Talent Management – Making it work. By Phil Rice
Is talent management really as important as reports suggest? Phil Rice at PA Consulting Group explains why the implementation of the programme is more important than its design. Eighty percent of respondents to a recent CIPD (UK) survey said they had no formal definition of talent management, and more than half had no formal strategy. […]
BA not to appeal further in flexible working case
According to press reports, British Airways has decided not to appeal further in its flexible working case.BA has already lost cases at both the employment tribunal and the employment appeal tribunal (EAT) and has decided not to go to the court of appeal.The original case was brought three years ago by pilot Jessica Starmer, who […]
Pension incomes reduced by three quarters in 10 years
New figures from Watson Wyatt show that the average income a pension saver receives has been cut by more than three-quarters in the past ten years.Lower returns on investments mean that the pension pot after saving for 20 years is less than half what it would have been ten years ago and annuity rates used […]
Pay pressures rise as skills shortages bite
February saw inflation of permanent staff pay hit an eight-month high as skills shortages meant the availability of permanent candidates fell for the 40th consecutive month.Temporary and contract workers also saw pay rise – by the sharpest rate for 27 months. Availability for temporary workers also declined, though at a less marked rate than for […]
Shunned job seekers turn into brand bashers
Making sure your recruitment procedures are up to scratch can have an impact on your organisation’s bottom line as new research has confirmed that job seekers who have a poor experience turn into brand bashers.The YouGov poll of over 2,500 people was commissioned by Capital Consulting and revealed that 53 per cent of job seekers […]
Ask the expert: Training payback agreements
Can an organisation force an employee to pay back training fees? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills and Reeve, offer legal advice. The question:A friend works for an airline and following completion of a training course was ‘bonded’ for two years, with a payback on […]
Legislation update: Be prepared to be flexible
In the first of a new series of articles providing legal advice, specialist employer lawyer Georgina Folkes from Withy King Solicitors advises on the new flexible working laws due to come into force on 6th April 2007, when adults of carers will be able to make flexible working applications which is likely to lead to […]
HR Tip: Employee resignation in a temper
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 had a blazing row with his manager in the middle of the afternoon, told him he had had enough of his job, stormed out of the office and went home. […]
Disability and recruitment: Are we discriminating? By Louise Druce
Changes in the law mean recruiters may be discriminating against disabled people without even realising it. So how do you make the interview process fair? Louise Druce finds out. Say the word disabled and most people still picture a person in a wheelchair. Even if you might have thought of someone who is deaf or […]
Buyer beware: Choosing a training programme
Jeff Toms, director of marketing and client services at Farnham Castle International Briefings, explains what to look for when choosing a training programme. Since the arrival of the Internet we have all become experts, particularly when it comes to buying. Whether it is flights, hotels, clothes, books or support services for our businesses, we have […]
Colborn’s corner: Age discrimination – has anything happened yet?
Last October some potentially ground breaking legislation came onto the statute book. As was predictable, there was much discussion within the HR community about how it would affect business life. What has been the reality of the situation though? Is the legislation really making a difference to how we view things? What difference has it […]
Employers key to government welfare reforms
The government’s proposals to tackle welfare dependency will depend on employers getting the rewards they deserve for the risks they are taking, according to the CBI.The comments follow the publication of the Freud Review, Reducing Dependency, Increasing Opportunity. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has also pointed out that employers are the key […]
Helping support the modern family
New research from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) reveals that many parents are struggling to find the time they want to spend with their children – particularly those with lower incomes.The research, from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), involved interviewing 30,000 parents of 19,000 children born in 2000/01.The MCS found that mothers and fathers in […]
New minimum wage rate announced
The DTI has announced the new national minimum wage rates, which will apply from October. More than one million people receive the minimum wage.Based on recommendations from the Low Pay Commission, the main rate will rise from £5.35 per hour to £5.52. The rate for 18-21 year-olds rises from £4.45 to £4.60 and for 16-17 […]
Listen to the safety reps says TUC
The TUC claims that safety reps are being undermined by a lack of support from employers and the government’s official safety watchdog, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).According to a survey of unions featured in the TUC-backed health and safety magazine Hazards, the top problem facing union safety reps is the difficulty of getting employers […]
Put your baby in a zoo: discrimination and working mothers. By Sarah Fletcher
Last week I went to the zoo and got a very nasty shock. Although it wasn’t exactly Noah’s Ark – the only animals on show were a couple of limp birds and a fleeting glimpse of a lion’s paw – the zoo certainly didn’t lack the small, snotty kind of creature that scream and throw […]
Satirist’s spot: Head office
In the first of an exclusive series which takes a wry look at the business world, the apparently corrupted principles of Head Office come in for the chop. Located an uncomfortable 10 minutes’ walk in the rain, snow or scorching summer sun from any tube station or bus stop, the group headquarters are nevertheless a […]
Ask the expert: Disciplinary for not attending a disciplinary?
Can you discipline an employee for failing to attend a disciplinary hearing? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills and Reeve, offer legal advice. The question:How would deal with a situation where an employee has been investigated and then invited to a disciplinary (not for gross […]
Bill on agency workers rights fails
The private member’s bill on equal treatment for agency workers failed to make it through its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday due to government opposition.Introduced by MP Paul Farrelly and backed by unions including Amicus, the bill aimed to give equal treatment to agency workers and permanent employees from day one.But […]
Tread carefully with offshoring says CIPD
Following the decision of Lloyds TSB to close its call centre in Mumbai and bring the work back to the UK, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is urging organisation to consider the people management challenges and potential pitfalls of offshoring.The CIPD’s offshoring survey reveals that 15 per cent of organisations with experience […]
