HR Zone Members Newswire #66 – Dreamers yearn for £37k
Most workers yearn for a modest salary of £37,000 per year, according to new findings from Alliance & Leicester. This week’s HR Zone newswire covers employment law updates, discrimination concerns, and workplace policy issues affecting HR professionals.
IIP goes into reality TV
Investors in People sponsors a new ITV1 reality show called In Good Company, which follows business leaders and IIP advisers helping four struggling small businesses improve their operations over six weeks. The series aims to demonstrate how effective people management drives business success.
Bosses wary of young recruits
A survey of 486 UK employers found that 81% are hesitant about hiring inexperienced young workers aged 16-18, citing inexperience and irresponsibility as main concerns. However, employment experts warn that age discrimination in hiring will become illegal, urging employers to focus on skills and potential rather than age.
Employment Relations Bill gets Royal Assent
The Employment Relations Act 2004 has received Royal Assent, updating trade union and employment law with extended protections for workers taking part in lawful industrial action. The legislation establishes a Union Modernisation Fund providing £5-10 million to trade unions and introduces changes to be phased in from October 2004.
Dreamers yearn for £37k
A new survey reveals that UK workers consider £37,000 their ideal annual salary, representing an extra £1,000 monthly above the current average wage. Half of respondents think about money daily, with most workers holding realistic expectations rather than lavish financial dreams.
Office fraudsters may be holiday shy
Employees who avoid taking holidays may be committing workplace fraud, according to fraud solicitors. Workers shirking leave often fear their illicit activities will be discovered during their absence, making mandatory consecutive holidays an effective fraud prevention measure for businesses.
Childbearers face discrimination
Women of childbearing age face widespread workplace discrimination, with over 80% of HR professionals acknowledging employers hesitate to hire them. Asking about family plans during interviews is unlawful sex discrimination and unrelated to job performance.
Feature: Understanding emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence, the ability to identify and manage emotions in yourself and others, is increasingly recognized as critical for effective leadership. Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can be learned and developed, making it a key focus for leadership development in modern organizations.
BA Chief makes sacking u-turn
BA Chief Executive Rod Eddington has reversed his initial stance and decided against sacking senior executives over August’s flight cancellation chaos, which disrupted 10,000 passengers. The airline attributes the disruption to staff shortages rather than individual failings and plans to cut 966 flights over three months instead.
New minimum disciplinary and grievance procedures
New minimum disciplinary and grievance procedures take effect October 1, 2004, requiring employers to follow a three-step process: put it in writing, meet and discuss, and allow appeal. Employers must inform staff of the new requirements and ensure existing procedures comply to avoid automatic unfair dismissal findings and financial penalties.
Launch of £10m Training Fund
A new £10m training fund launched by London’s Mayor and the European Social Fund offers skills development to disadvantaged groups including minorities, people with disabilities, and refugees. Training covers basic skills, STEM, construction, tourism, and other sectors.
The Way I See It… Train to Retain
Companies face a growing skills shortage in sales recruitment, making it essential for businesses to invest in training and developing their own salespeople. By identifying candidates with strong potential and committing to comprehensive training programs, companies can build effective teams while improving employee retention.
HR Tip: Revealing employee information
Employers cannot share employee whereabouts with debt collectors without written permission or legal authority. Only statutory agencies like court bailiffs have the power to demand such information, while debt collection agencies do not.
Feature: The unwritten rules of business extravagance
Courts generally accept corporate extravagance when tied to legitimate business objectives, like winning major deals or demonstrating company success. However, personal expenses—such as lavish birthday parties or residential properties with no clear business purpose—are unlikely to pass scrutiny for legitimacy.
HR Zone Briefing #206 – Softworld HR & Payroll 2004
HR Zone’s Issue 206 covers the upcoming Softworld HR & Payroll 2004 event at Birmingham’s NEC (October 20-21), featuring product showcases from Intellect and Topaz, confirmed speakers, and practical HR guidance on employee information policies.
Feature: RNID guidelines for DDA compliance
RNID provides practical guidelines to help UK businesses comply with Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) regulations and serve deaf and hard of hearing customers. Recommendations include staff training, deaf-aware policies, accessible information, assistive equipment, and improved listening environments.
New President for Management Institute
Sir Paul Judge, who led the Premier Brands buyout, is the new president of the Chartered Management Institute, succeeding Gordon Page as the organisation’s 29th president since 1947.
Unemployment at 20 Year Low
Unemployment fell to its lowest level in 20 years, dropping to 1.41 million between May and July, while jobless benefit claims hit a 30-year low. However, wage growth slowed despite improved employment figures.
Women HR Managers Slip Down Earnings Table
Female HR managers’ average salary of £41,045 represents a significant earnings decline, dropping from second to sixth place in the female managers’ pay rankings. Despite women managers overall earning 5% pay rises compared to 4.7% for men, those in HR roles received less than 1% increases, highlighting sector-specific wage stagnation.
Case Study: Developing Facilitative Leaders
Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association trained 56 managers in facilitative leadership, moving beyond command-and-control management to emphasize coaching and team development. A staff survey showed the initiative significantly improved employee engagement, with results exceeding housing sector benchmarks across satisfaction, management quality, and understanding of organizational goals.
