Investing against festive fall-out
Work Christmas parties pose significant legal and HR risks, with over a third of employers reporting sexual harassment incidents and nearly a quarter experiencing staff accidents. Employers can minimize liability through careful planning, clear policies, alcohol management, and employee briefing on workplace conduct standards.
The Couch?! Resolves to carry on as normal
The Couch?! humorously rejects typical New Year’s resolutions, instead committing to keeping realistic promises like eating chocolate guilt-free, skipping gym memberships, and continuing their current habits until spring motivation kicks in.
What’s the answer? Obligations incurred by staff
A company can be held liable for contracts agreed by unauthorized staff if the other party reasonably believed they had authority to do so. Legal liability depends on the staff member’s job title, seniority, and context—not just written authorization—requiring clear supplier agreements to limit exposure.
Opinion: What’s the future for a training career?
The corporate training role faces potential extinction due to outsourcing trends, according to industry expert Godfrey Parkin. As companies increasingly rely on external vendors and prioritize short-term ROI over employee development, in-house trainers are becoming vendor managers rather than strategic learning partners.
Case Study: Blended learning at Barclays
Barclays Wealth Management launched a blended learning portal to deliver business-focused training across its 7,000-person division. The initiative combined online learning, face-to-face training, audio content and coaching, reaching over 800 registered users within six months of launch.
Review: The management task
The Management Task (3rd edition) by Rob Dixon is a comprehensive guide to fundamental management principles for intermediate-level managers and above. Published by the Chartered Management Institute, this well-organized book balances proven management theory with practical application, making it valuable for students, trainees, and senior managers alike.
Mothers ruin?
Women of child-bearing age face widespread discrimination in hiring despite maternity protection laws, with research showing 75% of recruitment agencies aware of pressure to exclude younger women from job opportunities.
Opinion: Rewards that don’t cost
Most employees want to do good work when given proper support, encouragement, and respect. Rather than relying on costly incentive schemes that lose effectiveness over time, HR can unlock exceptional performance by involving staff, providing necessary tools, and creating meaningful recognition that costs nothing but transforms how employees feel about their contributions.
2005: the year in CSR
In 2005, corporate social responsibility reporting surged with 57 of 119 non-financial publications being CSR reports, yet the UK government abandoned its mandatory operating and financial review policy, marking a mixed year for transparency and corporate accountability.
Bite-size learning: Age discrimination – ‘Travel at short notice’
Age discrimination legislation makes seemingly neutral job advertisement phrases potentially illegal. The requirement to “travel at short notice” can indirectly discriminate based on age and sex, as younger employees with childcare responsibilities face greater difficulties meeting this demand.
Top ten HR tips for 2006
Discover ten essential HR best practices for 2006, including updates to statutory discipline procedures, new sexual orientation discrimination laws, workplace smoking bans, and effective absence management strategies to minimize employment claims.
HR Zone Members Newswire #130 HR Director Job-Sharing Insight
HR Zone Members Newswire #130 features an exclusive interview with job-sharing HR Directors from Christies Hospital NHS Trust, plus HR guidance on childcare vouchers, absence management, and shift pay practices for the new year.
How Did I Get Here? Linda Parrott, HR Director for Interdean.Interconex
Linda Parrott, HR Director for global corporate moving specialist Interdean.Interconex, shares her unconventional career path from rock musician and family business operator to HR leadership, where she implemented transformative people management strategies for a rapidly growing international company.
Extracts of a Life Coach: The five minute mentor
Life coach Emma Ranson Bellamy shares how to overcome business challenges by gaining perspective. Through speed-coaching, a client struggling with childcare, finances, and self-doubt learned to focus on her goals and simplify her beauty service offerings into profitable packages.
HR Job-sharing: Will you be my ‘winglady’?
Two HR Directors at Christie’s Hospital NHS Trust share their joint role, dividing responsibilities and rotating weekly schedules while collaborating on strategic planning. Their partnership demonstrates how job-sharing can work effectively at senior management level when supported by compatible working styles and organizational backing.
Employment contracts: It doesn’t pay to be idol
Employment contracts with restraint of trade clauses can protect businesses when staff defect to competitors, as illustrated by the Pop Idol and X Factor dispute. However, these clauses must be reasonable and proportionate to be enforceable, protecting only legitimate business interests like confidential information or customer relationships.
The Couch?! Goes in search of a hangover cure
The Couch?! explores practical and traditional hangover remedies, from water and coffee to cabbage and paracetamol, while noting that 88% of employers still plan office parties despite concerns about excessive drinking.
News in Brief: The week in HR – HR fails to achieve its real vision
A Hewitt Associates study reveals HR departments are failing to become true strategic business partners, despite improvements in administrative services. The research identifies five key barriers preventing HR transformation, including unclear vision, poor change management, and inefficient delivery.
Colborn’s Corner: The HR year in review
Colborn’s Corner: The HR year in review
HR consultant Quentin Colborn reflects on 2005’s major events and their impact on human resources, including the Asian tsunami, UK election, maternity leave reforms, Rover’s closure, and the London bombings.
What’s the answer? Drug use outside work
Employers can take disciplinary action against employees using recreational drugs outside work only if the behavior affects job performance, creates health and safety risks, or indicates impairment at work. Offering counseling support is appropriate, but without these circumstances, legal action carries significant risk.
