Firms tested during recruitment
It’s not just candidates who come under scrutiny during the hiring process. Recruiting employers risk alienating future employees, losing customers and harming their PR, a recruitment specialist has warned. Potential employees need to be treated well throughout the recruitment process, even if an applicant proves not to be suitable for the first position they apply […]
Is your performance management performing? By Rob Lewis
Performance management is supposed to empower your staff, release their potential and propel your organisation into the big time – which is funny, because half the time it just seems to lead to recriminations and arguments about salary. Rob Lewis wonders if HR can help manage performance management. Ah, the annual performance management review: […]
Employee retention – does it matter?
Bettina Pickering and Tom Marks, of PA Consulting Group, question whether high employee retention really is the key objective to ensuring the overall performance and growth of an organisation. Many of us will have recently experienced an increased focus on improving staff retention within our organisations. HR magazines and internet sites are full of articles […]
Did that hurt? A new, painless way of using recruiters
Isobel Rimmer, managing director of Masterclass Recruitment, discusses a new approach to using recruiters. Recruiting the best people is probably one of the most difficult tasks managers face in their daily work. Whether at new hire, entry level, senior appointments or to the board, we know that success depends on attracting, recruiting and retaining the […]
Ask the expert: Maternity suspension
A pregnant employee’s current role places her and her unborn baby at risk of harm. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise on whether to suspend this employee, with or without pay, because she refuses to accept an alternative, less risky role within […]
Going green: The new pressure facing HR
The pressure is on for HR directors to toe the line and place green policies at the heart of their business, says Gareth Chick, HR director of Spring Partnerships. There is no escaping it, companies are under great pressure at the moment to go green; to prove they are socially responsible, environmentally friendly and are […]
Financial services employers miss the mark on benefits
There is a huge disparity between financial services employees’ benefits priorities and the packages on offer from their employers, according to new research.In a survey of almost 250 UK financial services employees and employers, by recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, it found that flexible working hours was one of the top incentives for employees, yet […]
Cities hit by ‘brain drain’
Major UK cities are likely to be affected by a 'brain drain' as over half a million graduates flock to London, Jobsite has warned. The approaching exodus of qualified individuals to the capital was revealed in a survey that showed one in three current students was planning a move to London in search of employment. […]
Only a third of employees offered benefits
There is still confusion among workers as to what exactly constitutes an ’employee benefit’, with two thirds of workers receiving none at all, a survey has found.Canada Life Group Insurance discovered that company pension schemes into which the firm contributes were the most highly sought after benefit by employees, with holiday allowance over the legal […]
Firms urged to ‘boomerang hire’
Businesses which re-employ former employees enjoy cost savings and increased productivity, new research claims.Corporate social networking company SelectMinds said employers who stay in touch with ex-staff and bring them back into the organisation when needed can expect significant benefits. In the poll of 60 global firms, 66 per cent of re-hires were classed as star […]
When a team is born: How HR can bring people together
Building a solid team requires mastery of all the HR disciplines: reward policy, organisational culture, management processes, and working practices, to name but a few. It’s what makes effective team-building one of the greatest challenges out there. Rob Lewis looks at what HR can – and can’t – do. As the mastermind behind D-Day once […]
Legislation update: Liability for stress at work
Richard White, specialist employment solicitor at Withy King, considers a recent case in which the court of appeal overturned a high court decision concerning liability for stress at work. Claims from employees for injuries arising from stress at work have been the subject of a large amount of case law in recent years, the effect […]
Act it out: Using drama-based training
The use of professional actors in learning and development has evolved from the simple provision of role players to designing and delivering sophisticated simulation events. Robbie Swales highlights the changing nature of drama-based training and provides tips on how to choose a drama provider. Acting in the interests of L&DFifteen years ago, when I became […]
Understanding employee engagement
The widespread imbalance between recruitment and retention shows that organisations have got their priorities wrong, says Ron Eldridge. He calls for a strategic shift to address this anomaly. Staff retention is a key issue for HR professionals. UK organisations spend billions of pounds attracting, recruiting and developing their staff yet research shows that more than […]
HR tip: Disabled employee and sickness benefit
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 my employees is a disabled person who has been off sick for several months and has now exhausted his contractual sick pay entitlement. Because he is disabled do I have to […]
New CIPD Chief Executive appointed
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has announced the appointment of Jackie Orme as Chief Executive, to succeed Geoff Armstrong, who is retiring in June 2008.She joins the CIPD from PepsiCo International.What do others think of the appointment? Iain Young
Business Software Satisfaction Awards 2007
The great and the good from the software industry joined journalists and employers in central London on Tuesday 9 October for the 2007 Business Software Satisfaction Awards organised by Sift Media, publisher of HR Zone. The wine flowed, as did the conversation, and we saw some very deserving winners collect their awards. All in all, […]
Legendary comedian presents an ode to the awards
The guest speaker at Sift Media’s 2007 Business Software Satisfaction Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday 9 October was Barry Cryer, the legendary comedian and performer. A true professional with an epic CV to prove it, Barry served up a 30-minute barrage of gags that concluded with a poem specially composed for the occasion. To […]
Business Software Satisfaction Awards 2007: The results
More than 300 people gathered for a glittering ceremony at The Brewery in London on Tuesday 9 October for the 2007 Business Software Satisfaction Awards organised by Sift Media, publisher of HR Zone. The 2007 awards cover suppliers who serve members of all of Sift Media’s online professional communities, including HR Zone, TrainingZone, AccountingWEB, FinanceWeek, […]
Employers warned of apathy towards employee wellbeing
A third of UK workers feel their health is being neglected at work by employers, new research has revealed.The study, by Business in the Community (BITC), also highlighted that 62 per cent of workers don’t believe that their bosses consider staff as assets worth investing in, whilst 46 per cent state that a lack of […]
