CIPD calls on employers to manage ‘external’ parties
Managing suppliers and consultants can boost business performance, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The professional body says external partners have valuable knowledge which is strategic to the organisation and often essential to the delivery of products and services.The new case-study based report from the CIPD investigates ways of managing these third […]
Blue ‘skills’ card proposal for immigrants
The European Commission has presented a proposal designed to address legal immigration issues in the EU.It is suggested that a ‘blue card’ be given to skilled workers with a restriction on mobility within the EU.UK Green and immigration spokesperson Jean Lambert, criticising the limitations imposed on the movement of labour, said:“This blue card is supposed […]
BT launches cancer campaign for staff
Telecoms giant BT has launched a campaign to help its employees protect themselves from cancer by making changes to their lifestyle.The firm’s Work Fit: Cancer and You campaign, which will run for six weeks and include worldwide roadshows, articles and interactive displays, aims to help its 104,000 current employees from across the globe, as well […]
Agency workers/contractors v employees
In our call centre, IT and some other areas, we bring in agency workers or contractors before offering a permanent role or use contractors. In some instances individuals have elected to stay as agency temps or contractors. I am currently reviewing how we treat our agency workers/ contractors with regards to such matters as appraisals, […]
Moving on up
Promotion is an exciting time but also a daunting one as everyone adjusts to the new role. Louise Druce finds out how HR can manage the transition smoothly and tackle any green-eyed monsters lurking in the team left behind. Promotion comes with a mixed bag of feelings. There is excitement and enthusiasm, a keenness to […]
How healthy is your workplace?
Simon Jones, acting CEO of Investors in People (UK), looks at the issue of wellbeing in the workplace and questions what a ‘healthy working environment’ really means and whether it is the employer’s or employee’s responsibility. In workplaces across the country, the question of how to manage and develop employees more effectively is a serious […]
Guide promises to handhold bosses through the Companies Act
A new guide designed to help company directors comply with the Companies Act has been launched.The Companies Act 2006: Directors Duties Guidance promises to help directors in a new obligation to consider their business’ impact on people and the environment. The Act, which has been described as the “biggest shake up of company law for […]
Acas aid averts 16,000 employment tribunals
Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, has claimed to have saved businesses £120 million in 2006 as 16,000 cases were prevented from ending up in costly employment tribunals.The independent research from the Institute for Employment Studies shows that almost a quarter (23 per cent) of employees had been considering making an employment tribunal claim […]
Public sector chief scoops £2.7m pension payout
Sir Richard Mottram, a top public sector chief, will take home the most generous public sector pension ever awarded, amounting to £2.7m.Reported by The Telegraph, Mottram, who currently oversees the country’s intelligence and national security policy, will receive a tax-free lump sum of £335,000 and an annual pension of more than £110,000. Annual payouts will […]
Ask the expert: Redundancy and re-employment
What are the implications of re-employing former employees who had previously been made redundant? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:My company has recently undergone TUPE re-organisation and redundancy (they had good economical reasons to do this). This was a massive […]
Capability and misconduct: Clearing up the confusion
Employers who confuse capability and misconduct policies do so at their own risk, warns barrister Charles Price. Mike has been repeatedly swearing at members of staff and is called in for a head-to-head with his employer. The employer gives him a telling off and sets targets for improvement as per the capability process. This approach […]
Disability diversity: The real equal opportunities challenge
Disability is an area far more contentious and complex than race, age and gender when dealing with diversity. Paul Avis, corporate development manager at Ceridian’s LifeWork’s division, explores why disability is often the hardest area of equal opportunities and can be overlooked by employers. While it is easy to imagine the uproar if an employer […]
Skills shake-up for tourism and leisure
People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, is promising a radical shake-up of qualifications in consultation with employers in its arena.The skills council is conducting a series of 75 meetings across the UK to get employers’ views on what they would like to see included in qualifications for the industry. […]
Tax and NI allowances set for 2008/09
The Treasury has now published the income tax, national insurance contributions, child and working tax credit rates for 2008/09 and other rates.Highlights:The single person’s personal allowance will be £5,435 (2007/08 £5,225), and there are greater increases for those over 65 years and those over 65 and entitled to the married persons allowance as already announced […]
Yule be sorry: Christmas temps fuel tribunal fears
Retailers and other businesses reliant on the heavy use of temporary staff during the festive season are being warned that less favourable treatment could wind them up at an employment tribunal.This is the warning of law firm DWF. The company says that bosses who take on temporary cover should ensure those staff are given the […]
HR sets the pace at Softworld event
HR software is rarely a source of excitement, but traditional priorities were turned on their head at the Softworld event at the Birmingham NEC last week. John Stokdyk reportsSandwiched between accounting/finance and project/performance management exhibitors, the HR & payroll companies were frequently swamped with visitors while rival exhibitors were left moaning about the lack of […]
Entrepreneurs ‘left all alone’ with staff rules
More than three quarters of small company owners have to deal with increasing levels of employment law by themselves, new research reveals.The study by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) showed 78 per cent of entrepreneurs deal unaided with employee-related paperwork while a third complained they did know where to turn for government advice on […]
Brown’s jobs pledge at odds with EU law
The Prime Minister’s vow to find an extra 500,000 jobs for British workers is questioned as the legality of the pledge is in doubt.Reported by The Telegraph, the impartial House of Commons library says that European law stipulates that workers from EU member countries must ‘enjoy equal treatment’ when applying for jobs under European treaties […]
Inefficiency costs bosses £80bn
UK companies waste around 18 per cent of all working time due to a crass and inefficient use of labour, resulting in 40 average working days being lost every year.Proudfoot Consulting, the report authors, claims this equates to a bill of £80bn, or around 7 per cent of gross domestic product.According to the report, more […]
Misconduct cases soar as prison officers break codes of conduct
Assault and sexual harassment are among the misconduct offences brought against more than 1,000 prison officers in England and Wales between 2000 and 2006.According to a report by The Guardian newspaper, problems reached a critical level at a number of well-known prisons. At Birmingham, 51 staff were sacked or put on warning; at Risley in […]
