Breaking News
The Trades Union Congress urges the government to push for the EU Agency Workers’ Directive to protect temporary workers, who earn 87% less than permanent staff on average. A TUC survey reveals employers increasingly use temps for key roles while denying them standard workplace rights and benefits.
Opinion: preparing for age equality regulations
Businesses must proactively prepare for age discrimination regulations by embedding age diversity into employment practices and using the legislation as a catalyst for broader HR changes, rather than waiting for compliance to be forced upon them.
Survey exposes divisions between HR and payroll
A survey of UK businesses reveals significant tensions between HR and payroll departments, with 61% of payroll professionals citing inaccurate information from HR and a third feeling undervalued. Despite strong personal relationships, the lack of integrated software and poor communication is affecting operations in one-fifth of companies.
Employment law: Overtime Q & A
Get answers to common overtime questions including payment requirements, authorization procedures, time off in lieu, and weekend work policies. This Q&A covers key employment law considerations for managing staff overtime.
Class of 2006 – will they graduate?
University lecturers’ unions have rejected a 13.1% pay offer, threatening graduation for the class of 2006. Some institutions plan to substitute exams with coursework or use single examiners for marking, raising questions about degree quality.
World cup fever: a nightmare for HR?
World Cup fever poses significant HR challenges, from managing time off requests and absenteeism to preventing discrimination and maintaining workplace harmony. ACAS has published guidance on handling these issues, including racial discrimination concerns, alcohol policies, and fairness for staff uninterested in matches.
Age discrimination: DTI factsheets
Age discrimination laws come into force on October 1, introducing new protections against age-based unfair treatment in employment. The DTI has published eight factsheets covering regulations, transitional arrangements, vocational training, redundancy, and pensions to help employers and employees prepare.
Company car survey reveals shock result
A survey of company vehicles reveals that 18% are unroadworthy, while 35% lack proper maintenance. The study also found safety concerns including drivers with invalid licenses and inadequate insurance coverage.
Talks on working time directive shelved
Negotiations to secure Britain’s opt-out from the EU Working Time Directive have been shelved after ministers failed to reach agreement. Austria proposed a compromise allowing Britain to retain the opt-out but with a 65-hour weekly limit, though opposition from France, Belgium, and other nations blocked progress. Talks will resume when Finland assumes the EU presidency in July.
Breaking news
Talks to secure Britain’s opt-out from the EU Working Time Directive have stalled after ministers failed to reach agreement. Austria has proposed a compromise allowing a 65-hour maximum working week with annual renewal, but opposing EU countries remain unhappy. Negotiations will resume when Finland assumes the EU presidency in July.
News in brief: workplace stress driving men to drink
A survey of over 2,000 men reveals that workplace stress is driving many to drink, with 22% experiencing depression and 17% seeking medical help. Additional findings show one in five experienced aggressive outbursts, while law, banking, and education emerged as the most stressful professions.
Book review: City Slackers: Workers of the World – You are Wasting your Time!
Steve McKevitt’s “City Slackers” combines humor with insight to reveal how corporate workers advance their careers without exceptional effort. This entertaining, unconventional guide explores the “yes man” approach to workplace success and appeals to readers seeking fresh perspectives on career advancement beyond traditional business books.
Opinion: Competencies overdone
Competency frameworks have become overly complex and ineffective tools for assessing managerial success, argues FIMC consultant John Pope. He advocates returning to character-based recruitment and promotion focused on adaptability, learning willingness, and demonstrated achievement rather than detailed competency matrices.
HR Zone Briefing #298 – Verbal contracts, do they mean a thing?
Explore whether verbal job offers and apprenticeship contracts are legally binding. Legal experts discuss a case where a candidate resigned after accepting a verbal apprenticeship offer, only to have the company cut contact and refuse to proceed.
What’s the answer? Apprenticeships
An apprentice who resigned from his job after accepting an apprenticeship offer may have a breach of contract case if a legally binding agreement was formed, though the absence of a confirmed start date could complicate the claim. Employment law experts advise examining all correspondence to determine whether the offer and acceptance were sufficiently clear to constitute a binding contract.
Company of the Week: Badenoch & Clark
Badenoch & Clark, a London-based recruitment firm with over 500 employees, has earned repeated recognition on the Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list through innovative benefits including sabbaticals, flexible working, gym membership, and enhanced parental leave tailored to employee needs.
Psychometrics Spotlight: The 16PF Personality Questionnaire
The 16PF questionnaire, developed by Raymond Cattell in 1949, measures 16 personality factors that capture observable human behavior traits. Widely used in selection and development, this trait-based tool helps predict how individuals will behave in specific scenarios and work situations.
Employee incentives
Effective employee incentives combine cash bonuses, flexible time off, and share schemes to motivate staff and improve performance. While tax efficiency matters, prioritizing what employees actually value—such as direct payments or additional holiday—often delivers better results than complex tax-saving schemes.
Member’s Tip: Contracts of Employment
An employment contract legally encompasses all terms of employment—express, implied, and statutory—beyond just the written document. Verbal agreements and actual employment practices can modify the legal contract, even if the paper document isn’t updated. Regular reviews and amendments through addenda help keep contracts current with legal and contractual changes.
Employee share schemes
Restricted eligibility criteria are preventing nearly two-thirds of employers from setting up employee share schemes, according to recent research. This article explores the evolution of share-based remuneration in the UK and how the tax regime has shaped employee ownership opportunities over decades.
