TUC takes public sector pay campaign to Westminster
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and its member unions representing public sector workers are calling on the government to bring public sector pay above inflation.The campaign, Speak Up for Public Services dubbed as ‘major’, is being launched today at Westminster. According to the union body, the Government’s target of 2 per cent pay rises across […]
CBI makes employment prediction u-turn
Unemployment, previously forecast to fall in 2008, is now predicted to rise to 1.70 million in 2009, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).The revised prediction is due to slower economic growth, said the CBI, which has downgraded its forecast for UK growth in 2008 for the third quarter running, due to the credit […]
Fifth of workers ‘moonlight’ to plug earnings hole
Twenty per cent of British workers boost their income with money earned from a hobby or interest.This is according to the latest National Savings and Investments (NS&I) quarterly savings survey.Just over half the respondents are doing this for fun, yet in a warning to bosses, many confess to using work-time to generate extra income.Hobby earners, […]
Dyson lands top HR job at Bank of London
The Bank of London and The Middle East (BLME), the Sharia’a compliant London-based wholesale bank, has appointed Beverley Dyson as its head of HR.Dyson joins BLME from the London branch of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (part of BNP Paribas Group) where she was also head of HR. Past posts include head of HR and administration […]
City bonus bonanza shamed by charity
Multi-million pound bonuses shared by workers in the City this Christmas are under fire from the anti-poverty charity War on Want.According to the charity, many of the world’s poorest countries are being denied the tax owed by British companies amidst reports that dozens of London bankers at Goldman Sachs have been awarded bonuses of at […]
Alcohol ban solves office party worry
Businesses are throwing alcohol-free office parties in an attempt to mitigate the drunken antics of party-goers this year.According to Steven Meyerhoff, head of employment at Backhouse Jones Solicitors, around 80 per cent of British bosses did not organise an office party last year because of their concern that things may get out of hand.And almost […]
‘Virtual’ training in Second Life
A UK law firm has launched a ‘virtual office’ in Second Life, to offer interactive online training to its employees. Second Life is an online 3D virtual world, created entirely by its residents. It houses a growing number of businesses worldwide, and now, law firm Simpson Millar will be holding training sessions for its employees […]
IT skills not valued by business leaders
Business decision makers do not rate IT skills as highly as other softer skills, a Microsoft survey has found. Released to coincide with the first anniversary of the publication of the Leitch Review of Skills, the survey quizzed over 500 top UK business leaders, 61 per cent of whom believed interpersonal and team working skills […]
Staff Handbook / Induction Pack
HiI am looking for a template for a staff handbook and an induction pack.I don’t suppose anyone still has one?ThanksChloe Chloe Bristow
Is your net rep on form?
With the rise in social networking sites comes greater temptation for recruiters to find out about candidates online before considering their profile on paper. Louise Druce asks whether you should base applications on hype rather than type? It goes without saying that you want to knock the socks off your potential employer at a job […]
HR consultancy offers human capital value calculator
A London-based HR consultancy claims to have devised the first software calculator to measure the value of a company’s human capital.Known as Catalyst, the software is a “total people cost of ownership and effectiveness calculator”, written by PEO People, to link financial and commercial data to workforce productivity figures and correlate them to the company’s […]
What’s in a name?
The HR name debate has been a hot topic of late. Jan Hills, from HR with Guts, discusses the impact of this identity crisis and asks if a name really matters. The HR profession seems to be going through a personality crisis. It can’t seem to settle on a name, leaping through HR to personnel […]
Why choose on-demand HR solutions?
Information technology solutions for HR have changed rapidly in recent years as technology has evolved. On-demand solutions are the way forward, where users pay for what they want, when they want them, says David Woodward. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is where software is hosted and delivered to users via the web. Yet what has made web-based SaaS […]
HR tip: Flexible working requests
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 are beginning to get requests for flexible working. Can we refuse? If so, how?" HR Tip:Certain employees have a right to request, though not demand, flexible working; for example, to work […]
On the couch: Counselling at work
Evidence suggests that providing a ‘counselling at work’ service can help to reduce absence due to stress, increase productivity and reduce litigation. Rick Hughes and Andrew Kinder discuss the options available. Stress at work is increasingly being cited as a major cause of sickness absence within organisations, even as high as 50 per cent of […]
Jobless and claimant count tumbles to record low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in November has fallen to the lowest level since 1975, with the jobless count also in decline.According to UK labour market statistics for October and November, the number of claimants fell to 813,000 in November from 824,100 in October, beating this decade’s previous low of 819,000 set in […]
Flexible working key to improved health
Healthy lifestyles can be prompted by flexible working, new research has shown.Dr Joseph Grzywacz, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, has commented that if workers perceive the flexible working initiative as real then they will be prompted into taking up a healthier lifestyle.“Although further research is needed, these results suggest that flexibility programmes, that […]
Retail giant chairman joins UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, has been appointed as one of 20 inaugural commissioners for the new UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). The news is welcomed by the Sector Skills Council for Retail, Skillsmart Retail.Anne Seaman, chief operating officer for Skillsmart Retail, said: “We were delighted when Charlie Mayfield became […]
‘Smossiping’ puts smokers at heart of grapevine
‘Smossiping’, or smoking outside while having a gossip, is fast becoming the new method of relaying office news.For one in seven workers this is the latest way of finding out what’s going on. The survey of over 1,000 workers, by recruitment outfit Office Angels, reveals that 74 per cent of workers look forward to catching […]
Self-help books are for Christmas, not for life
Addiction to business self-help books is causing a shortage of leadership skills among UK managers, a training and recruitment expert has said.Millions of pounds are spent on management guides each year in the UK and, with more than 100,000 business management titles currently listed on Amazon, they are sure to be popular stocking fillers.Stephen Seymour, […]
