Doctors angered over pension slash plans
Temperatures are rising in the NHS as plans reveal intentions to slash final salary schemes for more than a million staff; replacing them with the less popular average career salary pensions.Government ministers argue that the new pension calculations will favour lower-paid staff and those who work part-time or take career breaks, whose salary might not […]
Feature: Homeworking – is it for you?
By Sandra Beale of SJ Beale HR ConsultOver the last few years there has been a huge growth in the numbers of homeworkers; the ability to work remotely has been achieved by widespread access to the internet and email together with faster internet connectivity (broadband), mobile phones and wireless technology all enabling workers to ditch […]
Home Office face race discrimination claims
The Home Office are answering to two counts of alleged race discrimination at Croydon Employment Tribunal.Mr Ahmed and Mr Khan, work for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate based in London Bridge. The workers, who are supported by their union, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) claim that the discrimination took a number of forms.The […]
CIPD back rehabilitation approach to cut absence
Professional body, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have launched a new guide supporting the case management approach to rehabilitation which aids workers on the road to recovery from mental health complaints and stress.The guide Recovery, rehabilitation and retention offers guidance to help bosses support workers suffering from such conditions in an attempt […]
PAYE e-filing deadline shakes up payroll industry
The shift in May to compulsory online filing of employer’s year-end PAYE reports for companies with 250+ employees (May 2006 for those with 50-250 employees) is shaking up the payroll industry.While the transition to internet filing is stimulating a lot of software sales and encouraging companies to consider outsourcing options, payroll managers, software developers and […]
Focus On: HR Specialists – Satya Kartara, Director of Diversity at Royal Mail
By Annie Hayes, HRZone EditorWhen Royal Mail started to lose a million pounds a day and bullying issues escalated beyond control, Chairman Allan Leighton recognised that a change programme was the only way to turn failing fortunes around; Satya Kartara as Director of Diversity for the organisation put diversity management at the heart of the […]
TUC call for pay and pensions transparency
Businesses should disclose employee pay and pensions to investors, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said.TUC, General Secretary Brendan Barber said that past research had revealed two-tier pensions within companies with many directors on better terms than their staff.“This should be made clear to investors and we hope shareholder pressure can have the same impact […]
Lunch hour extinction ‘supersizes’ workers
Failure to allocate time to ‘lunch’ is having a toll on workers waistlines as more and more reach for sugary snacks to plug the hunger gap.Recruitment firm Pertemps quizzed 500 workers and found that nearly one in five took no lunch break whatsoever while 13% admitted to eating a ‘quick’ sandwich at their desk.Despite most […]
Plugging the skills gap challenges mid-size firms
Skills shortages are set to be one of the biggest barriers to growth for medium-sized companies in 2005, new research has revealed. A survey by KPMG and the London Chamber of Commerce of 1,000 middle market businesses in London found that 67% of companies felt that the high costs associated with employing staff and skills […]
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, […]
