Northern Foods signs multi-union training deal
Northern Foods has signed a multi-union National Learning Agreement to give employees easy access to a range of courses from numeracy and literacy through to languages and the European Computer Driving Licence.The groundbreaking agreement between Northern Foods and the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), the Transport & General Workers Union (T&GWU) and the […]
Corporate manslaughter bill: changes proposed
The corporate manslaughter bill went through its second reading in the house of commons this week.And after years of wrangling to get this far, changes are already being proposed – particularly to the definition of management failure.With the unions demanding that the bill be strengthened to allow for the prosecution of individual directors, Home Secretary […]
Pencils to company secrets – Dealing with the modern IP thief. By Dan Martin
A decade ago, employees moving to a different company would often grab a few pens and pencils from the stationery cupboard as they left the office. However, modern technological developments have given departing workers access to a wealth of confidential information which could prove useful in their new job. Dan Martin, HR Zone business editor, […]
About PA Consulting Group
PA Consulting Group is a leading management, systems and technology consulting firm. Operating worldwide in more than 35 countries, PA draws on the knowledge and experience of 3,000 people, whose skills span the initial generation of ideas, insights and solutions all the way through to detailed implementation.PA focuses on creating benefits for clients rather than […]
How to get better results from clients
In this second of two exclusive articles for HR Zone, management consultant John Pope explains how to improve the success rate of consultancy projects. Consultancy is a journey into the unknownConsultancy is a journey into the unknown, with your client as your companion. You have agreed on the journey and have arrived on the client’s […]
Blackberries, mobile phones and broadband. By Nichola Ross Martin
HMRC have been busy over the summer updating their Employment Income Manual to keep up with changes in technology. It is becoming increasingly difficult to clarify the tax treatment of some new “gizmos” under the benefits code. The definition of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)Blackberries are a good example of the sort equipment that could […]
HR tips 2005
All our HR tips from 2005: click on the links to read any of the HR tips. December 2005Losing talent November 2005Publishing discipline and grievance proceduresBanning alcohol in the workplaceRecovering relocation expensesRedundancy and "bumping"Written confirmation of disciplinary sanction October 2005The burden of proof in workplace disciplineEntitlement to benefits during maternity/adoption leaveDefinition of full-time and part-time […]
Minister brands employers ‘out of date’
A government minister has branded employers ‘decades out of date’ when it comes to their attitudes towards mental health.Jim Murphy, the minister for employment and welfare reform, was announcing the publication of the Personal Capability Assessment review (PCA).He said: “In terms of mental health we are still lagging behind the progress we have made on […]
Christmas bonus on the way out
The Christmas cash bonus appears to be on the way out as new research shows under 15 per cent of employers still reward staff in that way.The study by IRS showed that just 14.7% of bosses hand over festive financial bonuses with 28.3 per cent prefering to give a gift. Chocolate and wine were favourite […]
HR shared services: £2k savings per employee
A new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers says UK companies could save up to £2,000 a year for every new full-time employee by managing staff administration processes through human resource shared services.New data from PricewaterhouseCoopers in its annual HR Shared Service Index measures how efficiently companies recruit, pay and manage their people through centralised HR departments, and […]
Zero tolerance best anti-bullying approach
New research from Portsmouth Business School has revealed that those employers who take a zero tolerance approach to bullying in the workplace have the most success.The research was commissioned jointly by the Department of Trade and Industry and trade union Amicus and forms the world’s larges anti-bullying research project.Charlotte Rayner, professor of human resource management […]
BT project for staff with mental health problems
BT has teamed up with the Communication Workers Union, Connect and mental health charities to launch a major project to help staff with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and stress.The Work Fit – Positive Mentality campaign aims to provide practical guidance to BT’s 104,000 employees across the globe on how to improve their […]
EU warned against legislating
The EU has been warned to hold back on introducing legislation to cover independent workers.Last week saw the leaking of a green paper which discussed protection for the growing number of workers – such as contractors and the self-employed – who fall outside traditional working arrangements.But business pressure group the Forum of Private Business has […]
Sexual harassment victim awarded £58,697
An Exeter employment tribunal has ordered the former mayor of Chard, Somerset to pay £33,697 in damages to a former town clerk who brought a successful claim of sexual harassment.Sally Bing’s victory against Councillor Tony Prior followed the settlement of her case against Chard Town Council which agreed to pay her £25,000 for loss of […]
Any Answers: Dealing with moaning employees
Annie Lawler of Breathing Space for Business responds to member Madeline Clark’s posting about how to deal with a lack of positivity in the workplace triggered by an employee with a tendency to moan. Members of staff who are constantly complaining and being negative not only have a detrimental effect on themselves, but also on […]
HR Tip: Appeal against Employment Tribunal decision
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 lost a case of unfair dismissal in the Employment Tribunal. We believe that the Tribunal did not take fully into account the difficulties under which we have to work. Can we […]
Alcohol at work – Does it really matter? By Sarah Fletcher
A drunk employee that slurs, brawls and falls off their chair is an obvious business liability, but is the odd drink at lunch really as serious as recent reports suggest? The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates between eight and 14 million working days are lost each year as a result of alcohol impaired performance, […]
Softworld News: Microsoft enters European HR arena
Microsoft UK gold partner Ciber will be previewing the Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 ERP suite at Softworld HR & Payroll at Birmingham’s NEC on 18-19 October.Previously known in the UK as Axapta and acquired by Microsoft as part of the Navision stable, the Dynamics AX 4.0 HR modules are Microsoft’s first offerings of this kind […]
Employers urged to ban smoking now
The TUC is calling on employers to ban smoking in the workplace now – and not wait for the proposed legislation which is due to come into force next summer.In a new guide, the TUC says that rather than put off the inevitable for a few months, employers should be sitting down now with employees […]
More lies than ever on CVs
Job candidates in the financial sector are becoming increasingly brazen in lying when they submit CVs for job applications. A study of more than 3,000 CVs submitted by job applicants during 2004 showed that 25 per cent of the CVs submitted ants in the financial sector contained false, or incorrect statements. The study by employee […]
