Inspired leadership sees charity scoop best small firm award
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has been named the UK’s best small company to work for by the Sunday Times.The Bradford-based debt counselling service provides a lifeline for thousands of people caught in the debt trap and beat 99 other small firm hopefuls to the prize. Inspired leadership is part of CAP’s success, according to the […]
Brits start saving for retirement aged 28
Twenty-eight is the average age a British worker starts saving for retirement, this is five years earlier than the international average age.This is according to the latest study from insurance giant, AXA that said almost three in four working Brits have started financial preparations for their retirement. On average, workers in France and Spain do […]
Outsourcing payroll: The benefits
Are you considering outsourcing your payroll but unsure how you should go about doing it? Ian Sparrow explains what issues you need to consider and how the process works. The role of HR is becoming ever-more strategic. Gone are the days when it was viewed as a back office function, responsible for hiring, firing […]
The trend towards HR and payroll software integration
Sarah Oliver outlines why integration is key to the future of HR and payroll, how both teams can serve to make it work, and the common pitfalls involved in this approach. In today’s competitive work environment, there is much talk of increasing efficiency in all areas to boost productivity and create savings that directly impact […]
Separating the wood from the trees
Wendy Logan discusses how payroll technologies are leading the way in ‘green’ company initiatives. The Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change was published in October 2006. Its shocking findings into the impact our lifestyles are having on the environment saw a new corporate awareness of green issues. Suddenly, we were taking responsibility for […]
Employers risk jail over illegal workers
On the day that the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 comes in to force, a new survey highlights that business owners are currently putting themselves at risk of fines and legal action as they are not doing enough to verify the legality of their employees.A joint survey run by BusinessZone.co.uk and HRZone.co.uk found that […]
Legislation needed to close gender pay gap
The government must introduce tough new equality legislation, the Mayor of London has warned. Speaking today, 28 February, at the launch of his fourth Women in London’s Economy report, Mayor Ken Livingstone said that it is unacceptable that women in London continue to be paid and valued less than their male counterparts, and failure to […]
The salvation army: Our companies need you
The government is hoping to draft in a raft of apprentices to get more people into the workforce and plug the widening skills gap in the UK. But is this the right way to fight company shortfalls? Louise Druce investigates. As ‘Apprenticeship Week’ draws to a close, is your business any closer to realising the […]
How competency frameworks have lost the plot
In his latest column, Andrew Mayo argues that competency frameworks have lost touch with reality and have become far too ‘narrow’ and far too powerful. It must be some 25 years ago that I was introduced to the ‘development dimensions’ of DDI and their application in the design of assessment centres. It was the first […]
Legislation update: Unfair dismissal compensation for sick employees
How should a tribunal assess compensation for unfair dismissal if the dismissed employee is incapable of finding another job because of illness? Richard White explains and considers a recent case in relation to this issue. The conventional view of calculating unfair dismissal compensation for sick employees is that s/he should only receive compensation for loss […]
HR tip: Companion at informal warning
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:"Is an employee entitled to be accompanied at a meeting at which an informal warning is to be given?" HR tip:No, provided there is no chance that a formal warning might be given. […]
Online job search outstrips other methods
Job seekers that search online fair better when it comes to finding jobs, according to recruitment giant Monster.The claim was made following a recent poll by Enhance Media, which discovered internet job searches have increased by 50% since 2006.According to the recruitment experts, online recruitment sites offer added benefits to those seeking a new job. […]
Moonlighting magician sacked from insurance giant
Insurance firm Legal and General has sacked ‘Mr Hocus Pocus’, a moonlighting children’s magician, for working whilst on sick leave for stress.Reported by The Daily Mail, Peter Hopkins, 38, who earned £30,000 a year at the firm, had been away from his job for six months with stress when he performed as a ‘friendly wizard’ […]
IVF ruling signals way forward for employers
The pregnancy status for women undergoing IVF treatment has been made clear to employers following a recent ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ).European Union judges ruled that an Austrian woman undergoing IVF treatment, who was sacked three days before her fertilised eggs were implanted, was not pregnant under EU law. However, she was […]
Sainsbury’s gives graduates a taste for leadership
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has developed a programme to enhance the personal leadership skills of its graduate recruits through a community-based project.The action-learning programme has been designed by Impact, a company that recently won three-star accreditation in the Best Companies awards. A local primary school in Newham is at the heart of the community-project, which includes […]
TUC and FSB champion apprenticeship cause
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is backing calls from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to increase the minimum weekly wage for apprentices from £80 to £110.The organisations said this would happen once legislation has been passed to extend wage contributions to small employers who are taking on an apprentice. They added that £110 for […]
Social enterprises beat profit chasers to ’employer of choice’ gong
A survey has revealed that 30 per cent of people feel that social enterprises would be their employer of choice. The YouGov poll of more than 2,000 individuals, commissioned by the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC), found that just 16 per cent would pick a traditional business, while only 13 per cent opted for a government […]
Employee engagement: Tailoring it to the company
Kentucky Fried Chicken draws on the iconic ‘Colonel’, Yahoo yodels, and the Penguin Group depends on a shared passion for books. Annie Hayes discovers that engagement comes in many different shapes and guises. What is employee engagement?I am engaged therefore I am. HR would be delighted with the play on philosopher Nietzsche’s words of wisdom, […]
Employing illegal workers: Are you in the know?
The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 comes into force on 29 February, which will introduce stricter penalties for employing illegal workers. Solicitor Laura Mitchell explains the implications for employers. The government has recently revealed that more than half of the new jobs created under Labour since 1997 have gone to foreign workers and, for […]
You and your job – happy together?
Are you happy in your job? If not, then you’re not entirely alone, but don’t worry because Denise Taylor has some handy hints on how to make your working day that little bit more enjoyable. Some lucky people love their job and look forward to work each day, but for many of us work is […]
