Equal pay changes come into force
Firms are liable for larger compensation payouts to employees following changes to the Equal Pay Act which came into force on Saturday, 19 July. Previously, companies in breach of the Equal Pay Act were liable to pay up to two years’ back-pay as compensation to the employee. However, the changes brought in under the Equal […]
Managers “sell” excess holiday
Increasing work commitments mean that 40% of managers do not take up their full holiday allowance, according to research conducted by the Chartered Management Institute.The survey of 1300 managers found that one in ten even “sell” excess holiday time as part of flexible benefits packages.A seperate survey by youatwork, the employee benefits specialist, found that […]
Online recruitment – dealing with HR technology ‘blockers’
Thinking about recruiting online? Then find out how to make sure your project doesn’t get derailed.Online recruitment isn’t new. But what is new is the increasing number of organisations starting to take it seriously. Despite the benefits of any such project, however, it is likely to come up against resistance or even blocking from some […]
Workplace dispute resolution rules published
Plans for a radical overhaul of dispute resolution procedures have been published.From October 2004, employers and employees will be required to follow a minimum three-stage process to ensure that disputes are discussed at work. The process will require: the problem to be set out in writing with full details provided to the other party both […]
Graduate starting salaries top £20,000
Average starting salaries for graduates have broken the £20,000 barrier as competition for jobs intensifies, say findings by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).However, the AGR’s Graduate Recruitment Survey, conducted last month amongst many of the UK’s largest graduate recruiters in both public and private sectors, found that employers have cut their vacancies by 3.4% […]
Outsourcing Training
Has anyone first hand experience of working with a company (companies) proficient in handling the outsourcing of training (mainly soft and managerial skills), together with its administration, for a company of around 1000 staff spread across a small number locations around the UK. Recommendations only please!T.j. Ray
Responsible business practice improves bottom line
Employees see a clear connection between responsible business practice and positive impact on the bottom line, according to new research sponsored by BUPA and carried out by Business in the Community in partnership with the CIPD and the Future Work Institute. The key messages from the report, ‘Responsibility: driving innovation, inspiring employees’ were: Employees […]
Community feature: Introducing…
In a regular feature, we’re taking a closer look at the working lives of some of HR Zone’s 17,000 membership. This week, Carole Leslie, Director at IT Learning Ltd, gives us an insight into her professional career to date. What’s your current job role? Organisational development for Learning IT. As Learning IT is an employee […]
Age discrimination – a job for life?
Rachel Heenan, of law firm Beachcroft Wansbroughs, summarises the Government’s proposals to combat age discrimination and offers practical guidance on what steps employers should take to prepare for the new legislation.On 2 July 2003, the Government issued its long awaited consultation paper setting out its proposals to combat age discrimination in the workplace. Consultation will […]
HR Zone member survey – your views count!
Have you taken part in our new survey about HR Zone? As valued community members, we want to hear YOUR views and ideas about how we can improve the site. We’d be grateful if you would spare 5 minutes to answer a few short questions. You can access the survey now by clicking here.
Partnership working is on the agenda
If you want to get your workforce to accept change then embrace partnership, suggests new research. According to an IRS survey, the most commonly identified advantages of partnership working include: improvements in employee relations and a greater willingness to accept change.These findings make interesting reading in view of Government plans to implement a European Directive […]
Fewer companies increasing pay to retain staff
Over a third of organisations have improved their starting salaries to recruit staff but the number of organisations that have increased pay to retain staff has dropped, according to the 2003 CIPD recruitment and retention survey.Training and development remains the biggest retention tool for organisations (58%) and the use of coaching and mentoring systems has […]
HR procurement – purchasing v HR?
More than a third of HR professionals claim they would make better HR buying decisions without any involvement from their colleagues in Purchasing, says the findings of a new report, People and Purchasing: Best Practice Partnerships, by Reed. However, Purchasing is currently involved in HR procurement within two out of every three of organisations surveyed, […]
Use of HR systems “hampered by a lack of training”
Organisations are struggling to get to grips with new information technologies and systems, according to findings from the latest CIPD People and Technology survey. Only one third of organisations said that their system meets most of their needs, with a significant minority of systems not delivered on time (34%) or budget (23%). Richard Goff, the […]
Line managers taking HR responsibilities on board
HR is successfully devolving responsibilities to line managers, yet 1 in 10 employees would rather quit their current job than discuss a thorny issue with their boss, according to a recent survey from HR and payroll software provider, Snowdrop Systems. Whilst employees are happy to talk to their bosses about routine tasks such as taking […]
Community feature: Introducing…
In a regular feature, we’re taking a closer look at the working lives of some of HR Zone’s 17,000 membership. This week, Shaun Dunphy, Project and Process Manager at the EMEA HR Service Centre for MCI, gives us an insight into his professional career to date. What’s your current job role? Project & Process Manager […]
Do employees think executives have something to hide?
Directors must be open over their own pay and targets to avoid damaging employee confidence in their leadership. That’s the warning from corporate communications agency Fishburn Hedges as more and more executives come under the glare of the media spotlight. “Leaders should not underestimate the importance of having the support of their people – and […]
Performance measurement
I am researching employee and HR practitioner experiences of performance measurement. I would appreciate your input in a survey available at www.bromleyipd.org.uk.S Andrew Morton S Andrew Morton
Providing effective relocation support
In this feature article, Tricia Stewart, Project Manager, Global Mobility Services at Crown Relocations puts forward some best practice suggestions for moving employees. Relocating employees is no easy task. While most companies move just 25 employees a year for expatriate assignments, the related responsibilities of the HR professional can be overwhelming. Often the HR professional […]
E-HR can deliver real value
e-HR heralded a new age in the relationship between human resources professionals, payroll departments and employees. However, adoption of the technology has been slow to take off. Alan Foley, HR and Payroll Software Director at ICS Computing believes HR departments need to do more for e-HR systems to gain greater internal credibility. e-HR is the […]
