HR tip: Restrictive covenants
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: "How can I make an employee accept a restrictive covenant?" HR Tip: This could be difficult. If there is a really sound business reason for wanting the covenant, and the employee refuses it unreasonably […]
Colborn’s Corner: Industrial inaction
Quentin Colborn comments on how the current headlines about strikes on the London tube have alerted people to the fact that industrial walk outs are not necessarily a thing of the past. There has also been recent news of potential action at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and, of all places, a strike at Coca Cola. How […]
Fat cats bow out to the tune of £3 million
Top directors are retiring at 60 on an average final salary pension worth over £3 million.This is an increase of £300,000 in a year and enough to provide a pension of £193,000 a year – more than 25 times the average occupational pension of £7,500 a year. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual Pensions Watch […]
Demand for IT training strong among silver surfers
The age of the silver surfer is upon us, according to research from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE).More than half (51.3 per cent) of all the courses that people over 65 are taking relate to computer skills. The second most popular subject amongst older people is foreign languages with over one in […]
Eating for two? The perils of the office diet
The dietary habits of neighbouring work colleagues can have a drastic effect on your weight, according to a new survey.More than three quarters of employees believe that gaining weight is the result of the unhealthy influence of the person who sits next to them in the office. The study of 2,000 workers also found that […]
Being ‘fired’ is secret of success
Disgruntled workers are among some of the top British entrepreneurs, with almost a fifth of small business owners founding their company after being fired from a previous job. Other entrepreneurs have left of their own accord, according to research by accounting software company Kashflow, which revealed 44 per cent of respondents were driven to start […]
Six-figure pay out looms for bullied epileptic woman
Perfume giant Estée Lauder has been accused of bullying business analyst Susy White after she told them that she had epilepsy in September 2005.Reported by the Daily Telegraph, the business analyst claims that senior managers at Aramis and Designer Fragrances, a division of Estée Lauder, “demolished” her self confidence after she told them of the […]
Wages lose pace with spiralling house prices …again
House prices have risen four times faster than pay over the last decade.These are the findings of the Trades Union Congress (TUC)which says that since 1997, when the average house could be bought for £60,000, equivalent to three years and six months of the then average wage of £17,000, house prices have risen by 180 […]
Sage launches £250 HR management program
Sage has started shipments of Sage 50 HR 2007, its latest attempt to open a new front in the business software marketplace. John Stokdyk reports.As previously reported on our sister site AccountingWEB, the £250 HR application fits into the Sage 50 family of products for small businesses and integrates with Sage Payroll 2007 so that […]
Capital grinds to a halt as tube workers strike
Commuters in London were hit on Tuesday by the first full day of a 72-hour tube strike over the threat to tube workers’ jobs, forced transfers and pensions.The industrial action, organised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) is a direct result of Metronet, the tube line maintenance firm going into […]
Employee retention: Where is the love? By Matt Henkes
Staff retention difficulties are still on the increase as carefree employees flit back and forth in search of the perfect job. But with the multitude of available benefit options designed to make them stay put, Matt Henkes discovers the secret ingredient is love. It’s no longer enough for employers to expect loyal devotion from their […]
Bosses in the dock as employment tribunal cases climb
The number of cases brought to employment tribunals in Great Britain in 2006-07 rose by 15 per cent, from 115,039 in 2005-06 to 132,577, according to official figures from the Tribunals Service. The biggest rise comes in equal pay claims, showing a 155 per cent increase on 2005-06.The number of cases disposed of during 2006-07 […]
Appraisals: Prepare your people. By John Pope
Performance and development reviews can often be of little use if the correct processes aren’t in place, or if those involved are unprepared. Management consultant John Pope discusses the benefits of training both the manager and the appraisee to ensure successful reviews. No-one knows how successful performance and development reviews really are. Some people certainly […]
Demystifying today’s leadership challenges. By Duncan Miles
There are many books that have been written about leadership and advice aplenty as to how to enhance your leadership abilities. Duncan Miles attempts to demystify the leadership process and provides practical advice to those new to the role and those who are already well established leaders. Never ending change; the unceasing pressures to increase […]
CIPD slam efforts to simplify diversity legislation
Professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has attacked the Government’s proposals for a Single Equality Bill, saying it fails to go far enough in achieving either the simplification or consistency necessary for real progress. Dianah Worman, OBE, CIPD diversity adviser, said: “This green paper runs the risk of delivering a compliance […]
HR resignations from female workers soar as pay parity fails to bite
Female resignation rates in the HR sector are rapidly increasing, despite the fact that women are being promoted more readily than men. These are the findings of the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics, which show that resignation rates amongst women in HR stand at 5.5 per cent, up from 4.7 per cent last year. […]
Ask the expert: Withholding witness statements from the aggrieved
This week, Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Anna Youngs, solicitor at Mills & Reeve, advise on the implications of withholding a witness statement due to the fact it could put a witness at risk of harassment. The question:We have just concluded a very sensitive and long investigation into an employee’s grievance against their […]
Smoke without fire? By Sarah Fletcher
Two months after smokers were literally shown the door, has the smoking ban had any real impact upon the workplace? Aside from ruining post-work drinks by exposing the terrible smell of many pubs underneath that ashtray stench, has the ban affected motivation and retention, or can there actually be smoke without fire? Sarah Fletcher asks […]
Serious games tackle serious issues
A Welsh university has launched an innovative new range of online learning materials, including free interactive games, that help people explore topics such as disability, age diversity, racial equality and homelessness.The ‘Addressing Barriers: Enhancing Services’ series of Equality and Diversity toolkits, which incorporate expert video tutorials alongside interactive ‘Bytesize Basics’ serious games, have been developed […]
Practice, practice, practice – the key to training effectiveness
Setting time aside for post-course trainees to practice their new skills has a huge impact on learning, according to a survey by an IT training firm.Happy Computers said that practice time, together with training tailored to the individual, saved learners considerable amounts of time once back at work.Overall, students on a one-day course at the […]
