HR Tip – Sex discrimination
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 have just taken on four lads as engineering apprentices but have been told that we are breaking the law because we haven't employed any girls. Is this true? A: You will be […]
Going back to work appeals to future retirees
New research from Whitbread, the leisure company reveals that half the current adult population, 23.5 million Britons would consider going back to work following retirement.Money did not top the reasons for wanting to work into old age. One in five would use it as an excuse to ‘get away’ from their partner while 73% said […]
Skipping work is on the increase
Skiving work is reaching epidemic proportions according to a new survey by employment law firm, Peninsula.The survey of 2127 employees and 975 employers from a range of industries across the UK shows that employees are finding it easier to make up excuses to skip work.In 1998 only 63% of employers said they had found an […]
Recruitment drive for women bus drivers
Metroline is holding an open day on August 25 in a drive to encourage women to sign-up for training.Despite growing numbers of women working in the transport sector, only 6% of London’s bus drivers are female.The recruitment drive is supported by Transport for London and the unions, T&GWU. The open day to be held in […]
Feature: HR’s role in outsourcing
By Tim Bradley, managing director, Pecaso UK Earlier this month, government officials at Swansea city council came to blows with Unison, the public sector union when it ordered 100 IT staff from the council to strike over a proposed outsourcing deal. Members of Unison voted 97% in favour of strike action, claiming that the council […]
Tribunals could spiral
New survey figures reveal that businesses are unaware of the new statutory dispute resolutions due to be implemented this October and in a warning to business, survey authors Peninsula say that ignoring the rules may leave employers exposed to Employment Tribunal claims.The findings show that 97% of businesses are unaware of the implications of the […]
CBI warns school leavers fail to make business grade
One-in-three companies are forced to give remedial training to young recruits to compensate for failures in the education system, according to the CBI. Ahead of Thursday’s GCSE results, excerpts from a new CBI survey of over 500 firms reveals that 37% of firms are not satisfied with the basic literacy and numeracy of school leavers. […]
Staff receive cost of living increase
The latest figures from pay analysts Industrial Relations Services (IRS) show that pay awards are back at 3% for both public and private sector workers, however, exactly half of all pay deals are worth less then they were a year ago.While most workers are receiving a cost of living increase with a 3% pay award […]
Workers give thumbs up to training
More employees then in recent years are satisfied with training provision; a study by research consultancy ORC International shows that nearly two thirds of respondents, 62% gave the thumbs up to the training they had received, compared to just over half, 53% in 1999.Workers in the retail and hi-tech sectors were poles apart in their […]
National slavery remembered
On this day in 1791, African slaves on St Domingo island, modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic revolted against their captors; this uprising marks the abolition of slavery.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling upon the Government to recognise the date as the National Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its […]
BA strike suspended
Threatened strike action against British Airways (BA) was averted over the weekend.The bank holiday strikes would have created chaos at major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.The unions, TGWU and GMB representing BA baggage handlers, check-in agents and ground staff have agreed to a back-dated 8.5% pay increase over three years and […]
Workers fear productivity hangover
Employees are showing a measured response to the news of impending 24-hour pub licensing laws; the survey by recruitment website Reed.co.uk shows that over half of the 8,440 respondents feel that extended opening hours will cut UK productivity.Alcohol abuse costs UK businesses 29 million lost working days a year equating to a total bill of […]
The numbers game
By Jamie Barber, consultant IntroNet When discussing the wider issues facing the HR industry with clients it’s likely that the topic of metrics will have cropped up at least in passing. As professional recruiters, you’ll already be familiar with the suite of performance indicators that measure recruiting effectiveness, but you may be less up-to-date with […]
Employers shy away from pensions
A new survey by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) shows that less than one in ten job adverts make any mention of pensions.The study was conducted over a two-week period last month. Job adverts were studied in print publications ranging from national broadsheets to local papers. Out of a total 1,519 adverts, only 101 mentioned […]
Eurostar to strike over pay and grading
Further bank holiday misery looms as Eurostar’s Waterloo and Ashford terminals announce a planned 24 hour strike on 28 August in a dispute over pay and grading.The news follows unrest by British Airways staff who are also set to strike over the bank holiday weekend. “Unequal and unfair pay have no place in any modern […]
Editor’s Comment: Working the reward schemes
By Annie Ward, HRZone EditorIn the last few weeks we have witnessed two major organisations, the Royal Mail and British Airways introduce attendance bonus schemes and, in recent years it has been recognised that people are the key source of competitive advantage, so it might not be surprising to see initiatives such as these in […]
Citizens Advice Bureaux calls upon HR skills
The Citizens Advice Bureaux, the independent problem-solving charity is launching a recruitment campaign to encourage volunteers with HR skills to help out.The Bureaux dealt with more than 560,000 employment problems in the year 2002-2003 with many relating to discrimination at work, dismissal and redundancy as well as terms and conditions.Over 20,000 volunteers signed up to […]
BBC paid criminal £40,000
Despite serving a 14-month prison sentence for violence, the BBC and Channel 4 paid James Raven £40,000 a year to conduct surveillance work.The corporation was criticized yesterday for its actions. James Raven, 44, was convicted on Thursday at Chester Crown Court. He was the ringleader of a masked gang who killed a drugs smuggler in […]
Case Study: Employee development hits the right chord
Linda Doe, founder of Psychology at Work looks at how her organisation managed to implement a successful change programme at the Scottish Executive while improving employee development. Have you ever been involved in a major change programme or the restructuring of an entire directorate? You will no doubt recognise or imagine some of the challenges […]
UK parliament accused of being ‘asleep on the job’
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is due to lash out at MPs today for failing to scrutinize European legislation, accusing the UK parliament of being ‘asleep on the job’.The CBI is calling for parliamentary reforms to increase national influence over the EU. In a call for further control, Director-General of the employers’ body, Digby-Jones […]
