Rise in GCSE top grades
The proportion of students gaining the top GCSE grades has increased again.Almost one in five entrants gained an A* or A, up 0.4 percentage point to 19.5 per cent, while those managing an A* to C rose from 62.4 per cent to 63.3 per cent, a rise of 0.9.Results in the all-important subjects of English […]
Royal Mail staff raise millions in payroll donation scheme
Royal Mail employees raised a record-breaking £2.6 million through payroll giving in the last financial year, up almost £440,000 on the previous year.Around 50,000 employees at the organisation make monthly payroll donations – at a rate of £295 an hour. More than 850 charities have benefited from the scheme at the Royal Mail, the main […]
Training needs analysis: What is the best approach?
Jan Hills of HR consultancy HR With Guts suggests taking a more positive approach to your training needs analysis, by focusing on the outcome rather than the problem. When you feel your HR team could be working more efficiently, or at a higher level, and you are unsure as to how to go about making […]
Colborn’s Corner: Diversity – it’s not down to HR
Trevor Philips, the chair of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights, which will take over the work of Britain’s three existing equality commissions in October 2007, has recently stated that responsibility for diversity should be taken away from HR. Quentin Colborn takes a look at what HR professionals should and shouldn’t be responsible […]
HR tip: Giving notice
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:"A woman accepted a job at my company but I then had to withdraw the offer before she started work. Am I required to pay her anything since she did not actually take […]
Getting your just reward. By Louise Druce
Hard work can be worth it simply for the perks of the job but how can employers be sure they are offering the right incentives to staff? Louise Druce finds out that there’s more to reward schemes than a token pile of cash – although sometimes that would be nice too! Job perks can often […]
Civil servants forced to break working time regs
One in 20 civil servants work over and above their contracted hours, breaking the working time regulations by working over 49 hours per week.Excessive workload is being blamed for creeping hours with half admitting they work extra hours to keep in control. This compares to a third in the private sector delivering civil service contracts.Shockingly, […]
Employees are sick of change
Change is happening in almost every organisation and the pace and frequency is hitting employees hard with levels of sickness soaring.Eighty-nine per cent of managers say they have experienced some form of organisational change in recent months which has resulted in a whopping 60 per cent reporting an increase in illness rates over the past […]
Facebook ban bars half of workers
Fifty per cent of employees are blocked from accessing social networking site Facebook by employers who are worried that it saps productivity and is a security threat.LloydsTSB, Credit Suisse, and Goldman Sachs are amongst the companies reported to have blocked employees from visiting Facebook. Graham Cluely, a senior technology consultant at IT security firm Sophos, […]
Training conference moves to off-set carbon footprint
Delegates to this year’s World of Learning Conference will be able to off-set their carbon footprint with a tree planted in their name.The move is aimed to highlight the issue of the role of learning and development in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and carbon footprint reduction.On day one of the November conference, Cathy Ham, general […]
Business group proposes ‘golden carrot’ for science students
A ‘golden carrot’ bursary of £1,000 a year should be given to science and engineering undergraduates as part of a five point plan to double the proportion of students taking these subjects, a business group has said.The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) five point plan proposes action across the schools and universities system to get […]
Broadband v Benefit In Kind
We currently have a number of staff who are homebased and provided with laptops, printers and a broadband connection to enable them to carry out their work effectively. However, I believe that there are a number of tax implications regarding the use of laptops/internet if we are unable to prove that our staff only use […]
Don’t forget apprenticeships, urges LSC
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is urging individuals to consider the merits of apprenticeships in the wake of exam results.The learning body says that more than 130,000 businesses employ 250,000 apprentices in England alone and claim that enrolling in an apprenticeship scheme can build a bright future for school leavers.The LSC highlight several benefits […]
Inside outsourcing. By Matt Henkes
Choosing to outsource your HR function can be a risky business, involving a great deal of trust and a careful eye for the pitfalls. But it can also pay dividends in cost savings and productivity. So is it a blessing or a curse? And should you consider it at all? Matt Henkes finds out. High […]
Soldiering on: Why reservists are good for business. By Lucie Benson
If you employ a member of the reserved forces within your organisation, you may find they are very capable, disciplined and can bring significant benefits to the business. Lucie Benson talks to Tim Corry, campaign director at SaBRE, to find out how their military commitments could affect you and where you stand if they’re mobilised. […]
Happiness is technology
Technology is boosting levels of happiness amongst the 4.2 million small businesses in the UK.BT Business has made the claims in light of its survey which reveals that as many as one in two employees believe IT is making their job more varied than it was 10 years ago, with 41 per cent saying it […]
Is your organisation serious about employee wellbeing?
Consultant and HR Zone member Annie Lawler continues with her series on stress management, this time looking at why organisations should take time to understand the principles behind employee wellbeing policies, to ensure everyone benefits. During the course of my work in organisational and individual stress management, I’m finding those organisations who ‘get it’, those […]
Faster, better team decisions
Just how easy is it to help people in teams come to decisions which they all agree on? Anthony Landale highlights a new approach that moves teams toward consensus, fast. Why can’t people agree? It’s an old complaint but just how much time and energy is spent in your organisation getting people to pull in […]
Three Rs could land bosses in the dock
Testing applicants’ basic reading and writing skills could land employers in court.The warning follows a landmark case which ruled mild forms of dyslexia to be considered as a disability. In July, Chief Inspector David Paterson won his case against the Metropolitan Police for their failure to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate his disability – particularly […]
Ask the expert: Mandatory retirement
This week, Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Anna Youngs, solicitor at Mills & Reeve, advise on the correct procedures to follow when employers are considering terminating employment of an employee on the grounds of retirement. The question:One of our staff has had health issues for years and has been on restricted duties for […]