Your maternity queries answered
Are pregnant employees entitled to a car allowance? What holiday leave are they given and can they take a secondment? Members of HR Zone advise on a variety of maternity queries. 1. Is an employee who has been absent for five months on maternity leave still entitled to the full year’s holiday allowance?Iain Young:“Yes she […]
Ask the expert: Resigning after suspension
An employee has been suspended from his job, pending a disciplinary hearing. Should he resign to protect himself from receiving a poor reference or stick around and fight it out? Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills and Reeve, offer legal advice. The question: I […]
‘You must be the change you want to see in the world’
Jan Hills, managing director of The Hills Consultancy, argues that HR must look to Ghandi when implementing a change programme. ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world’. A famous piece of advice from Ghandi, but is it relevant to HR? I think very.Most CEOs I meet are undertaking some kind […]
Counselling service cannot compensate for management failings
The Court of Appeal has ruled that companies cannot rely on having a counselling service available if employees suffer ill-health through overwork.Tracy Daw won £114,000 after overwork left her suffering from depression. The tribunal heard that she had complained 14 times about her workload and that she had three managers who had conflicting demands.Her work […]
Can you have a global payroll system? By Yvette Lamidey
As the world becomes more and more a global village organisations are having a greater presence in countries worldwide. And where there are people, there will always be a need to pay them and systems to support this.Organisations are beginning to look for global global payroll and HR systems. But does such a thing as […]
HR software case study: Integrated payroll and HR at Marshall Motor Holdings
Business challengeBased in Cambridge, Marshall Motor Holdings decided in 2005 to reorganise internally by moving its payroll function from finance to a new HR department that would also administer expenses, benefits and other compensation. According to HR general manager Carole Minter, the motivation was partly administrative and partly strategic.“Every part of the business is being […]
Payroll in the time of Lord Carter. By John Stokdyk
The first decade of the 21st century will be remembered by payroll managers as a period of unprecedented change. The Working Families Tax Credit went through several phases between 1999 and 2006, when payments via employers were phased out. Extended maternity (and paternity) payments were introduced in 2004, while the years between 2005 and 2010 […]
Changes to mobile phone penalties looming
Motorists face new fixed penalties for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving from 27 February – the fine doubles to £60 and three penalty points will be given.Yet, according to Peninsula BusinessWise, 77 per cent of bosses fail to monitor whether road-based workers use mobiles sensibly while driving.Even worse, according to its survey 74 […]
Free guide to tackling insider fraud
Insider fraud can damage business reputation, brand and staff morale as well as lose thousands of pounds – and it’s on the increase.Now the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and CIFAS, the UK’s fraud prevention service, have teamed up to launch free guidance to help employers understand the threats and HR professionals to manage […]
Listening to employees reaps rewards
Looking for ways to inspire and motivate employees? Research by workplace engagement specialist Best Companies has found that listening to what employees have to say is the best place to start.And gaining employee engagement can reap the reward of winning the war for talent as 85 per cent of engaged employees would ‘strongly recommend’ working […]
Call for employers to sign ‘skills pledge’
The chancellor Gordon Brown and education secretary Alan Johnson have called on employers to sign up to a ‘skills pledge’ to ensure all their employees reach a skills level equivalent to five good GCSEs.Open to all employers, the skills pledge is designed to stimulate demand for training and help support a culture where gaining skills […]
Avian flu: An HR issue?
Dr Cook, UK medical director of International SOS, explains the issues for employers given the avian flu risk. Now that the A/H5N1 avian flu has become a reality in the United Kingdom, the need for businesses to put Pandemic Preparedness Plans in place is brought into sharp focus. Pandemics are not a new phenomenon and […]
HR Tip: Bullying boss with no HR officer
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: "Our boss is a bully. He makes some employees cry by shouting at them, he bawls people out publicly, and he is forever sarcastic. Can anything be done? We do not have […]
HRO: Out of the question? By Dan Martin
For HR, like all company departments, budget restrictions and market competition means the pressure to perform in the most cost effective way possible is greater than ever. So is HR outsourcing (HRO) the answer? Proponents argue that HRO allows firms to streamline their processes and achieve results with far less manpower and funding, while critics […]
All you need is love: Handling workplace romances. By Charles Price
Love may make the world go round, but it can bring business operations to a screeching halt if romance spills into the workplace. Barrister Charles Price explains how employers should handle relationships between co-workers. Ever since Clark Kent wooed Lois Lane in the offices of the ‘Daily Planet’ office, romances have been a topic under […]
School curriculum aims to meet employers’ needs
Proposals to revamp the curriculum for 11-14 year-olds (key stage three) will place more emphasis on developing skills such as initiative, enterprise and independent learning – skills which, the government says are particularly valued by employers.As well as traditional texts such as Shakespeare and Dickens, greater attention will be paid to spoken English. Schools will […]
Colborn’s corner: Who’s watching?
The past few weeks have seen many fixated on Big Brother and accusations of racism and bullying. This week Quentin takes a look at whether this offers a lesson for the workplace. Let me start with a disclaimer – I don’t watch Big Brother. Sad maybe, but I have better things to do with my […]
Don’t let Valentine’s Day turn into a nightmare
Traditionally it’s the day when birds choose their mate and when cards and flowers are sent by secret admirers.Unfortunately, it can also be a day when the office stalker strikes, when rude Valentine’s messages cause all kinds of disruption and those in coupledom attempt to out-bouquet each other.What many employers – 80 per cent, according […]
Useless middle management costs UK plc £220 billion a year
Underperforming middle managers are cutting the productivity of British business by a whopping £220 billion per year.The figure comes from research by management consultancy Hay Group, which also found that 38 per cent of UK directors believe their organisation is ‘paralysed’ by ineffective middle management.In fact, 40 per cent of British directors claim their middle […]
Benefits measurement essential to justify spend
The failure by many organisations to measure the real contribution pay and benefits packages can add to business is leaving many HR and reward professionals unable to justify fully increased spend or changes.That’s according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Annual Reward Survey 2007, which also reveals that two-fifths of organisation plan to […]
