Ask the expert: Contract staff
This week, Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise on drawing up employment contracts for those staff who are employed on a temporary to permanent basis. The question: We have an unusual situation whereby we are employing someone on a temp to […]
Loyalty slips into the HR history books
Eighty-eight per cent of HR directors agree that the workforce of the future will be less loyal than past generations.According to the findings, HR directors also feel powerless to improve matters – just 20 per cent considered they have sufficient initiatives in place to address the issues.Employer brand is cited as a key area in […]
Workplace Relationship Policy
I have recently taken up post as Equality & Diversity Manager with my organisation. i have been tasked with developing a workplace relationship policy; that is policy for when 2 members of the same team engage in a consensual relationship.Wondered if anyone has, or has seen sight of a similar policy elsewhere?RegardsStuart McKennaEquality & Diversity […]
Multi-million boost to health service training
The English health service is set to benefit from a further £100m annual investment in skills, thanks to a new three-year deal.Skills for Health – the sector skills council for the public, private and voluntary healthcare sectors – has signed a new multi-million pound joint investment framework involving strategic health authorities and the Learning and […]
Government unveils ambitious plan for skills
The government has unveiled its three-year plan to help over four million adults learn new skills and improve existing ones.It says the plans will help make Britain’s workforce one of the most skilled in the world by 2020.World Class Skills, published in response to the Leitch review of skills, will introduce new legislation to strengthen […]
NHS graduate scheme scoops ‘blue ribbon’
The NHS graduate management training scheme has won the ‘Best of the Best’ award from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).It also scooped the award for best in Recruitment and Assessment.The NHS scheme was acclaimed by the judges for communicating a strong link between cultural values and recruitment competencies. They were also impressed by its […]
Managing staff productivity during summer
With many people packing their suitcases, switching on their ‘out-of-office’ email message, and skipping merrily out the door and onto the plane, this time of year can be both a relaxing and stressful time for employers and employees. Allan Barrows, business advisor at Business Link East, provides some tips for companies wanting to cope with […]
Employees unclear on benefits package
Three-quarters of employees don’t understand their benefits package, according to a new report.The YouGov survey, commissioned by financial services company Oval, questioned 4,180 UK employees and results found that the least understood benefits were dental, income protection, childcare vouchers and critical illness cover.Communication is thought to be partly to blame, with employers not fully explaining […]
HR tip: Drunk employee
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 employee turned up for work one afternoon drunk. He was sent home. Next day, when we remonstrated with him, he insisted that he was not drunk though had popped into the […]
How to select high performers
Looking for ways to ensure you can recognise key talent at interview stage? Bob Clifford recommends using the principles of psychometrics as a means of selecting the best person for the job. It is safe to say that choosing the right people for the right jobs is important to organisational effectiveness. However, in many organisations, […]
Holy grail of management development. By Matt Henkes
Line and middle managers function in a similar way to priests, representing their executive among the simple flock. But Matt Henkes argues that it’s the tools with which they deliver the executive bible that divides the humble messengers from the true leaders who can educate and motivate the masses. Gone are the days when management […]
Engaging contractors: Clearing the muddy waters
Chris Bryce, director of the Professional Contractors Group (PCG), attempts to clear the confusion felt by some companies who have become hesitant about engaging contractors or freelancers for fear they might owe these types of workers employment rights. Those companies who hire contractors and interims will know that in 2004 the Court of Appeal in […]
Rosy employment figures mask disappointing pay deals
Employment levels are rising and unemployment is falling, but growth in earnings continues to be modest. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that employment numbers are up 93,000 over the quarter, with 29 million in employment. Unemployment has fallen by 35,000 over the same period but has increased over the year […]
Education not key to success, say entrepreneurs
Having no academic qualifications does not prevent entrepreneurs achieving business success, new research claims. According to the poll by Barclays Local Business, just 46 per cent of small company bosses had a degree and only 11 per cent believed achieving a good education is crucial to business success. The report claimed that with figures showing […]
Sports Council for Wales puts £2m into workforce fitness
The Sports Council for Wales is investing a whopping £2m to create opportunities for Welsh businesses to encourage workforce fitness.Funding is available to support active travel plans, fitness instructors and coordinators and purchasing of equipment including bikes, badminton posts, basketball hoops and pedometers. The Council is also looking at renovating offices to accommodate sporting activities, […]
Rock star Sting loses sexual discrimination case
The singer Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, were ordered to pay £24,944 this week after the court found them to be guilty of sexual discrimination against a former employee.The couple’s chef, Jane Martin, was dismissed last April following a return from maternity leave, reports the Times. According to the report, the chef had to […]
Childcare vouchers – “I’m not bovvvered”
Only two out of every hundred working parents have signed up for childcare vouchers – the millions that are missing out say they just can’t be bothered to claim them.Most parents who pay for childcare are entitled to childcare vouchers. The savings on offer equates to up to £1,195 a year. If both parents work […]
Skills keep bosses at home
Unskilled staff is the barrier to small business managers taking a break.Two in five small business managers are failing to use their full holiday allowance, and one in five cited unskilled staff as the key reason.The findings by the Learning Skills Council (LSC) are more surprising given that nearly all the small businesses recognise training […]
Going the whole blog: The benefits of social networking
Blogging and social networking is becoming increasingly popular and has received both good and bad press recently. However, HR Zone member Jackie Cameron believes that blogging has many benefits and is a champion to its cause, as she discusses here. About this time last year, I sent out my quarterly newsletter to my clients and […]
Referrals net employees £16 billion bonus
Bosses are rewarding employees who refer friends and family for vacancies with a bonus that totals a whopping £16 billion.This is the amount that has been forked out by companies keen to attract top talent and bypass the recruitment agencies.TheCareerMole.com, a referral networking website, said that some 4.56 million employees are in their jobs thanks […]
