How Did I Get Here? Laraine Levin, Head of HR, QA
Laraine Levin discusses HR as the guiding force behind business strategy, falling victim to unpopular managerial decisions and motivational musicals. 1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve? There is a strong strategic element to my role and, as an important part of this, I work closely with our CEO to […]
Reviewer profile: Simon Johnson
Simon JohnsonSimon took a Masters in Human Resource Management and worked as HR manager for several training companies in the Midlands. He is now working for a regional training provider as their Information Systems Manager.His specialisations include Knowledge Management, Management Information Systems, Data Protection and IT Health and Safety. He is a Chartered Member of […]
How Did I Get Here continued…Laraine Levin, QA
Head of HR Laraine Levin talks value-added HR and why musicals can be a great motivator. 9. What are the key issues preventing HR professionals from getting a seat on the board? Working at the highest levels is about being in touch with the business as a whole. You need to be speaking in business-focused […]
News in Brief: Half of workers are constantly tired … continued
Training slash for learning disabilities, Tories claimThe government has cut skills training for adults with learning disabilities, according to the Conservative party. According to shadow education minister Maria Miller, New Labour were neglecting this area in favour of more vocational courses. “The government’s policy to focus further education funding on skills for life and Level […]
News in Brief: Half of workers are constantly tired
Catch up on the week in HR including National Working at Home day celebrated, lawyers look to Sweden for ‘ageist’ warning, skills race raises roof on lawyers’ wages, employers failing to engage with Unions over training and women work longer hours than men. W/C 1/5/06National Working at Home Day celebratedFriday, 5 May 2006 marks national […]
Remote working: Does it make business sense? By Sarah Fletcher
With 3.1 million UK employees now working from home, flexible working practices are increasingly commanding attention in employee benefits strategies. Work Wise UK is urging staff to work from home on Friday May 5, but does this make business sense? Sarah Fletcher investigates. Meg Munn MP, DTI Minister for Women and Equality, claims remote working […]
Book review: Hard facts, Dangerous half-truths and total nonsense
Title: Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based ManagementAuthors: Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. SuttonPublisher: Harvard Business School Press, 2006ISBN: 1-59139-862-2Price: £16.99Reviewer: Simon JohnsonOn what basis do you make business-critical decisions? Following careful consideration of the evidence? Or on instinct, whether that be from the head or the gut? Meet two Stanford […]
Employment law briefing: Trade Union recognition
Peter Done, Managing Director of employment law firm, Peninsula explains the fundamentals of Trade Union recognition in plain english. An employer ‘recognises’ a trade union when there is an agreement that the trade union can negotiate with the employer on pay and other terms and conditions of employment on behalf of a group of workers […]
What’s the answer? Maternity cover is pregnant … continued
Martin Brewer, is a Partner with the employment team of Mills & ReeveUnfortunately you are in a difficult position with this. The fact is that you have an employee who will be taking maternity leave and she has rights under the relevant rule to leave and pay. The fact that she was employed as maternity […]
What’s the answer? Worker covering maternity leave is pregnant
Linda Hunt gets legal guidance this week from Helen Badger, employment law expert at Browne Jacobson and Martin Brewer, a Partner with the employment team of Mills & Reeve on how to deal with a succession of pregnant employees. The question:We have someone covering for an employee on maternity leave, they have only been here […]
Driving on company business: Employer responsibilities
Did you know that if an employee drives negligently or drives a defective vehicle whilst on company business then the employer could be liable for criminal or civil action, regardless of whether the employee is driving their own car, a company car or a hire car; read on for further guidance. Under Section 87 (2) […]
Comment: Eight ways to continue learning
Kick-starting a month long look at career management is David Krueger, CEO of MentorPath, an executive coaching practice with his piece on how to continue professional development after the last exam has been taken. When I coach executives and human relations specialists to develop their success skills, they come to know themselves and others better. […]
Opinion: The ubiquitous mediocrity of learning evaluation
Godfrey Parkin explains why trainers can’t get away with smile sheets and the occasional ROI calculation. I have just returned from Dallas (howdy y’all), where I made two presentations on evaluation strategy at the annual conference of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). ISPI conferences are very different from the big American training conferences […]
Member’s tip: Are job descriptions legally binding?
Employment law specialist Kam Bains explains the legal weight of job descriptions, and the implications for an employer who breaches these rules. Job descriptions do carry some legal weight in that their content is indicative of the duties and objectives required of an employee. In the absence of one, the range of duties would have […]
How Did I Get Here? Amanda Shaw, Head of Human Resources, Cottrills … continued
8. What’s the worst thing about working in HR and the best?Managing the difficult decisions such as redundancy and redeployment, whilst knowing people personally – that’s always hard. The best is seeing positive outcomes from these situations and observing people as they flourish in their roles around the business.9. What are the key issues preventing […]
How Did I Get Here? Amanda Shaw, Head of Human Resources, Cottrills
Amanda Shaw explains why she believes HR is all about fostering a positive culture and why donning an ambassador’s hat is part and parcel of the job. 1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?My current role is a new step for the business and covers broad HR across three business […]
HR Tip: Moonlighting
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: “One of our employees works for us full-time during the day but also has a part-time job in the evenings. Is this a problem for us? Should we do something about it?” […]
What happened next? Personality clashes… continued. By Sarah Fletcher
Keep reading to find out how HR Zone member Kirsa Edwards dealt with warring employees. What would you have done differently with hindsight?Either spoken directly to the line manager as I’m sure he would have been appalled to think things had gone so far, or got all parties concerned around a table to try to […]
What happened next? Conflict resolution. By Sarah Fletcher
Setting up a boxing ring in the office may seem a good way to resolve employee in-fighting, but what’s the solution when a short sharp smack can’t resolve the dispute? Find out What Happened Next when HR Zone member Kirsa Edwards sought advice from the Any Answers forum about problematic staff squabbles. By Sarah Fletcher […]
How to: Find an HR supplier
Finding the right HR supplier is not only time-consuming it can also be incredibly confusing and difficult; see this expert guide on how find that needle in a haystack. The sourcing of the correct suppliers has been the key role and also headache since time immemorial for personnel managers and those with responsibility for the […]
