How Did I Get Here, HR Director, Swizzels-Matlow
Nici Matlow, HR Director at confectionery company Swizzels-Matlow explains why the business’s sound culture and family element really makes life sweet!1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?As Head of HR, I oversee most aspects of the “people strategy”: Training – together with the Training Manager, I look at how we […]
What happened next? Should a grievance be lodged? By Sarah Fletcher
A bullying boss can make life a misery; in this new series looking at what happened next we report on the outcome and learning points of this exact situation experienced by a member who sought solace in the Any Answers forum. By Sarah Fletcher What do you do if you feel your boss is persecuting […]
Case Study: BT promotes HR to centre stage
Traditionally an outsourcer of HR activities, the decision to bring it under its own control was a bold move for BT who decided this was the only way it could obtain a stronger hold over employee issues; read on to find out if it was a success. BT Group is one of Europe’s leading providers […]
News in Brief: The Week in HR – Fair reward pays
Catch up on the week in HR with our latest news round-up including why fair reward pays, more on the accountant that got burnt during a motivational firewalking stunt, pension rules could threaten one in five companies and revelations that half of employees would ‘bed’ their boss. W/C 6/2/06 Be fair, or lose out, says […]
The Couch?! Is hit by cupid’s arrow
If you’re brushing up on those lurvvvve skills in preparation for the big V-day then don’t miss this week’s Couch with hot tips on how to be romantic and loving with those that know you best – your work colleagues.According to a nationwide survey of 1,000 employees we’re in love with being in love – […]
Employee benefits and productivity: Why I drank a beetroot this morning!
Actually, to be precise, I drank a beetroot, a carrot, a celery stick, some cucumber and a small piece of ginger; find out why Dudley Lusted, head of corporate healthcare development at AXA PPP healthcare, a self-confessed ‘fat man’ has, after sixty years finally recognised the link between health and productivity. It all went through […]
What’s the answer? Sickness and maternity
Fiona Fritz gets legal guidance this week from Helen Badger, employment law expert at Browne Jacobson and Nadia Hoosen, senior solicitor, Clarkslegal LLP on the considerations of managing a return to work request from an employee suffering with post natal depression. The question:”I have a member of staff due to return to work after six […]
Insight: Energising internal communications
Tom Harvey, communications manager at Nationwide Building Society, explains why Powerpoint presentations no longer cut it in the communications field. There is more to communication than providing information. Understanding something doesn’t mean you care and it can fall a long way short of being inspiring and motivating. The enemy of internal communication is not so […]
HR Briefing Issue 282: Employment law – can you fire for personal reasons?
================================================================ HR Briefing Issue 282 – 9 February 2006 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ Editor’s note ============= In a new series, getting to the heart of employment law we look at the realities of what can and cannot be achieved within the employment relationship. Kick-starting it off is Mark Hunt, head of employment at Reed Smith who reports […]
Briefing: Protecting against violence in the workplace
Front line staff are particularly exposed to violence and crime; this briefing looks at how to manage attacks and protect staff from avoidable situations. The British Retail Crime Survey of 2004/2005 reports that violence against staff is of increasing concern for retailers and off license staff. Verbal abuse has increased by 35% and violent attack […]
What can HR learn from: The theatre?
Ian Jessup, co-founder and senior partner of Interact, the UK’s leading exponent of the use of theatre-skills in training, development and communications, explains why simply delivering a message is not enough. One of the biggest challenges facing HR professionals today is delivering messages to employees in a way that is understandable, relevant and, most importantly, […]
Case Study: Barclays engages call centre staff with IIP
Barclays runs Gadbrook Park in Cheshire as a call centre operation specifically serving business customers; after achieving the Investors in People Standard in June 2004, the company participated in a pilot scheme to revise the award. The challenge:Call centres are almost expected to have a high staff turnover and, two years ago, Gadbrook Park was […]
Payroll Tip: Childcare vouchers provided by the employer
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR and payroll tips in 2006. A market leader in the provision of HR and Payroll training and nationally recognised professional qualifications, HRD & Payroll Solutions are highly experienced in teaching about common HR and payroll problems. A wide selection of tips, […]
Mobile working: Taking the workplace with you
The growing range of devices that allow users to access information on the move is opening the flood gates for business to work just about anywhere. Increasingly staff can choose where they work, when they work and how they work. However, for many companies, the vast options available can be a daunting prospect. Often the […]
Off the record: Can I dismiss an employee no one gets on with?
Kick-starting a new series that cuts the jargon and gets to the heart of employment law is Mark Hunt, head of employment at Reed Smith who looks at the legalities of giving an employee the boot for reasons other than performance. The bottom line is that all employees in the UK have rights. They have […]
Life Coach at Large: The graduate
Emma Ranson Bellamy reflects on what she has learnt in the journey from ‘fledgling’ life coach to ‘graduate’ while confessing to her own concerns about public speaking and revealing her tricks for overcoming the fear. It’s been a long hard slog but I’ve done it. I’ve completed the diploma in Life Coaching with Coaching and […]
Emp law briefing: Rolled-up holiday pay
The Advocate General of the European Union has recently given his opinion to the European Court of Justice regarding the lawfulness of ‘rolled-up’ holiday pay arrangements; read on for your employment law briefing on this point of law. Such arrangements between an employer and a worker provide that a specific part of the worker’s wages […]
How Did I Get Here? Director of Resources, Forum for the Future
Patti Whaley reveals the subtle differences of life in HR within the charity sector and talks about the fulfilment of the third way, while explaining her passion for cooking by numbers. 1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?I’m the Director of Resources at the Forum for the Future, so my […]
Editor’s Comment: Is HR in need of some counselling?
HR’s own self-loathing has caught the imagination of other professions and its critics alike; so what can be done? Should HR take a good long look at itself and commit to a few sessions on the couch to rid itself of those pesky demons? The life-coaching industry would not have permeated normal life if levels […]
News in Brief: The Week in HR – HR fails in quest to add value
Catch up on the week in HR with our latest news round-up including revelations on how non-HR professionals view the function, more absence woes, why the TUC are putting kids first and temps have the last laugh. W/C 30/1/06 HR fails in quest to add valueOnly 17% of non-HR professionals believe that HR adds value […]
