Sexual harassment still all too common says EOC
Twenty years on from Jean Porcelli’s landmark case, which established sexual harassment as a form of harassment under the Sex Discrimination Act, new figures from the Equal Opportunities Commission show there have been 260 successful cases brought for sexual harassment over the past five years – roughly one a week.Sexual harassment makes up 22% of […]
HR Tip: Rates for overtime work
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 rate of pay or premium do we have to pay for overtime work?” A: There is no statute governing payment for overtime. There may be rates of pay or premium set […]
Book review: Why Should Anyone be Led by You? What it Takes to be an Authentic Leader
Title: Why Should Anyone be Led by You? What it Takes to be an Authentic LeaderAuthor: Rob Goffee and Gareth JonesPublisher: Harvard Business School PressISBN: 1 – 57851 – 971 – 3Price: £15.99Reviewer: Rob Sheffield So, if you’re like me and wondering what yet another book on leadership could possibly add to your understanding, pause […]
How Did I Get Here? Dawn Jennings, HR Director, NHS Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology
Dawn Jennings claims the private sector is less professional and lacks the integrity of the NHS, and explains why competition for talent divides the organisation. 1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?My current role is Director of HR in Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, a specialist hospital providing non-surgical care to […]
A match made in heaven: Top tips for perfect payroll outsourcing
Organisations cite cost savings and the need to focus on core competencies as key factors that have influenced their decision to outsource HR and payroll. However, finding the right outsourcing partner can be a complicated process so how do you get the perfect match? Last month, Boots Group Plc made a splash by outsourcing its […]
Male nurse wins chaperoning case
A male nurse has won a sexual discrimination case in which he claimed an NHS trust was enforcing gender stereotypes by insisting on different chaperoning policies for male and female nurses.Andrew Mohying was told that a female member of staff would have to chaperone him during training while he used an ECG machine on a […]
Equal pay – union in the dock
The GMB has been found guilty of sex discrimination over an accusations of poor representation in an equal pay case.Remedies have yet to be decided in the case but the media has speculated that the GMB could be forced to pay out more than £1 million in compensation.The case concerns claims of inadequate representation when […]
TUC furious at pensions ‘smash and grab’ call
The TUC has reacted angrily to a suggestion that employers should be able to cut benefits built up by employees in pension funds, describing the proposal as a ‘smash and grab raid’.TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “This call for employers to be able to make smash and grab raids on their staff’s pension benefits […]
New disability discrimination code on the way
A new disability discrimination code which includes the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act that come into force on December 4 this year has been laid before parliament.Once it has parliamentary approval, the Disability Rights Commission aims to publish and issue the new code this summer. It will replace the existing code.The provisions that come […]
Workplace stress driving men to drink
Overworked and stressed men are turning to drink to cope with workplace pressures, according to a survey of more than 2,000 men.The survey, by the makers of Wellman vitamins, also found that 22% were depressed and 17% had turned to the doctor for help. One in five admitted to having aggressive outbursts, 15% experienced a […]
Tax on benefits – do we care?
Does HMRC’s attack on benefits in kind mean that for many employers they are more trouble than they are worth? Dan Martin, business writer on AccountingWEB, reports. HMRC’s quest to raise additional tax from drivers who have switched to using their own car for business purposes is viewed by critics as just another employee benefit […]
Tips: Combating stress at work
Amanda Pearce-Burton, Managing Director of Formation Training and Development, offers some stress-busting tips. It is the cause of six million days of sick leave a year and can cost employers up to £370m per year and we are not talking about unauthorised duvet days. Stress has not only been linked with serious illnesses such as […]
Survey reveals women more likely to be off sick
Women are more likely to be off sick than men, the Office of National Statistics’ Labour Force survey for winter 2005 reveals.Of the people surveyed, 3.1% of the women employees and 2.4% of the men had been away from work sick for at least one day in the previous week. There was no difference in […]
Email snooping could break privacy laws
Nearly 40% of UK firms employ people to read or analyse the employees outbound emails, according to new research by messaging security software specialist Proofpoint.Companies estimate that nearly 1 in 5 outgoing emails (18.1%) contains content that poses a legal, financial or regulatory risk. More than 70% of companies have disciplined employees for flouting email […]
Younger workers give thumbs up to flexible working
As the graduate recruitment season reaches its peak, a survey reveals that more than three quarters of young people say it is important for businesses to offer them flexible working options.The research, conducted by YouGov for BT Business, indicates that flexible working policies are a valued employee benefit across the age spectrum, but with above […]
Porn downloads on the increase
Britain has become the fastest growing market for internet porn in the world – with women as well as men visiting the adult-only sites, according to a recent survey.The problem for companies is that an increasing number of downloads are taking place in the office.But employment lawyers are warning that companies must take steps to […]
Change fails to win hearts and minds
New research shows that nearly two thirds of employees either refuse to commit to change in their organisations or feel unable to do so – even after the change has taken place.Management consultancy Changefirst surveyed more than 600 change leaders and project managers in global organisations about employee commitment to changes such as mergers, cultural […]
Dress codes – all tied up?
A male civil servant who wore Hawaiian shirts with clashing ties – one patterned with condoms – has lost his claim for sexual harassment and unfair dismissal. Raymond Akers, who worked for JobCentre Plus in Weymouth, said that a requirement for men to wear a collar and tie in the office was discriminatory and unnecessary, […]
Age discrimination – are you prepared?
Stuart Chamberlain, employment law expert and author from Consult GEE, comments on research conducted by the Department of Work and Pensions, and sets out the steps employers should take to avoid discrimination claims. Recent research undertaken for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) shows how far many employers have to go in order to […]
HR leads the way into self-service software
“Self-service” business software has gone through the classic Hype Cycle, as described by US IT analyst Gartner.The concept of employees, line managers and other stakeholders taking direct control of data entry and validation of their own records first caught on among corporate early adopters around the turn of the 21st century. For very large organisations, […]
