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 […]
Colborn’s Corner: New year, new start?
According to a survey by www.jobsite.co.uk, a staggering 42 per cent of people are planning to hunt for work this month. But is this anything new, and what can or should employers do about it? Quentin Colborn addresses the challenges faced by organisations looking to restrict turnover. The prospect of increasing staff turnover causes many […]
HR tip: Monitoring bullying in the workplace
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: "How can we be sure that there is no bullying in our workplace? We cannot watch everyone all the time." HR Tip:No, but it is not at all difficult to monitor the […]
Video-based service to offer coaching on demand
Trainers are being invited to help test and improve a new video-based e-learning website that is due to be launched in early February. Called www.eConsult.tv, the site aims to provide the insight and knowledge of outstanding people in their fields using video clips. “For example, imagine being able to learn negotiation skills by picking the […]
Expert salutes talent potential of Facebook
Social networking site Facebook is a “talent goldmine” according to one expert.Flying in the face of criticism that the site damages candidate opportunities, Chris Russell, founder of Jobsinpods.com, told Online Recruitment magazine that Facebook is the perfect place to court potential job applicants.Russell said: “It’s filled with millions of passive candidates that employers covet.”He suggested […]
Police officer sacked for sex on the job
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has stated that a senior British Transport police officer, who had sexual intercourse while on duty, has brought the police service into “disrepute and ridicule”.Reported by the Daily Telegraph, Inspector Masood Khan admitted one charge relating to a breach of the police code of conduct at a hearing in […]
Chancellor’s three-year pay deals angers unions
Angry unions say that the announcement of three-year pay deals and a cap of 2 per cent makes a mockery of pay bargaining procedures and the pay review panels system.Unite, the largest trade union with more than 1 million members, says that Chancellor Alistair Darling’s plans for public sector workers to be party to three-year […]
Access still denied to disabled workers
Disability campaigners say their cause is being drowned out by a cacophony of more popular diversity issues like race and gender. Matt Henkes investigates whether this is the case and how they can make themselves heard within organisations. Diversity is in danger of becoming such an ominous and unwieldy term that some facets may be […]
£15 million windfall for staff at mobile phone giant
Eligible employees at O2 are set to receive a cash reward of up to £1,000 each, as part of its second annual Thanks a Million reward scheme.The mobile provider is rewarding its staff with the cash bonanza as a thank you for being ranked number one for customer satisfaction, in O2’s quarterly customer satisfaction surveys.Loyalty […]
Boss in the dock after shaming pregnant executive
A senior sales executive, who was told by her employer that she would be ‘useless’ after she became pregnant, is set to scoop up to £200,000 for sex discrimination.Reported by The Times newspaper, Louise Manning, who earned £55,000 a year, claimed Nick Medlam, managing director of Kent-based Safetell, a supplier of security systems, sent her […]
The long and winding road: Reducing commuting
The number of commuters spending an hour or more travelling to work has increased dramatically over the last decade, fuelling new demands for flexible working. Sandra Beale looks into the role HR has to play. Commuting times in the UK over the last 10 years have risen dramatically. It has now become part of the […]
Using technology to resolve disputes
HR Zone member Keith Davis explains why you may want to think about online dispute resolution the next time you need to use mediation to resolve a workplace dispute. Maybe you like the thrill of the grievance process, or treading the long thin line that has a picture of endless sick-notes on one side and […]
Small fry net skills boost
Small business managers are being urged not to cut corners in an initiative designed to raise their skills base to the tune of £30 million.John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills said that small business managers should resolve to make 2008 a year to improve their leadership skills and boost their competitiveness.Funding […]
It’s all about the culture
Management consultant John Pope explains how best to develop an effective company culture to ensure business success and a motivated, loyal workforce. I once knew of two manufacturing companies located within half a mile of each-other. They recruited from the same two housing estates at either end of a long hill. They were both profitable, […]
