Big-smoke top for work-life balance
Despite the English capital’s unfriendly image, Londoners believe they have the best work-life balance in the UK, according to a report from Working Families Ram-packed tube trains and rocketing property prices have failed to put off almost two thirds of London’s workers, who feel they have the best equilibrium between their time at the office […]
UK managers ‘thirst for change’
A thirst for knowledge and development rather than academic prowess could be key to better job prospects, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has found.The CMI study revealed that while almost two thirds of employers and 74% of individuals believed management qualifications will become more important over the next five years, 95% of those polled were […]
Brisk HR sees Dyke tune in
Sacked former director-general of the BBC Greg Dyke told quiz master Jeremy Paxman and delegates at the CIPD’s opening keynote address that he wished HR was ‘brisker’ and braver in identifying when the rules needed to be broken.The remarks came on the close of the first day of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s […]
Room for improvement – ‘talent management’ fails to score top marks
This is the conclusion of a year-long study by the CIPD into talent management.Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) annual conference today, Victoria Winkler and Rebecca Clake from the organisation said that progress could still be made with 65 per cent saying talent management efforts were effective or at best very […]
Are temps feeling the benefits? By Louise Druce
Just because you employ a temporary worker, it doesn’t mean their entitlements are just as fleeting. With controversial changes to the law on the agenda, Louise Druce looks at what firms need to do to better manage their benefits to ensure a successful relationship for all. With threats to resurrect a directive giving temporary workers […]
Could do ‘more’ – bosses ignore alcohol and drug problems
A new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) exposes employers for failing to support employees with substance dependency problems.Just 38 per cent pay enough attention to the problem by co-ordinating rehabilitation support to help individuals with drug or alcohol problems return to work. The findings also show that four out of […]
Move to boost young people taking up IT
e-skills UK, the employer-led Sector Skills Council for IT and telecoms, is launching a drive to transform the attitudes of young people to IT-related education and careers.Supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the ‘Revitalise IT’ initiative brings together employers, universities and schools to help prepare the UK’s future IT professionals.Karen Price, […]
Voice from the workplace: Why do we mismanage people?
In a new series looking at an employee’s view of the workplace, we explore the various problems and issues experienced by this member of staff and highlight how HR and management can help to put it right. This week, management consultant John Pope responds to the problem of bad management when handling change. Introduction by […]
HR struggling to become business partner
Many HR professionals are still finding it difficult to make the move from traditional HR to strategic business partner.These are comments made by Shirley Dalziel, co-author of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) toolkit, ‘HR Business Partnering’, which aims to assist HR professionals to identify skills gaps and apply those skills to become […]
Relocation, Relocation, Relocation
HR Zone member Sandra Beale advises on how organisations can best handle a relocation of offices so that all runs smoothly and employee motivation and productivity stays in tact. In today’s competitive age many companies seek to cut costs to improve profits, which is linked to business strategy. One way of reducing overheads is to […]
Hundreds call learning advice line
A new advice line from Unionlearn has attracted 700 enquiries in its first month.The line, formally launched at the TUC conference earlier this month, offers union members advice on how to further their education, available courses and new career directions.It was accessed by trade union members across England and Wales, with psychology and law being […]
HR ‘lacks strategic skills’
The biggest challenge that HR departments face in their bid to become more strategic is a lack of skills, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Institute of Employment Studies.In a poll, the CIPD found that 53 per cent of organisations had restructured their HR function in the last […]
Negotiating exit packages
Paul Archer, head of employment law at Lemon & Co Solicitors, advises on parting company with employees by negotiating exit packages, particularly in light of recent developments in the law concerning the ‘without prejudice’ rule. All HR professionals know that there are sometimes cases when it is important for an employer to part company with […]
Ask the expert: Casual labour
Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, discuss the issues surrounding continuity of service for employees on short-term contracts. The question:We employ staff in open competition for up to 11 months, through adverts placed on the website. Some posts can be for a number […]
Podcasts focus on training trends and best practice
E-learning specialist Learn.com has launched a new podcast series for HR and training executives. Hosted by Don Cook, senior vice president of marketing, and Michael Sabbag, director of talent management services at Learn.com, the series will focus on industry trends, successful strategies, best practices, and new and innovative technologies. "You will leave each podcast with […]
Employees keep schtum about co-workers’ annoying habits
The annoying habits of work colleagues are stressing out office workers but instead of approaching HR departments about it, they are suffering in silence.These findings come from a survey of over 1,000 employees on stress in the office, carried out by Ceridian, a provider of HR services. It reveals that while colleagues’ annoying habits can […]
KFC puts Colonel at the heart of employee engagement
Fast food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken has put the iconic Colonel at the heart of its employee engagement strategy.Speaking this week at engage 07’s conference in London, Karen Russell, people director at KFC, told delegates how they translated strategies into key words and visual icons. Using a layered approach with the Colonel at the heart, […]
Rogue employment agencies face unlimited fines
Employment agencies found guilty of exploiting workers will face unlimited fines in a crackdown that promises to get tough.Reported by The Times, John Hutton, business secretary, told the TUC yesterday that the number of employment agency standard inspectors would be doubled to 24 in an attempt to beat rogue agents.The news comes on the back […]
Trader gets second shot at failed sex discrimination claim
Equality watchdog, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), is backing an attempt by a former trader to overturn a tribunal ruling that found she did not suffer sex discrimination, to the tune of £1.35 million, when she was prevented from returning to her old job following a period of maternity leave.Reported by The Times, Katharina Tofeji, […]
TUC announce change at the top
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has announced today (Thursday) the election of its next president.Dave Prentis, general secretary of public services union Unison, is appointed.A member of the TUC General Council, TUC Executive and Trade Union Labour Party Liaison Committee, Prentis is also a director of the Institute of Public Policy Research, as well as […]
