Increase in National Minimum Wage rates
KPMG warns that the rise in the National Minimum Wage on 1 October from £4.20 to £4.50 an hour could increase operating costs by over 1% of turnover for many small and medium sized companies. And the news that there are plans to for it to be increased to £5.00 per hour by next year […]
E-mail monitoring – staying on the right side of the law
What steps do employers need to take to ensure that monitoring of e-mails is done in accordance with employment legislation? Lucy McLynn, a solicitor in the Employment Department at Bates, Wells and Braithwaite, looks at the legal framework and offers practical advice to help employers avoid the potential liabilities that may arise from employees’ inappropriate […]
Complexity is the new barrier to change
Jean Gomes, Managing Director of change management specialists, dpa Corporate Communications, argues that complexity is the new barrier to change – drawing on on recent research and Sony Business Europe as a case study. HR leaders are still asking two questions that have exercised managers since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.How do we tap […]
Softworld seminar: Review of payroll legislative changes
Stuart Chamberlain, an Employment Law consultant with GEE Publishing, will be reviewing recent and upcoming payroll legislative changes at the Softworld HR and Payroll Conference on Wednesday 24 September at 13.15 – 14.00. The seminar will focus on three major legislative changes that have had a significant impact on HR and payroll… First, he will […]
Case Study: Purchasing and HR working together – Nomura
The Japanese investment bank, Nomura, has over 500 staff based in its City of London offices. Purchasing has been “much more” involved with the procurement of Human Resource services over the last 5 years, making estimated HR expenditure savings of £1.5 million every year.“It is all about personalities – developing trust and communication”, says Nicola […]
Case Study: Purchasing and HR working together – Environment Agency
“Once you get a joint success, that builds trust”, says Mark Yeomans, Head of Procurement for the Environment Agency, about relationships between HR and Purchasing in this organisation which employs over 11,000 people in more than 100 offices across England and Wales.The Environment Agency believes HR and Procurement professionals are both in the same business: […]
How Did I Get Here? David Kelly, Aventis UK
David Kelly, Head of Development and Training for Aventis UK, a global pharmaceutical company, shares his experiences of working in HR to date. What's your current job role?Head of Development & Training for Aventis UK. Main responsibilities include cultural transformation and maintenance; executive and leadership/management development; talent management; generalist HR for subsidiary company. What did […]
Pay settlements remain stable at 3%
In the three months to 31 August 2003, basic pay settlements have stayed focused around 3%, according to the IRS Pay Databank, covering just over 240,000 employees. At 3%, the median or mid point in the range of basic awards is unchanged for five successive rolling quarters. This represents the longest period of settlement stability […]
HR Tip – burden of proof
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: We recently wanted to dismiss an employee for fiddling his expenses but we didn't have absolute proof, so let him off. Was this the right thing to do? A: Had the employee […]
50 Tax-Saving Ideas for Employers and Employees
TaxZone, part of HR Zone’s sister site Accounting Web, is currently offering you the opportunity to buy fifty tax saving tips for employers and employees for just 99 pounds plus VAT (that’s under 2 pounds per tip!) as part of a subscription to Ray Chidell’s popular Employee Benefits guide series. Your initial outlay of £99 […]
Middle managers identified as organisational “fault line”
Middle managers are under such severe strain that the future success of many organisations is in serious jeopardy, claims a new report by global HR consultancy DDI.Inadequate skills, divided loyalties, an obligation to implement projects that they don’t believe in and lack of support from senior managers is undermining middle managers’ ambition and prompting some […]
Non-smokers fuming over smokers’ breaks
Non-smokers at work are fuming over the additional breaks their smoking colleagues seem to be taking and are demanding additional breaks to compensate, according to Croner Consulting.Richard Smith, employment law expert at Croner Consulting says: “Employers often ask us if they should limit or stop smokers from having cigarette breaks, or if non-smokers should be […]
HR Zone competition: win a free advisory session!
Need advice on software solutions? Win a free advisory session with PA Consulting Group at Softworld.HR Zone has teamed up with PA Consulting Group and Softworld HR & Payroll to offer one HR Zone member the chance to win a free advisory session with Dr Mark Dorgan, a member of PA’s Management Group at this […]
Only one in 1300 employees applies for flexible working
Working parents who gained the new right to apply for flexible working that came into force in April, are failing to take hold of the chances given them, suggest new figures. The Klegal survey of 25 firms employing 125,000 people, claims that these employers only received 97 requests for flexible hours – suggesting that around […]
Reversing a flexible working arrangement
If a flexible working request is agreed, it operates as a permanent variation of an employee's contract. So what should you do if your employee wishes to revert to the pre-flexible working arrangement? Anthony Thompson, Head of the Employment Department at Webster Dixon and a member of The Law Society’s Equal Opportunities committee, considers the […]
How Did I Get Here? Jenny Kevan, Abbott Laboratories
Jenny Kevan, UK HR Manager for Abbott Laboratories, shares her experiences of working in HR to date. What’s your current job role?I am the UK HR Manager for Abbott Laboratories, MediSense Products, responsible for 2 sites – Abingdon and Witney. I have 9 HR staff, 3 Reception staff and 6 EHS staff. We currently have […]
Employers wary of exaggerated CV “Other Interests”
While skills and experience are the top selection criteria, 8 out of 10 employers say CV “other interests” influence their recruitment decisions, according to a survey of 900 recruiters by job site Reed.Candidates are most likely to be excluded from shortlists if they write too much or in too much detail, according to nearly one […]
Diversity management helps to raise bottom line
A more diverse workforce improves business performance, according to a new study of around 500 companies operating in the UK, the USA and the Continent.The study, by the London Central Learning and Skills Council and the London Human Resource Group, comprising 16 leading City institutions, claims that diversity has produced a number of business benefits, […]
Mental health issues are common in the workplace
Two-thirds of employees report that they, or a work colleague, have experienced a mental health problem and 70% of line managers have managed a member of staff with a diagnosed or suspected problem, yet most line managers are ill-equipped to deal with them, according to a study by mind out for mental health and The […]
HR Tip – do we need written contracts of employment?
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: We have never issued written contracts to our employees. How do we stand? A: You are not complying with the law if you fail to issue either a written contract or written […]
