Captains of Industry displayed school leadership
A new report claims that pupils that display leadership qualities at school go on to be business leaders in later life.The Leading Edge, a report based on research among British Captains of Industry by MORI for HR consultancy DDI reports that of 100 business leaders interviewed: 70% had been a school prefect 50% had captained […]
Job hoppers plan New Year get away
Conditions are rife for job hoppers with latest official statistics showing a tight labour market fuelling competitive recruitment but according to management consultancy Woodhurst employers can hang onto staff by showing flexibility.According to the latest Manpower recruitment survey, of the nine industry sectors surveyed eight are planning to take on staff in this quarter while […]
Tsunami disaster: Gift Aid reminder
The Inland Revenue has published a reminder, for taxpayers donating to help victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster, that using the Gift Aid scheme will increase the value of their gift to the relief agency.An announcement on the Revenue’s What’s New page said:“Using Gift Aid means that every pound donated is worth £1.28 to […]
Women struggle to make it to the top
Sex and power: who runs Britain? 2005 published by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) argues that a need for a total overhaul of family policies is essential if Britain is to stop losing out on women’s talent. The EOC say that improvements to date don’t go far enough. The body has called on the government […]
IOD Chief calls for renewed pension effort
Miles Templeman, Director General of the Institute of Directors has told members in a New Year address that solving the pensions crisis has to be a top priority for 2005.In October, Chairman of the Pensions Commission, Adair Turner unveiled a report that revealed a pensions gap of £57 billion a year.Templeman, said: “Pensions are now […]
FPB call for Government to improve the climate for SMEs
The Forum of Private Business has called on the Government to make improving the climate for small businesses its number one New Year’s resolution for 2005. The FPB said a number of key issues needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency if the burden on small businesses is to be relieved. Its chief […]
TUC join forces with IDS to launch salary checker
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Incomes Data Services (IDS) have launched a new tool to check salaries.The organisations say that many workers are in the dark about pay expectations. The online service www.paywizard.org aims to provide wage transparency.PayWizard claims that candidates can find out what they can earn in other careers, benchmark salaries and […]
Feature: Did you know? HRDPS present their top ten 2004 HR tips
Each year HRDPS deals with thousands of questions which are put to us by delegates on our public and in-company courses and come to us through our consultancy channels. This year we thought we would publish some of them for members of HRZone, so here are the ten most common issues raised by our clients. […]
The Way I See It… The Future for Coaching
Coaching is predicted to become worth $2billion globally in the coming year. Matt Tobutt of HumanTechnics looks at whether the growth in executive coaching is sustainable, and if the bubble is about to burst. A couple of weeks ago I read an article in the Economist entitled ‘Corporate Therapy – Having an executive coach is […]
Action needed to rescue pensions’ shortfall
Human resources services firm, Hewitt Associates urge companies to adopt a broad-ranging action plan to address pension funding shortfalls.Hewitt, say that FTSE100 pension schemes have suffered from a financially stagnant year with estimated combined deficits, measured on the company accounting standard FRS17, thought to be around the £50-60 billion mark for most of 2004. The […]
CIPD forecast tough 2005 for HR
Professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) are predicting a tight labour market and upward wage pressures in 2005.Review highlights of 2004: Employers have experienced significant problems recruiting suitably qualified and/or experienced candidates to fill vacancies in 2004 – 85% of employers reported such difficulties. The proportion of employers experiencing problems retaining […]
Pay predictors point to 2005 wage boost
Pay analysts, IRS are predicting an end to wage stagnation which has seen settlements stagnate at 3% for 20 successive rolling quarters.IRS Pay and Benefits editor, Sheila Attwood said: “With the majority of employers still using the RPI measure of inflation to benchmark pay awards, some rise in wage settlements in the first half of […]
CBI lobbies to boost basic skills
The head of the CBI is calling for a new-year assault on the failings of the education system, which, he says, are leaving thousands of people unemployable.In his 2005 New Year message, Digby Jones said that too many youngsters faced exclusion from work because they could not read, write or add up properly.The CBI leader […]
Feature: Effective IT Training
Ayaz Rathore, Director of Communications at R-Com Consulting Limited looks at how IT training methods are changing and questions which is the most effective way to learn. In the past technical education has focused on one-size fits all. Major software companies have chosen to develop instructor-led courses in a single country that are then translated […]
Review: Breaking the Mould
Title: Breaking the MouldAuthor: Peter A HunterPublisher: Librario Publishing LtdISBN: 1904440436Price: £15.99 Reviewer: Dr. Colin Thompson`Breaking the Mould` is a revolutionary Performance improvement process that creates a lasting cultural change from the bottom up.The book explains the `Traditional Consulting` solutions are all driven from the top down. A solution is bought in and is then […]
Additional New Year holiday gets HR vote
Polled businesses and HR professionals have given their support to calls for an additional bank holiday in January to kick-start employee motivation in the New Year.Over two thirds say that an extra bank holiday in January would enhance the productivity and morale of their employees.British workers are currently entitled to four weeks paid holiday per […]
TUC put pensions in 2005 spotlight
Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has delivered his New Year’s message to union members calling for the pensions’ crisis to be addressed through compulsory saving with employers and employees and a guaranteed state retirement provision.In his message, Barber called for pensions’ action, reminding members that it is an issue of […]
Firms fail to formalise IT professional development
More than 80% of UK employers consider it important to develop their IT staff’s professional skills, but only 9% run a professional development scheme, according to a new survey.The survey of 183 UK organisations by the British Computer Society and InfoBasis Limited, also found that 40% of employers considered having an externally-accredited professional development scheme […]
Editor’s Comment: 2004 the HR Year in Review
By Annie Hayes, HRZone EditorThe year has been dominated by a number of key issues, notably the first national civil-service strike for more than a decade, record employment, the unveiling of our pensions crisis and the declaration by the CIPD President to HRZone that the HR function needs to discard its ‘woolly and cuddly image’; […]
Christmas cheer for extracts from CSA forms
Regular AccountingWEB (sister site) Any Answers contributor and TaxZone member Phil Rees has sent us the following risqué extracts from entries on Child Support Agency forms.The following are all replies that women have put on Child Support Agency forms in the section for listing father’s details. These are genuine excerpts from the forms (names removed).1. […]
