HR tip: Discovering past misdemeanours
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: "An accounts clerk has worked for us for 18 months but we have just discovered that he stole money from his previous employer. We did not seek a reference on him nor […]
Are you paying too much tax?
Making sure you are paying the right amount of tax can be a headache for everyone, with many employees unaware of potential tax saving opportunities. One solution is to offer a professional tax return service as part of the employee benefits package, says Andrew Higgins. For many, the arrival of the dreaded Inland Revenue envelope […]
Jobless count tumbles setting new record
The unemployment rate has fallen by 28,000 over the last quarter with the numbers in employment swelling to 29.10 million over the same period, the highest figure since comparable records began in 1971.The official figures from the Office of National Statistics paints a promising picture. Fuelling further confidence in the labour market is figures showing […]
Lesbian candidates ‘dress-down’ identity to escape discrimination
Lesbians are turning their backs on more masculine forms of dress for fear of being discriminated against at interview stage.This is the conclusion of an academic study by researchers at the Universities of Cumbria and Glamorgan, who claim that despite recent equality legislation, women who leaned towards more masculine attire felt their chances of netting […]
Nicht sprechen Deutsche: Bank in race discrimination row
Sacked for “not being German enough” is the claim of a high-flying banker who is suing his former employer to the tune of £10 million.Reported by The Times, Malcolm Perry, who worked as a senior banker for Dresdner Kleinwort in London, told an employment tribunal that he was sidelined and made redundant as senior Frankfurt-based […]
250,000 temp placements ‘jeopardised’
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on the government to stand firm against renewed EU and union pressure to resurrect a draft directive affecting up to 250,000 temporary workers.EU governments are meeting this week to discuss proposals on the draft Agency Workers Directive that would put temporary workers on an equal footing with […]
Ramadan presents religious discrimination concern
Workers are being warned not to indirectly discriminate against Muslim workers by failing to recognise the fast-approaching month of Ramadan.Law firm DWF says simple changes to the working routine, such as allowing breaks at different times of day, could help avoid charges of religious discrimination during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. This […]
Smoking ban boosts public health
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has described the announcement of a 17 per cent drop in heart attack admissions since the Scottish smoking ban was introduced as “the best news on public health all year.”Richard Jones, director of technical affairs at IOSH, said: “The study gives very encouraging statistics and is a […]
Lack of flexibility for working mothers
The majority of working mothers are finding it difficult to find the flexibility they need when searching for jobs.These are the findings of a survey by WorkingMums.co.uk, a jobsite for women searching for flexible job opportunities, which quizzed over 600 mothers and found that a staggering 90 per cent say they have encountered problems finding […]
Employment legislation: Untangling the red tape. By Matt Henkes
The crushing weight of current employment laws may be cause to complain, but they’re not going away any time soon. Matt Henkes looks at how you can keep up to date and where some companies are slipping up. Long-serving HR professionals may grumble about the amount of employment regulations they face these days but, like […]
How to prevent leavers working for the opposition
Barrister Charles Price highlights what employers need to know when trying to prevent departing employees working for the opposition, and considers whether your restrictive covenants are effective in law. An employer can limit the activities of former employees by including express contractual restraints in their contracts of employment. These covenants usually involve clauses prohibiting non-solicitation […]
Revisiting the interview
HR Zone member and chartered occupational psychologist Denise Taylor recommends refining your interview technique to increase your skills and performance during the recruitment process. Many people will say they are a good interviewer; it is a part of many jobs, but how good are we really? Have we slipped into some bad habits? Could we […]
Working towards a flexible future
James Manning, business development manager at Auto:time Solutions, considers the importance of offering flexible working to ensure organisations gain, and keep, that competitive edge. Offering staff flexible working arrangements has previously been an overlooked business consideration and the potential benefits it brings has been particularly undervalued. However, having a productive workforce in place has become […]
Ask the expert: Obtaining medical information
Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, discuss what employers need to be aware of when seeking to obtain further medical information from a sick employee’s team of health providers. The question:An employee has MS and has been absent for a while. This has […]
Happiness is elusive amongst HR
Many HR professionals are unhappy in their current job and believe they are being paid less than the average salary for their role.These are the findings of the ‘Happiness at Work’ Index by recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, which found that just 31 per cent of HR workers are happy in their current job, with […]
Lack of training means lack of talent
Organisations are failing to offer sufficient career development and training opportunities to managers, which is leading to increased recruitment and retention problems.Research conducted by the Chartered Management Institute show that although 74 per cent of individuals believe management qualifications are becoming more important, over half of organisations admit they offer little in the way of […]
Facebook misuse costing employers millions
Workers who waste time on Facebook during office hours are costing UK companies £132 million a day, according to new research.The survey of 3,469 UK organisations also showed that 233 million hours a month are lost due to employees spending their time on social networking sites instead of getting on with their work.The survey authors, […]
Risky business: Facing adversity and riding the storm. By Annie Hayes
An HR director of a leading bank recently asked his business continuity adviser to predict the number of body bags he should buy in. HR’s role in risk management is varied and challenging and requires not only military precision but dedication and a fair dollop of patience. Annie Hayes reports. Noah’s Ark is the oldest […]
The end to an HR career?
Jan Hills, from HR with Guts, discusses the problems facing the HR industry as service centres and career administrators are taking the entry level positions, and she explains how, without lower level strategy roles, the industry will stagnate. Once upon a time, there was a clear and well defined HR career ladder. This meant that […]
Legislation update: ‘Service provision changes’ under TUPE
Richard White, specialist employment solicitor at Withy King, considers a recent case concerning the effect of the rules relating to ‘service provision changes’ under TUPE 2006, which came into force on 6 April 2006. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE 2006) are designed to safeguard employees’ rights when a business, or […]
