Strikes: Best avoided. By Matt Henkes
In an industrial dispute, the threat of a strike is the trade unions’ trump card, and one which they will tell you that they are loath to pull. The ramifications of such stoppages are far reaching, and affect everyone, from shareholders, management and executives, to customers, employees and their families.The topic has proved to be […]
UK health and safety law passes first hurdle of EU court case
The EU Commission’s decision to launch a court case against the UK over the way it implements EU health and safety rules looks to have backfired.In the first stage of the ruling, Advocate General Paolo Mengozzi has said that the main plank of UK health and safety legislation – the Health and Safety at Work […]
Religious dress row set to resume?
According to press reports, Aishah Azmi, the woman at the centre of last year’s religious dress row, has filed papers with the Employment Appeals Tribunal.Ms Azmi was sacked from her job as a classroom assistant by Kirklees Council after insisting on wearing the niqab – the veil which covers the face leaving just a slit […]
Talent management: why rewards work
The top talent in many UK companies is not happy and these employees are voting with their feet, recent research shows. This is despite the fact that many of them are highly paid, earning on average £325,000 per annum and receiving a bonus of around £100,000. This just goes to show that money does not […]
Ask the expert: Repayment of course fees
Can an organisation force an ex-employee to repay their 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:Having just left an organisation to take up a new role, I have been asked by my old company to repay the […]
How bosses can be good for workers’ health
New research has discovered a range of behaviours that bosses can use to prevent and reduce stress among their team members.Although the research has identified 19 key ‘stress management behaviours’ it’s so new that the relative importance of each has yet to be determined.Key behaviours include: managing workload and resources, having a friendly style, good […]
Over-50s ‘don’t give returns on training investment’
Over 50s, particularly females, are more likely to miss out on training opportunities in the workplace than younger male employees because HR managers see older women as offering a poor return on investment.That was the result of research carried out into age and gender bias in the allocation of training and development budgets by Almuth […]
Organisational politics chief cause of stress in the workplace
Organisational politics has moved from being a fringe issue a decade ago to being the principal cause of workplace stress, according to research.The finding has emerged from the executive educational and research organisation Roffey Park’s annual review of management trends – The Management Agenda 2007.Now in its tenth year, the review examines the challenges that […]
Accountant wins £25,000 in equal pay case
Bridget Bodman, a former accountant at manufacturing company API Group, has won £25,000 in a highly unusual equal pay case.Usually the comparator a claimant is required to produce is someone doing a similar role, at the same time, on higher pay. But Ms Bodman, whose action was supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), was […]
Colborn’s corner – Open justice?
A couple of weeks ago there were reports that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was considering opening up police disciplinary hearings to the public. Quentin looks at this topic from an HR perspective and wonders what would happen if more disciplinary hearings were held in the open. I guess that the vast majority of […]
E-recruitment – sorting the wheat from the chaff. By Matt Henkes
Paper-based office procedures are under threat across the professional world, and the recruitment process is no exception. For HR departments, the internet is a godsend when it comes to speeding up and improving the recruitment process. But with massive expansion of the online recruitment industry, HR should bear in mind several pitfalls which may hinder […]
HR Tip: Ending a fixed term contract
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: "Can I end a fixed term contract prematurely?" HR Tip: A fixed term contract may include a clause giving either or both parties the right to terminate it before the expiry date by […]
Employee satisfaction guaranteed
John McTrusty, Director of QuestBack Scotland, discusses the ways in which businesses can act upon the results of employee surveys to ensure improved staff morale and commitment. Poor employee morale and motivation can have a devastating effect on an organisation’s efficiency, performance, profitability and, ultimately, survival.Many organisations carry out employee satisfaction surveys annually or more […]
Recruitment: The benefits of assessment centres
Recruitment can be difficult when references and CVs are inaccurate, so assessment centres can improve an employer’s success when seeking new staff. Mark Slaski, chief psychologist at ConsultingTools, outlines the benefits. Why focus on Selection and Assessment?Remove people from an organisation and what remains? It’s a well-worn saying but people really are an organisation’s greatest […]
Good grievance procedure wins tribunal case
A black chef at a JD Wetherspoon pub, who claimed he was nicknamed ‘our little slave’ has lost his tribunal case – thanks to the company’s good grievance procedure.The Swindon Advertiser reported that Gregorio Mercedes Luciano alleged his colleagues at The Savoy in Swindon described him in racist terms.He also said he was underpaid, forced […]
Jobless figures show fall in unemployment
Ministers have greeted the latest employment statistics with delight – as they show a rise in employment, a drop in unemployment and a fall in the number of people claiming benefits.Jim Murphy, minister for employment and welfare reform, said: “The latest figures provide a picture of a strong labour market – employment up, unemployment down […]
Stressed out? So what? By Dan Martin
Employees stressed out at work can often trace the cause of their worries to events outside of the workplace. We often hear that employers have a role to play in combating that stress but if it’s down to external reasons, why should they intervene? And even if they do decide to step in, how can […]
Vox pop: Are we useless at sharing knowledge? By Sarah Fletcher
Are UK organisations good at sharing knowledge within their company? Or do we spend hours chattering about rubbish without ever giving valuable information to improve our performance? Sarah Fletcher asked members of HR Zone for their views. Useless information overloadRosemarie Loft, HR director, SMBC:“I think information is on overload. There’s so much, and so much […]
Appraisals: Send them to Room 101
Andrew Mayo, director of human capital management consultancy Mayo Learning International, asks why organisations seem to find the appraisal process so difficult to grasp and how to make it work. A recent IRS Study reported 78 per cent of organisations have made changes to their appraisal system in the last 12 months. One would think […]
Employment law not the only route
The government should resist the temptation to introduce new employment laws and instead concentrate its efforts on a policy of encouraging employers to comply with existing law and pursue a fairness at work agenda.That’s according to Professor Paul Edwards from the Industrial Relations Research Unit at Warwick Business School, in a paper on justice in […]
