Any Answers: Which benefits are the most attractive?
An Any Answers query by HR Zone member Shelagh focused on the value or otherwise of benchmarking rewards; in this feature we round-up our members’ varied advice. The question:I want to inform the partners of the business about the most attractive benefit i.e. health cover or holidays etc. We are a small company with 60 […]
Company of the Week: Snowdrop
Annie Hayes, HR Zone Editor spoke to Melanie Guy, HR Manager for software services outfit, Snowdrop to find out the reasons why they decided to revisit their benefits package and make some dramatic changes. *Benefits stats*Benefits offered: Pension with contribution from Snowdrop. BUPA healthcare cover. BUPA dental care. Sight test vouchers with discounts on spectacles […]
What’s the answer? Maternity entitlement for a stillbirth
Anna Brown 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 whether maternity leave should be granted where an employee sadly has a stillborn child. The question:I have an employee who very sadly gave birth to […]
Nurse wins landmark employment ruling
A Nottingham nurse has won a landmark ruling from an employment tribunal that for the purposes of transfers of undertakings, agency workers are employees.The case has far-reaching implications for anyone who works through an agency, from admin staff to supply teachers. But with case law from 2004 implying that under certain circumstances a contract may […]
HR says no to internal communications
A survey of communications professionals has revealed that 87 per cent feel internal communications should not be part of HR.The poll, run by the monthly ezine (electronic newsletter) of the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB), also asked for comments.One respondent said: “Communications is better when it’s not associated with any particular function, but […]
Creative industries’ apprenticeship developed
A new apprenticeship has been developed specifically for the creative and cultural industries.The creative apprenticeship is currently being developed by Creative & Cultural Skills, the Sector Skills Council for advertising, design, craft, cultural heritage, commercial music and the literary, visual and performing arts. A specific response to employer demand for a flexible, purpose-built training framework, […]
HR Zone Briefing #305 – Childcare Vouchers: Are They Worth It?
================================================================ HR Briefing Issue 305 – 20 July 2006 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ ********************** Featured Sponsors *********************** Childcare Vouchers – Significant savings for working parents and employers http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/accor17a.html Croner Reference book for Employers – 28 day trial http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/croner18a.html **************************************************************** Editor’s Note ============= Childcare vouchers exempt from tax and national insurance payments encourage many parents to return to […]
Childcare vouchers: Are they worth it? By Sarah Fletcher
Childcare vouchers are promoted as a cost effective way of improving employee retention, but are there hidden costs? Sarah Fletcher asks what the scheme really means for UK businesses. As government statistics show 40 per cent of organisations blame childcare problems for the poor return rates of new mothers, childcare vouchers are growing in popularity […]
Colborn’s Corner: Who wants a job?
The recent announcement that unemployment within the UK has risen to 5.4% – the highest for six years, provoked little comment in the press. Perhaps the fact that the UK still enjoys one of the lowest rates of unemployment of the most economically developed economies may also have something to do with the lack of […]
Pensions accounts consultation launched
The government is considering how personal pensions accounts would work in in the latest follow-up to its White Paper on pension reform, published last year.Publication of qualitative research commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions coincides with the launch of the consultation.The research, conducted through 22 focus groups and in-depth interviews with the public, […]
Off the record: What will the smoking ban mean for our office?
A blanket ban on lighting up at work and in other public spaces has been proposed by the government so what should employers do in preparation for kicking the habit? Emma Capper, Associate at Reed Smith employment law firm reports. Through the Draft Health Bill, the government is proposing to introduce a total smoking ban […]
Follow the Japanese leader
The TUC is recommending that UK business leaders take a leaf out of the Japanese prime minister’s book and allow workers to dress casually during the heatwave.Last year, in an attempt to reduce energy use, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took off his tie and urged his country’s workforce to leave their jackets and ties […]
Wise Up To Work Day
Trainers, employers and the under-21s can get the low-down on the working environment’s potential risks through the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) WiseUp2Work Day, to be held on August 30.WiseUp2Work is an initiative by the IOSH to address head-on the issue of safety for the under 21s when they are starting work, apprenticeships […]
Workplace stress a low priority
Workplace stress is a low priority for many managers, despite costing the UK at least £3.7 billion a year.Research by HSA reveals that 64 per cent of healthcare decision makers within organisations have had to deal with one or more cases of employee stress. For companies with more than 501 employees, the percentage is 95 […]
HR Zone Members Newswire #160 – Bonus Schemes: Do They Drive Productivity?
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 160 18 July 2006 www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ ********************** Featured Sponsors *********************** Struggling to motivate your staff? http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/debenhams7a.html Using Online Assessments for Compliance – New white paper http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/questionmarka.htmlLearn how to work more effectively with – The Apprentice http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/learndirect1a.html Personnel – Know your employees http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/pyramid4a.html ****************************************************************Editor’s note ============= “A bonus scheme should […]
Bonus schemes: Do they drive performance? By Annie Hayes
Fat cats with the cream of the bonus crop may argue that financial carrots such as these drive performance but what about those on the minimum wage or in the rungs of middle management? Annie Hayes, HR Zone Editor talked ‘bonuses’ with members to find out if they really do drive productivity. Do they work?If […]
HR Tip: Notice for senior staff
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: “What notice periods should we write into senior staff contracts?” A: That is entirely up to you and the employee to agree. There is no requirement for senior staff to be put on […]
How to: Craft the perfect employee opinion survey
In a recent Any Answers post Garry Newby asked for advice on compiling an employee attitude survey; Harvey Bennett explains in his bite-sized guide just how to get the right data. An Employee Opinion Survey is one of a range of survey/feedback tools in the organisation development locker. The others in the range include 360-degree […]
Sacked pregnant worker awarded £19k
A worker sacked when she was seven weeks pregnant has been awarded nearly £19,000 by a tribunal.The payout by Lanarkshire-based Premier Systems (Scotland) Ltd to former trainee sales administrator Karen Smith included £8,000 for injury to feelings.Ms Smith was dismissed the day after she told her employers about her pregnancy. She claimed she consequently suffered […]
New Sector Skills Agreement for Wales
Employers in six sectors of the Welsh economy have signed sector skills agreements (SSAs) bringing the total of SSAs in Wales to 11.The SSAs aim to ensure that education and training matches the needs of the workplace. The six sectors covered by the new SSAs are: Land-based industries Freight logistics Sport, active leisure and learning […]
