Jobless figures: Up or down?
Tony Blair might have received a reprimand for leaking the latest jobless figures in an interview – but the full picture is rather more complicated than the PM painted.For although the number of people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance has fallen by 3,900 during the past month to 950,100; the number of people looking for work (ILO […]
Age regulations: 86 per cent of employers not ready
With less than three weeks to go until the new age discrimination regulations come into force, a new survey has revealed that 86 per cent of employers have not changed their HR procedures and practices in readiness for their new obligations.One of the reasons could be that the regulations are simply too complicated: 76 per […]
Boost your bottom line – engage your employees
US researchers have worked out the difference highly engaged employees make to a business’s bottom line when compared to their non-engaged counterparts in other organisations. And the answer is a startling 52 per cent.The study, carried out by HR research and consulting firm ISR, gathered information from 664,000 employees world-wide and analysed three traditional financial […]
Company of the week: AstraZeneca
Ann Rae, Lead UK Reward Partner for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca explains the ethos behind the businesses reward scheme, what part values play and why they decided to go down the flexible benefits route. *Benefits stats*Benefits offered: Contributory pension scheme. Death in service scheme. Private medical insurance. Holiday buy and sell scheme. Travel insurance. Retail vouchers. […]
Fighting the fraudulent sickie. By Sarah Fletcher
If an employee persistently claims illness on a Monday morning and seems to be the unluckiest person in Britain – food poisoning one week, a touch of TB the next – how should organisations react? Sarah Fletcher looks at strategies to combat suspicious staff sickness and its damaging impact upon business. As business is likely […]
Unions going too far, warns CBI
The CBI has warned the government that it must resist calls from the TUC that would turn the clock back on improved workplace relations. According to key findings in the latest annual CBI-Pertemps Employment Trends Survey, published this week, employers are working with employees on the issues that matter to them. Flexible working is being […]
Will new legislation really change the way businesses approach age discrimination?
Richard Marlin, Public Sector Contracts Manager for recruitment outfit Angela Mortimer explains why employers that continue to recruit for ‘young’ and ‘energetic’ staff post-October will wind themselves up in the dock. UK employers face a major challenge from new laws aimed at stamping out age discrimination in the workplace. From 1st October 2006, it will […]
HR Tip: Racially based nicknames
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: “Our Glaswegian security guard is called "Jock". Is this race discrimination?” A: I don't know. Ask him. If he is offended by the nickname then yes, it is racial harassment and must cease. […]
Government delays part of age discrimination legislation
Sections of the new age discrimination legislation, due to come into force on October 1, will be delayed for two months, the Government announced today.The delayed provisions relate to pensions requirements and will now come into force on December 1. The Government says this will give schemes more time to prepare for the changes.Announcing the […]
CIPD warn Blair’s successor to avoid employment ‘quick fixes’
Whoever Tony Blair’s successor is, the CIPD’s chief economist is urging them to avoid the temptation of ‘quick fixes’ to complex workplace issues.In his report, Jobs really are getting better – so why doesn’t it feel like it?, John Philpott says that Tony Blair will leave an ‘impressive legacy’ in terms of employment policy.The report […]
Any Answers: Managing lateness
Emma Doherty recently asked the Any Answers forum for advice on how to deal with persistent lateness; Stephen Walker, Director of Motivation Matters responds, sharing his top tips on ways to promote good timekeeping. Why manage:We have to manage the effect of poor timekeeping to avoid three major disrupting effects. 1. Line managers make their […]
Employee references: What’s the value? By Annie Hayes
Beating the cheats is big business these days with an estimated two-thirds of CVs carrying inaccuracies. Do employee references help or can they be as easily manipulated by those willing to embellish on their past experience, pay and job titles? Annie Hayes, HR Zone Editor reports. Outdated? ‘Subject to satisfactory references’ is the final hurdle […]
Psychometrics spotlight: The Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode instrument
In the latest of our series putting the range of psychometric tests under the spotlight we look at the less well-known, yet pleasantly surprising, Thomas-Kilman conflict mode instrument. Conflict is an inevitable aspect of working life, arising in situations when two or more people’s concerns appear to be incompatible. There are many ways that conflict […]
Year-long wait for Natwest Three trial
The former British bankers known as the ‘Natwest Three’ must wait for another 12 months before they are tried over allegations of fraud linked to collapsed energy firm Enron.In a preliminary hearing in Houston on Wednesday, a judge said the trial will take place on September 4 2007. He originally set it for February 5 […]
UK ‘breaking EU rest break laws’
The UK is breaching European regulations on ensuring workers receive sufficient rest breaks, judges have ruled.The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said the government has violated terms contained in the controversial Working Time Directive.Although the UK has an opt-out from the maximum 48-hour working week regulations, it is legally obliged to ensure that every worker […]
What’s the answer? Sickness absence
Rebecca Wormald gets legal guidance this week from Sarah Bird, employment law expert, Browne Jacobson and Martin Brewer, a Partner with the employment team of Mills & Reeve on the legalities of forcing someone to take sick leave. The question:If an employee is not fit to do the work s/he is contracted to do but […]
Sexism at work on the increase
Workplace sexism is rising, with almost three quarters (72 per cent) of women claiming they have been bullied because of their gender. Women in 2006 feel more bullied at work than they did in 2002, legal services company Peninsula reports. The survey of 2,067 female staff found the amount of women feeling bullied at work […]
Teleworking claims overhyped
The opportunity for teleworking has been exaggerated and is not viable for most employees, according to the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD). Many reports artificially inflated the number of teleworkers in Britain by including ‘white van’ tradespeople and self-employed individuals who use a computer and telephone in their work, CIPD chief economist John […]
Investors in People CEO quits
Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive of Investors in People, the people standard has resigned after eight years service.The outgoing Spellman leaves to join the Institution of Mechanical Engineers as their new Chief Executive.Commenting on her departure, she said: “I am very proud of our record of achievement and the progress we have made in establishing the […]
Don’t up tax on temps, group demands
Recruitment experts have called on HMRC to shelve proposals to add extra taxation on the provision of temporary workers in sectors such as social work, healthcare and education. Responding to the Revenue’s consultation on the review of the VAT concessions on the supply of temps, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said introducing extra taxes […]
