Government launches paternity leave consultation
The government is consulting on how its plans for paternity leave are to be administered.Section three of the Work and Families Act – not yet in force – allows fathers to take part of the mother’s maternity leave if she chooses to return to work before the child is one year old. Employment relations minister […]
From here to maternity – and back
Mums returning to work after maternity leave have the right to return to the same job – but what does that mean in practice?The Employment Appeal Tribunal has handed down a judgment which explains the criteria that should be used.Mrs Blundell worked as a teacher at St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School. It was usual practice […]
Tough recruitment times for top NHS jobs
Criticism from politicians and media means recruiting top managers for the NHS has become a major challenge as candidates opt for less exposed positions.That’s according to a new report from the NHS Confederation, which represents more than 90 per cent of NHS organisations. Management in the NHS: the facts reveals that the number of NHS […]
Men opting to spend less time at work
Men are abandoning the long-hours culture in favour of a better work-life balance according to official figures for 2006 released by the Office for National Statistics.Over the past 10 years, the number of men in the private sector working for more than 45 hours a week has fallen from 41 per cent to 31 per […]
Pension funding under the microscope
Research has revealed that some 30 per cent of pension schemes are prepared to set funding targets below the ‘trigger’ levels set out by the Pensions Regulator under the Statutory Funding Objective (SFO) regime.Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s SFO valuations survey studied 230 UK pension schemes across a variety of industry sectors and analysed the policies […]
HR – Too many policies and processes; not enough practicality
Management consultant John Pope explains why excessive policies and procedures are causing more harm than good. A great friend of mine works part-time for a Government organisation at one of the organisation’s information and customer contact points. She has done so for over 10 years and is very experienced and competent at her job. When […]
Ask the expert: Can you discipline an ex-employee?
Is it possible or worthwhile to discipline an ex-employee? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:An employee handed in their notice at the same time as an investigation was ongoing. Due to the complex nature of the investigation and the thorough […]
Smoking 9 to 5: What a way to make a living. By Sarah Fletcher
The NHS watchdog NICE recommends that employers give smokers paid time off work to kick the habit. Sarah Fletcher asked members of HR Zone whether this as ‘nice’ as its name suggests or a rapid route to workplace mutiny. With less than seven weeks until smoking is outlawed in enclosed public places in England, tension […]
EU to review information and consultation laws
Members of the European Parliament have voted for ‘a review and modernisation’ of all Directives relating to information and consultation in the workplace.Along with the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations and the Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees, the review will also affect the consultation requirements of TUPE.Owing to the way the EU works, […]
Sage buys Snowdrop for £17 million
Acquisitive business software house Sage has added human resources (HR) capabilities to its portfolio with the acquisition of Snowdrop Systems for £17m.Snowdrop develops mid-market HR solutions and reported a before tax and interest profit of £1.1 million on revenues of £7.5 million in the year to 31 December 2006. According to Sage chief executive Paul […]
Best practice on age laws rewarded
Age Positive ‘employer champion status’ has been awarded to a new tranche of organisations who have demonstrated exemplary age diversity practices.One of the latest winners is the Co-operative group, which employs more than 68,000 people in the UK and is the country’s largest co-op food retailer, independent travel retailer and also operates as a funeral […]
Off the record: Bullying and harassment
“A member of staff has complained that their manager is a bully. What constitutes ‘bullying’ and what steps should we take to resolve the issue?” By Ranjit Dhindsa, employment partner, Reed Smith What is bullying?It is easy to identify extreme forms of discriminatory behaviour as “bullying”, defined as “to persecute or oppress by force or […]
Corporate manslaughter: Are you doing enough?
Richard Jones, Director of Technical Affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH), questions whether organisations are doing enough to prevent workplace deaths. Over 200 workers were killed at work last year and an estimated 1,000 lost their lives in work-related road traffic accidents. The new Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act is expected […]
HR Tip: Fixed term contracts and unfair dismissal at termination
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: "If I engage someone on a fixed term contract can I thereby prevent them from claiming unfair dismissal when their work comes to an end?" HR Tip: No, it is no longer possible […]
Gender inequality: Where have all the women gone? By Lucie Benson
With research suggesting that the amount of women in senior management roles is now declining, is gender inequality still a major issue among today’s workforce? Where are all the women missing from the top jobs? Lucie Benson reports. Despite the prolific rise of flexible working and numerous attempts by many organisations to ensure equal opportunities […]
Money worries force mums back to work
If anyone out there was wondering about the point of all the family friendly legislation research by Scottish Widows has revealed that more than 11 million UK households depend on more than one salary to cover the bills.And of the 7.1 million households with dependent children, 3.5 million rely on two salaries to make ends […]
CSR – chicken or egg?
When it comes to employee satisfaction, employers’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seems to have mixed ratings – it’s considered important but there are usually other priorities.Now US-based attitude researchers Sirota Survey Intelligence have turned the question on its head by considering the opinions of those who say they are happy with their employer’s approach to […]
The negotiator. By Louise Druce
It’s human nature to try to avoid confrontation but unhappy staff can feel like psychological hostages trying to secure a release from the company if they don’t bring problems out in the open. Louise Druce asks psychologist and veteran hostage negotiator George Kohlrieser how conflict management can help improve retention rates. They’re not two professions […]
How to make learning fun and engaging. By Lucie Benson
HR professionals are often tasked with the challenge of creating lively and entertaining ways to engage with the learner. Lucie Benson speaks exclusively to Bill Bryson, the world-renowned author, to find out how he brought “dry” subjects to life in his award-winning book. Plus she looks at some other options available to employers too. It […]
Ask the expert: Anxiety as work related illness
Are anxiety and depression counted amongst the illnesses qualifying for extended sick pay on the grounds of sickness contracted at work? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:Where there is provision to extend sick pay beyond the normal limits, on account […]
