Recruitment expected to rise in New Year
Employers in the UK are expressing their strongest New Year hiring intentions since records began, according to the latest Manpower recruitment survey.Across the UK, eight of the nine industry sectors surveyed by Manpower are planning to take on staff next quarter, with agriculture being the only one to expect cutbacks.Finance and business services, transport and […]
Staff would swap jobs to secure training
Three-quarters of employees say they would consider moving jobs if they did not feel they were receiving the right development opportunities, according to a new poll.A survey by Media Logic found that despite the fact the majority of employees have only undertaken one or two business courses a year, 50% of staff still perceive training […]
Relief as crime against business falls
A recent survey says that the “recent dramatic increase” in crime against businesses may have hit a plateau. The AXA Business Crime Index findings suggest that the frequency of crimes against businesses in the third quarter of this year fell by 15.8% compared to the second quarter of 2004 resulting in a 7.4% fall in […]
Labour market tightens
Official statistics show that jobless numbers are sliding as the labour market continues to stabilize.More people are in employment and fewer numbers have suffered redundancy while the unemployment rate is once again lower.The employment rate for people of working age was 74.7% for the three months ending in October 2004. This is up slightly from […]
Search on for Britain’s meanest boss
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has launched a campaign to find today’s equivalent of Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge, the boss who made his clerk Bob Cratchit work late nights up until Christmas Eve.The TUC’s top ten Scrooge-like traits include: 1. Making staff work on Christmas bank holidays or lose pay: Contrary to popular opinion, there’s no […]
Feature: Tax rewards at Christmas
There is no excuse for Scrooge-like bosses this Christmas as there are plenty of ways to award staff a bonus and many won’t cost the business a penny, says tax expert Roy Maugham at accountants UHY Hacker Young. Mobile phonesEmployers can provide a phone for an employee and pay the bills. The cost of the […]
Review: Tolley’s National Insurance Contributions 2004-05
Title: Tolley’s National Insurance Contributions 2004-05Editor: Jon GoldingConsulting Editor: Peter ArrowsmithPublisher: LexisNexis UKISBN: 0754525465Price: £77.95Reviewer:Rebecca CaveTaxwriter Ltdwww.taxwriter.co.uk National insurance is one of those neglected taxes that practitioners either view as incredibly boring, or ignore in the belief that as a marginal tax the sums due don’t add up to much. Neither assumption is true, as […]
Feature: Reward – the holistic approach
By Arthur Kendall, managing director of FinanCityWith debt hitting the trillion pound mark and more credit cards than people in the UK, it’s not surprising that many are struggling with their finances; between the furore over the pensions’ crisis and people not saving enough for their retirement, we have become a society of financial ostriches […]
Tube staff to get 52 days holiday
Voted in by a massive majority, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT’s) London Underground staff members have said yes to a deal which gives them 52 days holiday a year.The new deal will deliver a 35-hour week.Station workers previously threatened with the axe can also rest easy. The RMT say that as many as […]
Literacy and numeracy levels need lifting
The National Audit Office has said that the levels of adult literacy and numeracy in England need to be improved.Twenty-six million people of working age have levels of literacy and numeracy below those expected of school leavers. Those with the lowest levels of skills tend to work in low-skilled employment, are unemployed or are on […]
Changes at the top for LSC
The New Year will see a raft of new directors at the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).Mark Haysom, Chief Executive of the LSC said that the appointments would help the council deliver on its annual statement of priorities, which includes strengthening the role of the LSC in economic development, improve the skills of those who […]
‘Informing and consulting’ rated top HR issue for 2005
Topping the priority list for HR professionals in 2005 is informing and consulting employees while new legislation isn’t thought to be so pressing.The findings from the Beachcroft Wansbroughs’ ‘Employment Issues Monitor’ shows that nearly two thirds (61%) of respondents consider that this is the top ‘live issue’ for which they are currently focusing on developing […]
Member wire #78 – HRZone competition: Christmas party clangers
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 78 14 December 2004 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ HRZONE COMPETITION ***** WIN CHAMPAGNE ***** HRZONE COMPETITION 1. HRZone competition: Christmas party clangers 2. Editor’s Comment: The folly of presenteeism 3. Focus On: HR Specialists – Sandra Beale 4. The Couch?! Gets stressed 5. Any Answers: regional weighting, staff retention, emp law […]
HR Tip: Managing capability and incapability
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: We promoted a man to a team leader position a few weeks ago, but it's just not working out. What can we do? Can we fire him? A: You are dealing with a […]
Work deadlines may kill
Long working hours and short deadlines can cause heart attacks and may kill.These are the latest health warnings published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health today. The report reveals that the risk of a heart attack the day following a high-pressure work deadline is increased six-fold.TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber commented:“This research highlights […]
Retirement age fix gets mixed response
Ministers will allow employers to set a retirement age at 65 while allowing employees the right to request to work beyond this age; the news has received a mixed response.Employers’ group the CBI has called the decision ‘sensible and pragmatic’ while the Employers Forum On Age (EFA) has lashed out at the government calling it […]
Case Study: HMV’s hiring is top of the pops
HMV, the UK’s specialist retailer of music, DVDs and games, is using a retail-specific psychometric assessment to help select candidates for its graduate training programme. Developed by PSL, the ‘three-in-one’ assessment comprises verbal and numerical reasoning tests and a personality questionnaire. It gives HMV an in-depth understanding of each candidate and it prompts interviewers to […]
Poor communication escalates pensions’ problems
Employers are failing to effectively communicate the value of pension schemes to employees making pensions’ problems worse.Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows that one in five over-50s interviewed had little or no understanding of how their pension schemes worked. This rose to one in three respondents in the under-25 age […]
Staff suggestions equal cash rewards
Latest research from IRS Employment Review shows that staff suggestion schemes can be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds to employers.Successful schemes can produce rewards for bosses including higher sales, more efficient ways of working and lower costs.Greater staff involvement is a key goal of staff suggestion schemes for 96% of organisations while service improvements […]
Bosses show yuletide generosity
Most directors do not support trading on Christmas Day and the majority of them let their staff leave work early on Christmas Eve. According to a December survey by the Institute of Directors, 89% of its members were opposed to businesses and shops opening on Christmas Day and 93% of them allowed staff to go […]
