Bosses make basic employment law blunders
Employers are making basic employment law errors, according to a survey by Croner Consulting.‘Top ten management myths’ is based on frequently asked questions to the employment law helplines at the business support firm. Croner’s top 10 include:1. Myth: There is not contract of employment if there’s nothing in writing.Fact: Even a verbal contract is a […]
Retirement age debated
Employers are fighting back against CBI recommendations to raise the retirement age from 65 to 70 by 2030, but many are still discriminating against older workers says Croner.A new survey by Croner HR has found that 85 per cent of respondents disagree with the CBI’s recommendations to increase the retirement age within the next 26 […]
Cowboys give coaching a bad name
A new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) claims that cowboy operators are giving coaching services a bad name.The guide, Coaching and buying coaching services, says that some operators have little experience, lack training and don’t hold the appropriate knowledge to provide professional coaching services.The author admits that a lack of […]
BA strikes loom
Holidaymakers could face travel chaos this summer as 3,000 British Airways staff vote to strike over pay and in more bad news for the troubled airline the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) will announce, later this week the results of its ballot on the issue with a further 8,000 BA staff.The majority vote won […]
Ethical employment policies only scratch the surface
Employers are yet to be convinced of the tangible benefits of ethical employment policies although many use corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as a PR exercise; according to latest findings from IRS Employment Review.While seven out of 10 organisations said they had introduced an ethical employment policy with one in 10 putting it on the […]
Graduate workers are ‘bored’
A new survey has found that graduates are bored of their careers and are disillusioned with jobs that fail to utilize their degree education.The research conducted by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) found that far from following a career plan, 50 per cent of graduates ‘fell’ into their careers giving rise to a third who […]
Editor’s Comment: ‘Compensation culture’ – fact or fiction?
By Annie Ward, HRZone Editor The latest report from the Employment Tribunals Service would suggest that Britain’s ‘compensation culture’ is already here and firmly embedded in our culture; the number of Tribunals in Great Britain rose by 17 per cent last year with sex discrimination claims seeing the biggest rise. The Better Regulation Task Force, […]
Prison staff to strike
Prison service staff have rejected a one per cent pay offer voting to take strike action over the issue, at the end of the month.Almost 500 members of the GMB union working in industrial and agricultural roles providing gas, electricity, cooking and other services in prisons, will take discontinuous action against the Prison Service from […]
B&Q adopts ‘Muppet’ song to fire up staff
Staff at a new B&Q store in East Kilbride have been told to sing a Muppet show song when they greet customers; the song say managers will motivate employees.Following a brainstorming session, B&Q managers decided that the ‘Mahna Mahna’ song should be adopted as the morning greeting. The Muppet Show, the popular television series aired […]
The Way I See It… How to Become a Motivator
Tom Bailey, UK account manager for Mind Resources explains how giving employees more responsibility can help boost their motivation. A recent survey conducted by the Learning and Skills council (LSC) of 72,000 employers in the UK revealed that bosses would describe 2.4 million workers -11% of all employees- as incompetent at their current jobs. These […]
Attendance rewards may lead to discrimination
Last week the Royal Mail launched a new incentive scheme rewarding workers for attendance but, say law firm Martineau Johnson schemes such as these might give rise to disability discrimination claims.The scheme which was introduced in an attempt to combat rising absenteeism levels gives Royal Mail staff with exemplary attendance records the chance of winning […]
Manufacturing pay gets lift
Pay awards in the manufacturing sector have increased in the last eight months, according to latest findings by IRS Employment Review.The news comes despite reports of a production lag. Office of National Statistics show that output in the sector plummeted during June at its quickest rate since October 2002 with a fall of 0.7% over […]
UK unemployment up
Claims for unemployment benefits have dipped despite a growth in jobless numbers, says official data.Labour market statistics published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the working age employment rate has fallen over the past three months.ONS said that employment fell by 53,000 over the last quarter to reach 28.3 million taking the […]
Making a business case for HR
By Tim Bradley, managing director, Pecaso UK The idea that people are an organisation’s primary resource is hardly a new thought, so why is HR so often pushed to the bottom of the corporate agenda? Dwindling budgets and the focus on revenue-generating business, mean that companies look to cut back cost centre budgets. This can […]
E-Learning in Higher Education – Where Next?
E-learning has opened up new education and revenue opportunities for the UK’s universities and colleges. Tim Collin Director of European Sales for WebCT looks at how institutions can consolidate and develop their success for the future. Since it was introduced in the1990s, e-learning has been growing rapidly at post secondary institutions around the world. At […]
Employers slip up over maternity laws
Most businesses support pregnant employees in the workplace but many are falling foul of maternity regulations, according to the first ever investigation into pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.The study conducted by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) surveyed 450 respondents.Amongst other key findings, 28 per cent of respondents were reported to believe that pregnant staff are […]
Bosses fear working time opt-out removal
Employers are keen to hang onto the Working Time Directive opt-out clause; despite embracing new work/life balance initiatives says new research. IRS Employment Review, publishers of the research released today, surveyed 77 organisations covering more than 70,000 people to establish how UK employers organise working hours and their views on the Working Time Directive and […]
Police recruits to declare sexuality
In a move to make recruits’ applications more inclusive, the Police Service will be asking candidates to tick box their sexuality as either heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian or prefer not to say as of October.The Gay Police Association (GPA) said it supports the move. Speaking to HRZone, GPA’s Vic Codling said: “The Police Force now […]
City woman told to ditch child
High-flying mum of one, Diane Winship a £70,000 a year accountant was told to delete any mention of her one-year-old daughter Gabriella if she was going to land a similar paid job.Mrs Winship who is currently suing former employers, Goldenberg Hehmeyer for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal was told by a jobcentre that mention of […]
HR Tip – Smoking and changes to current practice
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR tips. This week's tip looks at varying custom and practice. Q: We have a strict no-smoking ban but I know that some employees do have a smoke on the sly. I am looking to dismiss the first person I catch for […]
