Reviewer profile: John Pope
John Pope, a management consultant for 40 years, has worked with organisations on improving the performance of their business and the effectiveness of their management and organisation. He has advised chief executives and senior managers on their personal development and the effectiveness of their teams. He has helped them to lead their businesses more effectively, […]
Book review: Developing strategic leadership skills
Reviewer John Pope finds the concept of strategic leadership "rather vague", yet gives the book top marks for helpfulness – despite it diluting any suggestion that this strategy is "somehow special". Title: Developing Strategic Leadership SkillsEditor: John Potter and Alan HooperPublisher: CIPDISBN: 1 84398 107-6Price: £300Reviewer: John Pope This workbook is aimed at trainers, facilitators […]
Off the record: Navigating pregnancy discrimination rules … continued
It is important that you observe these rights and do not place any pressure on employees who plan to take maternity leave to return sooner then they intend to. To help you to cope with temporary loss of an employee, you may consider arranging maternity cover or sharing work around any remaining members of staff. […]
Off the record: Navigating pregnancy discrimination rules
Are there any ways around the laws that make it unlawful to discriminate against women on the grounds of pregnancy? Can bosses that would like to take on women of childbearing age but fear the costs associated with maternity pay and leave get round the problem? Find out what the experts say. There are no […]
HR Tip: Custom and practice
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: “Although our contracts of employment require people to work nine to five Monday to Friday they leave at about 4.00 pm on Fridays. Can we bring them back to a 5.00 pm […]
Member’s tip: Withdrawing a job offer
An employer makes a job offer, the contract is signed (but not returned) and salary negotiations are underway. Suddenly, the company retracts the offer. Do verbal and written agreements constitute a solid deal? Two HR Zone members offer very different advice. Read on… Kam Bains says the retraction is legal:It seems doubtful that a binding […]
News in Brief: Mid-market firms push people issues aside … continued
Government must pay to secure IT skillsThe UK will face an IT ‘skills crunch’ by 2012 if the government does not offer employers incentives to train staff, a new report claims.Tax and national insurance breaks for companies with staff on full-time IT training courses would reduce skills shortages, according to IT body Imis.The UK is […]
News in Brief: Mid-market firms push people issues aside
Catch up on the week in HR including factory workers dominate shift working culture, NHS job cuts anger Unions and staff, one in seven may skip work to watch World Cup, BBC joins list of employers slashing final salary pensions, Nelson firm sunk by pensions crisis and much more. W/C 17/4/06Mid-market firms push people issues […]
What happened next? Sickness and disciplinary. By Sarah Fletcher
Claiming sickness, an employee mysteriously disappears. Unable to contact him for weeks, Fiona Fritz is just about to hit him with a disciplinary when he gets rushed to hospital with a serious infection. As she can’t really chase after the operating table waving a grievance notice at him, what’s the next step? Find out What […]
How Did I Get Here? Tom Russell, Director of Strategic Resourcing and Reward, Cancer Research UK …continued
Tom Russell explains why HR may be held back by a fear of disrupting the status quo, and reveals an urge to make his favourite artist paint for his supper. 9. What are the key issues preventing HR professionals from getting a seat on the board? Frozen beliefs about the value of HR at this […]
What happened next? Sickness and disciplinary…continued. By Sarah Fletcher
Keep reading What Happened Next when HR Zone member Fiona Fritz suspected an employee’s sickness claim was nothing more than a bad case of sloth. Was the outcome satisfactory for all parties?Not really – if the disciplinary had been carried out on the original date the issue would have been clear cut and the result […]
How Did I Get Here? Tom Russell, Director of Strategic Resourcing and Reward, Cancer Research UK
Tom Russell, Director of Strategic Resourcing and Reward at Cancer Research UK, talks “fluffy” personnel, liaising with world class scientists … and 1980s pop. 1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?My role is responsible for leading the organisation’s strategy for attracting and retaining high quality people. This primarily involves the […]
Flexible benefits: The self-service way … continued
HR Zone Q8: Are cafeteria-style reward schemes ethical? If an employee selects lifestyle options over pensions contributions for example is that right?Boyle: At the end of the day, the reason for introducing flexible benefits is to enable employees to choose a benefits package which best suits their lifestyle. However, we feel that employers do have […]
Flexible benefits: The self-service way
Implementing a flexible benefits system is for many HR departments the next stage in the rewards journey, Sandy Boyle, Human Resources Director at Mills & Reeve shares his experiences. HR Zone Q1: Why do you think Mills & Reeve is one of the best companies to work for?Boyle:The firm seeks to provide an environment which […]
Employee benefits: The ‘third’ way
Explaining the advantages of voluntary benefits, Sandy Wilson, Head of Reward and Employee Relations at insurance giant, Norwich Union talked to HR Zone about reward and how his company recovered from the budget blow that signalled the end of the popular Home Computer Initiative. Norwich Union is part of the Aviva group and as such […]
Pensions Q&A: Lis Browning, Group Pensions Manager Woolworths
Talking exclusively to Annie Hayes Lis Browning explains how Woolworths is reacting to the recommendations of the Turner report and reveals just how much staff at the organisation are saving towards their retirement; Browning will be speaking at the Employee Benefits Exhibition and Conference being held at the Armitage Centre, Manchester from 26th to 27th […]
Q&A: Getting to grips with the latest benefits trends
Malcolm Douglas, Remuneration and Benefits Manager at British American Tobacco explains to Annie Hayes why his strategy focuses upon making sure the benefits systems does not cause any ‘unpleasant odours’; scratch and sniff for more on his enlightened approach. HR Zone Q1: Why should delegates attend your talk on getting to grips with the latest […]
HR Zone Briefing #292 – A Solution To Depression
================================================================ HR Briefing Issue 292 – 20 April 2006 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ *********************** Featured Sponsors ********************** Five key benefits of integrating HR and Payroll http://www.hrzone.co.uk/redirects/carval1a.html **************************************************************** Editor’s Note ============= With the costs of depression to the UK economy increasing, many employers are beginning to ask what they can do to tackle an issue that is still […]
What’s the answer? Docking pay/paying late … continued
Martin Brewer, is a Partner with the employment team of Mills & ReeveIn the first case the employee is protected by section 13 of the Employment rights Act 1996 (ERA). This states that any deductions from a workers wages is unlawful unless authorised by the contract or by the workers written agreement to the deduction. […]
What’s the answer? Docking pay/paying late
Michelle M 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 the law regarding pay. The question:“Can an employer dock an employees pay by £5 for turning in their timesheet late? “Also, can the employee be […]
