Police officers win equal pay battle
Two female police officers have won a three-year equal pay battle in a case which could have far-reaching implications.The case revolved around special allowances – Special Priority Payments – paid to officers who perform demanding roles by police forces throughout the country.West Midlands Police made these payments to officers in a number of posts. In […]
Employers don’t understand age regulations, report reveals
A new survey reveals that a whopping 71 per cent of employers think the new age discrimination regulations are difficult to interpret.And 83 per cent believed the government should have done more to assist and help businesses prepare for the new laws.Employment law firm Peninsula, which carried out the survey, revealed that its helpline had […]
Retailers keep benefits costs low
Retailers are reportedly in the front line of large employers in keeping down the costs of employee benefits.The research was carried out in the US by Mercer Human Resource Consulting but reflects some of the issues prevalent in the UK marketplace.Costs of benefits such as health insurance and pensions are rising faster than retailers can […]
Ask the expert: Recording disciplinaries
Esther Smith, partner at law firm Thomas Eggar, and Martin Brewer, partner and employment law specialist at Mills & Reeve, explain whether an employee charged with misconduct can be denied the right to tape record his interview. The question:We are conducting an investigation into a misconduct offence. The employee being investigated has requested tape recording […]
Age discrimination could be costly for pension funds
The government’s consultation on how the new age discrimination regulations will affect pension funds closes today – but if no changes are made to draft regulations then they could prove expensive.So says Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which is warning that if the regulations are implemented in their current form then at least a third of […]
Lifting the veil on religious discrimination
West Yorkshire teaching assistant Aishah Azmi is to appeal against the employment tribunal’s decision to refuse her claim of religious discrimination.Yesterday’s judgment found against Mrs Azmi on three of the four claims she made, including religious discrimination and harassment, but awarded her £1,100 for victimisation.According to press reports, the tribunal’s judgment was finalised on 6 […]
Safety: employers ‘prejudiced’ against younger workers
Research reveals that the majority of employers are prejudiced against younger workers when it comes to workplace safety.According to Croner, six in ten employers said that younger workers are more likely to take risks with safety at work compared to older colleagues.Almost as many – 54 per cent – said that younger people are more […]
Incidental private use of computers, equipment and services. By Nichola Ross Martin
When the exemption for employer provided computer equipment in s.320 ITEPA 2003 was unexpectedly terminated in the 2006 Budget, there were concerns that this might lead to an unexpected benefits charge for employees in respect of private use of employer's computers and peripherals. HMRC replied that providing that private use of an employer's equipment was […]
The benefits of apprenticeships
A new study from the Learning and Skills Network reveals that the combination of theoretical and practical training for apprentices was invaluable. ‘Career Paths of Former Apprentices’, by Rossana Perez-del-Aguila, Helen Monteiro and Maria Hughes, looked at whether the methods of learning in apprenticeships had been influential in future success.The report says: “The mix of […]
‘Sickie’ throwing colleagues unpopular
It’s not just employers who are unhappy with staff throwing fake ‘sickies’, research shows their colleagues aren’t too happy either.A survey carried out by Ceridian revealed that two-thirds of employees either strongly disapproved or did not think it fair that fellow workers took ‘sickies’ off when they were not really ill. The survey of 1,050 […]
Record numbers in employment
The number of people in employment has passed the 29 million mark for the first time in the UK’s history.But this week’s employment figures from the Office for National Statistics also shows an increase in the number of unemployed: to 5.5 per cent, an increase of 0.1 per cent in the period June to August […]
Acas calls for earlier dispute resolution
Acas chairman Rita Donaghy has called upon employers and employees to work together and resolve workplace disputes as early as possible.Speaking at the Dispute Resolution and Workplace Mediation Summit, held in London earlier this week, she urged employers to seek ways of dealing with issues as they arise rather than waiting until they impact on […]
Will the smoking ban make staff fuming mad? By Sarah Fletcher
Campaigners against the legislation to ban smoking in all enclosed public spaces as of summer 2007 argue that this is just another way for the government to control us, deny personal freedom and monitor us like children that will indulge ourselves straight into a graveyard without state intervention. Sarah Fletcher asked leading business figures what […]
Colborn’s corner: should line managers review HR?
There has been comment in the HR press recently about the input of Neil Roden, Group HR Director at Royal Bank of Scotland, who is quoted as being keen to see more line involvement in the assessment of HR performance. But what do we think of line assessing our performance? Will such reviews be fair […]
October news in brief: What makes a bad boss?
To go to a story click on the link below: Interviewees fail to prepare, poll reveals What makes a bad boss? What makes a bad boss?Workplace culture in the US and the UK might be different – but it seems some things are universal: including moaning about bosses. A US-based global human resource consulting firm […]
What makes a bad boss?
Workplace culture in the US and the UK might be different – but it seems some things are universal: including moaning about bosses. A US-based global human resource consulting firm – Development Dimensions International – teamed up with badbossology.com, which describes itself as a bad-boss protection resource site, to find out leadership sins. Top of […]
Fake ‘sickies’ on the increase
Increasing numbers of employees are ‘throwing a sickie’ according to a new survey – and more employers are disciplining them, even though they admit it’s difficult to spot the difference.Peninsula BusinessWise found that in the year to September 2006, 84 per cent of employees admitted to pulling a non-genuine ‘sickie’, compared to 79 per cent […]
Training beats pay rises for employee rewards
Companies across Europe are planning to invest more in training and development and less on basic pay increases next year according to a European-wide survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.The survey of more than 430 companies in Europe, mostly multinationals, found that only 16 per cent of respondents are planning to increase their investment in […]
Employment tribunal worry for firms
Employment tribunals are the second-biggest litigation fear for UK companies – beaten only by regulatory proceedings, according to a new report.And the fears could be justified – the number of UK businesses that faced court action over the past 12 months increased to 78 per cent according to international law firm Fulbright & Jaworski’s annual […]
Graduate assessment centres: Why, what and how?
In the first of an exclusive three part series on graduate recruitment, consultant Mike Morrison reveals best practice in hiring graduates using assessment centres. WhySo you have made the decision to recruit graduates. You know that if you place an advert you will get lots of replies, so how do you put systems in to […]
