New legislation round-up
Age discrimination and family-friendly policies have been dominating the headlines but as one of the government’s two standard implementation dates for employment legislation, other changes are also taking place on Sunday.The first is the annual change to the National Minimum Wage (NMW). But as well as the new rates, there are also some changes to […]
Practical effects of age discrimination
What does the future hold for CVs and job titles once age discrimination rules come into force on Sunday?They are just two of the questions research by project management recruitment specialists Arras People has raised.The headline finding of a 40 per cent lack of awareness broadly supports the Employers Forum on Age’s findings earlier this […]
What’s the answer? Part-timers sick pay
Chris Burgess gets legal guidance this week from Helen Badger, employment law expert, Browne Jacobson and Martin Brewer, a Partner with the employment team of Mills & Reeve on sick payments for part-time staff. The question: We have a number of workers whose work is not time dependent and they can come into the office […]
Podcasts new weapon in graduate hunt
Cadbury Schweppes added podcasts to its armoury in its efforts to track down the graduate recruits it needs for 2007.Today’s graduates have a higher expectation of being able to use the internet as a primary source of information and communication. September 2005 saw the launch of the first graduate blog, offering an insight into a […]
Pay settlements hold steady
Pay settlements are holding steady as the current bargaining year draws to a close, according to pay specialists Industrial Relations Services (IRS).Analysis of the latest pay settlements reveals that basic pay awards are at an average 3 per cent in the three months to the end of August 2006. Of these, 64 per cent were […]
Half of working Brits unaware of age legislation
With just days to go before new anti-age discrimination regulations come into force new reserach reveals that half of working Brits aren’t even aware of the forthcoming changes.The shocking findings of the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) also revealed that ageist attitudes are ‘alive and kicking’. When asked to identify the ‘perfect age group’ for […]
HR Tip: Attitude problems
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR and payroll tips in 2006. A market leader in the provision of HR and Payroll training and nationally recognised professional qualifications, HRD & Payroll Solutions are highly experienced in teaching about common HR and payroll problems. A wide selection of tips, […]
Age discrimination – Is your business ready? By Rebecca Benneyworth
Most employers are aware that new age discrimination rules come into effect this weekend, but how many know the wide reaching effects of the changes and how much work will be needed to satisfy the new rules? By Rebecca Benneyworth.The age discrimination legislation comes into force on 1 October, and effectively bans all forms of […]
HR directors more age discriminatory than public
A survey by BUPA has revealed that HR directors and managers are more likely to discriminate on the grounds of age than the general public.Two-thirds of the 200 senior HR personnel interviewed believed the retirement age should be 65, whereas three-quarters of the general public believe that people should carry on working for as long […]
E-help service offers new hope for working fathers
As new family-friendly legislation comes into force next week, so the work-life balance charity Working Families has secured lottery funding to launch an e-help service via text and email.The service is particularly aimed at dads because research has shown that men prefer texting and email to phone lines.The service will allow ‘callers’ to email or […]
New HR research centre opened
Manpower and the London School of Economics have teamed up to launch a new research centre for HR.The Manpower HR Lab aims to establish a leading centre for the study and analysis of the impact of human resource and labour market decisions and trends on productivity at corporate, national and global levels. To do this, […]
Off the record: Temp claims unfair dismissal
I recently received an employment tribunal claim from someone we employed on a temporary contract. At the end of the contract, we did not renew his contract and he is claiming unfair dismissal saying that we are in breach of regulations specifically designed to protect employees on fixed-term contracts. Has he got a case? Ranjit […]
Any Answers: Fun ways to achieve the diversity challenge
In response to an Any Answers posting on how to do it, Skye Mackie of Skills Boosters LIVE shares her tips on how to create a diversity course that is interactive, informative and fun. Designing courses that are interactive, informative and enjoyable is a key ingredient for all successful training initiatives. And there’s no reason […]
Employers need support if pension reforms are to work
The director general of the CBI told a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference today that employers will need a comprehensive support package from government if its pension white paper proposals are to succeed.Richard Lambert warned that the proposed legislation, which includes automatic pension scheme enrolment and compulsory company contributions, will be hard for […]
Gloucestershire police discriminated against white men
The boundary between illegal positive discrimination and legal positive action can be difficult to judge – as Gloucestershire police have found.A tribunal awarded £2,500 for injury to feelings to Matt Powell, who had applied to the force but then received a letter saying he had been ‘randomly deselected’ from the process. The BBC reports that […]
CBI urges restraint on the Low Pay Commission
The CBI has urged the Low Pay Commission to show restraint when it comes to increasing the National Minimum Wage (NMW).And after last week’s row with the British Retail Consortium, the TUC has welcomed the CBI’s submission – but said it could go further.In its submission, the CBI warns that rising energy costs, lower 2007 […]
Getting ex-offenders back to work. By Sarah Fletcher
We’re increasingly becoming a nation of criminals and our workplaces are paying the price, recent studies reveal. Given that fraud alone cost UK firms almost £1bn last year, is it an operational disaster to recruit candidates with a record of crimes against the employer? Sarah Fletcher asked members of HR Zone and sister site AccountingWEB […]
Government investigates plight of ethnic minority women at work
As part of its action plan in response to the Women and Work Commission, the government is to launch an investigation into the issues facing ethnic minority women in the workplace.Ethnic minority communities overall have a lower employment rate than the rest of the population, and for Bangladeshi and Pakistani women it is particularly low […]
Take a holistic approach to pensions, Government urged
In its response to the government white paper on pensions, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) has urged a holistic approach to pensions policy.Although it supports the proposals for a National Pensions Savings Scheme, the CIPD believes that by removing the government’s default retirement age of 65, withdrawing means-testing and offering financial incentives in […]
Minimum wage – what are the true costs?
A spat has broken out between the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the TUC over the true costs of the National Minimum Wage.It started when the BRC produced a report saying 78,000 jobs in the retail sector had been lost due to the extra £1.2 billion minimum wage costs had placed on retailers’ wage bills.The […]
