Family firms urged to ‘manage change to survive’
Although a quarter of UK family businesses are expected to change hands within the next five years, only half have a succession plan in place, a new report claims.Accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said the leaders of 28 per cent of family-run companies will change by 2012, 44 per cent of which will pass to the next […]
TUC calls for £6 minimum wage
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling on the Low Pay Commission (LPC) to increase the national minimum wage to more than £6 an hour next year. Workers (aged 22 years plus) are entitled to a basic wage of £5.52 an hour, falling to £4.60 for those aged 18 to 21, with younger workers (aged […]
Low staff morale at HMRC
Staff morale, confidence and satisfaction are at an all time low at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) since the merger of HMCE and Inland Revenue in 2005, its staff survey has found.The results may go some way in explaining the child benefit data loss fiasco this week.The staff survey of almost 13,000 HMRC employees, conducted […]
New chief for nuclear skills
The new National Skills Academy for Nuclear has appointed Jean Llewellyn as its chief executive.Llewellyn, in her role as head of Skills Policy for the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), has been involved in the nuclear skills agenda for the past four years.She was chair of the National Nuclear Employers Steering Group for two years, […]
Bosses who employ illegal immigrants to face £10,000 fines
The Government have announced that bosses who employ illegal immigrants are now to face fines of £10,000: www.dailymail.co.ukThis is fine for those who willingly employee illegals but for the rest of us we need a system like that used by the US Department of Homeland Security and US employers where the employment status of an […]
Growing pains: The emergence of ‘e-learning’
E-learning has enjoyed a love-hate relationship with most learning and development departments since its advent, and has experienced a fair few teething problems along the way; yet more and more are falling under its spell. Annie Hayes reports. What is e-learning?If you are reading this you may already have a burgeoning interest in e-learning or […]
Knowledge management: ‘Times are a-changing’
The UK is moving rapidly towards a ‘knowledge economy’. As a result, the mantra ‘our people are our greatest asset’ can no longer be ignored and there’s now a real need for HR to have a voice at board level and instigate effective people management processes, says Scott McArthur. The relationship between organisations and consumers […]
Seven steps to better EAP management
Alan King proposes a series of steps organisations should take to help ensure that EAPs continue to meet the growing needs of companies and deliver maximum benefits, in terms of employee wellbeing and overall business goals and targets. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are widely accepted as an established and necessary element of organisations’ benefits packages, […]
A graceful exit scores points in the future
Almost half of workers end up working with an ex-colleague at a new job.A new survey by recruitment outfit Office Angels suggests that workers are ‘burning bridges’ by leaving on a bad note once they’ve resigned.One in three workers admits to walking out before completing their notice period with more than a quarter of employees […]
Saying ‘thanks’ can improve your bottom line
Paul Brown, incentives specialist at Maritz, explains how recognition plays an important part in retention and engagement levels. An independent workplace survey by Maritz has revealed that almost a third of UK workers say they are never thanked for their personal contribution at work; a significant 50 per cent increase from two years ago. At […]
HR tip: Affair at work
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: "One of our female accounts clerks is having an affair with a married colleague. They are often both absent from the section at the same time. We are not happy about this […]
A little thanks goes a long way
Almost a third of UK workers claim never to be thanked for their personal contribution at work, independent research commissioned by Maritz, a performance improvement company, has revealed.The survey, which marks National Thank You week (19 to 23 November), also found that not being appreciated was the reason that 28 per cent of job movers […]
Job cuts to blame for child benefit fiasco
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), one of the UK’s largest trade unions, is blaming the loss of millions of child benefit records on the “enormous pressure” placed on HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), imposed by job cuts.It was revealed last night that the personal details of 25 million Britons, including names, addresses, birth […]
Bosses fail to maximise talent
Only one in two businesses have a talent management system in place, despite 80 per cent admitting recruiting the right staff is a problem.Research published by the Chartered Management Institute and Ashridge Business School claims to provide employers with a strategic framework for delivering talent management programmes. According to the study, 84 per cent want […]
Serial temps trapped by lack of training
Temps that take on a series of long-term assignments risk damaging their career prospects and exclusion from permanent employment.This is the warning of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) that reveals that just over half of agency workers (54 per cent) are in continuous posts for over six months, and more than a quarter (28.4 per […]
Half of HR have thrown the book at Facebook time-wasters
A new survey shows that 50 per cent of HR professionals have had to discipline staff for time wasting on social networking sites.Sixty-five per cent of UK companies now block access to sites including Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.Yet whilst many have blocked access to Web 2.0 technologies such as YouTube and Wikipedia, one in five […]
TUPE Outsourcing nightmares!
I would like to hear from anyone about the following challenges faced by organisations regarding TUPE:1. How many different sets of TUPE terms and conditions organisations have on average? We currently have about 5 different sets, but are sure there are considerably more in some organisations.2. How do different organisation track TUPE t&c’s and how […]
Marks & Spencer beats John Lewis on reputation
High-street retail giant Marks & Spencer has topped a poll for the company with the best reputation.The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of business lobby group the CBI, reveals the 10 companies UK consumers say have the best reputation. At the top of the list of unprompted replies is Marks & Spencer, which gained […]
Improve your selection process in seven easy steps
Bob Clifford explains how to evaluate, improve and value your selection process to ensure your decisions are accurate and objective. In a previous article, I discussed that it is only through conducting studies in individual organisations that the effectiveness of a particular selection system can be established. The benefits of conducting a straightforward evaluation […]
Time out: Using sabbaticals to boost business
There is always the risk that workers taking sabbaticals may not want to come back to the fold. But, as Louise Druce finds out, if firms learn how to use time out from the office to their advantage, it can boost employee productivity and reinvigorate the team staying put. We could all do with […]
