Employees hazard too many guesses on speeding and drink driving
Drink-driving and speeding employees are putting employers in breach of safety rules, according to new research. Men are the worst offenders, with over half admitting to breaking the law while driving on business.A survey by YouGov for UK health and safety experts Croner found that 55 per cent of male road users had knowingly broken […]
EU looks to modernise labour laws
The EU Commission has launched a green paper aimed at sparking a public debate on modernising labour law.Much of the legislation the EU has passed has focused on the traditional permanent, full-time employee/employer relationship but new types of contractual arrangement outside this blueprint are becoming increasingly common across the EU.It’s estimated that 25 per cent […]
Ask the expert: Compassionate leave
How should an employee be paid who takes time off because a relative is terminally ill? Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills and Reeve, and Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar, explain. The question:“A colleague has taken time off because her father is terminally ill. She does not know when she will […]
£10m women in industry project
A £10 million project has been launched to persuade women to consider careers in male-dominated industries.Up to 10,000 school leavers and women returning to work after a career break will have the chance to test out recruitment and career opportunities previously considered the preserve of men.The two-year initiative is being spearheaded by five sector skills […]
Age discrimination laws failing to bite
There’s a long way to go to eliminate age discrimination according to new research, as 16 per cent of HR managers admit to being aware of discriminatory policies and practices within their organisations. And 28 per cent said they could not confirm that their directors or senior management team were fully committed to eliminating age […]
Minimum wage complaints up 10%
Complaints from staff paid less than the national minimum wage (NMW) rose by 10 per cent during the past year, according to official figures from HM Revenue and Customs.Of the 61,000 calls the helpline received during 2005/6, 2,100 were complaints about non-payment of the NMW, the rest were for help and advice.The hospitality and hairdressing […]
Off the record: Background checks on new employees
“We need to run a background check on a new employee. What information are we entitled to access and are there procedures that we have to follow?” Ranjit Dhindsa, partner at international law firm Reed Smith, explains the employer’s legal obligations. As part of the recruitment process, employers often run background checks in various forms, […]
Benefit schemes and salary sacrifice. By Nichola Ross Martin
Salary sacrifice schemes are not only for employees working for large companies. They can be used to create very flexible employee remuneration packages. All that is needed is a little imagination. By Nichola Ross Martin. Under a salary sacrifice (SS) arrangement, an employee gives up the right to receive part of their pay under their […]
HR tip: Last in, first out redundancy selection
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: "We practise "last in, first out" when carrying out redundancies. Should this be department by department or across the board?" A: You may choose either method but must then apply it consistently. You […]
Call centre staff suffering from acoustic shock
Increasing numbers of call centre staff are suffering from acoustic shock – yet the call centre industry is doing little to mitigate the damage.Acoustic shock is defined as a sudden or unexpected noise received through headphones or earpiece – symptoms include a constant headache and tinnitus. It can lead to meniere disease – abnormal pressure […]
Acas provides free guidance for coping with festive frivolity
If you’re worried about festive frolics getting out of hand and damaging more than the office photocopier, Acas is the latest organisation to provide free guidance on how to cope.The key is in the preparation – and if you have policies and procedures in place all year round then, says Acas chairman Rita Donaghy, you’re […]
CBI brands skills system ‘dysfunctional’
The national skills system is ‘dysfunctional’, seen by many employers as ‘irrelevant’ and is letting down the country, according to the CBI.The comments came as the CBI unveiled its own four-point plan ahead of the Leitch Report on skills, expected to be published on 6 December, and called on the government to put an end […]
Gender duty to cost local authorities millions
Recent court decisions mean the financial implications of the public body gender duty are greater than anticipated by the government, according to a new report by the Local Government Employers (LGE).The report, ‘Unblocking the route to equal pay in local government’, says the requirement imposed by the courts to backdate pay settlements mean some local […]
Executive rewards fall but still higher than employees’
Executive pay and bonus levels have fallen over the past year – but they’re still running at higher levels than employee rewards.New research from Mercer Human Resource Consulting reveals that the average basic salary increase for executives stood at 5 per cent in 2006, while average bonuses were 37.5 per cent of base pay – […]
Feeling lazy? Blame it on the office. By Sarah Fletcher
Is your office killing your ability to work? If you have a tendency to gaze vacantly out of the window for hours, forget to reply to emails and be distracted by your colleagues discussing last night's tv, don't feel guilty; it turns out it's not your fault after all. Apparently we're suffering from a condition […]
Any Answers: Managing rebellious staff
“Staff who persistently challenge and undermine their employer’s authority and do so publicly need to be taken through the disciplinary procedure,” argues HR Zone member Jane Thompson. How do you manage staff who rebel against the values of the business? Lynn Smith, a training manager working in the voluntary sector, suggests an employer who wishes […]
Case study: Risk management
Risk management is a crucial part of any organisation’s strategy. Dan Martin, HR Zone business editor, reports on the experiences of eye care firm Vision Service Plan (VSR), which improved its methods for risk identification and management. In the modern world, businesses are exposed to a range of risks, both internally and externally. Patricia Cochran, […]
Dispute resolution regulations – questions of timings and beards
Technical questions surrounding ‘normal time limits’ and the point at which someone engaged in the statutory grievance procedure runs out of time to bring a case before a tribunal have been addressed in two cases before the Employment Appeal Tribunal.Broadly, the answer is that time starts to run when events lead to dismissal rather than […]
Pay growth dips below cost of living
Pay rises are failing to keep up with the cost of living as migrants and older workers boost labour supply, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and KPMG’s quarterly ‘Labour Market Outlook’ survey report.As a result, pay pressures are likely to remain subdued during the winter pay round.The results are backed […]
Transsexual woman launches two discrimination cases
In a highly unusual and potentially record-breaking case, a transsexual woman has launched discrimination claims on both sides of the Atlantic.Jessica Bussert alleges she was demoted after informing her employer, Hitachi Data Systems, of her planned transition and that she was subjected to retaliatory actions after filing a claim with a British tribunal.The British hearing […]
