Teachers’ strike costing businesses millions
The first teachers’ strike in 21 years has forced many working parents to either stay away from work or find childcare, resulting in a huge cost to businesses.Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) are striking over the government’s proposals to impose further below-inflation pay increases on teachers.The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has […]
Is a team building day just a ‘day out’?
Staff training and team building are often seen as either a waste of time or a valuable part of working relations. Ian Sasse gives a series of useful tips on how to get the best from them. Picture the phrase ‘team building’ and you could be forgiven for seeing images of bouncy castles, quad bikes […]
The importance of performance management
Dale Bartram explains why performance management should be number one on the business agenda. Why implement formal performance management?Arguably, all businesses operate performance management to a degree, so why take the time to put a formal process in place?Creating and maintaining a comprehensive and uniform performance management programme enables HR to align line managers and […]
HR tip: Employee relocation too far away
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 is relocating his home from our town to a village 20 miles away. We feel that this is too far away. How do we stand?" HR tip:You may take direct action […]
HR slides down league of best jobs for mums
HR has been ranked sixth out of eleven in a league table of the best jobs for mums returning to work, with almost half complaining of ‘unfair’ treatment in the sector, post return.This is according to a new survey by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).Teaching topped the poll, closely followed by the […]
Think tank exposes cost of education under Labour
An entire generation of almost 4 million pupils has failed to gain their expected qualifications of five good GCSEs, including english and maths, according to a new report.The Bow Group, the right wing think tank which develops policy and publishes research for the Conservative Party, has published a new report as part of its invisible […]
Job boards fail SMEs
New research claims that online job boards are failing small and medium sized employers (SMEs).Whatjobsite.com found that over half of the job boards surveyed provided little or no online information about their candidate audience. Karl Schweppe, MD of whatjobsite.com, said: “Job board operators shouldn’t assume that direct employers will automatically pick up on the subtleties […]
Lack of skills cost £1.45 billion a year
Workers are missing out on a whopping £1.45 billion a year because numeracy and literacy skills are inadequate.Learndirect, which provides numeracy and literacy skills training and qualifications, recently launched the ME-Q Index, which shows how much money Brits are losing year on year due to inadequate maths and english, comparing towns and cities across the […]
MBA slams credit crunch gloom
Latest research suggests the MBA qualification continues to be a safe haven for young professionals with graduates commanding starting salaries of $100,000 in the US and Europe. QS, publishers of the Global Recruiters’ Top 100 Business Schools, as well as the Times Higher-QS World University Rankings, reveals the average salaries reported by over 350 of […]
Sex discrimination claimant seeks to ‘top up’ award to £19m
Former city lawyer Gill Switalski is seeking £19m in compensation having already been awarded a record £13.4 million by the courts.Reported by The Times newspaper, Switalski claims she was left a mental and physical wreck after being forced out of her £140,000-a-year job as head of the legal team at F&C Asset Management in an […]
Depression Awareness Week highlights the issue of stress at work
Employers are being encouraged to address the stigma of mental ill health in the workplace during Depression Awareness Week, 21-26 April 2008.Poor mental health is the second largest cause of time lost due to sickness absence in UK organisations, with stress, depression and anxiety accounting for over 50% of mental health problems, according to research […]
Tipping the scales: Achieve a great work-life balance
Would you like to restore harmony in both your work and home life? Matthew Jennings offers his advice on how to obtain a successful work-life balance. Britain is labelled within Europe as having the longest working hours, particularly for managers (The Work Foundation EU Study 2006). It is considered a ‘good thing’ to be first […]
Targeting costs in the online job hunt
The internet is one of the first places you look when trying to find a new job, but Louise Druce examines how HR can make sure its online presence is not only attractive but cost-effective. Most companies allow online jobseekers the option to apply for roles through their website but when it comes to […]
Taking care of your company’s future
Lars Dalgaard shares best practice for succession planning in your organisation. More successful businesses are embracing succession planning to deepen their employee bench strength and ensure top talent at every level of the company. Once viewed as a boardroom activity among executives to fill top leadership positions, succession planning has evolved into a powerful tool […]
L&D: A bunch of trainers or developing the future workforce?
Paul Lambert examines some of the key factors shaping the workforce, the implications for how a workforce learns and how learning and development (L&D) can address these issues. The contextWith the turn of the 21st century, there have been fundamental changes in the nature of work and the ways in which people are working. We […]
Ask the expert: Consent for medical reports
Is there any situation where consent for medical reports is not required? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:I have come across some conflicting advice regarding consents for medical reports. One source informs me that consents are required where there is a patient relationship, for […]
Faltering motivation levels hits third of workers
Nearly one in three employees is de-motivated in their current role, with 43% going as far as to say they plan to leave in the next year because things have got so bad.These are the findings from people management standard setters, Investors in People UK. According to the research, the top three de-motivating factors for […]
Salary freezes as economy slows
More than 30% of organisations are freezing or considering freezing base salaries as a direct result of recent economic conditions.These are the findings of global management consultancy Hay Group, which, even more alarmingly, reported that 15% of organisations globally claimed they were freezing salaries for all employees. The study, which spanned 1,003 companies in 80 […]
Pregnancy gives candidates the wrong start
A whopping 76% of bosses say they would not take on a new recruit if they knew they were going to fall pregnant within six months of starting.The findings, by the Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), also reveal that more than 50% of bosses take into account the chances of a new member of staff […]
Salary fails to engage managers
Managers are motivated by challenging and interesting work rather than earning power, according to a new report.The 2008 edition of the Management Index: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century also shows that whilst 70% of managers describe a positive leadership environment within their organisations, around half believe the motivational approach fails to engage them […]