Know your board members by their cars
Watson Wyatt’s 2002 UK Compensation Report gives an insight into the lives of the UK’s senior executives. It indicates that the E-Class Mercedes is the most popular car among UK Group Chief Executives, followed by the BMW 5-Series and the Jaguar XJ6. Perhaps living up to popular stereotypes, BMW 5-Series are most favoured by both […]
DTI guide to Fixed Term Working Regulations
The DTI has provided a Guide to the Fixed Term Working (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations, which will come into force in October 2002.
TUC slates executive pay awards
Responding to a recent survey on executive pay, TUC General Secretary John Monks said: “With such excessive pay packages for company directors it is becoming clear to staff that ‘there’s one rule for us and one rule for them’. Indeed, the obscene pay offs for directors leaving failing companies is more like throwing ‘good money […]
Company car resource centre
Our sister site AccountingWeb has assembled a number of useful resources to help you through the company car tax regime. Latest update: Get the lowdown on the tax implications of London's congestion charging scheme here. Contents Car tax table and guideSee this popular brief guide to the new regime written by experts Deloitte & […]
Spam invasion eats up time and space
Unsolicited email, or “spam”, is becoming a major drain for UK business by using up employee time, bandwidth and storage space, according to resarch by MessageLabs.The UK survey reveals that on average 15% of emails received per day contain spam – about one in seven. It also shows the problem of spam is here to […]
Employment tribunal task force looks for improvements
The Employment Tribunal Taskforce has commended the system’s performance, but recommended some changes to improve it: “The Employment Tribunal system is generally well thought of and respected, despite the strain that rising caseload has placed upon it over the last decade. Our recommendations for moving forward should be seen in the context of a system […]
Smoking bans in workplaces encourage smokers to quit
According to findings published in the British Medical journal, smoke-free workplaces not only protect non-smokers from passive smoking, but also encourage smokers to quit. The research summary states: “Totally free smoke-free workplaces are associated with reductions in prevalence of smoking of 3.8%, and continuing smokers smoke 3.1 fewer cigarettes a day. The combined effects reduce […]
ACAS annual report shows state of employment relations
The Advisory, Arbitration and Conciliation Service (ACAS) has released it’s annual report, detailing cases handled.Summary– There were 100,878 applications to tribunals (compared to 105,909 in 2000/01) covering 165,093 different complaints. Of these, 75% were settled or withdrawn so went no further than the Acas stage (compared with 71% last year). Unfair dismissal continues to be […]
You can find love in the office
According to research by Fish4jobs, you are just as likely to meet your partner at work (25%) as meeting through friends/relatives (27%) or in a bar/club (21.5%). The industry sectors with a high proportion of single men are the hotel & restaurant industry, banking, sales, retail and IT. While you are likely to find more […]
Holidays improve productivity
Nearly two thirds of UK workers feel more productive after going on holiday, according to research released today by Reed. The survey of over 2,500 workers throughout the country found that 64 per cent of respondents feel more productive when they came back from holiday. Holidays also increase creativity. Over three-quarters of workers (78 per […]
Fall in number of work-related fatalities
New figures from the Health and Safety Executive for the year 2001/2002 show a drop of 15 per cent in the number of fatal injuries among Britain’s workers, with 249 deaths compared to 292 in 2000/01. The rate of fatal injury dropped from 1.03 to 0.88 per 100,000 workers over the same period. The number […]
Free staff absence cost calculator and other absence resources
Want to know just how much employees’ absences cost? Download the free Cost Recovery Spreadsheet, created by Augment. Change the numbers to suit and it will calculate the cost in different cases. You can also find some useful information on the Managing Absence website.
Investment in childcare centres welcomed
The Government has announced substantial investment in children’s centres as part of a new plan for childcare and early years services over the next decade. The extra funding will support the expansion of childcare places across the country, with enhanced services to be provided for children, including to improve the life chances of those from […]
Flexible benefits grow in popularity
One in seven companies offers some form of choice regarding employee benefits, according to a report by consultants Watson Wyatt. Flexible benefits allow employees to exchange holiday entitlement for extra pension contributions, or have childcare provision instead of a company car. The research showed that senior staff are the most likely to be offered full […]
Moves to improve rehabilitation from workplace injury
According to the TUC there are seven steps which employers should take to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. These health problems are estimated to cost the British economy £14 billion annually, 14.5 million days of sickness absence, and 27,000 workers leaving the workforce permanently every year. The TUC found that even in the workplaces where […]
Workers want to ease into retirement
New research from Penna Sanders & Sidney – now Penna – and the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) suggests that older employees are keen to extend their working lives – but only if employers respond to their changing needs. "Generation Flex" indicates that 85 per cent of employees say their needs change throughout the life cycle of […]
HR Zone Any Answers Digest #12 – Work/life balance, flexible hours, TNA, mobile phones…
================================================================= HR ZONE Any Answers Digest – Issue 12 Tuesday 23 July 2002 http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/ ================================================================= ********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ********* Work/Life balance… sick days… mobile phones… perceptions of HR… accrediting training… flexible hours… TNA ********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ********* Motiva Corporate Development —————————————————————- Leadership development experts Motiva […]
Employees look to bosses for investment advice
Over half the working population (54%) would trust their employer, rather than any other business, to offer them reputable financial products and services, according to new research from youatwork. Nearly half (46%) of workers questioned said that they are more likely to take notice of benefits information that is provided by their employer, more than […]
European agreement to fix standards in teleworking
Following on from the Institute of Employment Studies work on the number of teleworkers in Europe, an agreement has been forged to formalise and protect their working conditions. ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation), UNICE / UEAPME (European Employers Groups) and CEEP (European Center of Enterprises) have put forward someprinciples to balance security and flexibility. The […]
Age Equality Contract launched
The charity Age Concern have launched an Age Equality Contract, and challenged the government to respond by dealing with age discrimination, which they describe as “increasingly urgent in the light of our ageing population and workforce, the crisis in pensions funding and recent calls for raising the state retirement age”. The contract aims to identify […]
