Strasbourg votes to end working time opt-out
The Members of the European Parliament (EP) have, May 11, voted to scrap the right of individual workers to opt out of the maximum 48 hour working week. The Parliament has also voted to for on-call hours to count as working time. The vote was carried by 345 votes to 264 against, with 43 abstentions. […]
Employee satisfaction versus increased profitability: do you have to choose?
Balancing employee satisfaction with increased profitability is a difficult task, particularly within a busy call centre environment; InVision Software looks at how to get the mix right. Staffing is a crucial aspect of any business. It is important to get the most from your workforce to ensure productivity and customer satisfaction. In an industry fraught […]
Member wire #98 – The top five HR issues
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 98 10 May 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Editor’s Comment: Sugar … I’m fired! 2. HDIGH? Director of Workforce Development at Great Ormond Street 3. Is the Royal Mail draw the right way to cut down on sickies? 4. The Couch?! […]
CSR and beyond: Doing ‘good’ with HR
Leo Martin, director and founder of the GoodCorporation looks at how to introduce corporate social responsibility into HR practice, revealing the secrets of success of better performing companies. In the last edition of ‘CSR and beyond’ I argued that the election in the UK would not make a huge difference to corporate responsibility and it […]
Payroll Tip: Pay and jury service
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: Should the financial loss allowance paid for jury service be made up to gross or net pay? A: The intention is that a person should not be “out-of-pocket” as a result of jury […]
Opinion: The value of outplacement
Recent research from HR consultancy RightCoutts, looking at the aspirations of laid off UK workers, hasn’t provided us with any surprises – employees are still looking for opportunities for career development, and companies are still searching for talent to attract and retain. However, it has highlighted the important role that career transition services can play […]
How Did I Get Here? Dr Judith Ellis, Director of Workforce Development at Great Ormond Street
Dr Judith Ellis admits how being bullied by a direct line manager destroyed her self-confidence and why this had the biggest influence on her career – here’s her story. 1. What is your current job title? Briefly describe your current role.Chief Nurse and Director of Workforce Development at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Trust. I […]
The Couch?! HR Nightmares
Who would be an HR Manager? In an effort to soothe the profession's seething resentments we thought it would be nice to share those deep dark moments in HR we all dread! It takes years of study and application to get where you are today. You spend your life absorbing and interpreting employment law detail […]
Editor’s Comment: Sugar … I’m fired!
BBC Two’s reality TV hit, ‘The Apprentice’ in which fourteen hopefuls fought to become the six-figure protégé of AMSTRAD chief Sir Alan Sugar concluded with the tycoon speaking the immortal words ‘You’re hired’ to Tim Campbell, a 27-year-old transport manager; Editor’s Comment looks at what can be learnt from selection the Sugar way. Spanning 12 […]
Is the Royal Mail draw the right way to cut down on sickies?
Royal Mail has received a battering from the media over its controversial reward for attendance scheme, sister site Business Management zone looks at whether the programme sets a bad precedent. Croner, part of the Kluwer group, says, “Companies thinking of following the example of Royal Mail’s incentive scheme to reward staff for simply turning up […]
Colborn’s Corner: Internal communication – who told you about that?
If you are anything like me you will have been deluged with communication in the past few weeks. And again, like me, I guess most of the election material has gone in the bin, albeit with a very swift cursory glance. Much of my work with clients involves internal communication in one form or another […]
Feature: Beating the bullies
Bullying is most frequently associated with children, however, cases have become increasingly common in the UK workplace; Philip Andrews a Behavioural Psychotherapist looks at the problem and reports on what can be done to manage it. Thirty million working days were lost last year (according to the Health & Safety Executive), as a result of […]
Case Study: Assessment tools help Costa get the right blend
Costa, the UK’s leading coffee store brand, has reduced the turnover of its shop-floor staff by almost 20% after introducing a personality questionnaire to help the company recruit the right people. The questionnaire has proved so successful that Costa has now introduced a separate selection tool for its store managers. Delivered online, it measures personal […]
Feature: Re-engineering the recruitment supply chain
In the first of a three-part series, Kevin Kerrigan, managing director of SHL UK, discusses the pressing need for an evolution in the recruitment supply process, and offers an insight into how HR suppliers, employers and the recruitment community can work together to make the hiring of new employees a more foolproof, measurable and successful […]
Member wire #97 – Living to work or working to live?
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 97 3 May 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Editor’s Comment: Living to work or working to live? 2. The Couch?! Cooks in hells kitchen 3. Stone speaks: Building female networks 4. CSR and beyond: The pope, the EU and the Election […]
HR Tip: Employee handbooks
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: Is the employment handbook that we issue part of the contract of employment? A: I don’t know. If the handbook or the contract of employment or statement of particulars says that it […]
Opinion: Is training really the answer?
Nick Hood, senior London partner of business rescue and recovery specialists Begbies Traynor looks at whether training really is the answer to improving workforce performance. At the end of most job interviews, candidates are encouraged to ask questions about the role on offer. If there’s one question that nearly always comes up, it’s interviewees asking […]
Bosses expect to pay out for pensions
Last year, Adair Turner revealed a pensions shortfall amounting to £57 billion a year; compulsory saving has been touted as one solution to plugging this gap.And according to thomsons online benefits most bosses accept that contributing to workers’ pensions will become a reality in the future and five it would seem is the magic number […]
Editor’s Comment: Living to work or working to live?
We know the score – the pension outlook for most is bleak; Editor’s Comment looks at the option of life long learning as a means for plugging the shortfall. Last October, Adair Turner revealed a pension shortfall of £57 billion a year brought about by a population that lives longer and slowing birth rates; one […]
The Couch?! cooks in hells kitchen
Inspired by the TV programme hells kitchen the Couch?! team would like to hear about your dinner party disasters. Have you ever found the leg of lamb you cooked in the dog basket, cleaned it up and served it? Have you ever had a dinner party and in the chaos of getting ready you put […]
