E-mail harassment costs employer £10,000
An employee received £10,000 compensation after discovering colleagues circulated obscene emails about her. Her employer’s failure to take her formal harassment complaint seriously led to her resignation, highlighting the importance of clear email policies and proper workplace conduct enforcement.
Community feature: Introducing…
Meet Nick Heap, an independent facilitator of change and development who helps managers and teams solve people problems through counselling, consulting, and coaching. His career journey spans from research chemist to HR consultant, driven by a transformative experience that showed him the power of effective communication.
Softworld preview – seminars
Softworld HR & Payroll offers free breakfast briefings and masterclasses on September 24-25, covering topics including HR system selection, payroll legislation, strategic outsourcing, and HR transformation. Industry experts lead sessions on implementation best practices and building business cases for technology investments.
Disciplinary procedures and stress
Employers launching disciplinary procedures face challenges when employees report stress-related illness. Legal guidance emphasizes obtaining medical evidence before proceeding with hearings, handling inquiries sensitively, and considering reasonable adjustments to avoid unfair dismissal and discrimination claims.
HR still an isolated department
Most companies still operate HR as an isolated department, with only 44% integrating HR systems with finance and payroll applications. However, businesses are increasingly recognizing integration benefits, with over 68% planning to web-enable HR activities for employee self-service access.
Settling workplace disputes – review published
Acas has published a research report examining how public sector workplace disputes are resolved and the role of third-party mediators. The analysis reveals that roughly half of public sector disputes involve pay issues, with about 50% successfully resolved through conciliation in recent years.
Employers plan gay worker monitoring to avoid discrimination
UK employers including JP Morgan and BT Group are planning to monitor gay and lesbian staff numbers ahead of new sexual orientation discrimination laws taking effect in December, according to Acas guidance. However, lawyers warn that requiring employees to disclose their sexual orientation may violate privacy rights under European human rights law.
Businesses warned ‘cash in lieu’ of holidays is invalid
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled that ‘cash in lieu’ holiday pay arrangements are invalid and unenforceable. Employers must now ensure holiday pay is clearly stated in contracts with specific amounts or percentages, and workers retain their right to take statutory time off regardless of payments made.
UK workers back in top City banking jobs
UK workers are reclaiming top City banking jobs as demand for trading skills rebounds. While UK salaries have dipped 5% to £159,000, European counterparts saw steeper 25% declines, narrowing the pay gap significantly.
Flexible benefits improve employee retention
Over 60% of companies report that flexible benefits increase employee commitment and retention. A survey of 400 organizations found that 70% have implemented flexible benefits plans or are considering doing so, with 80% saying their programs met or exceeded expectations.
Firms lack formal policies on age discrimination
A new survey reveals that four in 10 employers lack formal or informal policies addressing age discrimination and diversity, with only one-third operating written age policies. The findings highlight significant gaps in employer preparation ahead of new age discrimination regulations set to take effect in 2006.
Community feature: Introducing…
HR Zone profiles Martin Stockton, HR Transformation Leader at Towers Perrin and speaker at the upcoming Softworld HR & Payroll event. With experience at IBM, Oracle, SAP and Deloitte, Stockton shares insights on HR career evolution and offers advice for aspiring professionals in the field.
Firms look to alternative ways of reducing pensions costs
Companies are slowing final salary scheme closures and exploring alternative cost-reduction methods, including increasing member contributions, reducing benefits, and adopting career average or cash balance plans instead of transitioning solely to defined contribution arrangements.
Firms extend car or cash choices
UK companies are increasingly offering employees choice in company car selection and cash alternatives, according to Watson Wyatt research. Only 1 in 10 sales executives and field service engineers have no choice of make and model, while cash options are becoming more common across non-sales roles.
Getting to grips with new employment laws
Employers faced multiple new employment laws in 2003, including regulations on age discrimination, sexual orientation, religion, and dispute resolution procedures. The government also increased the national minimum wage and implemented equal pay amendments requiring potential back-pay adjustments for companies.
Why reorganisations often fail…
Reorganisations often fail to deliver performance improvements despite widespread hiring and firing, with research showing organisations rarely audit existing skills before making redundancies or involve employees in planning changes. Only 40% of reorganisations complete on time and within budget, highlighting significant gaps in project and people management.
Rising healthcare costs present dilemma for firms
Rising healthcare costs force companies into a difficult choice: over 40% may cut benefits eligibility, yet 80% believe healthcare offerings are essential for attracting and retaining talent. Many employers struggle to measure the actual productivity impact of these investments.
Lack of evaluation impacting on training budgets
Public sector organizations struggle to prove training return on investment due to lack of formal evaluation, hindering budget approval. Only a third map training effectiveness to job performance, with most relying on ineffective feedback surveys instead.
Stop whingeing about red tape, says TUC
The Trades Union Congress argues that British businesses should stop blaming red tape and instead focus on competing through innovation and skilled workers rather than cutting costs. The TUC calls on the government to raise the minimum wage, improve skills training, and promote employee participation to build a high-quality economy.
Community feature: Introducing…
Meet Crispin Garden-Webster, HR Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, who shares his 20-year career journey from Army field psychologist to leadership development expert. In this community feature, he discusses how HR has evolved from transactional to strategic roles and why he views himself as a business partner rather than an HR professional.
