The Couch?! grooves to the ‘iPod shuffle’
For HR professionals who love their music, the release of the latest version of Apple’s iPod must have come as a great joy. Now you can have your entire record collection with you wherever you go.One of the great delights of the iPod is the ability to select “shuffle” and it will play tracks from […]
Jail for director who spent the company’s money
A company director who used the company’s money to renovate his family home has been sent to prison for 12 months.Stephen Lee Bowers, aged 55, was also ordered to pay £252,977 under a confiscation order.The Inland Revenue said Manchester Crown Court heard that Bowers, director of Offerton Sand & Gravel Ltd of Stockport, near Manchester, […]
Scrooge bosses forced to pay out
More than £2.4million has been recovered over the past six months from firms refusing to pay the minimum wage, the Government has announced. Recent cases included four doormen in East Kilbride who shared £26,000 in back pay and a holiday firm in the West Country which paid £177,000 in wage arrears to 41 workers. Employers […]
HR Zone Briefing #222 – Absence debate kicks off
================================================================ HR Briefing Issue 222 23 December 2004 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Feature: Boosting the bottom-line with childcare policies 2. Feature: Talent Management – just another HR fad? 3. Payroll Tip: Entertainment and gifts 4. Entrepreneurs to kick-start 2005 by going-it-alone 5. Any Answers – absence, maternity […]
Feature: Employment law 2005
Alison Wallace, head of employment practice at Steptoe & Johnson solicitors examines the raft of employment legislation planned for implementation in 2005 and takes a reflective look back at 2004. Christmas Quiz Can a verbal warning be given without a disciplinary hearing? Can you still dismiss an employee instantly? Can an employee be discriminated against […]
Top Oracle executive awarded £100k over sexist ‘boys club’
Karen Carlucci, former employee of Oracle Corporation has been awarded £100,000 by an Employment Tribunal after she sued for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal.The Times reports that Carlucci, 38, resigned from her post following her return from maternity leave when she was given a job well below her abilities.According to the paper, Carlucci earned an […]
ET turns back on £7.5m sex bias claim
Stephanie Villalba, a former Merrill Lynch banker has lost the biggest sexual discrimination claim in Britain, of £7.5 million against her former employers; the bank’s HR department has, however, been given a hand-slapping by the courts.The £300,000 a year banker who could earn upto a million annually claimed that she was the victim of persistent […]
Employers urged to sign up for disability standard
With nearly 50 organisations already on board, the Employers’ Forum on Disability is urging UK business and public sector organisations to sign up to the Disability Standard benchmarking process before the March 2005 deadline passes. The Disability Standard shows organisations where they need to take action, signposts legal requirements and provides best practice solutions through […]
Regions celebrate employment hike
Bath has witnessed the biggest percentage drop in unemployment of all parliamentary constituencies in the UK; Bournemouth follows closely behind.New figures show that between November 2004 and May 1997 the unemployment tally fell by 75.4% in Bath while in Bournemouth the figure is 73.9%.Following these top spots are: Mid Ulster – 73.8% Salisbury – 72.6% […]
Feature: Talent Management – just another HR fad?
By Michael Moran, Chief Executive of Fairplace Consulting plcTalent management is the latest buzz word in the HR field but is it just another empty HR fad? Michael Moran cuts the jargon and examines the issues. Deciphering HR language and concepts can be a minefield. We’ve all been bombarded with terms including business partners, business […]
Dyslexic staff ‘suffer in silence’
A new report by the TUC highlights the problems faced by the 2.9 million UK workers with dyslexia. The ‘Dyslexia in the Workplace’ report warns that managers who do not appreciate the link between dyslexia and common performance problems can often judge dyslexic employees unfairly. It also reveals that many people with dyslexia are unaware […]
Entrepreneurs to kick-start 2005 by going-it-alone
HR could face a staff retention crisis in the new year; latest findings reveal that one in five people are planning to start their own business in 2005.The survey of 500 employees by Begbies Traynor, an independent insolvency and corporate strategy specialist has unveiled worrying findings for employers which show that unhappiness at work has […]
Christmas tube strikes holds London to ransom
Strikes planned to cause maximum disruption over the Christmas period will cause chaos for Londoners.The first 24-hour strike planned for Christmas Eve will cause disruption to the 600,000 people who use the Piccadilly line daily. Around 300 drivers will be involved in the industrial action.Train drivers’ union ASLEF have warned that the dispute affecting the […]
Tories vow to slash red tape
The Conservatives have unveiled plans to lift the red tape burden if they win office at the next election; amongst the radical proposals are plans to abolish the new statutory dismissal procedures that were introduced in October.The new steps-system means that employers can wind up in the dock if they fail to follow the correct […]
Payroll Tip: Entertainment and gifts from third parties
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: A company wishes to thank a number of key employees of one of its suppliers for their contribution to the completion of a successful project. The intention is to provide them with hospitality […]
Feature: Boosting the bottom line with childcare policies
By Mark Reardon, CEO at Corporate Childcare Solutions GroupImproving the deal for parents was the central focus of the recent Pre-Budget Report, in this feature Mark Reardon looks at how working parents can get rich pickings from existing benefits including childcare vouchers. Childcare policiesThe Chief Executive wants to cut costs, employees hanker after increased spending […]
Member wire #79 – Ditch the bah humbug!
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 79 21 December 2004 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ HRZONE COMPETITION ***** WIN CHAMPAGNE ***** HRZONE COMPETITION 1. Feature: HR predictions – 2005 2. Feature: Tax rewards at Christmas 3. Editor’s Comment: Ditch the bah humbug! 4. CIPD predict a ‘difficult’ 2005 for employers 5. Any Answers: unpaid leave, CIPD qualifications, recruitment […]
Rise in Christmas absenteeism expected
Employers should be on the lookout for increased absenteeism, warns a psychological health specialist, as a result of the four-day holiday. Validium, which operates telephone helplines on behalf of UK businesses, says companies can “expect a rise in stress related absence primarily because families are having to spend more time together and equally, people with […]
Police prove leadership skills
Members of West Midlands Police have become the first in any UK force to achieve Chartered Manager status, in recognition of their management and leadership skills.Chief Superintendent Malcolm Coall, Chief Inspector Mick Gillick, Inspector Scott McKenna, and fingerprint enhancement unit manager Sarah Merrick achieved the award from the Chartered Management Institute for success in delivering […]
Bullying triggers Royal Marines court martial
Six Royal Marines face court marital over allegations of bullying.Complaints of ill treatment towards recruits were received at the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in July and August 2003.The court martials follow a 16-month inquiry by military police.A spokesperson told the BBC: “The case is scheduled for a pre-trial review on 17 January and the […]
