Eight in ten failing to manage work-related stress
With reports today that heavy workloads are to blame for stress, a survey has found that nearly eight in ten employers could be contributing to ‘Burn-out Britain’ by failing to manage the main factors identified by the HSE known to cause stress at work.79% of health and safety professionals polled by Croner have not taken […]
PMI – health or wealth damage?
Paul Avis of Employ-Mend suggests that there are alternatives to insured schemes as such benefits may now be going the way of final salary schemes: too expensive to maintain. Private medical insurance (PMI) is an increasingly expensive benefit to maintain. Whilst few within the industry would disagree with this, it is the level of likely […]
Court of Appeal considers ‘rolled-up’ holiday pay
The Court of Appeal has considered the thorny issue of ‘rolled-up’ holiday pay.According to barrister Daniel Barnett, Laws LJ held in the conjoined appeals of Clarke v Staddon and Caulfield v Marshalls Clay Products that ‘rolled-up’ holiday pay complies with the EU Working Time Directive. He examined the policy behind the Directive and relied heavily […]
Revised draft code on racial equality in employment
The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) is now consulting on its revised statutory Code of Practice on Racial Equality in Employment. It is now 20 years since the current statutory code of practice came into force. Since then, there have been a number of amendments to the Race Relations Act 1976, as well as new […]
Employees search for more ‘meaning’ in their work
A lack of ‘meaning’ in the workplace is having a damaging effect on morale and staff retention rates, according to a new research report.Roffey Park’s report ‘In Search of Meaning in the Workplace’ reveals that 70% of employees are looking for more ‘meaning’ in their work. “The search for meaning appears to be part of […]
UK workers regain career confidence
Workers in the UK are feeling increasingly secure in their jobs, according to a global survey of 9,785 employees which has identified UK employees as among the most confident in the world.When asked how they view the possibility of being laid off from their job in the coming year, 21% of a representative group of […]
Pregnant nursery worker wins sex discrimination case
A trainee nursery nurse who was sacked when she became pregnant has today won her sex discrimination case against her former employer. The Birmingham tribunal awarded her £7,473 compensation. Rebecca Mountford, from Stourport-on-Severn, started work at the Jack and Jill Nursery in Bromsgrove as a trainee nursery nurse in January 2003. She was sacked in […]
Planning to recruit accession country workers?
A survey of 101 HR professionals reveals that 39% are planning to recruit from accession countries to fill a skills shortage after 1 May 2004.EU enlargement: a reservoir of talent? by recruitment communications firm Barkers, found that the majority believe recruits will only stay for between 18 and 24 months – indicating recruitment may be […]
Could your organisation be Employer of the Year?
Has your organisation introduced ‘granny leave’ or initiatives to encourage more men to work flexibly?The Working Families Employer of the Year Awards 2004, launched today, are designed to reward innovation and creative thinking in work-life balance and spread the word on best practice. Perhaps you could apply for the Family Friendly Award, Scottish Employer of […]
HR Tip – Extended holidays
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR tips. This week’s tip looks at extended holidays. Q: We have agreed to allow two employees to take extended unpaid holidays, one to visit relatives in Pakistan and the other to tour the States. We have asked them to sign a […]
Reward managers have best paid HR jobs
Reward managers have the best paid jobs in the personnel profession, earning 12% more than the average salary for the profession, according to a new survey. The survey of personnel professionals by Croner Reward and the CIPD, based on 7825 HR jobs in over 1500 organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors, also highlights […]
Review: On Staffing
Title: On Staffing: Advice and Perspectives from HR LeadersEditors: Nicholas C. Burkholder, Preston J Edwards Snr, Libby SartainPublisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ ISBN: 0-471-41069-1Price: £34.95On Staffing focuses on how to get, induct, develop and retain great people. It’s a timely publication. Now that the skills shortage is starting to look like ‘the […]
Employee benefits – free guide for HR Zone members
TaxZone, part of HR Zone’s sister site Accounting Web, is currently offering HR Zone members a free guide on childcare benefits, part of Ray Chidell’s popular Employee Benefits guide series. Developing the right benefits for your employees ensures a motivated workforce that will remain loyal and produce higher productivity for the business.Ray Chidell’s popular guides […]
Russell Martin, HR Director Prudential, on flexible benefits
HR Zone quizzed Russell Martin, HR Director at Prudential, on why his HR team implemented a flexible benefits scheme, how the scheme works and the benefits realised since implementation. Why did you decide to implement a flexible benefits scheme?‘You Choose’ forms part of an integrated package of employee benefits and was launched to coincide with […]
Total reward statements may improve retention
Providing employees with online total reward statements could help to improve staff recruitment and retention, according to a new survey.Over two-thirds of HR and compensation and benefits professionals surveyed by Mercer Human Resource Consulting think individual, web-based statements incorporating pay and all benefits – such as pensions, healthcare, share plans and life insurance – would […]
3 million workers would ask for bogus sick notes
Nearly three million workers across the country admit they’d consider asking their GP for a bogus sick-note – with twice as many men than women saying they’d cheat the system, according to a new report.Norwich Union Healthcare’s latest ‘Health of the Nation Index’ found that doctors think almost a quarter of the 577 requests for […]
HR Tip – Changed terms of employment
HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR tips. This week’s tip looks at changed terms of employment. Q: Some of our employees have agreed to changes to their hours of work and to their holiday arrangements. Do we have to issue new contracts? A: No. All that you […]
Graduates seek public sector jobs for work-life balance
Public sector jobs offer a healthier work/life balance and are seen as more attractive to people who don’t want to sacrifice their social life to climb the career ladder, according to the latest survey of over 2000 undergraduate students. The research, Graduates go public?, conducted by GTI Specialist Publishers reveals that the sector is considered […]
Implementing flexible benefits at Prudential
In the first of a two-part feature on implementing a flexible benefits scheme, Russell Martin, HR Director at Prudential talks about how HR communicated its scheme to employees. The scheme won an award for Communications Strategy of the Year, among others. Thursday’s HR Zone Briefing will feature an interview with Russell with details about the […]
Review: Strategic Compensation
Title: Strategic Compensation – A Human Resource Management Approach (third edition)Author: Joseph J MartocchioPublisher: Pearson Prentice HallISBN: 0-13-182476-7Review by: Kay Maddox has worked in both the public and the private sector where she has held HR roles with BAE SYSTEMS, Alstom Transport and Pirelli Cables. She currently holds the post of Management and Diversity Development […]
