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 – […]
The virtual reality of games-based learning
Graeme Duncan, chief operating officer at Caspian Learning, argues that 3D games are a realistic and essential solution for HR departments to include in their corporate training programmes. As organisations learn to cope with ever-changing product ranges, additions to health and safety policies, new financial regulations and legalisation compliance issues, they face the challenge of […]
Women no longer lone soldiers of discrimination
New research shows women aren’t the only group facing discrimination in senior positions.According to research by professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) women are not the only ones to find themselves up against an invisible barrier to advancement, referred to as the ‘glass cliff’ a variation on the ‘glass ceiling’.Other groups […]
Argos worker sacked following Facebook rampage
An Argos worker has been given the boot following public criticism of his bosses on social networking site, Facebook.Reported by the Sun, Tom Beech, 20 supposedly set up I Work At Argos And Can’t Wait To Leave Because It’s Sh** on the site.Beech was duly sacked for gross misconduct from his £6.55 an hour job […]
A quarter of women to take home the ‘bread’ by 2030
Women will be the main earners in one in four households by 2030; the news comes despite findings which show that they lag behind men in the earning stakes.These are the findings by National Savings and Investments (NS&I’s) who conducted the report together with think tank, The Future Foundation. They found that despite lower earnings […]
Be careful wot you rite: Warns CV police
Ninety-five per cent of job applicants are littering their CVs with mistakes.Kelly Services scoured 200 of its own candidates’ CVs to reveal the shocking truth. Nearly half of all candidates are confused about when and where to use the dreaded apostrophe. The recruitment outfit offered the following tips: 1. Don’t overcapitalise: Faux pas range from […]
Posture is a pain in the back for bosses
Just over a quarter of employers provide their employees with posture supporting chairs despite findings which suggest the problems of back pain costs £5bn each year.Serviced office provider, MWB Business Exchange and YouGov found that just 27 per cent of businesses provided the right chairs for their staff. Workers in the Capital were the best […]
World Duty Free flies high with customer coaching
World Duty Free has committed to a £200,000 coaching investment designed to teach staff to deliver on its core value ‘think customer’.The move follows a successful pilot programme at World Duty Free in Heathrow Terminal three. The team which won the national customer service award for retail in 2006, boasts improved sales to the tune […]
Net recruitment paves the way for new agencies. By John Stokdyk
The rise of the internet has changed the game for recruitment agencies. In the face of such a big challenge, many have enthusiastically jumped on the bandwagon. John Stokdyk reports. As HR Zone reported two weeks ago, the internet has revolutionised recruitment in the past decade and undermined the role of traditional recruitment agencies. As […]
What’s wrong with talking to staff? By John Pope
Management consultant John Pope discusses the importance of managers who listen and talk to their staff and adopt a personal approach, so as to achieve true employee engagement. I have worked with some wonderful and outstanding managers in over 40 years as a consultant, business advisor and coach, and have learnt a lot about management […]
All alone? The plight of vulnerable workers. By Annie Hayes
Suzy Lamplugh, the estate agent that went missing in 1986 following an appointment with a ‘Mr Kipper’, is the best known example of the dangers that can face lone workers. Annie Hayes reports on the plight of vulnerable workers. Types of workersLone workers mean staff that either regularly or occasionally work on their own, and […]
Maternity extensions trap women
New maternity laws are preventing women from getting the jobs they want because employers think twice about hiring them.Citrix Online, the survey authors, found that discrimination was particularly rife amongst the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).On 1 April 2007 women were granted an extension to maternity leave from six to nine paid months whilst the […]
Email snooping: Monitoring your employees
Barrister Charles Price offers some legal advice for employers who want to know when they can monitor employee emails. We are all aware how email has revolutionised the workplace, allowing people to work with more speed and from remote locations. Emails carry the legal force of a contract and are often used as evidence in […]
Early signs signal smoking success
Ninety seven per cent of premises inspected two weeks after the 1 July smoking ban were smoke free, and the data has been heralded as a mark of success.The Department of Health, publisher of the figures, said the statistics confirm that there has been very high compliance with the new laws and show that compliance […]
Ask the expert: Statutory and annual leave for part-time workers
This week, Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise employers on statutory leave entitlement issues for part-time and job share workers. The question:The employee (employee 1) has a job share role where she does Monday through Wednesday, has less than one year service, […]
Happiness is performance pay
New research claims that pay based on performance goes further than improving productivity; it actually boosts levels of employee happiness.These are the findings of Lancaster University Management School which looked for the first time at the impact of performance pay not on productivity but other elements of satisfaction.Research authors found that people with the opportunity […]
MPs criticise government skills scheme
A committee of MPs has criticised the government’s Train to Gain skills system for being complex, bureaucratic and not ‘demand-led’.The Education and Skills Committee report Post-16 skills supported the principles behind Train to Gain, but raised serious concerns about its implementation.It found that funding for Train to Gain was unduly restrictive, preventing real choices for […]
Plan to boost skills of unemployed
The government has launched its Employability Skills programme to help unemployed people improve their skills, find a job and progress at work. The programme has been developed especially to meet the needs of Jobcentre Plus customers, and focuses on improving their literacy, language and numeracy, finding and remaining in work, and ensuring that they are […]
Employees frustrated with managers’ indecision
Forty six per cent of employees believe their bosses are poor decision makers, with many blaming incompetence and lack of confidence as contributory factors.The research, published today and conducted by YouGov for Investors in People, reveals some contradictory results, however, with 82 per cent of bosses saying that managers in their organisation are in fact […]
Friday feeling costs businesses £50m
Employees who slack off on a Friday afternoon are costing UK businesses more than £50 million a year. Top 10 Friday Feeling excuses 1. Business lunch was longer than expected2. I have a meeting on the way home3. Doctor's appointment4. I can work from home as my computer is down5. I am doing some […]
