The end of certainty?
HR Zone member Karen Drury examines certainty and the role it plays in how we approach work, life and change, and offers some advice on how employers can help staff embrace the unknown. There was a time, say the popular press, that a life sentence meant 20 years, possibly 30. There was also a time […]
New survey flags faltering public sector morale
New research blames public sector failure to tackle chronic underperformance as the reason behind a continued dip in workforce morale.Just last week, HR Zone reported on findings from ORC International, which said public sector workers score lowest for overall employee satisfaction. The latest findings from management institute, Roffey Park, suggests things are getting worse. According […]
Ask the expert: Potential sex discrimination
A pregnant employee was dismissed for being absent without leave and is referring the case to tribunal for sex discrimination; yet the manager who dismissed provided HR with incorrect information. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:I am currently involved in an appeal from a […]
Fashion police snub ‘bad for bottom’ uniform
Female police officers are rebelling against regulation trousers which they say are unflattering for their bottoms.Reported by The Telegraph, dozens of officers complained to the trade magazine Police Review, saying they particularly disliked the high waistbands and the bulky, ill-fitting material which they say makes it difficult to run after offenders.A Hampshire Constabulary WPC, quoted […]
Laptop lock-up for civil servants
A blanket ban has been slapped on civil servants tempted to take laptops with unencrypted personal data out of their offices.Reported by The Telegraph, the order was issued as it emerged that two more military computers, containing the sensitive details of thousands of people, had been missing for more than a year.The command came from […]
‘Who you know, not what you know’ is key to career success
Having a key ally can be more important to a manager than being good at their job.That’s the view of an expert in the psychology of leadership, who says that people who succeed at ‘impression management’ can cultivate more success.Dr Patrick Tissington is a leading academic in work and organisational psychology, based at Aston Business […]
Encourage over 50s into enterprise, ministers told
The UK’s thousands of unemployed over 50s who are keen to work should be encouraged into setting up their own business, experts have claimed.According to PRIME, a charity which promotes entrepreneurship among older people, some 800,000 individuals between 50 and state pension age are currently inactive but want to work. One solution, it said, is […]
Northgate HR leads the way with first ever ‘green’ payslip
HR solutions provider Northgate HR has announced it is to become the first UK provider of recycled payslips and P60s.The move comes in a bid to cut carbon emissions from fossil fuels.“Not everyone can access the internet, so for large companies providing online payslips isn’t enough,” said Wendy Logan, technical operations manager for outsourcing services […]
HR clashes with IT over social networking
Social networking sites, including Facebook, are distracting workers for at least 30 minutes a day, costing UK Plc close to £6.5 billion annually in lost productivity.This is according to a new poll of 776 workers, by information security consultancy, Global Secure Systems and Infosecurity Europe 2008.Use of these sites is sparking a rift between HR, […]
New laws trigger HR warning
An international law firm is advising employers to be mindful of forthcoming legal developments expected to shake up current HR practices.Eversheds’ employment specialists have identified eight of the most significant employment law issues for 2008:1. Equal payOne of the main issues, particularly for public sector employers in local authorities and the NHS, will be equal […]
Union-led learning trumpeted as “magic bullet”
The key to workplace learning is cooperation between the employer and the union, according to the TUC’s unionlearn. Liz Smith, unionlearn director, is due to set out her beliefs in a meeting at the College of North East London (CONeL) with the secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, John Denham MP. Smith said: […]
Police pay fails to serve the right purpose
Police pay should be radically overhauled to reflect performance and skills rather than length of service, a leading think tank has said.The Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) report, to be published next month, comes as police officers prepare to march this week in a row over the latest pay deal.The report shows that the […]
The Learning Technologies Conference: An overview
It’s easy to be distracted by the bells and whistles of learning technology, hence the Learning Technologies Conference is focusing on the ‘what’, the ‘how’ and the ‘why’, says its chairman Donald H Taylor. The Learning Technologies Conference sees several themes converge that have been running in the learning and development (L&D) profession for some […]
Learning Technologies 2008: What to expect
A detailed preview of Europe’s largest organisational learning and performance improvement technology exhibition and conference. Learning Technologies, Europe’s largest organisational learning and performance improvement technology event, will take place on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 January 2008 at London Olympia. The two-day exhibition and conference, now in its ninth year, has established itself as a […]
Jay Cross to give keynote at Learning Technologies 2008
Jay Cross, world-renowned commentator on learning and technology and founder of Internet Time Group, will open the Learning Technologies 2008 conference.He is expected to present a view of what lies ahead for organisational learning professionals, and his keynote will look at how successful organisations are re-thinking how employees learn. He will also discuss how organisations […]
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 […]
