NICE guidance for quitting cig breaks
Employers should create an environment that enables smokers to quit – even if it means giving them time off work without loss of pay to attend stop-smoking clinics.That’s the advice contained in new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as workplaces in England prepare to go smoke-free from July 1.NICE […]
HR Tip: Deductions from final wages for company clothes
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 has resigned rather suddenly and left the premises but he has not returned his company overalls. Can we deduct the cost of the garments from his final wages payment?" HR […]
Is there still a need for traditional CVs? By Lucie Benson
Whilst the CV forms the basis for much of the recruitment process, should we be looking into other options available to employers now, such as online recruitment and competency-based interviewing, given that many people are known to provide false information on their CV? Lucie Benson delves a little deeper. Go on, admit it. How many […]
The final frontier? Web 2.0 and HR. By Rob Lewis
The latest stage in the evolution of the internet has arrived. Phenomena like YouTube, MySpace and Flickr are making online social networking more popular than ever before. Is this a passing fad for cyber-savvy fashionistas, or something more serious? Rob Lewis asks if Web 2.0 is going to put the human into human resources. It’s […]
Before leadership: Creativity and risk taking
Jacqueline Byrd, Ph.D, explains why creativity and risk taking are crucial for successful leadership. More often than not, when you read books and articles on leadership, you will hear leadership defined as the ability to create a vision, anticipate trends, walk the talk or be congruent in the way leaders live their values (value-congruence), empower […]
New flexibility laws ‘unnecessary’
The vast majority of British businesses are already providing flexible working – meaning more legislation is unnecessary, according to a new survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).A whopping 89 per cent of businesses surveyed are offering some form of flexible working. The survey revealed that: 72 per cent offer part-time working 69 per […]
Time to practise your smarter working techniques
Employers are being encouraged to spend a week trialling new working practices in a bid to boost Britain’s smarter working culture.The second annual Work Wise Week takes place from May 16 to 22 and organisers are asking staff and employers alike to consider using the week to trial practices such as home, flexible, mobile and […]
Unions benefit business says TUC
The TUC has announced it is to target non-unionised companies across the UK in a bid to convince reluctant employers that union involvement could prove an asset rather than a threat to their businesses.A leaflet, An employers’ introduction to trade unions is to be sent to 2,000 small and medium-sized firms across the country. It […]
Culture the key to preventing company fraud
Changing company culture by introducing ethics and integrity measures at top management level is the best way to prevent fraud, according to KPMG Forensic.According to its international study, the typical company fraudster is a trusted male executive who gets away with over 20 fraudulent acts over a period of five years.The study looked at 360 […]
Get an edge through green benefits
Green benefits could be the new weapon in the war for talent, according to a survey on benefit choices.Of the 1,000 employees polled by Ceridian, 69 per cent thought it was important that their employer is environmentally responsible and 57 per cent wish their employers would do more.Although only 14 per cent of employees overall […]
It’s good to be an HR director in the UK
A global pay survey by Mercer reveals that only American HR directors earn more than their UK counterparts when average base salaries are compared.But when guaranteed cash amounts and short-term incentives are taken into account to provide an annual total cash figure, the pay of HR directors falls to fourth spot, behind the US, Brazil […]
Ask the expert: Can I be forced to change jobs?
Can an employee be forced to return to their old job when their current position becomes redundant? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, advise. The question:I started working for my present company as a press operator working three shifts. Last year I […]
Beat the system – Job hunting for professionals
Consultant Mike Morrison provides a guide to job hunting and explains why you should never appear desperate for a position. Ever wondered how a person got a job that you didn’t, even though you have more experience and skills?I have seen an increasing number of professionals asking for guidance as to what they should do […]
Adjust or pay out in disability cases. By Charles Price
Commanding awards of unlimited compensation and bringing the worst kind of publicity, an adverse discrimination decision in an employment tribunal ought to be the worst nightmare of any employer and yet very few are fully equipped to protect themselves. Making reasonable adjustments for disabled people is the area where most employers fall foul.The various sections […]
Union membership falls
Union membership has fallen from 29 per cent to 28.4 per cent – the largest percentage drop since 1998, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.The rate among employed people has also fallen – from 26.3 per cent in 2005 to 25.8 per cent in 2006. For the third year in a row […]
Employee blogs a potential legal minefield
A solicitor is warning employers to update policies to cover internet blogging following a judgment made in a Paris employment tribunal that could have repercussions in the UK.English secretary Catherine Sanderson, who worked for accountancy firm Dixon Wilson, was sacked when her Paris-based employer objected to her blog. She was later awarded £30,000 for unfair […]
Why qualifications don’t count
Jan Hills, managing director of The Hills Consultancy, explains why values are more important than qualifications when recruiting. Understanding the difference that makes a differenceWhen it comes to recruiting HR business partners, how can you be sure that you’ve got it right?Most HR departments have well defined competencies and a clear idea of what experience […]
HR Tip: Sex discrimination in warehouse
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: "We only employ men in our warehouse because the work is largely heavy lifting and humping. We believe that this is fair to women and is not discriminatory. Would appreciate you confirming […]
The first cut is the deepest: Managing redundancy. By Rob Lewis
Wildcat strikes, negative press, celebrity campaigns, tribunals, pay-outs and lawsuits: redundancy may be inevitable, but it sure isn’t easy, and if it goes wrong you can be sure HR will get the blame. In fact, managing redundancy might be the next worst thing to being made redundant, yet it also gives HR professionals the chance […]
People skills training: are you getting a return on your investment? By Dennis Coates Ph.D
Soft skills training events don't work very well because a long-term process is necessary to change behaviour. Dennis Coates Ph.D explains how to achieve permanent results and why this delivers the return on investment. One of the reasons I got involved in 360-degree feedback technology over ten years ago was the frustration I experienced […]
