to Glovers, you only need to look at case law to see the dangers. An employee of Waterstones was dismissed […]
CMI’s new chief vows to put skills in the spotlight
Ruth Spellman OBE, FCIPD, the latest chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), is calling for a greater focus on the high level skills needed to build UK competitiveness and productivity. Spellman is also calling for employers to take greater responsibility for the development of their management and leadership teams. She says that this […]
Apprentice star Lee, caught out for lying on his C.V.
This week’s episode (Wed 4/6/08)showed the final five contestants being interviewed for the 6 figure salaried job, working for Sir Alan Sugar. How embarrassing was it for Lee McQueen, to know that everyone watching saw him being caught out for lying on his c.v? Lee, a recruitment sales manager, stated that he had been to […]
Shortlist for national employment awards revealed
The shortlist for the first annual Local Employment Partnerships (LEP) awards has been announced.Amongst the 20 UK employers to make it onto the shortlist are Tesco, Nissan Motors and Marriott Hotels.LEP is a government initiative, based on a deal with employers that sees the government, through Jobcentre Plus, take steps to understand employers’ requirements and […]
Tougher times boost interest in software on demand
In recent years HR has been a particularly fertile area for making business software available ‘on demand’ through web-hosted servers. But with financial pressures on business increasing, this approach is being seen as less of a technology fad than a sensible route to more effective IT investment. John Stokdyk tracks the latest developments. Hosted software […]
HR software consolidation: Does size really matter?
Last year’s HRSS preview invited readers to guess which of the exhibitors was likely to get swallowed up before this year’s event. How many of you picked ASR and KCS, asks John Stokdyk. Consolidation continues to stalk the HR software industry. Just prior to last year’s HR Software Show, Northgate bought a majority stake in […]
Getting to grips with the Facebook phenomenon
The social networking phenomenon has dominated the HR profession during the past year – and split it down the middle. Technology editor John Stokdyk looks at how HR managers and software suppliers have responded. A year ago, Facebook barely registered in debates and discussions on HRZone.co.uk – often as a useful barometer for HR managers’ […]
Dyslexia at work: Realising your employees’ potential
Dr Andi Sanderson answers key questions on dyslexia and provides advice to employers on the best ways to create a dyslexia-friendly workplace and to ensure you are meeting key disability legislation. Sir Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Jamie Oliver – all famous names we’ve come to associate as innovators and strong leaders, but did you know […]
Web 2.0 generation would quit if access banned
The younger generation of web 2.0 addicts would consider leaving their job if personal internet use was banned at work, a survey has revealed.The survey of 1,000 office workers, by solutions provider Telindus, found that nearly 80% of 18-24 year olds log onto social networking sites, 63% download music, and 58% watch videos on YouTube […]
Talent management: Looking for unification?
New research reveals businesses want unified talent management processes but are not ready for the challenges ahead. Alice Snell explores what should be done to make the change. UK businesses, like their counterparts around the world, are under increasing pressure to optimise their business processes and assets. Today, businesses have fine-tuned many aspects of business […]
The low-down on language training
With the need to learn another language becoming more common in the global marketplace, Chris Moore reveals how to get your message across and ensure training is quick, efficient and accountable. Offices everywhere are becoming increasingly multinational and it’s no longer enough for UK businesses to rely on English as the lingua franca. Companies need […]
Punishment – any suggestions?
This week, I have been thinking about how I can punish people. It would seem that there are only a small number of people in my office that keep refusing to act like normal people, as they consider themselves to be either too important or too busy to do what everyone else does in the […]
