HR Zone Briefing #267 – Lifting the lid on cowboy recruiters
Explore how unregulated recruitment practices operate in the shadows, and discover industry efforts to establish professional standards, including the Recruitment Employment Confederation’s launch of its first degree program in recruitment.
Gender equality: Harmony or chaos?
Women now comprise nearly half the UK workforce, prompting significant developments in gender equality legislation. This article examines key changes to sex discrimination laws, including stricter definitions of indirect discrimination and new protections against harassment, and their impact on employers’ compliance responsibilities.
Feature: The perfect balance
Discover how to balance different learning methods for optimal training outcomes. Blended learning combines e-learning with traditional approaches like mentoring and coaching, with learner support being essential to prevent isolation and maximize effectiveness.
How to: Hang on to star performers
Managers can retain star performers by offering competitive salaries, flexible work arrangements, clear career progression, and proper mentoring and induction programs. Creating a supportive workplace culture with opportunities for growth is essential in today’s volatile job market.
Managing in adversity: Preparing for a crisis
Organizations must prepare for crises through detailed planning and testing evacuation procedures, while designating calm, decisive incident managers who can coordinate immediate response and employee support without becoming emotionally overwhelmed by individual situations.
Bad habits: Time to go ‘smoking’ cold-turkey?
The UK government proposed banning smoking in all workplaces by end of 2007, with regulations being awaited after consultation ended in September 2005. Employers face penalties of £200 for non-compliance, while enforcement will be handled by local authorities through workplace inspections.
Review: Coaching at Work magazine
Two coaching experts—one new to the field, one experienced—review CIPD’s new Coaching at Work magazine, examining its value, design, and content from contrasting perspectives. The publication costs £75-£85 annually for six issues and online resources.
Member wire #120 – Adultery: Grounds for constructive dismissal?
Explore whether an employee’s affair can constitute grounds for constructive dismissal, including expert legal advice on handling workplace conflicts arising from personal relationships and employment law implications.
Five steps to fast relationships
Learn five key steps to building fast relationships in business: belief, congruence, empathy, and more. Discover how to establish trust quickly with colleagues and clients to drive success in sales, leadership, and team environments.
HR Tip: Definition of full-time and part-time work
Full-time and part-time status depend on the hours recognized as standard within your organization, not a fixed number like 16 hours. A full-time worker ordinarily works the organization’s standard hours, while a part-time worker works fewer. Treat all employees fairly regardless of hours worked to avoid discrimination.
How Did I Get Here? Jo Bond, RightCoutts MD an HR consultancy
Jo Bond, managing director of HR consultancy RightCoutts, discusses the strategic importance of HR within organizations and how the function can add value by developing talent, fostering employee engagement, and aligning business goals with workforce needs through best practice approaches.
Hard(y) Law Talk: Pensions – protection or prevention?
The Pensions Act 2004 overhauled UK pension regulation by establishing the Pensions Regulator, introducing a Statutory Funding Objective to replace the Minimum Funding Requirement, and creating the Pensions Protection Fund to protect scheme members. These changes impose stricter oversight and funding obligations on employers and trustees managing occupational pension schemes.
Extracts of a Life Coach: Reconciling tensions
Life coach Emma Ranson Bellamy explores how understanding your personal values can break cycles of repeated mistakes in relationships and careers. She examines methods for reconciling opposing values—like freedom versus security—that often create internal conflict and prevent lasting success.
Lifting the lid on cowboy recruiters
The Recruitment Employment Confederation launches its first-ever degree in recruitment to raise professional standards across the £24 billion industry. The new qualification framework, developed with Middlesex University Business School, aims to attract talent and combat unqualified “cowboy” recruiters.
News in Brief: The week in HR – HR meets Gershon challenge
HR professionals in the public sector are responding to the Gershon challenge by embedding people issues into reform agendas and improving organizational efficiency. The National Minimum Wage rose above £5 for the first time, with adults receiving £5.05 per hour from October 1st, while the UK continues streamlining HR functions through shared service centers.
The Couch?! Health, wealth and happiness
A Finnish employer offers financial incentives to boost employee health: £115 bonuses for out-performing him in chin-ups, paid jogging time, and per-kilometer running bonuses. Staff report increased work energy from participating in the fitness challenge.
HR Practitioner’s Diary: A new chapter
HR consultant takes on challenging three-day-per-week role at a UK food manufacturing company, managing restructuring, health and safety compliance, and a diverse Polish workforce while navigating unexpected workplace dynamics.
Colborn’s Corner: Is it worth rocking the boat?
Change programmes are common in large organisations, but many fail to create lasting impact. This article examines why cascaded initiatives often fade away and argues for “guerrilla change” where authentic leadership behaviour gradually transforms organisational culture.
What’s the answer? Adultery: Grounds for constructive dismissal?
Employment law experts discuss whether an employee can claim constructive dismissal when refusing a promotion due to personal conflict with a required co-worker. The case examines employer obligations and practical solutions when personal circumstances create workplace tensions.
Opinion: The flaw of averages
Using crude averages to calculate absence costs masks critical differences in how employee absences actually impact business value. Companies should segment their workforce by role and cost implications to accurately determine true absence expenses and invest wisely in attendance management strategies.
