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 […]
Productivity and business optimism up
Productivity has dipped only slightly this summer, according to latest statistics from the Centre for Economic Business and Research (CEBR) and in more good news for UK Plc research from the Institute of Directors (IoD) shows that business performance has hit a three-year high.Summer is traditionally the time for a productivity lull as workers take […]
Employment Tribunal data debated
Lobbyists including MPs, solicitors and Public Concern at Work, a charity promoting open justice are trying to quash Government plans to keep details of Employment Tribunals (ETs) a secret.Last week, Employment Relations Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, accepted union protests that the register of Tribunal details was being misused, causing the Government to introduce new regulations.Claims suggest […]
HR Zone Members Newswire #60 – Attendance incentives
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 60 10 August 2004 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS ***** SITE HIGHLIGHTS ***** SITE HIGHLIGHTS 1. Developing and managing a virtual team 2. First class service for Royal Mail staff 3. Discrimination claims may soar 4. HR Tip – Custom and Practice 5. Training solutions – members’ experiences SITE HIGHLIGHTS […]
HRM Masters course launched
A new MSc in Human Resource Management (HRM) is to be launched in November by the Open University Business School (OUBS).Taking its lead from the new strategic challenges faced by HR professionals, the course will take a pragmatic approach, linking the practice of HR to the wider effectiveness of an organisation. The programme’s courses will […]
Sparks fly over proposed educational reform
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has today hit back at proposals by the Tomlinson Working Group to reform education for 14-19 year olds; believing that key weaknesses in the education system must be dealt with before further changes take place.The Report has proposed a series of reforms aimed at improving post-16 participation and achievement, […]
Developing and managing a virtual team
Laura Kelly, International Marketing Manager of Thomson NETg looks at the skills required to manage a virtual team. Whether it is to collaborate on a global business strategy, technology or product roll-out, most managers will, at some stage need to lead a virtual project team encompassing parties from around the world. Although the skill set […]
Top Ten CV Howlers Revealed
Most CVs contain basic errors, according to a new survey.Research undertaken by Marketing Professionals UK, found that half of CVs contained spelling or grammatical mistakes.Jonny Cainer, at Marketing Professionals UK, said: “If a CV is badly constructed, it can seriously hinder career progression. People should be aware of the most common mistakes as this is […]
