Clawing back training costs: The truth
Clawing back training costs damages employee morale and increases turnover. Research shows that conditional training policies send messages of distrust to workers, making them feel undervalued and more likely to leave. Effective management relies on respect, trust, and support—not restrictive financial conditions.
HR Tip: Lateness caused by industrial action
When industrial action affects transport, employees must take reasonable steps to arrange alternative travel to work. Employers should not penalize lateness if employees make genuine efforts to arrive on time, but can do so if they fail to explore available options. Consider individual circumstances like age, fitness, and transport availability when assessing reasonable expectations.
Top HR tips to beat the workplace January blues
Help your HR team combat January workplace blues with practical strategies including welcoming staff back, recognizing extra efforts, fostering communication through company events, and monitoring absenteeism trends. Engage employees with business plans and offer stress management support to boost motivation during the post-holiday period.
Civil partnerships and your employee benefits package
Civil partnerships granted same-sex couples similar rights to married couples under UK law from December 2005, including implications for employee benefits. Employers must extend any benefits provided to married employees to civil partners, particularly affecting pension schemes and requiring updates to plan documentation and policies.
HR Zone Members Newswire #134 Commute more, work less?
HR Zone Members Newswire #134 covers commute time policies, employee benefits during maternity leave, sickness absence procedures, and legal guidance on contacting long-term sick employees. The newsletter includes expert answers to HR challenges from industry professionals.
HR Zone talks to: Don Rhodes about HR life down under
Don Rhodes, a 22-year HR veteran in New Zealand, discusses how HR struggles to secure a seat at the strategic decision-making table and is often perceived as handling problems other managers avoid, while poorly constructed employment legislation creates opportunities for legal advisers.
Life Coach at Large: HR gets loaded and happy
An HR professional confronts his 20-year aversion to sales when his company role changes after acquisition, forcing him to develop new business skills. With the help of a coach, Andrew faces his fears about selling and discovers unexpected abilities within himself.
The HR interview: Tips from Frazer Jones
HR professionals interviewing for new roles should thoroughly research the organization, prepare for common questions, and know their CV inside-out. Success also depends on demonstrating cultural fit through confident body language, asking thoughtful questions, and staying informed about current employment legislation and industry trends.
News in Brief: The Week in HR – Jobless count climbs
UK unemployment has climbed to 1.53 million, rising 111,000 over the quarter, while employment rates fall and Jobseeker’s allowance claims hit an eleven-month high, signaling weaker labor market activity and reduced hiring across the economy.
The Couch?! Takes time out
Over a quarter of British workers now eat breakfast at their desks due to time pressure, according to a survey of 2,000 employees. The Couch?! team offers tongue-in-cheek time-saving tips to help improve work-life balance, from showering at work to applying makeup on the commute.
HR Practitioner’s Diary: The revival of Jurassic Park
HR consultant Sue Kingston shares real workplace challenges, including handling a questionable long-term sickness claim and addressing workplace misconduct, while offering insights into HR management during business difficulties.
What’s the answer: Contacting absent employees
Employers dealing with long-term absent employees who refuse contact can consider stopping occupational sick pay if the employment contract requires employees to maintain communication and cooperate with absence management. However, dismissal may be unreasonable while medical certificates continue, and refusal to meet could constitute misconduct only if not related to their medical condition.
Colborn’s Corner: Who remembers final salary pension schemes?
Many businesses are closing final salary pension schemes due to financial pressures from declining equity values and longer life expectancies, raising questions about employee relations and whether HR should play a larger role in these decisions beyond managing the fallout.
Opinion: Assessment centres the Sugar way
Assessment centres have remained largely unchanged for 50 years despite dramatic shifts in workplace dynamics. Kathy de Beer explores how The Apprentice’s task-based, results-driven approach could innovate graduate recruitment assessment, potentially revealing more authentic candidate behaviours than traditional exercises.
Internet surfing: Kicking the habit
Internet addiction is becoming a significant workplace productivity problem, with studies showing employees spend an average of 3.5 hours per week surfing the internet during work hours. Employers can identify addictive internet behavior by recognizing warning signs like hidden screen usage, time distortion, and chronic fatigue, then implementing management strategies to address the issue.
Stone speaks: Balancing the scales
An Equal Opportunities Commission report reveals women will wait 200 years to achieve equal parliamentary representation and face significant underrepresentation across leadership roles. Legal requirements for pay equality audits and workplace culture shifts are proposed as solutions to close persistent gender pay gaps and advance women’s economic equality.
Preparing for an avian flu pandemic
HR departments must prepare for potential avian flu pandemic threats by developing comprehensive contingency plans addressing employee health and safety, business continuity, travel policies, and risk reduction strategies. With the virus potentially mutating into a highly contagious human pandemic strain, organizations should proactively synchronize pandemic response plans with existing business continuity protocols.
HR Tip: A live issue
An employee brought stick insects to work, causing complaints from colleagues who compare them to potted plants. Employers can determine workplace policies on personal items, and since stick insects pose different concerns than stationary plants, management may reasonably restrict them.
A quick guide to HR for your accountancy firm
Find and recruit high-quality staff for your accountancy firm with this practical HR guide. Learn how to identify your recruitment needs, craft effective job specifications, and overcome the unique challenges small firms face competing with the Big Four.
Figuring things out: Why doesn’t HR get any respect?
HR departments struggle to gain respect because they’re often perceived as mere enforcers of policies rather than strategic partners. To change this perception, HR professionals must communicate their value in business language, focusing on measurable outcomes like cost reduction and revenue growth rather than HR-specific terminology.
