Colborn’s Corner: The HR year in review
HR consultant, Quentin Colborn takes a nostalgic look at the year in HR, 2005 and reflects on the issues, current affairs and trends that have impacted on the profession. The year stared with the disaster of the Tsunami in South Asia. Plenty has already been written on this event but what about the impact within […]
What’s the answer? Drug use outside work
David Kirbitson gets legal advice this week on whether disciplinary action can be taken against employees using recreational drugs in their own time. The question:“If you are aware an employee is using recreational drugs in their own time is there any disciplinary action that can be taken. Counselling and support has been offered but is […]
Review: Voices of Experience
Title: Voices of Experience: The professional’s guide to making great presentationsAuthor: Jacqui Harper MBEPublisher: How to Books Price: £12.99 ISBN: 1857038142Reviewer: Claudine McClean, Structured Training Limited Jacqui Harper is perhaps best known for her television presenting expertise, however, with this book she brings us plenty of new perspectives on how everyone can improve their presentations […]
Stairway to CPD success
Developing an organisation-wide framework for professional development is a huge challenge, frequently faced by HR professionals. Imagine being tasked with the prospect of developing a CPD framework for an entire industry. Skills shortages are high on the business agenda in a variety of sectors. The government sees these shortages as such a challenge to the […]
VAT on fuel – the new rules
New rules on VAT recovery on fuel purchased by employers are not as disastrous as expected. Rebecca Benneyworth examines the background to the announcement and looks at the practicalities of the new regime. In March 2005 the European Court issued its judgement in the infraction proceedings taken against the UK regarding recovery of road fuel […]
Opinion: Changing times for succession planning
John Fay, of SFL, argues that succession planning is too often over-looked in UK organisations. If we accept that people are genuinely our most important asset then we must accept as our responsibility that making sure there is a clear succession plan in place is vital to enable our companies to sustain performance and, with […]
CSR and beyond: OFR with its head
Should the 1,300 or so listed companies that were preparing an OFR heave a sigh of relief that the Red Queen has chopped off its head? And what are the implications for HR departments? In his speech to the CBI on 28 November, Gordon Brown announced that the government would abolish the operating and financial […]
HR Tip: Losing talent
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: How can we stop staff going to a competitor? A: If someone has already given notice to leave, don’t rush to send them off with pay in lieu but try to keep them […]
Bite-size learning: Age discrimination – ‘Dynamic and energetic’
In the third part of this five-part, bite-sized series, Lucy Lewis, associate in the employment and incentives department of Lewis Silkin spells out just what employers can and cannot say in recruitment advertisements. Age Discrimination legislation comes into force on 1 October 2006. Following the introduction of the legislation it will be unlawful to discriminate […]
Extracts of a Life Coach: The Queen of the Jungle
Fledgling life coach, Emma Ranson Bellamy draws some learning points from the latest reality TV hit: I’m a celebrity get me out of here and reflects on the domino effect of change. I was recently asked to highlight what I consider to be the greatest lesson learned throughout my Life Coaching journey; for me it […]
How Did I Get Here? HR Director, Camelot Group
Steve Thompson explains why the use of jargon has no place in his HR department at lottery outfit, the Camelot Group and why having a sound understanding of the commercial position within the business is an essential element of the HR mix. 1. How strategic is your current role and what does it involve?Camelot is […]
Hard(y) Law Talk: Killing Bill takes centre stage
Around 300 people die at work each year! On 23rd March 2005 the Home Secretary set out new laws to prosecute companies and organisations whose gross failure at senior management level results in a fatality. The proposed Corporate Manslaughter Bill will update existing laws on corporate killing and create a new criminal offence of corporate […]
The Couch?! What does your secret santa gift reveal about you?
The Couch?! team are investigating the office secret santa exchange this christmas. New research from Office Angels has revealed that the presents people pick for colleagues are in fact a telling insight into how they behave at work. The research identified four distinct types of secret santa that according to psychologist and behavioural expert Judi […]
News in Brief: The week in HR – ‘Tis the season to slack off
We bring you the latest HR news including revelations that more than two thirds of employees slack off during the festive season, 30 year celebration at Acas and why public sector workers are happy with their lot. W/C 5/12/05’Tis the season to slack offMore than two thirds of UK employees (68%) think their colleagues are […]
Editor’s Comment: The weakest link?
Bringing about the total collapse of a bank may not be the criminal activity of your average ‘fingers in the till’ employee but rogue traders aside employee fraud is becoming a very real problem and bosses should be wary of turning a ‘Barings blind eye’ to the issues. There are evident lessons to be learnt […]
What’s the answer? Time off for religious events
Waheed Rehman gets legal advice this week on whether he has a case for constructive unfair dismissal against his employers who have refused him time off work to make his annual pilgrimage to Saudia Arabia. The question:“I’m currently employed by a PLC and have requested for three weeks holidays to be used for my annual […]
Christmas party tips
Office parties at Christmas can be fantastic morale-boosters – with enough laughs to keep people smiling well into the New Year. Unless you’re a descendant of Scrooge, most employees enjoy seeing normally reserved peers letting their hair down on the dance floor or “rocking out” on the karaoke machine. The key to festive success for […]
Speed recruiting: The first five minutes
John Maxted, managing director at specialist HR search and selection consultancy Digby Morgan reports on why intuition has its part to play in the interview process afterall. How many times have HR professionals been told by the line manager that it isn’t necessary to conduct an hours interview – afterall you can tell if a […]
Pre-Budget Report: Statutory maternity pay
Unbeknown to many small businesses HMRC has been investigating the possibility of paying Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) direct to employees rather than requiring employers to pay this out. However, a detailed study of this has revealed the following :# In the event that this happened, employers would still be responsible for dealing with the NIC […]
Pre-Budget Report – Personal allowances, NIC rates and limits
Income tax personal allowances for 2006-07 have been increased uniformly across the board as a result of applying an inflation factor of 2.7%. Income tax allowancesAs a result, the basic personal allowance has risen from £4,895 to £5,035, The Chancellor has not chosen to increase the allowance to those over 65 by more than the […]
