Lessons for L&D
Is the learning and development (L&D) profession stagnating? Kathy Morris, head of leadership and development at Hays, believes a lack of strategic business thinking means L&D doesn’t command the respect it could. She speaks to Matt Henkes ahead of her address this month to the Learning Technologies conference. Every year the learning and development (L&D) […]
Through the portal into interactive learning
HR Zone’s technology editor John Stokdyk embarks on a voyage of discovery into the interactive possibilities of the latest digital tools. The world of training can play with the preconceptions for anyone more used to frontline operations. Someone anticipating a quieter, less frenetic environment of worthy textbooks, classroom sessions and role-playing exercises is in for […]
Workers shun home working
Employees are shying away from remote working due to fears of missed promotion opportunities and a lack of social interaction, new research has revealed.A survey of 40 companies employing 50-500 staff, by Durler Consulting, has shown that employees also list envy of others and health and safety concerns as reasons for avoiding home working opportunities. […]
Sooner rather than later: Curing long-term absence
Shattering the debilitating impact long-term absence can have on business and its purse strings is a real challenge, and one that employers continue to struggle with. Annie Hayes asks the experts to share their secrets. What is long-term absence? Ben Willmott, employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says that […]
Talent management: Why are there still concerns?
Jan Hills explores the reasons companies still lack the talent they need and questions if the main reason is because HR has been focussing on the wrong area. Just about everyone you come across in the HR profession is involved in some kind of talent management project. This has always been a topic that has […]
Protecting your employees’ data
Latest estimates from the Home Office put the cost of identity fraud to the UK economy at £1.7 billion. Joanna Downes advises how employers can protect personal data about their staff, and outlines the risks involved if they get it wrong. The digital eraWhen two CDs containing 25 million child benefit details went missing in […]
Court u-turn in harassment claim
A recent Court of Appeal ruling has been hailed as a controversial yet sensible decision by leading employment lawyers, and is expected to restrict the growing number of harassment claims brought against employers. Stuart Jones explains. The decision in the recent case of Conn v Sunderland City Council is expected to dramatically limit compensation claims […]
Educate line managers to avoid employee lawsuits
The amount of employment tribunals could be reduced if organisations spent more time educating line managers.That is according to recruiters Crone Corkill and law firm Boyes Turner, after jointly running a ‘mock tribunal’, attended by over 100 HR professionals. The tribunal dealt with a case claiming unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, age discrimination and disability discrimination […]
Council staff to vent workplace complaints on hotline
Surrey County Council has set up an anonymous telephone service to allow staff to report workplace issues such as bullying, as part of its ‘investing in staff’ strategy. The hotline allows staff to raise problems if they are not confident in taking bullying or harassment complaints to their manager. The hotline can be used by […]
HR tip: Pre-employment medicals
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:"We give all new employees a medical before confirming their employment, but have heard that this is unsafe. Is there a problem?" HR tip:This suggests that, were employees found to be unfit, they […]
Teachers scoop fair-pay deal but unions still unhappy
Teachers are set to receive a pay rise that takes them above the 2 per cent limit imposed by Gordon Brown for public sector workers.Salaries will start at £25,000 for those working in inner London and £24,000 for those outside.Ed Balls, children, schools and families secretary made the announcement yesterday, saying he accepts the three-year […]
Sports Council for Wales Steps up the Pace with HR Software Upgrade
The Sports Council for Wales, the organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and recreation in Wales, has upgraded its software from HR systems supplier, Snowdrop.The Sports Council for Wales will be upgrading its Spring (recruitment); Evergreen (personnel records management); Fountain (training administration) and U-Access (online access for line managers and employees) modules to Snowdrop […]
‘Ain’t no satisfaction’ for public sector workers
Public sector workers score lowest for overall employee satisfaction in a new survey which reveals key differences in the sectors.According to employee research specialists ORC International, worker satisfaction in the UK remains steady at 68 per cent but organisational pride in local and central government is 8 per cent and 7 per cent below the […]
Change continues to be handled badly
Red-faced bosses stand accused of failing their employees by continuously managing change badly.Just 30 per cent of organisations manage change effectively in the eyes of employees, who actually perceive them to be getting worse at it. The survey by ORC international, an employee research firm, shows the percentage of employees who feel that their organisation […]
Alarm bells for companies ‘unaware’ of Corporate Manslaughter Act
Thousands of British businesses are oblivious to the impending Corporate Manslaughter Act, which becomes law on 6 April 2008.Under the new Act, it is the organisation that will be prosecuted for a gross failure in the management of health and safety that causes death. Vulnerable and uninformed businesses that are successfully prosecuted will face unlimited […]
Gearing up for green fleets
Everyone has good intentions when it comes to being more environmentally friendly, and cars are an obvious target for reducing pollution. But Louise Druce asks whether the solutions out there for greener fleets are as down to earth as they sound. The car has become the eco-warrior’s nemesis, blamed for clogging our roads and spewing […]
Meddling for success
Is the start of a new year a good time for employers to enforce those resolutions that would, in theory, make a happier, healthier workforce? Is it any of their business if we come back to work looking like baby elephants and smelling like a pub carpet? Sarah Fletcher investigates. It’s that time of year […]
Is there a crisis in management today?
“Individuals promoted to managerial positions do not always clearly understand their role as managers and the ways in which they can add-value as managers,” says Duncan Miles. Managers are often chosen to manage because they are good at doing something else. Few organisations provide managers with a model or system for managing, and few have […]
Quarter would slash pay to work at home
Almost one in four employees would be prepared to take a pay cut in order to work from home.According to a small study by Famatech, 6 per cent would be prepared to take a reduction in pay of between 6 and 10 per cent, and 2 per cent would be prepared to take a pay […]
European court limits trade union rights to fight ‘social dumping’
While many of us were winding down before Christmas, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) was busy at work delivering judgments on two key cases. Martin Warren, head of employment law at Eversheds, explains. BackgroundBoth of these cases involved an historic clash between trade unions and employers and were sufficiently important for member states to […]