Entrepreneurs ‘born not made’
There may have been an increase in the number of courses offering instruction in how to run a company but new research reveals that two-thirds of small business owners believe entrepreneurship cannot be taught.The poll, on HR Zone’s sister-site www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk, found just 33 per cent thought that the attributes of entrepreneurship can be learnt in […]
We have to stop meeting like this
With UK workers facing meeting overload, Bert van der Zwan, from WebEx, explains why cutting the number of face-to-face meetings can benefit both companies and their staff. How many meetings do you attend every month? For some of us it may only be one or two, but for others a meeting every day, or every […]
Colborn’s Corner: Online distractions at work
There has been much press comment over the past few weeks about employees’ online activities at work. Whether it be engaging in eBay trading or accessing Facebook during office hours, there have been plenty of opinions from both the specialist and mainstream press. Quentin Colborn addresses what online access means at work today. Given the […]
Royal Mail faces further protracted industrial action
The union representing postal workers has turned up the heat in its dispute with Royal Mail (RM), launching a series of strikes which are likely to disrupt the postal system for the foreseeable future. Talks between RM and the Community Workers Union (CWU) are ongoing, though the first 48-hour stoppage is set to begin when […]
HR tip: Age discrimination
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 uncomfortable with age discrimination constraints. How can we ensure that a candidate has the appropriate length of experience for the job if we cannot ask for minimum periods of experience in […]
HR managers across Europe rate EAPs
Over half of HR managers across Europe have established, or are considering, an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a study has revealed.The report, commisioned by the Employee Assistance European Forum (EAEF), highlights the perceptions of EAPs amongst HR managers in over 100 organisations in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark.It found that 53 per cent of […]
Northern Rock pension scheme under threat
Past and present staff at the troubled Northern Rock bank could risk losing a wedge of their pension if the company goes into administration. The scheme, which was closed to new members in 1999, has a deficit of £21.7m, though industry experts have estimated that closing it down would cost between £50m and £100m. In […]
London’s professionals want coaching
A large percentage of London professionals believe that executive coaching would improve their performance at work, a study has concluded. Research by The School of Coaching found that over three quarters of the capital’s executives appreciate the virtues of coaching, and 57 per cent said they would feel jealous if a colleague at a similar […]
“Sloppy wording” in job ads breaches age discrimination laws
A survey of 200 job advertisements has found that 21 per cent were potentially ageist and 27 per cent could be viewed as containing some form of discrimination.The results of the research, by law firm DWF, come one year after the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations came into force. In terms of industry, the survey found […]
Political skills key to management success
Political know-how is becoming an increasingly important tool for successful career progression, an executive recruitment specialist has claimed. Professionals who can play a canny political game stand a better chance of getting ahead professionally, though politicking still carries negative connotations, said the Hitchenor Wakeford Group (HWG), and few professionals will openly claim to be skilled […]
Help available as holiday entitlement increases
A free online guide has been launched by employment relations service Acas, to help employers with the statutory holiday entitlement increase that came into effect on 1 October.The guide, Holidays and holiday pay, offers free advice on holiday rights for full and part-time workers and guidance on how to calculate pay. The changes to annual […]
Laying down the law. By Louise Druce
The 1 October saw a flurry of new employment legislation come into play that could have serious repercussions for businesses if not enforced correctly. So how can HR professionals stay on top of the legal paper mountain? Louise Druce finds out. Even for HR professionals who were well prepared for the raft of employment legislation […]
Diminishing strategic role boosts IT churn
Churn among top IT staff has hit new heights as the perceived strategic nature of their role diminishes, new research has found. A survey by recruitment firm Harvey Nash showed that 10 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) and senior technology professionals felt that their job was becoming less strategic, while almost 60 per […]
Management and leadership skills: What’s the difference?
When furthering the skills of your managers and leaders, you must first define the difference between management and leadership. Mike Morrison says that many believe you can train management skills, but you develop leadership abilities, and he explores the options open to those responsible for the training and development of managers and leaders. As our […]
Web-based reporting takes drudgery out of 360-degree appraisals
Until recently, the level of paperwork required has dampened enthusiasm for 360-degree appraisals; but web-based data collection and reporting tools are overcoming this hurdle, according to specialist web company Element 78. John Stokdyk reports“The challenge for anyone doing 360-degree appraisals is that you have to take feedback from several people and pull it into one […]
Bullying, behaviours and ethics: How can we improve the culture?
Management consultant John Pope discusses the problem of bullying and bad behaviours amongst organisations, and questions what we can do about unacceptable failures to ensure consistent and correct ethical standards. Bad behavioursA senior manager was allowed to retire early with an enhancement to his pension and the explanation that he was leaving ‘to pursue other […]
Strategic planning: Top 10 tips to create a winning strategy
‘Strategy’ is a word that sometimes seems to be used very lightly at work, but a winning strategy is often hard to create. HR Zone member Jeremy Thorn offers some helpful tips on strategic planning. 1. Strategy implementation is much harder than strategy developmentSome boards work really hard to develop excellent strategies and then wonder […]
Ask the expert: Disciplinary hearing on return from maternity leave
Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise on the correct procedures to follow when an employee, on return from maternity leave, has allegations made against her and must attend a disciplinary hearing. The question:I have a colleague who has just returned from maternity […]
Benefits while training for young people
Under 25s will be able to claim unemployment benefits while on training courses, Work and Pensions secretary Peter Hain has announced.Young people taking part in Get Into courses, run by the Prince’s Trust, will be eligible for Jobseekers Allowance.The short intensive courses cover a variety of sectors and aim to help unemployed 16-25s get the […]
Employers ‘positive’ about older workers
Most employers say they have positive attitudes to older workers, although they are more reluctant to recruit the over-50s and training seems to tail off for this group. These are the headline findings of a qualitative study looking at how employers are responding to an ageing workforce carried out by the Centre for Research into […]
