Skill shortages hamper recruitment efforts
The voice of UK Plc, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has released figures which show a 50% rise in the number of bosses reporting difficulties recruiting staff with the right skills.According to the BCC, two surveys taken ten years apart reveal the extent of the skills shortage. Sentiment measured last year showed that 43% […]
Property slowdown catapults worker ‘sickies’
The number of workers taking ‘sickies’ to assist with the selling of their homes is on the rise.These are the findings of property company, National Homebuyers. According to their research 35% admitted to taking at least three days sick leave while trying to find a buyer.The trend has been fuelled by slowing property prices as […]
HR Tip: Different jobs, different contracts?
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: We took on a part-time worker some time ago. He was so good that two other departments have given him work, but each of a different nature. Our problem is, does he […]
Member wire #86 – Love wars could land bosses in the dock
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 86 15 February 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. HDIGH? Sally Gregory, National Car Rental 2. Editor’s Comment: Finding love in the concrete jungle 3. The Couch?! Goes looking for instant love 4. Love wars could land bosses in the dock 5. […]
NHS equal pay battle close to £300m pay out
Unison has brokered an equal pay deal that looks likely to pay out £300m to 1,500 female NHS health workers in back pay.The women who worked for North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust have been fighting their equal pay case for eight years.The claims were lodged in August 1997 for 14 different jobs, using five different […]
Opinion: Bosses to blame for soaring absence
Gerry Baxter of management consultancy Baxter Neumann argues that organisations are as much to blame for sky-high absence as work shy employees. New efforts to tackle workplace absence has received much press over the last year particularly for organisations that have adopted new ways of managing the issue from staff incentives that woo workers back […]
Review: Implementing virtual teams
Title: Implementing Virtual TeamsAuthors: Abigail Edwards and John R. WilsonPublisher: Gower Publishing LimitedISBN: 0 566 08468 6Price: £53.95Reviewer: Kathryn KellyEmployer’s Organisation for local Government and recruitmentBeware of first impressionsMy first thoughts about a book on implementing virtual teams were that the medium was at odds with the subject matter. This was re-enforced by the computer-generated […]
Part-timers miss out on training and pay
Part-time workers are 40% less likely to receive in-working training than their full-time counterparts.These are the findings from an Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) investigation: Part-time is no crime – so why the penalty?.According to the EOC more than half the UK’s part-time workers are in jobs that they feel fail to capitalise on their qualifications, […]
The Couch?! Goes looking for instant love
Take 15 desperate women and 15 desperate men, put them in a bar with some scorecards and what have you got? Speed-dating! The prospect of being in a room with 29 other desperados might make your skin crawl with shame and embarrassment, or you might fancy the challenge of being able to schmooze your way […]
Veggie practice adopts non-carnivore recruitment policy
In a novel attempt to differentiate itself in the marketplace, Chingford-based accountancy firm Jackson & Jackson has become the first practice to earn the official approval of the Vegetarian Society. The firm, which is entirely vegetarian, applied and received the accreditation which allows it to display the Vegetarian Society’s “seedling” symbol on its promotional material. […]
Love wars could land bosses in the dock
Employment and HR adviser, Croner are urging bosses to sign romantically-engaged workers up to a ‘love contract’.Far worse than the obvious awkwardness experienced when a relationship breaks down between two colleagues is the threat of sexual harassment warns Croner.Richard Smith, HR expert at the firm said: “You can’t legislate against love, but companies should consider […]
Quango review labels Investors in People ‘useless’
Investors in People, the national Standard which sets a level of good practice for training and development of people to achieve business goals has been branded a ‘useless’ quango.Dan Lewis, author of the Essential Guide to British Quangos 2005, said at least 111 of the non-departmental public bodies are a waste of public money. The […]
How Did I Get Here? Sally Gregory, VP Human Resources-Europe, National Car Rental
Being a biology teacher doesn’t usually lead to a career in HR but this is just what Sally Gregory did; with little personnel experience under her belt she knew she had to pull something out of the bag so she self-taught herself the basics with the aid of a ‘bluff-yourself-in’ guide: Personnel Made Simple’ the […]
HIV sufferers face workplace discrimination
A survey by Positive Futures, a partnership of HIV has revealed the shocking extent of discrimination in the workplace.According to the findings, 85% of managers believe that people living with the illness are regularly discriminated against.Other findings include: 40% felt people living with HIV should not be allowed to work as chefs 24% thought they […]
Editor’s Comment: Finding love in the concrete jungle
By Annie Hayes, HRZone EditorWhether you’re a ‘smug married’ or more ‘amorously challenged’ it’s hard to forget that on Monday we feast on the celebrations of love in the shape of St Valentine’s Day; two timely surveys out this week suggest that not only are we looking for romance at work but that we are […]
Softworld preview: Transforming HR to support the future needs of the business strategy
Bettina Pickering and Neil McEwen, Managing Consultants at PA Consulting Group will be speaking at the Softworld HR & Payroll seminar ‘Transforming HR to support the future needs of the business strategy’ at 9am on Wednesday 2 March. Here’s a snapshot of what they’ll be discussing … For more than a decade, major organisations in […]
EO scout for mentors
The Employers’ Organisation (EO) for local government is touting for senior managers to act as mentors for new trainees on the National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP).Mentors are called upon to assist trainees in achieving their full potential by ‘providing consistent business focused support and helping with post programme career plans.’According to the EO 140 chief […]
PCS attack government over public sector pensions
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) has attacked the government’s decision to raise the pensions age in the public sector from 60 to 65.Speaking today at a joint fringe meeting on the first day of Labour Spring Conference, general secretary Mark Serwotka will accuse the government of seeking confrontation in refusing to negotiate over […]
Case Study: Ford revs up staff development with e-learning
Ford Motor Company has rolled out an e-learning portfolio to its franchisees to help ensure consistency of training among a potential audience of 225,000 employees. BackgroundRecently celebrating its 100th anniversary, Ford Motor Company is one of the world’s leading consumer companies for automotive products and services. The company’s major brands include household names such as […]
Public sector culture drives talent away
Mounting bureaucracy and red tape is putting new recruits off from joining the public sector.This is the claim from recruitment and HR consultants, Hudson who reveal that 66% of public sector employees believe their own internal procedures are turning applicants away.Over a third (40%) agreed that that there is an oppressive culture of measuring and […]
