“Without Prejudice” – An Empty Phrase?
“Without prejudice” protections may not shield employer settlement discussions with employees as effectively as assumed. Recent employment tribunal cases suggest that conversations about severance packages during grievance processes aren’t automatically protected from being used as evidence in discrimination claims.
How Did I Get Here? Alison Clarke, Quantica
Alison Clarke, Recruitment Consultant at Quantica, shares her career journey from HR practitioner to specialist in HR search and selection. With a CIPD qualification and experience across recruitment agencies and HR management roles, she emphasizes the importance of hard work, respect for candidates and clients, and maintaining work-life balance in the profession.
Disability Awareness DVD
Trainers can request a free copy of “Learners’ Experiences,” a DVD featuring interviews with disabled students and adults designed to help educators understand disability needs under the Disability Discrimination Act. The resource covers learning difficulties, physical disabilities, hearing impairment, mental health issues, and dyslexia, with versions available in 26 minutes or 9 minutes.
UK tied up in red tape
UK businesses face mounting regulatory burdens, according to a survey by the Institute of Directors. Case studies reveal how excessive red tape across employment law, planning, and health and safety rules is hindering business expansion and job creation.
Making the Business Case for E-Learning
Learning and development professionals often struggle to make convincing business cases for e-learning projects. The key is identifying compelling business needs and measurable outcomes, not just proposing training solutions, while defining a clear vision of how the organization benefits.
Share option warning for employees
Employees who acquire company shares below market value face an unexpected tax trap: while Income Tax is charged on the discount, Capital Gains Tax relief may not apply unless the shares were acquired through exercising an “option.” Understanding this distinction is crucial for tax planning.
Economic upturn fuels recruitment growth
UK employers are stepping up recruitment efforts as economic recovery gains momentum, with 88 percent of organizations planning to hire in Q3 2004. A Reed Executive survey shows recruitment demand rose 10 percentage points, while fewer companies plan job cuts, signaling a tightening labor market across regions.
CIPD Survey Shows Acute Skills Shortages
CIPD research reveals 40% of employers struggle to find staff with specialist skills despite rising unemployment. The survey shows most employers plan summer recruitment, yet face significant challenges including skill shortages, lack of experience, and retention difficulties across sectors.
The Way I See It… How E-Learning Can Spare the Blushes
E-learning allows senior managers to develop essential people management skills discreetly, without the embarrassment of attending public training with junior colleagues. This approach helps experienced employees fill knowledge gaps in coaching, delegation, and appraisals—skills that many feel they should already possess.
Recruiting new staff – is there a right way?
UK businesses struggle with recruitment due to lack of time and quality candidates. Effective hiring requires a clear, objective process aligned with business strategy, proper job profiles, legal compliance, and strong interviewing skills to identify the right candidate.
Unemployment figures surprise increase
UK unemployment rose unexpectedly in May, with 6,000 more people seeking work bringing the total to 1.43 million, though the jobless rate held at 4.8%. Employment levels fell by 29,000 in the same period, marking the first decline in nearly two years.
Case Study: Diversity Training at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust implemented diversity training across its organization through action-planning sessions for board members and senior staff. Using actor-led scenarios based on staff interviews, the Trust developed directorate-specific diversity action plans to mainstream inclusion throughout the organization.
HR Tip – Probation periods
Probation periods count as part of an employee’s service from their start date, regardless of probation status or part-time employment. This affects calculations for statutory rights and entitlements.
New Asylum and Immigration Rules
The UK government has strengthened rules on employing overseas workers, requiring employers to conduct stricter pre-employment checks and maintain ongoing compliance. Employers face criminal penalties up to £5,000 per employee for hiring workers without legal permission to work, with potential increases to £20,000. New documentation requirements, effective May 1st, specify which identity documents employers must verify to establish a statutory defense against illegal working charges.
Civil service slashed in spending review
Gordon Brown announced plans to cut over 100,000 civil service jobs in a spending review covering 2005-2008, while overall public spending rises to £301.9bn. The cuts will be offset by government investments in technology and efficiency savings worth £21.5bn annually.
Successful Bidders for learndirect Contracts
Ufi has selected six organisations as hub operators to deliver learndirect services across nine industry sectors in England and Wales from August 2004 to July 2006. These organisations will work with Ufi, the Learning and Skills Council, and Education and Learning Wales to address sector-specific skills and productivity needs.
The Future for E-Learning
Mobile technology is set to revolutionize e-learning by enabling organizations to deliver training to staff anywhere, anytime. Leading companies are increasingly investing in mobile learning solutions to reduce training costs and minimize downtime for field-based employees.
Business Partners and Control Groups
Control groups in training involve withholding instruction from one team to measure if training improves performance elsewhere. However, business partners should generally avoid this approach because it disadvantages employees, wastes improvement opportunities, and alternative evaluation methods like baseline comparisons are more ethical and effective.
Government Report Says UK is Closing Skills Gap
A UK government report shows Britain is closing its skills gap with major competitors, with the highest growth rate in qualifications between 1994 and 2003. However, the UK still has the lowest proportion of workers qualified to the highest levels compared to the USA, Germany, France, and Singapore.
Work-Related Stress
Recent research shows up to five million UK workers feel very or extremely stressed by their jobs, costing society an estimated £3.7 billion annually. Employers must understand their legal duty to take reasonable steps to support employees struggling with work-related stress, following recent court rulings on psychiatric injury liability.
