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 […]
Jobs to go: Tuesday lunchtime sparks jobseekers’ appetite
A record number of candidates are using the 1pm slot every Tuesday to upload their CVs and apply for jobs.According to Reed Employment, a recruitment outfit, 21 per cent of candidates on their database search for jobs at around 1pm every Monday with the same number returning the following day at the same time to […]
HR consultancies: The good, the bad and the plain ugly
Consultants can net anything from £250 a day to £100,000 for an entire project; Annie Hayes finds out how to sift the good from the bad. The marketAn endless cycle of downsizing, outsourcing and efficiency initiatives has catapulted the job of the consultant into constant demand. Put simply, the consultant’s job is to effect significant […]
Diary of a job hunt: The final chapter
Earlier this year, HR Zone member Sue Harrison resigned from her job and has been reporting her search for new employment back to us here at HR Zone. In this final instalment, she is pleased to report her search is over, yet she discovered along the way that there’s ‘nowt so queer as folk’. Welcome […]
Ask the expert: Constructive dismissal?
A home-based employee has now been asked by his employer to work from the office instead. However, the employee feels unable to do this. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner at Mills & Reeve, advise on whether the employee can bring a constructive dismissal claim. The question:A friend of mine was […]
World of learning winners celebrate in style
The BBC, Linklaters LLP, 7city Learning and BVS Training are among those celebrating their success at the World of Learning Awards.More than 400 guests attended the black-tie awards ceremony in Birmingham last week, hosted by comic Dominic Holland.Jim Reilly, project manager for the World of Learning Awards, said: “The World of Learning Awards are now […]
Benefits of £4.4 million for the ‘too fat to work’
Almost 2,000 people who are classed as ‘too fat to work’ have been paid a whopping £4.4 million in benefit.The shocking findings reported by The Times newspaper revealed that billions of pounds are being paid in benefits to people claiming to be unable to work because they suffer from illnesses that keep them away from […]
HR salaries on the rise
HR directors take home an impressive £120,000 a year, with HR officers pulling in £25,832, a new survey has revealed.In good news for those working in the profession, average earnings rose by 6.8 per cent over the last year, a figure that compares to a rise of 5.6 per cent in 2006.Remuneration Economics, publishers of […]
Ordinary job is the dream for most workers
Workers in the UK are happy with their lot and wouldn’t leave their job for the world.These are the findings of a new survey which quizzed five different industry sectors including engineering, sales, IT, construction and accountancy to find out about their dream job. Each sector was given the choice out of film star, footballer, […]
Government unveils plans for 7.5m new training places
The government plans to fund 7.5 million training places in England in a bid to raise the skills of the least qualified.Just under half of the places – 3.5 million – will be in basic skills, while 120,000 will be apprenticeships for young people, and 30,000 new places for the over-25s.There will be another 95,000 […]
Skills shortages hit two-thirds of London businesses
Businesses in London struggling to meet their skills needs are increasingly looking overseas for both graduates and lower-skilled staff, according to the CBI and KPMG.Results from the London business survey show that two out of three firms in the capital (65 per cent) expect to be troubled by skills shortages over the next six months, […]
Startling gap between HR and business
A large gap exists between the opinions of HR professionals and those in business management roles, according to a recent survey.A total of 96 organisations were surveyed and results showed that 72 per cent of HR people believed that the statement, ‘anything that gets vacancies filled more quickly’, was a high priority, whereas only 28 […]
What’s in a name?
HR professionals believe the HR name debate is nothing more than a distraction, a survey has highlighted.HR consultancy, HR with Guts, quizzed 250 senior HR professionals about how they felt about adopting a new name to indicate its change in focus. The findings showed that 77 per cent of people felt this was merely a […]
