Pre-Budget Report: Statutory maternity pay
HMRC investigated paying Statutory Maternity Pay directly to employees, but concluded the case was not made. The study found minimal cost savings for employers, substantial implementation costs of £125 million, and complex NIC implications that would burden businesses and payroll systems.
Pre-Budget Report – Personal allowances, NIC rates and limits
The 2006-07 pre-budget report increases income tax personal allowances by 2.7% inflation, raising the basic allowance to £5,035. National Insurance contribution thresholds and rates remain largely unchanged, with the upper earnings limit rising to £645 per week. All adjustments reflect the inflation rate with no unexpected policy changes announced.
Review: Gower Handbook of Call and Contact Centre Management
The Gower Handbook of Call and Contact Centre Management is a comprehensive guide by 30+ experts offering practical strategies for creating and managing efficient contact centers. Covering operator setup to budget management, it emphasizes customer experience as the driver of profit while providing actionable advice for call center and other business managers.
Does a break from work mean my career is over?
A career break doesn’t have to end your career. While the law doesn’t formally recognize career breaks, employers can implement policies allowing employees temporary leave with the option to return, though terms like length of service and continuous employment must be clearly defined.
Opinion: The cost of apathy, resentment and distrust
Disengaged employees caused by distrust, resentment, and apathy significantly harm organizational performance, with research showing engaged workforces deliver 25-30% more discretionary effort. Re-engaging employees through strategic leadership, meaningful communication, and collaborative dialogue workshops is essential for project success and sustained productivity improvements.
Why is it so hard to manage Emma?
Managing promotions can be challenging when strong individual contributors struggle with leadership responsibilities. Emma excels at team collaboration and task execution but hasn’t adapted her management style to lead effectively. Managers often avoid addressing performance gaps in solid employees, yet improving their contributions yields greater organizational impact than focusing on top or bottom performers.
Payroll Tip: Missing NI numbers
When an employee’s NI number is missing, employers must use HMRC’s tracing procedures to obtain it rather than creating temporary numbers. If the number remains unknown, leave the relevant box blank on most forms or enter “Not Known” as instructed, ensuring accurate employee identification and avoiding form rejection.
Pre-Budget: Live report
Chancellor Gordon Brown outlined continued economic growth of 1.75% this year with forecasts of 2-2.5% in 2006, while inflation remains on track to meet targets. The Budget highlighted improvements in employment, increased investment in education and public services, and measures to support businesses and lower-income households through tax credits and energy assistance.
Extracts of a Life Coach: You’ve got to be ‘in it to win it’
A life coach shares insights from a workshop money exchange game that reveals innate financial behaviors. Participants’ reactions—from gambling and guilt to hoarding and protesting—expose how unconscious patterns shape our relationship with wealth and success.
How Did I Get Here? Heather Angus, HR Director 3663
Heather Angus, Director of HR at 3663, shares how strategic people practices and a people-first culture drive success in this entrepreneurial foodservice company. She discusses balancing commercial HR expertise with creative solutions to engage employees and position HR as a key business partner.
Bite-size learning: Age discrimination – ‘Junior Consultant’
Age discrimination legislation requires employers to carefully review job advertisement language. Terms like “junior consultant” may be scrutinized as potential age barriers, as they could imply youth rather than simply describing career level or responsibility. Employers must demonstrate positions are open to candidates of all ages.
Happy HR Hogmanay!
As age discrimination regulations come into force in October 2006, employment lawyer Ceri Durham outlines three essential HR resolutions: master the new Age Discrimination Regulations, update company policies and procedures, and ensure managers receive training on discrimination and recruitment practices.
News in Brief: The week in HR – HR reaction to Turner report
HR professionals are responding to Lord Turner’s pension recommendations this week, with views split on raising the state pension age to 67 by 2020 and implementing compulsory employer contributions. While the CIPD and Employers Forum on Age see opportunities for better age management, Croner warns of potential job cuts and wage freezes for businesses.
The Couch?! Rocks around the Christmas tree
A Lake District record producer created a novelty Christmas song featuring singing sheep performing “Jingle Bells,” hoping to compete with The Crazy Frog’s version. The article explores this festive track alongside other memorable Christmas novelty songs throughout pop history.
HR Practitioner’s Diary: Food fights and Southfork power struggles
HR practitioner Sue Kingston shares real workplace challenges including investigating a pastry-throwing incident at a food processing plant and resolving a leadership power struggle between competing managers over misconduct and team dynamics.
Employed or self-employed?
Employment status isn’t defined in tax law, making it a frequent source of confusion. Each case is judged individually, with employers bearing primary responsibility for the initial classification, though HMRC can challenge incorrect self-employed status and recover unpaid taxes from the business.
What’s the answer? Innocent until proven guilty?
An employee admitted liability in a fatal accident outside work with witnesses set to testify against him. HR explores options for managing workplace relations, including redeployment or suspension, while balancing legal risks and employee rights.
Review: Partnership Works
Partnership Works is an interactive CD-ROM that provides facilitators and managers with systematic tools, diagnostic exercises, and resources to help groups measure partnership progress, build consensus, and establish shared goals through structured workshops.
Training: A poor investment?
Training’s return on investment is measurable and matters to organizations facing budget pressures, contrary to claims that ROI is impossible to quantify. While learning transfer to the workplace is important, managers rightfully expect financial accountability and demonstrable business impact from training investments.
The third way: Older workers
Major retailers including Sainsbury’s, HBOS, and B&Q have discovered significant cost savings by hiring older workers. Despite demographic shifts increasing the population aged 50-65, employment rates for this group remain 10% below younger workers, though data shows they cost less, take fewer sick days, and improve retention and profits.
