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.
Review: Voices of Experience
Voices of Experience offers presentation insights from diverse professionals including Gary Lineker and Tony Buzan. Rather than step-by-step instruction, this guide emphasizes preparation, audience connection, and honest delivery across business, media, after-dinner, and motivational speaking contexts.
Stairway to CPD success
Building a comprehensive CPD framework across the logistics sector requires addressing skills shortages, poor industry image, and lack of career progression. Skills for Logistics developed a structured approach emphasizing continuous professional development and core competencies beyond traditional technical training.
VAT on fuel – the new rules
New VAT rules on fuel purchased by employees allow employers to continue recovering input tax, provided fuel is used for business purposes and supported by a VAT receipt. The change adds administrative requirements but leaves employers’ financial positions largely unchanged.
Opinion: Changing times for succession planning
Succession planning remains overlooked in many UK organisations despite being critical for sustaining business performance. John Fay argues that effective succession planning requires strategic leadership development programmes aligned with organisational values, moving beyond traditional training to become a board-level priority.
CSR and beyond: OFR with its head
The UK government abolished the Operating and Financial Review (OFR) in favor of a simpler business review, citing concerns about administrative costs and potential £154 million savings. Unlike the OFR, the new business review does not require forward-looking narratives or prospective risk assessments, though companies must still report on non-financial matters including employee and environmental information under EU directives.
HR Tip: Losing talent
Retain talent by keeping departing employees engaged during notice periods and addressing underlying causes of turnover. Ensure competitive salaries, involve staff in decisions, offer career development, and demonstrate genuine interest in employee wellbeing and performance.
Bite-size learning: Age discrimination – ‘Dynamic and energetic’
Terms like “dynamic and energetic” in job advertisements may constitute age discrimination unless employers can justify their necessity. The UK’s age discrimination legislation, effective October 1, 2006, prohibits age-based hiring discrimination, and recruitment wording is a key compliance area.
Extracts of a Life Coach: The Queen of the Jungle
Life coach Emma Ranson Bellamy explores what reality TV shows like I’m a Celebrity reveal about personal change and growth. She examines how these programs function as coaching experiences, pushing participants beyond their comfort zones and creating opportunities for lasting transformation.
How Did I Get Here? HR Director, Camelot Group
Steve Thompson, HR Director at Camelot Group, emphasizes eliminating jargon from HR practices and aligning the function closely with business operations. He explains how strategic people policies, forward-looking leadership behaviors, and proactive HR Business Partners drive culture change and help the lottery company achieve its commercial objectives within its unique seven-year operational cycle.
Hard(y) Law Talk: Killing Bill takes centre stage
The Corporate Manslaughter Bill, proposed in 2005, creates a new criminal offence targeting companies whose gross senior management failures result in workplace fatalities. Unlike existing law, it holds organizations accountable for systemic failures in safety practices rather than requiring proof of individual guilt, with penalties up to life imprisonment.
The Couch?! What does your secret santa gift reveal about you?
Research reveals that Secret Santa gift choices expose your true workplace personality. Four distinct types emerge: show-off Santas seek attention, sensitive Santas choose thoughtfully, saucy Santas favor shock value, and scrooge-like Santas prioritize savings. Your gift selection tells colleagues more about you than you might realize.
News in Brief: The week in HR – ‘Tis the season to slack off
More than two-thirds of UK employees believe their colleagues are less productive during the Christmas period, according to a new survey by Investors in People. The poll reveals that businesses with 250+ employees are most vulnerable to seasonal slowdown, with London workers reporting the highest rates of reduced productivity.
Editor’s Comment: The weakest link?
Employee fraud costs are doubling and pose a serious threat to businesses, from rogue traders gambling billions to staff stealing millions. Experts recommend strengthened recruitment screening, clear policies, and whistleblower protections to combat the growing problem.
What’s the answer? Time off for religious events
An employee seeks legal advice after his employer refused three weeks off for a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, while allowing other staff extended leave. A solicitor discusses potential constructive dismissal and religious discrimination claims.
Christmas party tips
Plan your office Christmas party carefully to boost morale while managing risks. Ensure attendance is voluntary, respect religious and cultural diversity, monitor alcohol consumption, and maintain confidentiality of sensitive business information.
Speed recruiting: The first five minutes
First impressions in recruitment may be more scientifically valid than previously thought. Research shows that intuitive judgments made within seconds of meeting candidates can be as predictive of success as lengthy interviews, suggesting HR professionals and managers can tap into an ancient ability to assess people quickly and accurately.
