New details of inter-regional unemployment
The Office of National Statistics has released its first ever report into differences in unemployment rates within regions.Local Area Labour Markets: Statistical Indicators July 2006 looks at unemployment rates within local authority areas and has found that differences within regions can be greater than differences between regions.The gap between the highest and lowest unemployment rates […]
HR hits rock bottom in the boredom list
HR is less boring than media or law but not as interesting as accountancy or teaching, according to graduates who work in the profession. The Training and Development Agency for Schools has published its Work Boredom Index which has turned popular myths – such as accountancy being boring and the media being interesting – around. […]
Women to wait 150 years for equal pay
Research by the London School of Economics has revealed that if current performance is maintained, it will be another 150 years before women’s pay is equal to that of their male counterparts.The gap in pay between men and women had been narrowing for the past 30 years, but has now started to become static, analysts […]
CBI launches human capital awards
Could you be onto a winner? The CBI, in association with Microsoft, has launched the Human Capital Awards which aim to recognise the contribution innovative schemes make to overall corporate performance.With eight categories, the awards are open to anyone with truly results-focused people management.The CBI’s director-general Richard Lambert said: “People are the UK’s biggest asset. […]
HR change management: Followers or champions?
If change management is so critical to the success of a project, why is it often an afterthought or not done properly? Bettina Pickering and Tony Marr of PA Consulting Group report. Why do projects fail? A quick Google search on that question throws up a range of possible reasons, including many (“poor user input”, […]
Record numbers seek Acas’ help
People seeking help on employment law issues are turning to the Acas helpline in record numbers its annual report reveals.In 2005/6 the helpline received 908,553 calls, compared to 880,787 the previous year. The top three topics were discipline and grievance, maternity/paternity and redundancy/layoff issues.There were also a record number of visitors to the website, with […]
Dress down days increase productivity
Could the death knell have been sounded for the collar and tie? As nine out of ten employers relax the dress code in the hot weather, Peninsula has found that eight out of ten have reported increased productivity on dress-down days.A survey of 562 employers from various industries found that 88 per cent had allowed […]
What’s the answer? Withdrawing a verbal offer of employment
Claire Paton gets legal guidance this week from Sarah Bird, employment law expert at Browne Jacobson and Martin Brewer, a Partner with the employment team of Mills & Reeve on how to make a u-turn on a verbal offer of employment. The question:If I have made a verbal offer of employment and the individual […]
People planning for merger success
At least 60 per cent of mergers end up destroying rather than creating value and the most frequently stated reason for this failure relates to people, and how they react or behave as a result of the changes; Peter Wallum, Worldwide Partner at Mercer Human Resource Consulting reports. The people factorMerging companies often become engulfed […]
Opinion: Successful change is all down to people
Some 70% of change efforts fail to achieve their potential so how can organisations ensure that they don’t throw their money away? Nick Fewings, Director of The Colour Works International Limited, formerly a senior change Director with Barclays outlines the path to change management success. With current economic pressure on profit margins, increased competition from […]
Pay rises below inflation
New figures from the Industrial Relations Services (IRS) indicate that pay rises are running below the level of inflation for the first time since April 2005.Analysis of 134 pay settlements in the three months to the end of June show the average basic pay award was 3 per cent.During the same period the Retail Price […]
Change management: In theory and in practice
How useful is change management theory? In a recent Any Answers posting member Eddie Newall reflected on over 30 years experience within the NHS in which he never once witnessed change management theory put into practice; in this article Jeremy Thorn, Chairman of QED Consulting responds to the issues. I have worked in an advisory […]
Corporate manslaughter: The death of employee freedom? By Sarah Fletcher
A recent court ruling which fined British organisation The Produce Company £30,000 when an employee died after 11 days of excessively long shifts raises the legal issue of an employer’s duty of care. Whether an isolated event or a precedent for future corporate manslaughter cases, it suggests a company’s responsibility to its staff doesn’t stop […]
Defined contribution schemes good for employers
HR managers can see the benefits of defined contribution (DC) pension schemes for employers but are less sure of their benefits for employees.Senior HR and benefits managers from some of the UK’s largest employers were polled at a Watson Wyatt workshop and some 78 per cent of attendees said that, as a basic design concept, […]
Long hours culture harmful to women
If you want to keep your female workers healthy, ditch the long hours culture – that’s the message from researchers studying the effects of stress.Findings indicate that men and women respond very differently to long working hours – with women more likely to adopt unhealthy behaviours such as snacking, smoking and drinking caffeine.Researcher Dr Daryl […]
Change: Planned or haphazard?
Is change really a planned for event? Do HR practitioners diligently refer to the theory books when dealing with a redundancy, merger or acquisition? In this feature Annie Hayes, HR Zone Editor, reports on what’s really going on at UK plc when it comes to change management. Why change?There are many reasons why organisations need […]
Corporate manslaughter bill published
Its been under consideration for over a decade but the Government has finally published its Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill.The Bill applies to Scotland as well as England and Wales – the difference is that the offence in Scotland will be corporate homicide whereas in England and Wales it will be corporate manslaughter.Under current […]
Grievance procedures not working says CBI
The CBI’s research into workplace grievances has shown that the statutory procedure introduced in October 2004 has had no long-term impact on the number of cases reaching the tribunals.Last year the number of tribunal cases jumped by a third, reaching the levels of 2003/4.CBI director of human resources policy Susan Anderson said: “We are disappointed […]
HR Tip: Delay in accepting an offer
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 wrote to a man we had interviewed offering him a job. After two weeks we had heard nothing from him so offered it to someone else who accepted. Now one month […]
July news in brief: How do you recruit?
To go to a story click on the link below: How do you recruit? Don’t make employers immigration police Warm weather brings out ‘sartorial discrimination’ Office romances on the increase Sunburn new liability threat Companies targeted to reduce driving offences Sleep working Squeeze in! Consultation opens on smoke-free workplaces NHS could save £80 million a […]
