DWP ‘bury’ bad pension news
Almost 100,000 fewer retirees each year benefit from a company pension then when Labour took office.These are the findings that are buried deep within the Department of Work and Pensions Family Resources Survey Statistical Report 2003-04.Reporting on the story, the Times said: “After rising under the Conservatives from 40 per cent in 1979 to 66 […]
Editor’s Comment: ‘Job-hopping’ – does HR care?
There comes a time in every period of employment when you feel on top of the game, you’ve matured into the role like a good Cheddar ripe for the cracker and you could just about do the job in your sleep; so what can bosses do to halt the steady creep to ‘serial job-hopping’ and […]
Revenue apologises for PAYE online maintenance
Following a series of complaints from users, the Inland Revenue has temporarily closed its secure mailbox service and apologised to those who want to use the PAYE Online for Employers service.A Revenue notice said users would not be able to gain access to their mailboxes until Saturday 9 April.The department explained: “We have had to […]
No more mileage for MG Rover workers
Car manufacturer, MG Rover put the brakes on production last night following a failed rescue attempt; up to 20,000 jobs in the West Midlands are in jeopardy.Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt and Tony Woodley, leader of the Transport and General Workers Union announced that receivers were being sent in yesterday.Hewitt said: “This is a […]
The Company Car Supplement – Fuelling the company car debate
Colborn’s Corner: Employment Law in 2005 – a case of over-regulation?
In the third article of a new series, Quentin Colborn, an independent HR consultant looks at the looming General Election and examines why it is that all the red-tape is turning businesses off hiring workers. Well, it looks as if the election is now upon us and the various claims and counterclaims will soon be […]
Review: Evaluating Training
Title: Evaluating Training (From personal insight to organisation performance) Second EditionAuthor(s): Peter BramleyPublisher: CIPDISBN: 1-84398-030-4Price: £24.99Reviewer: Angela Busby. For those not familiar with Peter Bramley’s work – this is a good place to start. “Evaluating Training (From personal insight to organisational performance, 2nd edition)”, is from beginning to end – an excellent resource. Do not […]
Childcare vouchers rolled out
Supportive bosses are able to offer working parents a tax-free bonus as of, 5 April, in the form of childcare vouchers.Eligible parents can now join a salary sacrifice scheme where they may choose to receive up to £50 a week of their salary in childcare support, meaning they no longer pay tax or national insurance […]
Workers yearn for an afternoon nap
Staff are least productive between 3pm and 4pm and believe a Spanish style siesta would help them to recover from post-lunch sluggishness.These are the findings from the latest survey by employment law firm, Peninsula.According to their research nine out of ten workers yearn for an afternoon nap, 81% put their tiredness down to ‘over work’. […]
Eight out of ten employers agree to flexitime requests
Employees are increasingly aware of their “right to request working flexible hours,” according to figures released by the government this week, which suggest 65% are aware of their right to request flexible working, in comparison to 41% in 2003. And employers are increasingly willing to agree to those requests. Legislation introduced in April 2003 means […]
Guide throws light on workforce value
As of 1 April, all quoted businesses are required to report only the minimum information about the workforce which would be needed to run any organisation but according to the latest research many businesses would not be able to meet even these basic standards.Designed to give companies a helping hand in measuring the worth of […]
CBI Chief snubs I&C laws
Head of employers’ group the CBI has attacked the new Information and Consultation regulations which have been passed as law today, 6 April, referring to them as ‘irrelevant’.As of 6 April, companies with 150 or more employees must act upon an employee request to be informed and consulted on major employment issues. The request must […]
Ignoring diversity costs UK Plc
Ignoring diversity issues is costing businesses, professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development(CIPD) have said.But according to the CIPD, it’s not the cost of failing to meet legislation that is pulling at the purse strings but the failure of businesses to reap the benefits of effective diversity management that include: tackling skills shortages […]
Opinion: Making e-learning accessible
Steven Price managing director of bespoke e-learning development specialists, Cylix explains the key issues to bear in mind when developing accessible e-learning. Accessibility is now a major issue for e-learning. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, organisations have a legal responsibility to make “reasonable adjustments” in order to make their products and services accessible to people […]
Deal to promote volunteer skills
Skills for Business and UK voluntary sector organisations have signed a pact to boost skills development.The agreement means that Skills for Business and voluntary bodies will work more closely together to promote skills development and good employment practices.According to Skills for Business, it will affect the 560,000 paid employees and 11 million unpaid regular adult […]
Member wire #93 – Holding onto your staff?
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 92 05 April 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. How to: Hold onto key staff 2. Payroll Tip: Tax and mobile phones 3. The coach route for learning and development 4. A workforce of drifters? 5. Any Answers: Sick pay for ‘domestic […]
How to: Hold onto key staff
Nick Hood, the senior London partner at Begbies Traynor, the UK’s largest independent business rescue firm, looks at how bosses can retain key staff who may be looking to set up on their own. A recent survey by Begbies Traynor revealed that out of a total 500 respondents, one in five admitted that they were […]
Call centres pay out
The tight labour market is pushing up salaries for employees working within the call centre industry.Nearly two-thirds of organisations (63%) also report that they have increased staffing levels this year.According to the findings by analysts IRS and the Call Centres Association (CCA) nine out of ten organisations or 90% say they expect to award a […]
Payroll Tip: Tax and mobile phones
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: Does the tax exemption for mobile phones extend to paying the costs of our employee’s own phones? A: Section 319 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 specifically removes any […]
‘Ebay’ for wages set to come to UK
Threatening to terrorize the unions and legislators alike, a German website which lets job-seekers bid against each other by offering a minimum fee for their services, is due to launch in England in August. Today’s Telegraph notes that “Trade unions have accused jobdumping.de of promoting “slave labour” with reverse auctions that see workers compete against […]
