Workers dread holiday return
Suffering from post-holiday blues is a real concern for employers with latest findings showing that nearly 60% of employees dread returning to work after a break.The research conducted by Investors in People looks at employee attitudes to work as the summer draws to a close.Motivation was the key concern for most respondents with the majority […]
Top marks for GCSE pupils
While the pass mark for GCSEs remained the same as last year at 97.6%, top grades showed the biggest increase since 1999.A* to C passes were up from 58.1% last year to 59.2% this year. While A* to A grades increased at a similar level up from 16.7% last year to 17.4% this year.In the […]
Fire strike averted
A planned strike by 52,000 Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members, due to be carried out next month was averted yesterday after agreement was reached by both parties.The strike had been called in protest of working over public holidays.The Trades Union Congress saved the day by constructing a new form of wording to cover the issue […]
Editor’s Comment: Are more bank holidays the answer?
By Annie Ward, HRZone EditorThe TUC have revived calls this week for the government to introduce an additional bank holiday; HR Zone examines the issues and asks whether more annual leave is the answer to combating stress, improving productivity and work/life balance. Bank holidays were first introduced for religious observance. The Bank Holidays Act of […]
SMEs in the dark about new dispute regulations
As of October, all businesses regardless of size will be obliged to apply new documentation to manage disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures. The new steps-system will mean that employers will be exposed to costly Employment Tribunal claims if they fail to follow the correct procedures when dismissing staff.Bristol-based human resources specialists, Crescent HR say that […]
Retail pay increase below average
Workers in the retail sector are set to receive an average salary increase of 2.8% next year, a rise that is below the current rate of headline inflation.The survey by Mercer HR shows that the rise is in line with actual increases this year, but slightly lower than in 2002 when staff received a 3.1% […]
Flexi-working is top perk
Flexible working hours was the most popular benefit chosen by 61% of those questioned in a recent survey; reports our sister site Training ZoneOut of 12 potential benefits, people were asked to choose and rank according to importance – five that would be most influential in a decision to join a new company. Holiday allowance […]
BA cuts cause havoc
The troubled airline, British Airways (BA) has hit the headlines again this week as staff shortages caused further flight disruption. Following a narrow escape from strike action over pay the airline seemed to be back on its feet, having reached a settlement with the unions.Customers were left angry when an estimated 3,000 passengers faced disruption […]
Case Study: NHS Lothian improving IT literacy
IT literacy for NHS employees has become a fundamental requirement to ensure the smooth running of busy hospitals and to increase levels of patient care. This requires the latest technology and accessibility to flexible IT training to ensure staff have the knowledge to operate IT applications. NHS Lothian – University Hospitals Division (NHSL-UHD) partnered with […]
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 […]
