Editor’s Comment: Doughnuts, Dementors and Daring!
Charles Handy uses artist Rachel Whitehead’s work to illustrate how organizations can unlock innovation by exploring overlooked opportunities. Drawing parallels between seeing “the space beneath the stairs” and business success, Handy argues that differentiation comes from employees going beyond core responsibilities to pursue creative ideas and meaningful change.
News in Brief: The week in HR – 10/06/05
Britain retained its opt-out from the 48-hour working week following European Parliament negotiations, though the issue faces deferral until 2006. This week’s HR roundup also covers mixed strike statistics, underutilized temporary workers, and workplace challenges around work-life balance and employee theft.
The IT Zone/HR Zone updated guide to payroll software and providers
This updated guide helps UK employers navigate payroll software options and providers as they adapt to mandatory online P35 and P14 filing requirements. It covers key decisions including Inland Revenue accreditation, outsourcing versus in-house solutions, and evaluates major suppliers in the marketplace.
HR Zone Briefing #249 – Matching software with HR objectives
Discover how to select and implement HR software that aligns with your business objectives. This briefing covers system selection, cost calculation, and integration strategies to help HR professionals optimize their technology investments.
Opinion: Strategic flaws undermine PAYE Online
PAYE Online filing faces inconsistent validation rules between Internet and EDI gateways, raising concerns about fairness and system reliability. Critics argue the rushed rollout lacks proper oversight and fails to deliver promised efficiency gains despite high costs and potential for abuse.
HR and payroll – a tug of war?
Payroll and HR departments often clash when integrated into a single system, despite potential cost savings and efficiency gains. Cultural differences—payroll’s focus on accuracy versus HR’s people-centric approach—create tensions around data management and priorities.
Case Study: Coventry City Council – Out to tender
Coventry City Council launched a tender for a new HR and Payroll system to replace aging software ending in October 2006. Key drivers include improving management information, reducing paperwork, enhancing service quality, and embedding employee and manager self-service capabilities to boost productivity and support better strategic decision-making.
How to: Select & implement HRM systems
Learn how to select and implement an HRM system by assessing your organization’s needs, evaluating solution options, and establishing a structured selection process. Discover key considerations for successful HRMS implementation, from determining business drivers to ensuring executive commitment and effective change management.
Improving effectiveness using HR IT
HR IT systems improve business effectiveness by providing managers with real-time labor metrics and data-driven insights. Compass Group UK implemented a new system delivering weekly labor analytics on turnover, costs, and productivity, enabling unit and area managers to make informed decisions and control expenses across 8,500 locations.
Get the most out of your visit to HR Software
Explore over 70 HR software solutions at the CIPD’s annual HR Software Show. Discover practical technology innovations, attend Learning Lab sessions with the Inland Revenue and CIPD, and compare solutions across performance management, payroll, communications, and more to meet your organization’s needs.
Calculating the true cost of HR Software
Learn how to calculate the true cost of HR software beyond initial license fees. This guide breaks down upfront, ongoing, and hidden costs to help you build a business case that gains executive approval and ensures your HRMS investment delivers real value.
How systems can support your HR objectives
HR systems work best when designed with intuitive interfaces that serve the entire business, not just HR departments. Alignment between business objectives, HR goals, and system implementation ensures maximum impact and user adoption across organizations.
HR Practitioner’s Diary: Looking for Darcy
An HR practitioner shares insights on managing organizational change across multiple subsidiaries, emphasizing how open communication and clear explanation of strategic changes help overcome employee resistance and build effective teams.
Work-life balance: Banishing the Cinderella syndrome
Peer resentment remains the biggest barrier to successful flexible working arrangements. Rather than individual negotiations with management, adopting team-based approaches where colleagues collectively decide how to work and deliver results can overcome resentment and boost productivity beyond traditional long-hours practices.
What’s the answer? Flexible benefits
Introducing flexible benefits requires careful consideration of legal, tax, and payroll implications. Experts recommend establishing core benefits like pension and death-in-service cover, then offering optional perks such as extra life cover, critical illness, dental, and private medical insurance. Key steps include aligning benefits with business strategy, understanding employee preferences, and ensuring compliance with age discrimination laws.
Member wire #102 – Competition – WIN tickets to the Open Golf Championship
HR Zone members can win a pair of tickets to the final day of the Open Golf Championship on 17 July. Enter the exclusive competition for your chance to attend this prestigious golfing event.
HR tees off at the Open Golf Championship
Win tickets to the Open Golf Championship final day on July 17th with accommodation in Edinburgh and full corporate hospitality including a three-course lunch and open bar. Enter by referring a friend to HRZone.
Why HR Directors get fired
HR Directors often get fired or marginalized for failing to demonstrate strategic business value and shape organizational strategy rather than just execute it. Success requires balancing routine HR functions with strategic foresight, understanding business operations, and aligning HR services with actual client priorities.
HR Tip: Dealing with CV liars
Discover how to handle CV dishonesty in the workplace. Learn whether misrepresented qualifications warrant dismissal and when to take disciplinary action based on actual job performance rather than application inaccuracies.
Vox Pop: Meeting of minds – the future of web-conferencing
Web-conferencing enables productive remote meetings that reduce travel time, lower costs, and improve employee contributions. Experts discuss how synchronous conferencing supports decision-making while asynchronous methods enhance deeper learning, transforming business communication and environmental impact.
