Networking: Supporting learning and creativity in the workplace
HR Zone member Jackie Cameron examines the advantages of networking for sharing knowledge and encouraging creativity at work. As a strong advocate of networking – face-to-face, using social networking sites and blogging – I could tell many stories about how an interaction with another person has given me an idea which in turn I could […]
The business case for HR technology
Recent research has shown that HR departments struggle with justifying the business case for new HR technology. Mark Barlow provides a practical guide to putting together such a case. Over a third of senior-level HR practitioners that were interviewed in Qikker’s 2007 research – ‘Hi-tech HR: A contradiction in terms?’ – had presented a business […]
Ask the expert: Terminating employment in a probationary review
An employee has made mistakes during his probationary period and the employer wants to terminate his employment. However, prior to this he was told he was in line for a promotion. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise on where the employer stands. The question:I have a […]
‘Ideas’ week gets ready to tap talent
‘National Ideas Day’ is being expanded to encompass a whole week of brainstorming and talent tapping in 2008.Ideas UK – the national association of suggestion schemes – is behind the week, scheduled to take place in the second week of March, to coincide with the anniversary of Einstein’s birth. Brainstorming breakfasts will be held across […]
Sick Britain welcomes ‘well note’ launch
Employers will welcome changes to transform the sick note culture to a ‘well note’ culture, said the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The ‘well note’ will encourage GPs to offer fitness to work advice to patients and employers as part of the government’s plans to reduce the 2.64 million on incapacity benefit.Research from the […]
Employment spiral puzzles experts
Latest findings from the Office of National Statistics show that record numbers of people were in work from the three months from October to December 2007. The 29.4 million with jobs is the highest figure since comparable records began in 1971, up 175,000 over the quarter and 296,000 over the year.The jobless count has also […]
Facebook or Linkedin?
I’ve just done an interview with Louise Trance at ukrecruiter.co.uk on using social networking in recruitment.I’d be interested to hear of other people’s experiences of using social networking sites in the recruitment process.To hear the full interview go to www.topbriefings.com Duncan Gotobed
Wages restrict childcare choices for low income parents
State-run day nurseries are often the only choice for working parents on limited incomes.Research carried out by the Centre for Critical Education Policy Studies, at the Institute of Education, showed that whilst affluent middle class parents are in a position to choose their preferred childcare option, many working class parents are constrained by low income […]
All’s fair in love and HR
It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air – but should it be in the HR department? Sarah Fletcher investigates. “The course of true love never did run smooth,” said Shakespeare; and anyone who has witnessed a workplace romance can testify that, 400 years later, nothing has changed. Whether floating around on a cloud […]
Dispute resolution: Finding the middle ground
Workplace disputes are not only an emotive issue for companies, they are a costly one as well, with millions spent fighting claims every year. Now the new Employment Bill is coming to shake up current dispute resolution and grievance procedures, Verity Gough investigates whether it’s time for HR to mediate. We’re all used to the […]
Corporate manslaughter: Transforming how businesses operate
Matthew Judge discusses how the new Corporate Manslaughter Act is due to transform business travel and advises on the role HR departments must play when staff travel on company business. Do your employees travel on domestic or international business? Do you know where they are at each step of their journey, their trains, flights, and […]
TNA and evaluation: Spot the difference
Martin Schmalenbach examines the links between training needs analysis and evaluation. After all, he says, they're two sides of the same business coin. Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is the process of identifying training needs for an individual or group of people. Its outcome is a clear set of training objectives to be met by […]
HR tip: Alcohol on site
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:"Can we impose a complete alcohol ban across our company if, from time-to-time, our directors entertain important customers with wine at lunch?" HR tip:You may apply whatever restrictions you like provided you are […]
Corporate Provision of on-site Massage Services!
We are considering setting up on site massage facility across out UK offices.Has anyone done this? If so please could you help us with the below questions:How is this facility actually delivered to employees i.e. How does an employee ‘qualify’/take advantage of it? From the companies perspective, is this an initiative that is worthwhile and […]
Besotted workers ring up bills in quest for love
Loved up workers are costing businesses an astounding £10 billion a year.This is according to HR experts Croner, which found that 37 per cent of people use communication lines at work, including the telephone and email, to conduct their personal relationships.Office email systems were the most popular means of personal communication amongst the 1,198 British […]
Business is an accident waiting to happen
Less than 60 per cent of workers know where the first aid kit is kept.These are the worrying findings from the British Red Cross, leading providers of first aid products and first aid training for the workplace. By contrast, as many as 86 per cent of people know where their first aid kit is at […]
Confidence in HR dips as specific expertise becomes scarce
Combined technical and business expertise are hardest to find globally, with 67 per cent of chief executive officers reporting shortages; and in bad news for people managers, only 43 per cent of chiefs believe HR is equipped to deal with changes needed to compete for talent.The findings from a new survey by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers […]
Union busting spreads to UK
Union busting tactics that are plaguing trade union membership in the United States are spreading to the UK.A new report US Union Avoidance Consultants: A Threat to the Rights of British Workers, written for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) by Dr John Logan from the London School of Economics, says that union busting is a […]
Getting your just rewards? Investing in an individual solution
Cashing in on inventive and tailored reward solutions is paying dividends for some employers. Annie Hayes reports on reward schemes that applaud the individual. Looking at public sector pay, it might be fair to conclude that a one-size fits all approach to reward is a recipe for disaster. There has been a spate of industrial […]
My boss is bad: Organisations, CEOs, staff – they’re all victims
Chetan Dhruve continues with his series looking at issues with leadership, this time concluding that bosses, in the final analysis, are victims of the system too. Imagine you’re in hospital undergoing treatment for something serious. Understandably, you’re anxious. Above all else, you don’t want someone to make a mistake. And you have good reason to […]
