TUC join forces with IDS to launch salary checker
The Trades Union Congress and Incomes Data Services have launched PayWizard, an online salary checker tool designed to increase pay transparency and help workers understand wage expectations across different careers and regions. The platform aims to uncover unfair pay differences and enable employees to make informed career decisions.
Feature: Did you know? HRDPS present their top ten 2004 HR tips
HRDPS presents their top ten most common HR issues from 2004, covering employee references, interview documentation, and business transfers. Learn how to handle reference requests legally, maintain proper interview notes, and navigate TUPE regulations for business transitions.
The Way I See It… The Future for Coaching
The global coaching market is predicted to reach $2 billion, but the industry faces sustainability challenges due to quality concerns and lack of consensus on what coaching should deliver. Rapid growth has outpaced the supply of trained coaches, creating mismatches between client expectations and service quality.
Action needed to rescue pensions’ shortfall
FTSE100 pension schemes face combined deficits of £50-60 billion, prompting Hewitt Associates to recommend a multi-faceted approach combining increased contributions, delayed benefits, and reduced benefit levels to address funding shortfalls.
CIPD forecast tough 2005 for HR
The CIPD predicts a tight labour market and upward wage pressures for 2005, with recruitment and retention challenges continuing to dominate employer concerns following widespread recruitment difficulties and staff retention problems in 2004.
Pay predictors point to 2005 wage boost
Pay analysts predict wage settlements will rise in early 2005 after stagnating at 3% for five years, as employers increasingly use inflation measures to benchmark pay awards. Current settlements lag inflation by 0.4 percentage points, delivering no real wage increases.
CBI lobbies to boost basic skills
The CBI is calling for urgent action to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills in schools, warning that thousands of young people are becoming unemployable due to education system failures. CBI leader Digby Jones wants 70% of students to achieve grades A* to C in English and Maths by 2007, compared to the current 46% average pass rate.
Feature: Effective IT Training
IT training methods are evolving from traditional instructor-led classroom approaches to modular, support-based learning combining demonstrations, tutorials, and mentoring. As budgets tighten, organizations increasingly adopt e-learning solutions, with research showing 74% of companies using e-learning report significantly reduced training costs and improved productivity.
Review: Breaking the Mould
Breaking the Mould is a performance improvement process that creates sustainable organizational change by empowering employees to develop solutions from the bottom up rather than imposing top-down consulting approaches. Author Peter Hunter argues that when workers take ownership of solutions they create, performance improvement and cultural change become measurable and lasting. The book presents a repeatable framework applicable to private businesses, public sector organizations, and the NHS.
Additional New Year holiday gets HR vote
HR professionals and businesses have voted in favor of an additional January bank holiday to boost employee motivation and productivity. Over two-thirds believe the extra day off would improve morale, though small businesses expressed greater concerns about operational impact than larger organizations.
TUC put pensions in 2005 spotlight
The TUC’s General Secretary called for addressing the pensions crisis in 2005 through compulsory employer and employee savings and a guaranteed state pension. He highlighted how occupational pensions have become inaccessible to many workers, particularly those at smaller companies and in the public sector facing pension cuts.
Firms fail to formalise IT professional development
Most UK employers recognize IT professional development as important, yet only 9% have formal schemes in place. While 40% value accredited programs, spending remains inconsistent, with over half investing nothing.
Editor’s Comment: 2004 the HR Year in Review
2004 was a pivotal year for HR, marked by the first civil-service strike in over a decade, record employment, and the unveiling of a £57 billion pensions crisis. Key regulatory changes included the three-step dismissal procedure, smoking bans in workplaces, and enhanced maternity leave provisions.
Christmas cheer for extracts from CSA forms
Humorous extracts from genuine Child Support Agency forms reveal the creative and candid ways some women described unknown fathers, ranging from implausible scenarios to absurdist comparisons. These risqué submissions highlight the sometimes bizarre nature of real bureaucratic documentation.
The Couch?! grooves to the ‘iPod shuffle’
The iPod shuffle feature randomly plays tracks from your entire music library, delighting users who enjoy discovering forgotten songs from their collections. One music enthusiast’s random playlist reveals an eclectic mix spanning metal, rock, and alternative genres.
Jail for director who spent the company’s money
A company director has been jailed for 12 months after using £161,000 of company funds to renovate his farmhouse, falsifying supplier invoices to hide the expense. Stephen Lee Bowers was also ordered to pay £252,977 in confiscation, significantly exceeding the £70,000 tax loss.
Scrooge bosses forced to pay out
Government enforcement has recovered over £2.4 million in back pay from employers breaching minimum wage laws in the past six months. Recent cases included doormen and holiday workers receiving thousands in wage arrears, with nearly £18 million recovered since the minimum wage was introduced in 1999.
HR Zone Briefing #222 – Absence debate kicks off
HR Zone Briefing #222 explores rising festive absence concerns, with experts debating management approaches. The issue covers childcare policies, talent management trends, and payroll guidance for HR professionals.
Feature: Employment law 2005
Alison Wallace examines key employment legislation set to take effect in 2005, including rising compensation limits, the Freedom of Information Act, pension reforms, and age discrimination rules. The article highlights major changes HR professionals should prepare for, such as increased redundancy awards and new pension transfer requirements.
Top Oracle executive awarded £100k over sexist ‘boys club’
An Oracle employee was awarded £100,000 by an Employment Tribunal after resigning from her role following maternity leave, citing sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal. The case highlighted a workplace culture involving sexist communications from her former boss and a demotion to a position below her abilities and qualifications.
