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 […]
£38m boost for apprenticeships
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is putting a further £38 million into apprenticeships in a bid to meet its targets of increasing this year’s cohort of apprentices to 175,000.Part of the money will fund new apprentice places and will be directed to employers and training providers. Stephen Gardner, the LSC’s Director of Work Based […]
Feature: The coach route for learning and development
Rosey Village, training co-ordinator for engineering company MWH, gives a personal account of how coaching has meant a step-change in the way learning and development is approached in her organisation. BackgroundMWH is a global water supply, wastewater engineering and environmental management company offering professional consultancy, engineering design and construction services, to water companies, towns, cities […]
Trends: A workforce of drifters?
Michael Graham, managing director of Pitman Training, explores changing attitudes toward the workplace. The annual workplace survey conducted by Pitman Training has unearthed a clear trend towards "job drifting" similar to our larger cousin the USA. Whilst the geographic nature of the USA tends to dictate some of the drifting activity within the workforce our […]
Vocational training is failing girls – EOC report
Britain is failing to provide real opportunity and choice for young people entering training and work, according to a report published today by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The Free to Choose report reveals that young people – particularly girls from lower socio-economic groups – are not being given the access to careers advice, work-experience […]
Training on the Chain Gang
A new team-building activity based on the notion of chain gangs is being touted as the ultimate way to build staff camaraderie while also helping firms meet their corporate social responsibilities. The activity, from training group Una Perform, sees staff spending a week chained together while carrying out tasks such as road sweeping and trimming […]
Opinion: Crossing the cultural divide
The increase in cross border human traffic has meant that companies are no longer dealing with a homogenous native community from which they recruit their staff but now have to face cross cultural challenges in how they hire, manage and develop a multi-cultural staff. One area of note where HR and management are finding difficulties […]
Feature: Employment and occupational health
Guy Hollebon, Partner and Head of the Employment Team, discusses employment and occupational health in the latest article of a series produced by Bevans, solicitors. An Occupational Health (OH) adviser is a vital tool to employers when managing any form of sickness absence. The majority of SME’s do not have their own in-house OH adviser […]
Review: Lend Me Your Ears
Title: Lend Me Your Ears Author: Professor Max AtkinsonPublisher: Ebury Press VermilionISBN: 0091894794Price: £9.99Reviewer: Anne TeggartThis book was written by the same man who trained former Liberal Democrat Leader, Paddy Ashdown, in the art of public speaking. How do I know? Well, he mentions it at the front of his book. He has also included […]
Charisma Key to Success
Almost half of UK company directors and senior managers believe that a plummy upper-class accent is a hindrance rather than a help when it comes to succeeding in business, according to research from The Aziz Corporation. However, having a working-class accent is considered even worse, with 86% of those who took part in the survey […]
