Avian Flu: Protecting Against a Pandemic … continued
Companies can reduce pandemic risks by developing preparedness plans with clear triggers, maintaining accurate health information, and updating workplace policies. Proactive measures including employee health education, quarantine procedures, and flexible sick leave policies help protect workers and enable business continuity during an avian flu outbreak.
Avian Flu: Protecting Against a Pandemic
Businesses face significant risks from avian flu pandemic, with experts emphasizing the need for comprehensive preparedness plans. Over 80% of multinational companies consider pandemics critical, yet only 36% have developed formal plans. Effective preparation requires cross-functional teams spanning health, HR, operations, and finance to address unprecedented global disruption.
Reviewer profile: Jo Lamb-White
Jo Lamb-White is a learning and organisational development consultant specialising in public sector work. She provides business writing solutions and has reviewed “How to Find Work When You’re Over 50” by Jackie Sherman.
Book review: How to find work when you’re over 50
A comprehensive job-hunting guide covering vacancy sources, applications, and interviews. While well-organized, the book applies broadly to all ages rather than specifically addressing challenges faced by workers over 50, and some content assumes computer literacy.
HR Zone Briefing #296 – Managing World Cup Absence
HR Zone Briefing #296 covers managing employee absences during the World Cup, including practical guidance on handling World Cup-related sickies and strategies for maintaining workforce productivity during the tournament period.
What’s the answer? Teletoddler … continued
An employment law expert advises employers on handling an employee’s request to monitor childcare via company IT systems during work hours. While supporting working parents is good practice, allowing this activity likely exceeds acceptable personal internet use and could set problematic precedents.
What’s the answer? Teletoddler
Employers face questions about allowing staff to access nursery webcams during work hours. Legal experts discuss whether this constitutes reasonable flexibility under employment law and how to manage potential network and policy concerns.
Organisational development: Making it work
Organisational development (OD) takes a holistic approach to improving business performance by examining how systems, cultures, and people interact across the entire organisation. Unlike strategic HR management, which focuses on recruitment and employee relations, OD requires buy-in from all staff levels and is most effective when championed by senior leadership and supported by objective professional diagnosis.
Psychometrics Spotlight: Myers-Briggs
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the world’s most widely used personality assessment, completed by over 3.5 million people annually. Developed based on Carl Jung’s theory, MBTI identifies four dimensions of personality preferences that help individuals understand their working styles, improve communication, and find suitable career paths.
How to: Control absenteeism and incentivise contact centre staff
Contact centre absenteeism costs the industry significantly, with global rates at 11 percent and agent churn reaching up to 70 percent for some roles. Employee engagement through better management, empowerment, and reasonable workloads directly reduces absenteeism and improves retention.
Comment: Repositioning group income protection
Group Income Protection (GIP) has low market penetration at 6-7% of the working population, but major providers are repositioning their offerings as integrated healthcare management hubs with added services like occupational health support, EAP, and absence management. Early intervention and comprehensive employee health programs are becoming essential to reducing long-term absence and improving claim prevention.
Member’s Tip: Breaking into HR
HR Director Keith Luxon shares practical strategies for transitioning into HR, including networking extensively, pursuing hybrid roles combining training and development, and aiming for entry-level positions around £20,000. He recommends building HR experience gradually while gaining exposure in adjacent fields.
Mobile working: The key to autonomy for working mothers?
Mobile working offers working mothers greater autonomy by allowing them to balance career and family responsibilities. Nearly half of UK working mothers struggle with work-life balance, and flexible arrangements using mobile technology could help retain skilled workers in senior positions while reducing workplace penalties for taking time out for childcare.
HR Zone Members Newswire #150 – TUPE With Less Than 12 Months Service?
Recent changes to TUPE rules have created uncertainty about whether the legislation applies to employees with less than 12 months service. HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 150 features expert legal guidance from employment lawyers addressing this key question for employers navigating the updated regulations.
Presentation tips: For silver tongued success
Master the art of thinking on your feet to become an engaging presenter. Learn how to balance structured preparation with spontaneous delivery, allowing you to adapt to your audience while maintaining clear focus and authentic communication.
HR Tip: Relaxation classes
Pregnant employees are entitled to a reasonable amount of paid time off work to attend antenatal appointments and medically recommended relaxation classes. Employers must allow this leave and continue paying their wages during this time.
Absence management: Don’t score an own goal over World Cup fever
Employers should prepare absence management policies before the World Cup to address potential staff absences during the tournament. Clear communication about holiday requests, notice periods, and unauthorized sick leave procedures helps maintain productivity while treating all employees fairly.
Opinion: Accepting responsibility for youth development
Employers must actively support young people’s transition from education to the workplace through mentoring, work experience, and on-the-job training programs. Research shows new workers experience significant confidence gaps despite appearing self-assured, requiring committed employer investment to develop essential workplace skills.
Creating the perfect appraisal
An FCIPD-qualified expert explains how to create effective appraisals that align individual and organizational goals. Successful appraisals require clear objective-setting, employee involvement, and ensuring staff have the skills and resources needed to succeed, rather than treating them as mere tick-box exercises.
News in Brief: Britain’s most dangerous jobs revealed … continued
England’s local authorities are failing to promote skilled workers from black and ethnic minority communities to senior positions, with almost half having no BME employees in their top five percent of earners. Meanwhile, London has won the bid to host the 2011 WorldSkills competition, a vocational skills showcase featuring 40 nations.
