New employment laws come into force
New laws to prevent discrimination in the workplace on grounds of sexual orientation or religion come into force this week. The Sexual Orientation Regulations become law in Great Britain today, 1 December and the Religion or Belief Regulations tomorrow, 2 December.Jacqui Smith, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality said: “This new legislation will establish minimum […]
‘High performance working’ boosts productivity by 20%
Firms must promote widespread adoption of High Performance Working (HPW) if they are to maximise their productivity performance, a new report says. The study, 'Maximising Employee Potential and Business Performance – The Role of High Performance Working', by the EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, and the CIPD, demonstrates how UK manufacturing companies that introduce HPW can […]
Queen’s speech – key points for HR
The Queen has announced the legislative programme for the next parliamentary session. For the business community there were several points of interest including a Pensions Bill and the Employment Relations Act 1999. There was no provision, however, for the so called Corporate Killing Act. Pensions Bill The government has set a target to restore confidence […]
Drug testing on workers is “unjustified and degrading”
Over zealous employers have come under attack for rushing to test their staff for drugs, with the TUC claiming that drug testing is “an intrusive and unproven science”.The TUC argues that the law does not give enough protection to workers against the increasing use of “unjustified and degrading” testing by employers for drugs and drink […]
HR Tip – attitude problems
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: One of my employees has an attitude problem that I would like to resolve, but there is nothing I can really discipline him for. He uses bad language, walks into my office […]
Sexual orientation discrimination
Michael Ferguson of Webster Dixon solicitors looks at the implications of the new sexual orientation legislation that comes into force on 1 December. In 1999, a TUC survey found that 44% of lesbian, gay and bisexual trade union members considered that they had been discriminated against at work because of their sexual orientation. Although, in […]
Employers of the Year 2003
Winners of this year’s Employer of the year Awards presented today by Gerry Sutcliffe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment Relations, range from a small engineering company in the West Midlands and a London computer training company, the Central Scotland Forest Trust, a Job Centre Plus and a borough council, to a large City […]
Employee computer schemes
The Government has recently set up ‘The Home Computing Initiative Advisory Board’ to encourage employers to provide tax-advantaged home computing schemes. David Chandler of Computers for Staff explains how providing such a benefit works and the advantages for both employers and employees. In all of the talk about tax rises since 1997, increased employment costs […]
European anti-discrimination law
Employers are increasingly concerned at the likely impact of new EU anti-discrimination legislation. Many express ignorance of the consequence for employers. Under the new regime each member state has pledged to harmonise the implementation of anti-discrimination laws and to be proactive in “levelling up” rather than “levelling down” employee rights. One consequence is that employees […]
How Did I Get Here? Jean-Bertrand de Lartigue , HR2all Ltd
New member, Jean-Bertrand de Lartigue, describes his route into HR. What’s your current job role?I am the Chairman of HR2all Ltd, a company that provides a one stop shop environment for HR technology, products and services.What did you do before this job?I worked for Motorola for 22 years in various positions in general management and […]
Dealing with the religious discrimination regulations
The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 (RBRs) come into effect on 2 December 2003. Nicola Brown of Thomas Eggar offers legal and practical guidance on the new law that will apply throughout the employment relationship, from recruitment through to after the employment has ended. At first glance, most employers probably feel they do […]
Practical tips on the new discrimination regulations
At the beginning of December 2003, two sets of employment regulations come into force which could have a significant impact in your workplace. The first of these, The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003, become law on 1 December, with The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 taking effect the following day. The regulations […]
Firms urged to review diversity policies
New regulations outlawing both direct and indirect discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation come into force on 1 December and on Religion or Belief on 2 December. The CIPD is urging employers to review their equality and diversity policies to include these issues, or they will be vulnerable if complaints are taken against them […]
HR calls for mandatory board level assessment
As corporate accountability becomes a critical issue globally, the majority of HR professionals believe that psychological assessment methods should become compulsory for board level recruitment, a new survey claims.According to research by SHL Group plc, 68% of HR professionals believe that objective personality assessment should be a compulsory element in selecting a new CEO. The […]
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003
New Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations will come into force in the UK on 11 December 2003 and will revise the ways in which businesses communicate with their customers via e-mail. Russell Brown at Manchester law firm Glaisyers explains the effects on businesses. For many businesses, the use of e-mail has taken over from the […]
Mobile phone law: minimising the risks
Two-thirds of company car drivers have not had any guidance from their employers on the forthcoming ban on using mobile phones on the move, despite the majority of fleet managers claiming they are ‘actively discouraging’ their drivers from using them. With a couple of weeks until the ban comes into force, 97% of fleet managers […]
HR Tip – selection for redundancy
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: To save money our company abolished the position of receptionist. However they gave the receptionist the job of a payroll clerk who had much shorter service and dismissed the clerk. Surely that […]
The new mobile phone law
Employers should communicate a clear statement or policy on the use of mobile phones whilst driving – before the implementation of the Regulations on 1 December, warns Hilary Larter, Partner at Beachcroft Wansbroughs. Here she clarifies the definitions in the new legislation and offers guidance on what employers should be doing now. On 1 December […]
Training trends for blended learning
More than half of organisations use blended learning as part of their training strategy, according to a recent study.Training provider Balance Learning questioned 173 training and HR professionals, to produce Blended Learning: The Here And Now.Defined by respondents as a combination of complementary learning content, typically e-learning courses and face-to-face training, blended learning was used […]
Community feature: Introducing…
Karen Caddick, Head of HR at Channel 5, spills the beans on her career in HR to date. What’s your current job role?Head of HR, Channel Five.What did you do before this job?Head of Employee Relations & HR Policy, Barclays Bank.Describe your route into HR?Started doing Business Process Re-engineering and very quickly realised that change […]
