Firms opt for short-term international assignments
A new survey of international business assignments has found that nearly 4 in 10 multinational companies have increased their use of short-term business assignments. The study, conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting of 35,000 employees in over 220 multinational companies, found that employers are increasingly opting for short-term placements, which are less costly than long-term […]
How to conduct a stress audit
Anna Shuttleworth, Head of Training at Right Corecare outlines the key steps organisations should take when implementing a stress audit. Stress audits enable employers to identify the pressure points within an organisation, pinpoint areas or individuals that may be experiencing stress and understand the underlying causes. An audit provides invaluable information to improve both the […]
Employers risk discriminating through aptitude tests
Employers could be unconsciously risking claims of discrimination through their careless use of aptitude tests during the recruitment process.Over half of HR professionals surveyed in a Croner poll use aptitude tests as part of their recruitment process. If companies do not adapt their tests to potential employees’ particular needs, they could be liable for compensation […]
Increase in management training spend
Firms are putting more value on – and cash into – management courses, a new report claims. Cambridge Online Learning’s (COL) 2003 Annual Training Survey showed a 100% increase in the awareness of the importance of management training. While COL said that management training was still suffering the effects of recession, of the 250 training […]
One in three firms plan to restructure
One in three employers expect to restructure their businesses over the next 12 months, research from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI) has found. As a consequence, many of those companies also expect the size of their workforce to reduce, and recruitment to slow down, or stop entirely.The RCI measures employers’ recruitment expectations and business confidence. […]
The vision for e-HR
Bruce Thew, President of Ceridian Centrefile, describes how he believes the ASP model for delivering HR software means much more than just a saving in IT resources. HR, along with other business systems, now has the technology to communicate on-line with all its customers. Line manager and employee self-service is the key to the e-HR […]
Women are more prepared to resign over job dissatisfaction
Female managers may have finally closed the pay gap but are more likely to resign than their male counterparts, according to research conducted by the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics.The National Management Salary Survey 2003, reveals that despite higher levels of pay, the turnover of management-level staff is still high.The findings released today show […]
New revised Code of Practice on equal pay
The Equal Opportunities Commission’s new revised Code of Practice on Equal Pay has received Parliamentary approval and will come into force on 1 December 2003. The Code, which explains employers’ obligations on equal pay, has been revised to take account of new law and recent equal pay case decisions. It provides practical guidance for employers […]
HR Tip – Custom and practice for leaving early
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: Our employees’ contracts require them to work until 5.00 pm but for some time they have been leaving at 4.30pm on Fridays. I want to put a stop to this but they […]
Increase in the number of women directors
Growing numbers of women are running Britain’s top businesses, according to a new report, by Cranfield School of Management’s Centre for Developing Women Business Leaders, which found the number of female directorships in the FTSE 100 has topped 100 for the first time.For the first time two companies, AstraZeneca and Marks and Spencer, have four […]
How Did I Get Here? Madeleine Tate, Independent consultant
Madeleine Tate, whose roles have included Head of Learning and Development and Human Capital Director, shares her experiences of working in HR to date. What’s your current job role?I work as an independent consultant, at senior management and board level. I work with a wide variety of sizes and types of company – from SMEs […]
Firms are putting job-seekers through extra tests
Job-seekers face extra assessment tests compared to three years ago, according to new research.Three quarters of the 8,493 job-seekers surveyed on reed.co.uk, say they are undergoing many more tests and assessments when seeking new jobs than in Y2000, according to the research. What’s more, over half of the 250 HR professionals surveyed, agree they are […]
Firms urged to update policies in advance of new mobile phone legislation
From 1 December 2003 businesses that permit their employees to use hand-held mobile phones whilst driving, will be committing a punishable offence under the Road Traffic Act. Present laws governing mobile phone use mean that motorists can only be prosecuted for using hand-held mobiles while driving, if it means that they fail to keep control […]
Employers discipline staff over e-mail and Internet misuse
While the majority of UK employers still appear relaxed about e-mail and Internet misuse at work, there is a growing trend to punish workers for breaches in organisational policy, according to new research. The IRS survey, based on responses from 63 private and public sector employers, revealed that almost a third had dealt with between […]
Tackling stress-related absence
Paul Roberts, Healthcare Consultant, at IHC, looks at the actions that should be taken to support employees who are absent with stress and encourage an early return to work. When an employee calls in sick because of flu, it is relatively straightforward for a company to predict when that employee might return to work. But […]
HR Tip – Bank Holiday working
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: Can we force employees to work on Bank Holidays? A: When offering employment you can require candidates to work or to not work on certain days, provided you allow them at least […]
ACAS publishes sexual orientation and religion guides
December sees the coming into force of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 which outlaw discrimination in employment and vocational training on the grounds of sexual orientation and religion or belief respectively. ACAS has now published the final PDF versions of its guides to sexual […]
Stress audit
HR Zone member Paul Flavin shares his opinions about some of the causes of stress within an organisation and the HR practices which can help to resolve them. Stress is a difficult topic. It is widely recognised that there is a definite need for positive stress as the catalyst, enabling people to perform to the […]
10 top tips to combat stress
Sue Howson, Managing Consultant, Penna Consulting, Southampton, recommends that businesses take heed of the following ten guidelines to minimise stress in the workplace. 1. Have a clear stress policy in your employee handbook.2. Adhere to it when issues of stress arise.3. Show you take stress seriously.4. Be understanding towards people who admit to being under […]
Employers back Pay Commission report
Employers agreed to back the recently published independent Local Government Pay Commission Report at their first official meeting to discuss its findings held last Friday.The independent Pay Commission was set up in the wake of last year’s council workers strike to look at pay and rewards. The report’s endorsement for national pay negotiations, while rejecting […]
