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 […]
Ask the expert: Aggressive behaviour during disciplinary hearing
An employee was asked to attend a disciplinary meeting after threatening to kill another colleague; yet during the meeting he became aggressive and was escorted out. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise on what should be done next. The question: Following being suspended from work, […]
Oil and gas giants join skills pledge
Shell and BP have made new year resolutions to put training high on their agendas, by making the Skills Pledge.This means they are committed to supporting all their employees to work towards a relevant, valuable qualification to at least Level two (the equivalent of five GCSEs at A – C grade) including basic skills such […]
HR salaries soar as war for talent hots up
HR salaries in both the private and public sectors will be fiercely competitive in 2008 with the ‘war for talent’ showing no signs of easing. Figures in the survey, conducted by recruiter FSS, show that senior HR professionals can now command salaries of up to, and in some cases in excess of, £140,000 a year.The […]
‘Happy’ care workers feel let down by public
Social care workers across England are happy but feel unappreciated by the general public.Whilst 90 per cent said they were happy in their work, less than half believe their work is appreciated. “This survey is the largest ever study of adult social care workers in England and it has revealed that we have some difficult […]
Multi-tasking mothers enjoy start-up success
Most company-owning mothers believe the skills they have developed bringing up children are key to their business success, new research reveals.Some 92 per cent of mums taking part in the study said abilities such as multi-tasking, planning ahead and efficiency honed while looking after their offspring were the key drivers behind their business achievements.In other […]
£10k slap for hiring illegal workers
The Home Office has launched an advertising campaign designed to boost awareness of a new £10k fine and two-year prison sentence for every illegal worker negligently hired.The stark message will be driven home in a new marketing campaign laying out the new rules due to come into effect in February. The government is launching a […]
Bosses fail to match benefit expectations
Employers are being urged to reconsider the employee benefits they offer as new research reveals benefits are failing to match with workers’ lifestyles.The survey by pay and benefits specialist Croner Reward highlighted the fact that although employers offer many different perks, just over half (52.9 per cent) admitted employees were not utilising the benefits because […]
Four signs of dysfunctional management revealed
Poor management displays four key characteristics, new research has found.Global HR consultancy, BlessingWhite, has compiled the four signs of dysfunctionality as follows:1. Silent dissent: “Everyone always agrees with me, and that makes me uneasy.”2. Facts not meaning: “All I get is data, but not much insight.”3. Lack of passion: “We focus so much on competence […]
Ditch the character, say CV experts
Listing ‘socialising’ as an interest on your CV won’t cut the mustard, warn recruitment experts, who are urging serious job hunters to de-clutter their curriculum vitae.A whopping 67 per cent of recruitment outfit Unity Personnel’s clients are tired of job hunters’ attempts to make themselves sound interesting, and are asking for the CVs they receive […]
UK must rise to finance skills challenge to maintain world leader status
Union leaders, employers and the minister for skills David Lammy have set out the skills challenge facing the UK finance sector at a seminar hosted by unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation.The finance sector has grown by more than five per cent a year since 2002 and currently accounts for 8 per cent of […]
Which? publishes ‘no go’ questions guide
The Which? CV and Interview Handbook has been published to clear up confusion about what can and cannot be asked of candidates at interview stage.The guide warns that questions such as age, length of experience and religious views are now illegal under discrimination legislation, and employers that fail to heed the warning can expect to […]
Workers admit using flu as an excuse to skive off work
A whopping 83 per cent of workers would consider using the Norovirus as a perfect excuse to ‘pull a sickie’ for a couple of days off work, according to a survey.The poll of 2,698 UK employees, by employment law firm Peninsula, also shows that 73 per cent of workers have used ‘flu like symptoms as […]
Green credentials attract top talent
Environmentally responsible employers are more likely to attract high quality candidates, a new survey has found. A poll by recruitment site jobs.ac.uk, which quizzed just over 200 jobseekers, found that 67 per cent believed a company's environmental policy would influence their choice of employer, while 45 per cent would be 'strongly' influenced by an employer's […]
‘Learnbus’ provides one way ticket to success
There’s no set route and you don’t need a ticket, but once you’ve been aboard there’s no limit to where you can go: The Learnbus is the latest venture from the GMB and unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation that works with unions and employers to offer workplace training.The double-decker is being used as […]
Flexible working for all: Do we want or need it?
There are plans afoot to extend the right to request flexible working to those with older children. But should the government just bite the bullet and offer it to everyone, or is there no real need right now? Lucie Benson finds out. Back in November last year, the Queen’s Speech saw the government promising to […]
Single women tire of being married to the job
Single, female 30-somethings are the most unfulfilled at work, according to a new survey.Unmarried and single women aged between 34 and 44, and living in the West Midlands, are most likely to feel unfulfilled in the workplace, according to research by ethical volunteering organisation Global Vision International (GVI). The report also found that one in […]
Investment in training set to grow
Investment in training and career development is set to increase in 2008, as companies devote more resources to non-pay related strategies to keep their staff motivated and engaged, according to research.Mercer’s European Total Rewards Survey 2007, which covered 200 multinationals, provides an insight into the rewards practices, objectives and challenges facing European organisations. ‘Total rewards’ […]
Illness, return to work and the psychological contract
Jean Brading explains how the psychological contract has a crucial role to play in retaining valuable sick or injured workers, and maintaining the motivation and engagement of those around them. As HR professionals will know, the psychological contract (PC) is one way of thinking about behaviour at work and has been shown to play a […]
Human capital intelligence: Raising the bar
The time has come for HR departments, payroll and personnel managers to stop caring that technology allows them to track and reward their employees accurately, says John O’Neill, managing director of Bond HR. The fact that employee records can be shared across an organisation, kept up-to-date through self-service access, and result in timely and accurate […]