Managing absence: Group Income Protection
Paul Avis of Employ-Mend Ltd explores the Group Income Protection contract as a way to manage both long-term absence strategy and support disabled employees back into the workplace. He also highlights its weaknesses. Whilst Group Income Protection (GIP) cover is provided for only 6-7% of UK employees, it is my preferred long-term absence management strategy. […]
Sample email policy
This is an example of an email policy, provided by Charles Price, barrister, Pendragon Chambers, Swansea. Charles was formerly Head of Employment Law at both Sheffield and Bristol City Councils. The Data Protection Act 1998 and The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act 2000 have an important influence when drafting such policies but organisations should […]
New fire regulations place more responsibility on employers
Employers are being urged not to penny pinch when it comes to new fire regulations soon to be introduced.Plans to improve fire safety for businesses, aimed at simplifying the law while placing a greater focus on fire prevention, were laid before Parliament earlier this month. The new proposals will place the responsibility for fire safety […]
Health and safety FAQs
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has updated its top 20 frequently asked questions (FAQs) for businesses. The questions, such as whether a person can be left alone in their place of work, and how to carry out a risk assessment, are backed up with comprehensive answers and free downloads.Health and safety FAQs for business
HR Tip – Misconduct or incapability?
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR tips. This week’s tip looks at misconduct and incapability. Q: When should I treat poor performance as a disciplinary matter and when as incapability? A: Only when you have thoroughly examined the evidence, which must include a discussion with the employee. […]
How Did I Get Here? Laurence Collins, Ceridian HR Consulting
The Director at Ceridian HR Consulting, Laurence Collins, spills the beans on his career to date. All the previous career profiles can also be seen in the special How Did I Get Here? page. Current job titleHR Consulting Director at Ceridian HR ConsultingDescribe your initial training within the professionOriginally trained as a professional services marketer […]
Tesco trials sick pay ban to reduce ‘sickies’
Tesco is trying to discourage workers from “throwing a sickie” by banning sick pay for the first three days of any illness, regardless of whether it is genuine or not. The pilot scheme, supported by the shopworkers union, Usdaw, is one of a range of different trials aimed at encouraging staff to use planned absence […]
Citizens Advice launches campaign to stamp out bullying
A campaign to wipe out bullying and discrimination at work because of a person's sexuality has been launched by Citizens Advice. The campaign aims to raise awareness of new laws that give protection against discrimination, harassment or victimisation by bosses or colleagues in the workplace because a person is gay, lesbian or bi-sexual. The laws […]
Union pushes for tougher health and safety laws
The GMB, Britain’s General Union, has challenged the Health and Safety Commission and Executive to support a new right for trade unions that would allow private prosecutions of employers who fail to protect their workforce from health and safety risks.Speaking after the latest sessions of the House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry on the work […]
Pensions are a ‘top concern’ for workers
Employers that retain a commitment to decent pension provision will find it easier to attract the right people and to keep them, warns Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary.Speaking today at the National Association of Pension Funds conference he said: “Pensions have shot up the union agenda. This is not because they have suddenly become of […]
Opinion: Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary – on the pensions crisis
“Staff will no longer meekly accept pension cuts”, warned Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, at the National Association of Pension Funds conference today.“Once pensions were seen as dull by unions – suitable only for those with an excessive interest in rainwear and the need to get a life.Now pensions have shot up our agenda. This […]
HR priorities for the next 12 months
While recruitment, retention and employee absence continue to be the most widely cited priorities of the past year, organisational restructuring has emerged for the first time as the most challenging task facing HR practitioners – with many citing the successful conclusion of large-scale restructuring programmes as their proudest achievement. The IRS HR Prospects Survey of […]
Terms and Conditions for use of this website
If you use the HRZone.co.uk website (the “Website”) you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.1. Definitions In these terms and conditions, “we” and “us” means HRZone.co.uk, which is a trading name of HR Zone Limited (company number 04009889), whose registered office is 5th Floor, 100 Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6HZ. 2. Access […]
Sweating the small stuff: tackling stress at source
If organisations want their people to be innovative, creative and enthusiastic, they have to put their antennae up and find out exactly what it is about work that is getting people down, warns Paul Roberts, healthcare consultant at IHC. It’s hard to get away from the subject of workplace stress these days and recent estimates […]
Training Trends 2004: Predictions of Increased Demand
Training and HR professionals are predicting increased demand across many fields of learning and development in the coming year.Respondents to Training Zone’s ‘Training Trends 2004’, of whom 72% were in management positions, picked out coaching and mentoring as the main growth area, with 77% saying their organisation planned to increase its use in the coming […]
HR Tip – Informal warnings
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR tips. This week’s tip looks at informal warnings. Q: When I give an employee an informal warning, do they need to be accompanied? And should I confirm the warning in writing? A: The employee has no legal entitlement to be accompanied […]
The New HR Charter – a series that raises the bar for HR professionals
Paul Kearns is an outspoken critic of HR practices that cannot clearly demonstrate the value they add to organisations. In a brand new series for HR Zone, Paul sets out a provisional Charter for a new era of HRM. A Charter against which you can gauge your own HR function. This is meant to launch […]
‘Corporate killing’ company car chaos
New laws could see bosses charged with corporate manslaughter if cars bought by employees using a cash allowance are unfit for business use, warn employment law experts.In an attempt to slash tax bills, many employers give employees a cash amount to pay for a car themselves, but Russell Brown at Manchester law firm Glaisyers, warns […]
How Did I Get Here? Paul Kearns, PWL
Paul Kearns entered the HR profession in 1978 working in industrial relations and then moved through training and development into generalist HR work. Since 1991 he has been running the PWL consultancy – specialising in HR measurement, HR strategy, evaluation and performance measurement and management. He has published 6 books to date on employee performance […]
Training Trends 2004: Attitudes to training
Organisations’ attitudes to training and development are getting better, but there is still room for improvement, according to the Training Trends 2004 survey.The survey of Training Zone and HR Zone members found that while 72% described their organisation’s attitude to training as generally positive, almost half went on to say that their company’s good intentions […]
