Stress levels reach crisis point
Ahead of Stress Awareness Day being held tomorrow, 3 November the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have released a survey which shows that three in five workers now complain of being stressed at work.This is a rise of 2% since 2002 and worryingly the survey of 4,521 safety representatives shows that little is being done to […]
UK faces “catastrophic” IT skills gap
The UK faces an IT skills gap in the workforce that will damage its global competitiveness within 10 years if not addressed, according to a major new study.E-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for IT, telecoms and contact centres, found that 76% of companies with hard-to fill IT professional job vacancies have delayed development of […]
Focus On: HR Specialists – Chris Syder, Partner at Clarkslegal law firm
Chris Syder unlocks the key to his career secrets and talks to HRZone about the ins and outs of daily life as an employment law partner, including how he keeps abreast of latest legislation changes and the challenges clients present. Career historyChris Syder followed the traditional route into law undertaking the classic LLB honours degree […]
CIPD speakers warn of stress dangers
Professor Cary Cooper told CIPD delegates that the changing face of the UK’s working culture had raised stress levels among UK managers; a view supported by Karen Seward employment lawyer at Allen And Overy who said that the decision on the Working Time Directive opt-out clause could have a huge impact on employee work-life balance.Speaking […]
Liquid lunch back in fashion
A new survey reveals that the lunchtime drink is back; the findings from Peninsula employment law firm show that 68% of respondents admitted to enjoying an alcoholic drink during their dinner hour.Of those workers that do have a drink during their midday break they don’t just stop at one, 59% said they have more than […]
Coaches should consider their mistakes
One of the most important questions a training manager can ask when interviewing a potential coach is to talk about their failures, according to David Clutterbuck.Speaking at the CIPD Conference and Exhibition, Prof Clutterbuck, visiting professor at Sheffield Hallam University’s Mentoring and Coaching Research Unit, said that the way a coach answered this question would […]
Lords to derail ‘hypocritical’ PPF pensions
Opposition peers shall today try to derail a key point relating to the Pension Protection Fund in the Pensions Bill, during its report stage reading in the House of Lords. The peers are angered by the government’s proposal to provide risk-free pensions to the staff and board of the PPF, a quango to be funded […]
TUC decry civil service jobs cuts as a ‘false economy’
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) say the civil service jobs cull is a ‘false economy’ that could obstruct real reform.Recommendations of the government’s efficiency review launched by Sir Peter Gershon in 2003 propose the losses of over 70,000 civil service jobs in addition to the shifting of 13,500 positions into ‘front-line’ services and the relocation […]
Merseyside Police win People Management Award
Liverpool North area Merseyside Police force have been announced as the winners of The People Management Award 2004; they are the first front-line public service provider to win the accolade. Their ‘Leadership Accreditation Scheme: Prepared to Lead’ is a project designed to encourage staff to take ownership of problems and develop personal relationships.Chief Superintendent Mike […]
Editor’s Comment: Reflections on the CIPD annual conference 2004
By Annie Hayes, HRZone EditorThe key messages at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) conference this year are clear; it is time for HR to pick up the baton of innovation by championing employee engagement and change management to ensure that every business is fit for success. The opening keynote was delivered by […]
Line managers hold the key to business success
The performance management process can make the difference between a good company and a great company according to the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) book by Angela Baron and Michael Armstrong.The book, Performance Management, shows how attitudes have changed since 1991. Performance management, according to the authors, is no longer simply a […]
Businesses back call for extra holidays
UK businesses are joining the campaign for more bank holidays, saying more time off could actually increase productivity, according to a survey by Croner Consulting.Eighty-two percent of HR professionals polled felt that standardising the number of bank holidays across the European Union would increase the performance of employees. Britons have eight bank holidays a year, […]
Harrogate: from spa town to conference centre
Harrogate is a wonderful mix of old and new; jammed between towns including Knaresborough and Nidderdale – names that only a broad northern accent could give true vocal justice to.The name is derived from Har-low-Gata meaning Grey-Hill-Road. Harrogate sprang to fame originally as a spa town after the discovery of the first medicinal spring was […]
Pension schemes face mandatory e-filing
Registered pension schemes will be required to send returns online and make electronic payments to the Inland Revenue from the start of the new tax regime on 6 April 2006.Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the Treasury, said in a ministerial statement yesterday that the requirement would be made in order to “achieve the levels of […]
Development key to staff retention
Employees value their career development over perks such as flexible working, according to research from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI).The RCI found that nearly half of employers regarded pay and rewards, career opportunities and a stimulating working environment as key to retaining good staff. Only 26% said flexible working had a high impact on keeping […]
CIPD keynote: Best practice is ‘not’ good enough
HR professionals must become ‘innovators’ if they are to survive the sea of change said the CIPD’s keynote speaker and strategy guru Gary Hamel.Delegates were told that the problem centres on the pace of this change. The challenge is for businesses to build the capacity to move forward before the case for change becomes desperately […]
Feature: The future is e-learning
By Lesley Garside, operations manager, Northgate HR The HR department is emerging from its ghetto of administration and paper-pushing to become a champion of change. Spearheading this change are HR directors who are embracing Information Technology (IT) in order to deliver quick wins of reduced recruitment costs and improved staff retention. Evidence shows, however, that […]
BBC reveal secrets of post-Hutton recovery at CIPD conference
Stephen Dando, Director of BBC People told delegates at the annual CIPD conference that the challenge following the Hutton crisis was to manage grief, continue output, re-establish the BBC’s journalistic credibility and get things back to normal.Journalist Andrew Gilligan started an unforseen chain of events that quickly snowballed into a major row between government and […]
Reward professionals cash in on top salary
Specialists in reward remain the highest paid within HR, according to latest findings.The research conducted by professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Croner shows that reward managers earn 32% above the average salary.Private sector workers earn more comparatively than those in the public sector. Personnel directors in the private sector […]
Employers fail to handle bullies
A report out today published to coincide with anti-bullying at work day (27 October) organised by Amicus reveals that employers are failing to embrace the root causes of bullying despite having impressive policies in place.With the costs of bullying on the increase, the problem cannot be ignored. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) […]
