Job seekers must keep ‘NetRep’ in tact
A quarter of HR decision makers have rejected applicants for jobs based on dubious personal information found online, according to recent research.The survey, conducted by YouGov for business social network Viadeo and which quizzed more than 2,000 consumers and over 600 employers, also found that one in five employers have searched for and found personal […]
First aid training must be increased
Around six million working days are lost each year due to work-related, reportable injuries, according to a report.The research, conducted by the Health and Safety Executive, also found that the average number of working days lost per injury has increased by 3 per cent in the last decade to 14.5 days, with the cost to […]
Firms must combat fraud amongst temp workers
A survey has revealed that 89 per cent of undisclosed criminal records have been found on the CVs of temporary workers within the financial services sector.The research, conducted by City pre-employment screening firm Powerchex, highlights the problem of potential fraud when hiring temporary workers, especially at a time when the UK’s financial firms are increasingly […]
Down and out: How to deal with downsizing effectively
Consultant and HR Zone member Sandra Beale advises on the best approach to take when managing a downsizing process. The management of a downsizing exercise to maintain good employee relations is as important as managing the process itself within the employment legislation framework. It is quite often an aspect which many companies fail to consider, […]
Improved retention tools needed to keep workers
A fifth of UK workers are leaving their current jobs to pursue a completely new career, according to new research.These are the findings of a report by PPS, the HR outsourcing arm of recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, which used data compiled from candidate exit interviews.The research also showed that 19 per cent of people […]
Networking or not working? The value of social networking
For those of us that use the net during work time, there are two types of networking sites; those that can aid learning, productivity and build business relationships, and those that can slow or even stop work in its tracks. Mike Morrison explores the risks to individuals and businesses in the growing use of personal […]
£1.68 million ROI for interim managers
The average return on investment (ROI) for interim assignments is £1.68 million, new research has revealed.An analysis of change management and business transformation assignments, completed by Boyden Interim Management last year, has shown that whilst businesses spent more on interim managers – around £120,00 per assignment – the average return for a typical business transformation […]
Sidelined? The disappointing maternity return. By Annie Hayes
Undermined, excluded and sidelined – these are just some of the situations working mums complain of when they return to work following a period of maternity leave. Annie Hayes reports on the emotional and legal battle. In 2006 just over half of women (55 per cent) with children under five were in the labour force. […]
The collaborative executive
Alan Davis, chief HR officer at BT Global Services, discusses the importance of collaboration in business and observes how it has changed over the years, becoming more dynamic and extensive. After the 'greed is good' era of the 1980s and 1990s, it is quite a surprise to find that openness and collaboration have become such […]
Ask the expert: Representation
This week, Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise on what to do if a manager is being implicated by other employees during the course of disciplinary proceedings. The question:A highly professional manager has been informed by a team member, who was being […]
Style over Substance?
How often does “where” you work prevent you from becoming who you want to be?How often has an application for your next (dream) role been rejected because you are not from the same industry?An increasing number of my network group have noticed problems recruiting talent, yet pretty much all of them gave a knee jerk […]
Absent staff cost companies £20.9 billion
Absenteeism is costing UK firms £20.9 billion a year, equating to a total loss of 480 million days.These are the findings of a survey of 2,139 employers by employment law consultancy Peninsula, which also showed that fraudulent sick days are costing firms £3.5 billion a year, with 81.6 million days lost annually. In addition, it […]
Working away from office increases productivity
Almost a third of office workers have admitted they would be more inspired if they worked away from the office, according to recent research.The survey of 1,025 office workers, conducted by YouGov for T-Mobile, found that 48 per cent say that a change in working location would increase their productivity levels, whilst 46 per cent […]
Revolutionary tool promises to stress bust on the move
A hand-held sensory device that enables workers to monitor and manage their own stress levels as they work has been launched.The gadget, invented by Austrian scientist Christ Stockinger, relies on clinical-grade biosensors to determine stress by measuring minute changes in the electrical properties of the user’s skin.The Optimal Office biosensor is fitted to a modified […]
Storytelling in a business context
Are you sitting comfortably? Preethi Nair talks about the value of creativity and how she uses storytelling techniques to inspire creativity and innovation in the workplace. Once upon a time I dreamed of being a writer but I became a management consultant instead. It’s not that I was unhappy in my job, I just thought […]
European business schools give the MBA some ‘va va voom’
MBAs are growing not only in number but variety and content.A report by The Independent shows that over the last 10 years, the number of MBA schools on the continent has grown exponentially. There are now at least 500, although according to the report, barely a third have the sector’s gold standard seal of approval […]
HR tip: Offers subject to references
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:"Can I make an offer of employment conditional on references? How do I do so? Who judges if a reference is satisfactory?" HR Tip: You certainly can do so by stating clearly in the […]
Tales of the unexpected: Succession planning. By Matt Henkes
Past attempts at succession strategies often lacked the flexibility to switch very different personalities into the same role. This is why, as Matt Henkes discovers, modern practitioners are shifting their approach to deal with the unexpected. Past succession strategies used to be a list of promising individuals earmarked for a particular role, perhaps five years […]
Minimum wage flouters in crackdown call
The Welsh Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling on the government to revise methods of minimum wage enforcement which it says is failing to prevent rogue employers from flouting the laws.According to Wales TUC, 95 per cent of bosses caught underpaying the minimum wage simply pay back what they owe. The concern is that there […]
Colborn’s Corner: Dual loyalties
Few will have escaped the press coverage the banks have been given recently regarding their charges and their fairness or otherwise. The public perception probably falls in two camps; banks are either seen as ‘goodies’ or ‘baddies’. This week Quentin Colborn questions what effect controversies such as this have on those who work there – […]
