Search for the elusive work-life balance
Susanne Tietze MA MBA PhD of Nottingham Trent Business School examines current thinking on the work-life balance issues. Getting the balance right between work and an outside life can be difficult, but a successful balance can bring enormous rewards for the business and can improve the quality of life for workers. This article was provided […]
Pensions – new views
The Pickering report on simplifying pensions is available, and will be prompting much discussion of how to halt the collapse in saving for retirement which has been so much in the news of late. The government has announced that it will be producing a Green Paper on pensions in the autumn.For good measure, the Treasury […]
DTI: Labour market to become more diverse
Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt has put forward a vision of the labour market of the future, which emphasises bringing more parents, older people and ethnic minorities into fulfilling employment. Ms Hewitt’s comments marked the publication of “Full andFulfilling Employment”.“Full and Fulfilling Employment” sets out three principles:– Full employment. “Jobs are the key to […]
Government announces comprehensive review of employee relations
The government has announced that there will be a review of the 1999 Employment Relations Act 1999, which will look at, among other things, union recognition, the right of employees to be accompanied at disciplinary meetings, the rights of those on strike, and collective agreements.The review will also look at other aspects of the Act, […]
Mum’s the word for better benefits from tonight!
Several newspapers report today that employees who become mums- and dads-to-be from midnight tonight will find themselves with more money and time when the baby arrives.New legislation brought in by the government means that working parents with babies due to be born on or after April 6 next year will benefit from an increase in […]
Long hours increase heart problems
Japanese researchers have published the results of research which shows that long working hours greatly increased the risk of having a heart attack. The research, published in the journal Environmental and Occupational Medicine indicated that men working over 60 hours a week were twice as likely to have a heart attack than those working less […]
Employment law to counter discrimination against gays
Barbara Roche, Minister for Women and Equality, spoke at the TUC’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Conference last week, and drew attention to legal developments:“I recognise that we need to continue to tackle discrimination against the LGB community more widely, so we will be implementing the European Employment Directive to outlaw discrimination (both direct and […]
Employment Bill passed, creating new flexible working conditions
The Government’s Employment Bill has received Royal Assent. It aims to support for working parents, while reducing red tape for employers.The package for parents includes:– six months paid and a further six months unpaid maternity leave for working mothers;– two weeks paid paternity leave for working fathers;– six months paid and a further six months […]
HR Zone Any Answers Digest #11 – organising admin support, working on maternity leave, rewarding volunteers…
================================================================= HR ZONE Any Answers Digest – Issue 11 Tuesday 9 June 2002 http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/=================================================================********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ********** Organisation of admin support…working while on maternity leave…rewarding volunteers….casual vs temporary – what’s the difference?…beginning a career in HR… Fixed Term workers…********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ********** —————————————————————–Do we have […]
Fewer employees take breaks
Employees in Britain are working harder than ever, with only half (52%) taking a break at lunchtime, according to new research from BACS. More than a third of workers (39%) claim that they take fewer breaks today than a few years ago. Workers are leaving the office for 36 minutes on an average lunchtime, when […]
Guide to equal pay launched
The Equal Opportunities Commission has launched a 5-step Equal Pay Review Kit, complete with an introduction, to help companies assess whether they are avoiding discriminatory pay or not.
European action on stress at work
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has launched a campaign against work-related stress, said to be the second biggest occupational health problem in the European Union after back pain, affecting over 40 million employees in the EU.According to a number of major studies, work-related stress affects nearly one-in-three (28%) workers in the […]
UK firms miss signs of corporate wrongdoing
UK companies are neglecting vital safeguards that could prevent the same illegal or unethical business behaviour that has plunged corporate America into crisis, according to The Work Foundation. Its latest survey finds that many employers here are failing to provide adequate internal ‘whistleblowing’ channels for their employees to raise concerns about bad behaviour – such […]
Call for better hearing protection
The TUC has joined forces with the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) and the European Federation of the Hard of Hearing (EFHOH) to call on Members of the European Parliament and Governments to ensure that the best hearing protection is provided to workers under the Noise at Work Directive, which is under discussion.The […]
Job-seekers use employers’ time
Job hunters use employers’ time to look for alternative work and surfing the Net for jobs during working hours is common practice amongst unsettled staff, according to Parity, the IT services company. Over 60% of those seeking alternative employment do so during work, with peaks first thing in the morning and before hometime. Parity found […]
High cost of office politics
According to new research by Reed, based on the opinions of temporary workers, the average workplace loses more than an hour’s productivity a day through office politics. One in four temps questioned have experienced office politics in every temporary job they have done. ‘Power Struggles’ were cited as the most frequent cause of office politics […]
Few companies accommodate working mothers
British women are putting their health at risk as they struggle to cope with the exhausting and constant demands of juggling work and home, and their employers don’t make things easier. More than three-quarters of the 5,000 women questioned in a national survey of work and lifestyle attitudes said that overworking was damaging their health […]
Management still unrepresentative
A report on race and diversity in corporate Britain covering 2.75 million UK employees in 99 private and public sector organisations (including 18 of the FTSE 100) has revealed a noticeable lack of black and Asian managers, particularly at the most senior level. “Race: Creating Business Value” draws on a comprehensive survey of members of […]
Employers unite against further employment legislation
British and Italian employers have formed an alliance in a bid to stave off further “heavy handed” EU laws on employment and social affairs. Britain’s CBI and Italy’s Confindustria met prime ministers Blair and Berlusconi this week to present a joint statement on labour market policy, timed to influence the EU summit in Seville.The statement […]
Employers urged to support women taking public roles
Patricia Hewitt, Trade Secretary and Cabinet Minister for Women, is encouraging women to apply for national public appointments on some of the UK’s 1,000 public bodies, and suggesting that their employers should support them.Of the FTSE 100 firms, only 6% of women hold directorships and 43 firms have no female directors. It is also suggested […]
