IIP urge bosses to focus on productivity
Investors in People (IIP) are calling on businesses to put improvements in employee productivity at the top of their 2005 priority list.The appeal follows research by the Future Foundation which shows that whilst British bosses recognise the importance of employee development in delivering overall productivity, they are reluctant to invest in their staff to achieve […]
Numeracy campaign takes flight
The Government has taken position on the oche to in a bid to boost adult numeracy learning.Minister for Skills and Vocational Education, Ivan Lewis, visited the World Professional Darts Championships at Lakeside this week to promote the “Get On” campaign for adult skills.Mr Lewis described darts was a fun way to improve maths skills.“I hope […]
Capital creaks under gender pay gap revelations
New analysis shows that the yawning gender pay gap is widest in London; on the issue the GMB warned that taking a back seat would result in the ‘fight against poverty’ being lost.Of all the regions, union GMB’s analysis of official Office of National Statistics shows that London is the main culprit of gender pay […]
Call Centres face extinction
The National Outsourcing Assocation (NOA) predicts that call centres will be phased out in the near future, leaving many thousands of call centre operators potentially jobless.Martyn Hart, chairman of the NOA commented: “Call centre operations are notoriously expensive and are regarded by many companies as a temporary customer service solution. The NOA research has found […]
Editor’s Comment: Forty winks in 2005?
By Annie Hayes, HRZone EditorNew Year’s resolutions are always rather predictable; lose weight, drink less, be a better person etc so when I came across a survey which revealed that almost half of us are insomniacs lying awake at night worrying about work and home lives you realize that underneath the trappings of our self-afflictions […]
Graduates reap top pay rewards
Graduates will be in a position to command an average salary of £21,997 this summer, with a quarter actually starting above the national average of £25,000.The January figures from the Graduate Market Trends report by Graduate Prospects reveals that salaries will range between £13,242 to £36,000.In further good news for students, the findings show that […]
TUC and CBI in dogfight over ‘absence’ claims
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has lashed out at claims that UK workers are a nation of skivers throwing dubious ‘sickies’ to get off work, sky-high long-term absence figures are down to more stressful jobs in the public sector they say; a claim refuted by the CBI.‘Sicknote Britain?’ maintains that while long term absence is […]
Feature: Employees’ ‘right to be consulted’ – bosses take note
For many bosses, employees should be seen but not heard. But from this April those employers that believe staff shouldn’t have a say in the running of the business could be in for a shock. New employment law Regulations are introduced on April 6, 2005. As a result, businesses employing 150 or more people will […]
Workers give bosses £4,650 for free
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) claim that workers are doing themselves out of pay; on average, employees who work unpaid overtime should earn £4,650 for hours worked over and above their contracted obligations.This is equivalent to working for free until 25 February.The unpaid work amassed to a total worth of £23 billion in 2004.The TUC […]
New Chief for UK Skills
Dr Graeme Hall has been appointed chief executive of UK Skills, the independent organisation which champions skills and learning for work through competitions, awards and events.Dr Hall’s new role is a promotion from his previous position as deputy chief executive, a post he has held since 2000.Chris Humphries CBE, chairman of UK Skills and director […]
‘Snake bites back at boss’ wins HRZone Competition
HRZone is delighted to announce this year’s winner of the Christmas Party Clangers competition is Jo Minns, HR Consultant at the Royal Bank of Scotland for her snake attack on boss story.We invited members to send in their most hilarious and outrageous Christmas party tales.Among the entries were stories of a bucking bronco trouser split, […]
Bonus loophole puts Cantor Fitzgerald in the dock
A recent case ruling puts discretionary bonus schemes under doubt.Mr Horkulak worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in a senior management position working on interest rate swaps in the money markets.Horkulak successfully claimed that he had been both constructively and wrongfully dismissed following claims of continued bullying and abusive behaviour from the President of the business.Seeking compensation […]
Feature: Developing a value-adding HR function
By Simon Court, CEO Value PartnershipThe Human Resources function should play a central part in value creation, yet all too often it fails to make this contribution effectively. The issues facing businesses today (globalisation, competition, opportunities using technology, the imperative to create value) all mean that people in the organisation are more central to sustained […]
Oracle fires PeopleSoft executives
Oracle has effectively taken control of its ERP rival PeopleSoft after 75% of its shareholders accepted the company’s $10.3bn bid.Just before Christmas, PeopleSoft founder David Duffield resigned as CEO and chairman, anticipating Oracle’s announcment that it had taken control of 75% of PeopleSoft stock after an 18 months dogfight. Duffield had taken over as chief […]
Minimum wage outstrips cost of living
Rate hikes in the statutory minimum wage have risen faster than the cost of living across Europe.At the start of the year, the wage rose by an average 9.2% across Europe – more than 50% above living cost increases in the countries concerned.Almost half of the 26 countries that operate the legal minimum rates revised […]
SME skill shortages bite
Almost half of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have accused UK employees of having poor standards of education and training; these are the findings from a survey on staff recruitment, conducted by NOP World for the Tenon Forum.The survey, published in December, shows that 43% of SMEs blamed recruiting difficulties on inadequate levels of […]
Unions empowered to ban extremists
From the beginning of the new year, trade unions are now permitted to exclude “political extremists” from membership. The new rules, part of the Employment Relations Act 2004, “widen the ability of trade unions to exclude and expel individuals for political activities which are contrary to their rules or objectives.”Previously, unions attempting to exclude extremists […]
Top health tips from the Chief Medical Officer
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer for England, has presented his top ten tips for better health in the New Year. Sir Liam said:“At the start of the New Year, people often make resolutions about how to improve their lives. Following any or all of the tips above will help you to improve your health.”The […]
How Did I Get Here? Susan Stevens, Toshiba Information Systems
All the previous career profiles can also be seen in the special How Did I Get Here? page.1. Current job titleHead of HR2. Describe your initial training within the professionFollowing completion of my degree in Psychology, I was fortunate enough to obtain a temporary role at British Gas Headquarters analysing manpower data. I very quickly […]
Leaked report reveals plans to axe Fire Service jobs
The Government is planning to close 46 fire service control centres in England, slashing staffing levels from 1500 to just 600 according to a leaked report; the Fire Brigades Union has damned the proposals saying the project will end in ‘total failure’.The leaked report to the union, marked restricted and confidential is alleged to unveil […]
