HR fail to cope with life’s ‘milestones’
Thirty per cent of HR respondents have taken anti-depressants or sleeping pills compared with the national average of 22%.These are the findings from a report Milestone or Millstone? by health and well-being consultancy PPC Worldwide.The report suggests that the outcome of looking after the welfare of other people results in HR professionals feeling rock-bottom themselves.Twenty-nine […]
£300m equal pay award, biggest ever
Women who worked for North Cumbria NHS Trust fought their case for equal pay for eight years and finally reaped the rewards of their efforts yesterday scooping £300m, the biggest ever equal pay settlement on record.The claims were lodged in August 1997 for 14 different jobs, using five different male comparators. The women range from […]
Public sector re-focuses training efforts
There is a move towards motivational training in the public sector, according to training materials provider Video Arts. The company says that many organisations are re-focusing their training resources in the wake of two recent reports on the health of the public sector – the Gershon review of efficiency and Lyons review of re-location. Having […]
Holiday hangover accepted
Bosses are more generous about letting staff carry over unused leave into the next holiday period then is commonly thought.Research conducted by analysts IRS Employment Review found that almost half or 49% of the sample allowed staff to carry over unused holiday. Five days is the allowance adopted by most organisations although the researchers reveal […]
HR leadership elite series: what does HR leadership offer you?
In his second series for HR Zone, Paul Kearns an outspoken critic of HR practices that cannot clearly demonstrate the value they add to organisations, looks at leadership and asks why do we need HR leaders and what’s in it for professionals in the field? The best leaders have a vision of a future that […]
Anti-bullying policies fail UK plc
Professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has released statistics which show that bullying is still rife in the workplace.The news comes despite revelations that a huge 83% of bosses have an anti-bullying policy in place.In spite of this, the CIPD say that managing conflict at work costs the average employer nearly […]
VAT on fuel ruling angers UK Government
Tax advisers claimed that the European Court of Justice “brushed aside” years of UK practice in declaring on Thursday that businesses can no longer reclaim VAT on business fuel using a mileage rate.The ECJ has ruled that allowing employers to deduct VAT input tax on sums reimbursed to employees for the motor fuel they buy […]
Prentis triumphs at ballot box
Dave Prentis has been re-elected as general secretary of Britain’s biggest union, UNISON, having polled 75% of the votes.Rival candidates Roger Bannister and Jon Rogers received 16.9% and 7.5% respectively.Of the win, Prentis who has been general secretary of the union since January 2001 said:“The membership has endorsed that agenda and the direction in which […]
Scrap NIC increase, says business group
A group representing 25,000 small to medium-sized firms has called for a one per cent increase in national insurance contributions to be reversed.The Forum of Private Business (FPB) called on the Chancellor to relieve the taxation burden on smaller businesses in the Budget on 16 March.Chief executive Nick Goulding said the FPB has told the […]
Editor’s Comment: The Vox Pop of Volunteerism
YV05 or the year of the ‘volunteer’ has been designed to give fresh impetus to the importance and benefits of encouraging employers and individuals to take an active part in the local community; Editor’s Comment seeks out popular opinion about the scheme. In an ideal world, I’m sure that we’d all pledge to be model […]
Staff recognise training and performance link
Nearly all workers believe that training is helping them do their jobs better, according to a new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The poll, of 750 workers, found that almost four in five feel their employer offers enough training opportunities and 94% of respondents who have undertaken training in the […]
Women ‘better leaders’
Women are more likely to have the leadership characteristics essential for high performance in today’s workplace, a new study suggests.The research, from leadership consultants the Centre for High Performance Development (CHPD), suggests that while men believe they are more competent than women, the reverse is true. Chris Parry, CHPD chief executive, said: “Today’s fast-changing and […]
Women shatter ‘union’ glass ceiling
The proportion of women working in trade unions is now 29.3% compared to 29.4% of men, say official statistics from the Labour Force Survey.The findings were revealed at yesterday’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) Women’s Conference in Scarborough.The figures are further evidence of a narrowing gap down from the 3.7% figure reported in 1997. Today the […]
Lessons to be learned from UKeU failure
A skewed focus on technology over market analysis led to the failure of a scheme to offer UK university courses online, MPs have said. The e-University (UKeU) was scrapped last year, having attracted only 900 students – the initial target was 5,600 – at a cost of £50m. The Education and Skills Committee highly-critical report […]
DWP staff man the phones for Comic Relief
Fourteen Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) call centres will open their telephone lines on behalf of Comic Relief this coming Friday.An estimated 1,400 volunteers will be in place for the duration of the seven hour phone-in.Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers service helplines will contribute their ‘out of office hours’ […]
Colborn’s Corner: The 2005 Election – What does it mean for HR?
Quentin Colborn, an independent HR consultant kick starts his new series – ‘Colborn’s Corner’ with a pundit’s view on what a 2005 General Election might mean for the HR function. Nobody knows for certain, but May 5 is being touted as the expected date for the next General Election. Should this concern HR professionals? Do […]
Review: An HR Guide to workplace Fraud
Title: An HR Guide to workplace FraudAuthor: Comer and StephensPublisher: Gower Publishing Limited ISBN: 0566085550Price: £85.00Reviewer: Jonathan SeniorThis is an intimidating and meaty looking volume with a rather austere looking grey and brown cover. However, appearances can be deceptive.It provides a useful guide for the busy manager to combat workplace fraud and deception. Covering such […]
HR languish in diversity ‘darkness’
Only 38% of HR professionals have been trained to deal with the implications of the Employment Equality Regulations 2003.The laws were introduced fourteen months ago and relate to sexual orientation and religion or belief.The survey conducted by Fuel, a provider of e-learning solutions does, however, show an improvement since the same sentiments were tested in […]
Bosses must help smokers quit
Less than half of UK plc offer support to staff to stop smoking.This is despite the fact that smoking in the workplace costs at least £340 million a year in productivity losses and around £70 million per year in expenses incurred through absenteeism.Official statistics from ASH tell us that about 12 million adults in the […]
Skills body vows to plug management deficit
The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) has released a study which reveals a yawning gap in top management skills.The problem will be exacerbated by a predicted increase in demand for managers over the next few years according to the body.Certain sectors, such as computing services, could expect to see as much as an 80% rise […]
