I&C ‘how-to-comply’ guidance from Dr Stephen Hardy

Dr Stephen Hardy, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Manchester unravels the obligations behind the Information and Consultation Regulations and sets out his ‘steps’ for HR compliance. The Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 (“ICE” Regulations) came into force on 6 April 2005.These Regulations implement the EU Information and Consultation Directive (the […]
Identity crisis – contractors or employees?

James Anderson, Senior Solicitor at Clarks examines employment status and explains how a contractor might be found by an Employment Tribunal to be an employee. When a business engages: An agency worker A self-employed individual The services of an individual through a services company A casual Businesses would be forgiven for thinking that they had […]
Stone speaks: Building female networks

In a new series for HRZone, Glenda Stone CEO of Aurora, the international organisation working for the economic advancement of women taps at the glass ceiling and speaks out about the issues women face in the workplace. Networks for women accelerate cultural change through constructive and rigorous dialogue about business issues from a gender perspective, […]
Insight: Challenges for a super coach

Graham Alexander, is often described as a ‘super coach’, having been largely attributed with bringing business coaching to the UK; as the founder of Europe’s largest coaching company, Alexander has gone on to become the authority on executive coaching, read on to get this unique insight into his methodology. When it comes to developing current […]
Return-to-work mothers ‘need more support’

Mothers returning to work after maternity leave need greater help integrating back into working life, according to a helpline company.Validium, which operates confidential telephone helplines on behalf of companies says it has experienced increased calls from mums returning to work after an absence of more than six months. Validium says that the most common areas […]
And the winner of the ‘Beauty DIY disasters’ prize draw is …

Congratulations Emma Crowe, HR Officer at international property consultants, Jones Lang LaSalle who was randomly selected in our prize draw.We asked members to send in their most hilarious Beauty DIY disasters and were amused to see that HRZone users have had their fair share – ranging from hair dying disasters, Gothic horrors, too hot to […]
Member wire #96 – Secrets of HR success

================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 96 26 April 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Editor’s Comment: Can workplaces survive without leaders? 2. How to: Network successfully 3. Colborn’s Corner: Is there a place for ethics in HR? 4. Tempers fly as BA loses part-time working case 5. […]
Payroll Tip: Employee contributions to accommodation

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: Can a payment by an employee, who is provided with living accommodation by the employer, towards the improvement of that accommodation be used to reduce its reportable value? A: The reporting requirements […]
CSR and beyond: The pope, the EU and the Election

Leo Martin looks at world events and explains why anyone with a view about the right way to conduct business, ethically and morally should express their opinions about the right way forward. In two weeks’ time when the next edition of ‘CSR and beyond’ appears the electorate will have been to the polls. In the […]
Hot-desking is a turn off for workers

Recruitment experts claim that hot-desking; the practice whereby staff do not have their own desks, but are allocated work space according to their needs is leading to an unhappy workforce.Enabled by improved technology including wireless internet connections, the uptake of hot-desking as a way of working has grown.Jonny Cainer at marketing recruitment agency, Marketing Professionals […]
How to: Network successfully

According to a recent leadership study, becoming a master at self-promotion is one of the most fail-safe ways of getting to the top. Here Sandra Beale reveals her tips on how to become a successful networker. Recognise the importance of networkingAsk any successful business person and they will tell you that above all else networking […]
Key skills qualifications rise

The number of people getting Key Skills qualifications rose by nearly a quarter last year.Almost 332,000 certificates were awarded – two thirds of them to 16 to 18-year-olds – up 23% on the previous year.In the four years since Key Skills qualifications began, 940,000 have been awarded to 572,000 learners. Some 108,000 people have all […]
Tempers fly as BA loses part-time working case

First Officer Jessica Starmer has won her case against British Airways (BA) for their refusal to allow her to work 50% part time.Starmer, wanted to slash her hours so that she could look after her one year old daughter, Beth.The airline claim the refusal was on the grounds of safety.BA argued that pilots should have […]
Bosses police e-mail activity

A new survey shows that UK businesses are clamping down on the use of personal e-mail.Nearly two thirds of organisations, surveyed by FAST Corporate Services say they have restricted the use of private e-mail accounts, such as Yahoo! and Hotmail.Other findings include: 46% of organisations have banned staff access to personal email accounts completely 12% […]
Board members need more vetting

Organisations should review their criteria for recruiting and appraising Board directors.This was the message delivered at a conference this week at Roffey Park on the dynamics and effectiveness of British Boardrooms.“Some organisations put more effort into recruiting graduates than Board members,” said John Gilkes, Chief Executive of Roffey Park, who chaired the event. “The challenge […]
Win a luxury manicure – competition closes today

It’s a last chance saloon for those looking to win a luxury manicure treatment at The Spa, Chancery Court, London.All you need to do is share your most horrific beauty DIY disaster and you’ll be entered into our prize draw, remember to include your name and email address.You’ve got to be ‘in it to win […]
Editor’s Comment: Can workplaces survive without leaders?

It doesn’t take much scratching around the history of mankind to find that leadership and dominance is a biological universal among all social mammals; Editor’s Comment looks at why we can’t escape from the ‘I lead you follow’ model. According to Nigel Nicholson of Managing the Human Animal leadership in the animal kingdom can be […]
Flexible working tops pay in ‘wants’ list

Work-life balance comes second in importance only to pay for British staff, with 70% wanting their employers to offer flexible working times.The National Employee Opinion Survey found that 46% of British employees find their workplace stressful, while a quarter of the 1,000 respondents believe that work is affecting their health. Nearly a third – 31% […]
Information and Consultation – Jaw, Jaw not War, War

Sarah Smith of Bevans solicitors discusses the new Information and Consultation Regulations that came into force in March. If you are an owner, manager or HR manager of a business with more than 150 employees then March was an important month for you and not because it meant that you had a four day bank […]
Skills shortages bite as jobs pick up

The skills gap is widening as the job market recovers, according to the latest survey from the Recruitment Confidence Index(RCI).The RCI tracks recruitment intentions among UK businesses and is measured as an index where values over 100 imply an increase in recruitment activity. The spring index has risen to 135 from 129 in the last […]