Polish exit harbours skills
A major report suggests that whilst the number of Polish immigrants is on the decline, those who are left are better skilled.About half of the people who moved to Britain from countries that joined the European Union in 2004 have already left the UK, according to a major report just published. According to the Institute […]
Ask the expert: Dealing with performance and misconduct
An employee is under-performing and spends most of his time using the internet and email for personal reasons. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise on what his employer can do about it. The question: I have an employee with nine months' service on my small […]
Public consultation on revised grievance code
Employment relations service Acas has issued a revised code of practice on discipline and grievance, which is available for public consultation.The code, which seeks to encourage organisations to resolve disputes internally, has been revised due to the changes being made to workplace dispute resolution by the Employment Bill, particularly the removal of the statutory dismissal […]
Living the dream? Flying high with HR consultancy
It’s not just mad dogs and Englishmen that turn their backs on stellar HR careers to go-it-alone; Annie Hayes talks to four HR consultants to find out just why they risked it all. Redundancy was the turning point for seasoned HR professional Quentin Colborn, who has an impressive 30-year track record in HR and now […]
HR tip: Employing husband and wife in same unit – 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:"A woman has applied for a job in the same small section as her husband. We are not comfortable with this. Can we do anything?" HR tip:No, it would be a breach of […]
A new era of diversity in the boardroom
Marcus Lorenzo discusses why more and more organisations are actively seeking to widen the talent pool by adding a greater diversity of individuals to the boardroom. The perennial question between FT500 companies of ‘how’s business?’ may be met in the current economic climate with a rye shake of the head. In recruitment terms, however, the […]
Maximising the office space
Martin Atkinson presents his top tips for achieving an efficient and positive working space for employees. As anybody who works within an office setting will know, the design and layout of the workspace has an immediate impact on how we work, positive or negative. If a company overlooks the plan, flow and even the aesthetics […]
Businesses worried about extension to parental leave
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are concerned over government plans to extend parental leave, according to new research.The report by Citrix Online, which surveyed almost 300 SMBs and 1,800 working parents, found that 58% of SMBs believed that extending maternity leave would have a negative commercial impact on their business, while 48% said the same […]
Free mentors for rooky female interims
A mentoring service for new female interim managers has been launched by business forum, InterimWomen.The free mentoring service aims to guide new interim managers through any issues they may have in their new careers and provide tips and advice on marketing and networking, as well as offering users invaluable insight into the mentors’ own experiences […]
Flexible Working Practices
This May, we’re hosting a really interesting online discussion in partnership with BT about the opportunities of working remotely, away from the office. Does this affect you and your business, or would you like to know more about the practicalities of flexible working, as well as the chance to network with peers, and benefit from […]
Workers look ahead with networking
As many as 75% of younger workers expect networking to feature heavily in the future.Research by international leadership development organisation Common Purpose suggests that 68% of people expect to be part of more networks in five years time; the figure moves to 75% for the 25-44 year age group. Confidence in networking as more than […]
Erecruitment blasts public sector hiring spend
Online recruitment could dramatically reduce the cost of public sector hiring.This is according to new research by the Cranfield School of Management, which suggests that erecruitment can provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for the public sector, enabling them to attract high quality and diverse candidates.The report suggests that erecruitment could cut the cost of […]
Science skills warning as funding crisis bites
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling on the government to address a lack of funding in science over fears that physicists and chemists will take their skills elsewhere.The union’s new report,Hybrid Cars and Shooting Stars, urges ministers to make up the £80 million shortfall affecting the Science and Technologies Facilities Council. TUC general secretary […]
Harness the elearning explosion for organisational gain
Elearning has taken off over the past few years, fuelled by cheaper creative and collaborative ‘Web 2.0’ tools. Technology editor John Stokdyk traces the latest trends and explains how HR can play a more active role in implementing successful elearning programmes. Over the past couple of years, trainers have shaken off traditional attitudes and embraced […]
Spotlight: Alan Cairns, HR director, moneysupermarket.com
Alan Cairns’ diverse career has seen him work in various roles across a number of national and international companies, from GE and Alstom to Littlewoods and JCB. Here he tells Verity Gough how he’s finally found his niche. Vital stats: Company: moneysupermarket.com The aim: To maintain its position as ‘the price comparison site’. Number of […]
Acas web re-vamp promises to entice HR
Employment relations expert Acas has re-launched its website, promising to put customers first.New features for HR professionals, employers and employees, together with regional pages to provide businesses with details of training and services on offer in the local area, can now be found at www.acas.org.ukThe site, which claims to benefit the UK economy to the […]
Half of adults confess to inferior IT skills
Almost half of all adults feel their computers skills are in need of improvement, according to a new report by IT giant Microsoft.According to the report, almost a third of adults say they have poor or no computer skills and one in six workers feel they lack the IT skills needed to do their job […]
Ask the expert: Payments on redundancy
Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise on whether an employee, when made redundant, is owed a tax-free payment in lieu of notice. The question:We have just made one of our employees redundant. We terminated his contract and gave him pay in lieu of notice, plus holiday […]
The truth about diversity
Andrew Mayo carefully approaches the issue of why he is tired of today’s obsession with the ‘diversity agenda’, explaining that diversity is about the celebration of difference, not statistics. I am going to take a big risk in this article. I am going to come out into the open. I know I am not supposed […]
Questions asked as Skills Pledge commitment dips to 13%
Just 13% of employers have signed the Employer Skills Pledge, a voluntary commitment from companies to support all employees in the development of basic skills.A recent report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests that over half of organisations’ learning and development work has not been influenced by the skills agenda. In […]
