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 […]
Train to Gain celebrates its first birthday
Train to Gain, the learning advisory service from the Learning and Skills Council, is celebrating the successes of its first year.The outfit, which provides impartial and independent advice on training to businesses across England, has exceeded its government targets with more than 52,000 employers signed up.Latest figures, it claims, reveal that nearly 230,000 employees have […]
In case of emergency…what do you do?
What happens if an employee has an accident?FACTS– It takes on average 6 HOURS before an employee/relative is contacted in case an employee has an accident.– Most employees do not have medical information for their employees nor do they have contact details for relatives. This leaves them stranded and unable to help.– Most people do […]
The parent trap: Dealing with childcare. By Louise Druce
It can be hard trying to juggle work and kids, with some parents having to settle for second-rate jobs in order to look after their family but keep the pennies rolling in. Louise Druce asks if firms are doing enough to be more childcare friendly. The kids may be back at school but balancing childcare […]
The Harrogate pilgrimage: A journey worth making? By Annie Hayes
The all together more palatable September, term-time slot is one reason why many are attending this year’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) annual conference. Annie Hayes finds out who is going and why. Practitioner keynotes and inspirational speakersThere’s no doubt that the glitz, glamour and fame that speakers in past conferences brought has […]
Statutory dismissal procedures: Do you know when they apply?
Employers must ensure they have a thorough understanding of the broad scope of statutory disciplinary and dismissal procedures, otherwise they risk facing unexpected claims of automatic unfair dismissal, warns employment law expert Guy Guinan. It has been reported that the government intends to scrap the controversial statutory disciplinary and dismissal procedures, but what they will […]
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 […]
