Record numbers in work
Nick Brown, Minister for Work, has announced that a record 28.4 million are people in work in the UK. The minister said: “The UK labour market remains strong with the number claiming unemployment benefit at the lowest for over 25 years. We are not immune to the world’s economic difficulties, but over the last year […]
Minimum wage to rise, just!
About 1.5 million low paid workers will be entitled to higher minimum rates of pay thanks to increases in the minimum wage (around 70 percent of the beneficiaries of the minimum wage are women). In October the minimum wage will go up by 10 pence/hour, to #4.20, with the youth rate at #3.60.The rate has […]
Profits down but confidence increasing
The Institute of Directors released the results of its Business Opinion Survey for the first quarter of 2002 (March) today which showed a slippage in company performance, lower capacity utilisation and weaker profits, despite better output growth over the past three months and a sharp recovery in optimism. However, all the forward indicators improved, especially […]
HR Zone Any Answers Digest #5 – Incentives, appraisal best practice, team building
================================================================= HRZONE Any Answers Digest – Issue 5 Tuesday 16 April 2002 http://www.hrzone.co.uk/anyanswers/=================================================================********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ********** …Incentives for staff suggestions… Appraisal best practice… Team building for a remote team… Recruiting professionals… Employee Data********** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ***** THIS WEEK’S TOPICS ********** It’s Budget week so we can expect more changes […]
Guarded optimism on job prospects
Over 85 per cent of firms in the UK plan to actively recruit during the second quarter of 2002, a rise of two per cent on last quarter’s report, according to new research published today by Reed, the UK’s leading recruitment specialist (15 April 2002). Nearly 1,000 organisations across Britain were surveyed for the Reed […]
Black and Asian workers underpaid
The TUC has revealed that black and Asian male workers earn on average £97 per week less than their white counterparts. There are also large differences in pay within black and Asian communities. Pakistani and Bangladeshi men earn £150 per week less than white men, while the negative differential for Caribbean men is £115 and […]
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: a leadership fable – review
Author: Patrick LencioniPublished by: Jossey-Bass, April 2002ISBN: 0787960756Price: £16.50 Paperback: Hardback, 224 pagesBuy this book from the TrainingZONE – Blackwells bookshop.“Utterly gripping” “Keen intellect and storytelling power”, “Crisp Clear and Fun to read”All these phrases are taken from the publishers splurge, and , as usual, none of them are true. It wasn’t so gripping, but […]
Productivity improvements rely on basic efficiency increases
The pre-Budget deluge of advice for the Chancellor continues.According to productivity improvement consultancy Proudfoot Consulting, economic growth will rely on unlocking hidden productivity reserves and an end to unambitious improvement targets. Their research points to the crucial importance of basic employee efficiency. The firm says its recent study on the subject provides strong evidence that […]
UK hours and wages fare badly by European standards
Research by the Bradford and Bingley business The Marketplace shows UK workers working longer for less in real terms. Compared with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, Britain’s workers are face the highest tax bill on relatively mediocre average hourly wages. Workers in Germany top the hourly wage rate, earning £10.42 per hour – over £1 […]
Beyond work-family balance – review
Title: Beyond work-family balanceAuthors: Rhona Rapoport, Lotte Bailyn, Joyce Fletcher, Bettye Pruitt Publisher: Jossey Bass Wiley, 2002Price: £22.50, hardbackISBN: 0787957305Buy this book from the TrainingZONE – Blackwells bookshop.“Beyond work-family balance” looks beyond the surface of traditional work-life balance and considers work-personal life integration. It considers the dual agenda – gender equity and equality – by […]
Workplace disaffection threatens productivity
R and D, investment in technology, and product innovation won’t be enough to bridge Britain’s widening productivity gap unless employers address the growing disaffection of their employees, according to the Work Foundation, formerly The Industrial Society, in its founding report.“Working Capital, intangible assets and the productivity gap” reveals how employee job satisfaction has plummeted over […]
Small businesses fear implications of employment bill
A survey carried out by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has found that thousands of small firms already coping with heavy red tape burdens are concerned about the impact of the forthcoming Employment Bill, due to come into effect next year. Provisions of the Bill include the removal of the exemption which currently […]
Keeping well at work – review
Title: Keeping well at work.Author: Philip PearsonPublisher: A TUC guide, Kogan Page, 2001ISBN: 0749435755Price: GBP 8.99Buy this book from the TrainingZONE – Blackwells bookshop.I did like this book. Read from start to finish it provides a comprehensive layman’s guide to Health and Safety for “white collar” workers, including shop staff and call centre staff.It is […]
Race discrimination blocks careers
According to a survey by She Magazine and the Commission for Racial Equality, two in three British women believe race can limit career choice and career progression. Other findings include:– Only one in four women are in favour of positive discrimination at work – more on grounds of age than race.– Only 50 per cent […]
Employees reluctant to disclose experience of mental health problems at work
The Mental Health Foundation has released research suggesting that only one in three people with experience of mental health problems feel confident in disclosing this on job application forms. However, many of those who have succeeded in finding employment are pleasantly surprised with the support and attitudes of employers and colleagues when they do “come […]
Stepstone database up for sale
Liquidators from BDO Stoy Hayward are to sell the 170,000-strong CV database of Stepstone, the online recruiter that hit the rocks last year.The firm has appointed an agency to sell the data, which comes on two CDs. Customer details, including email addresses, are part of the package. The offer has raised concerns over data protection, […]
Train chaos could lead to worker exodus from capital
The high cost of purchasing property in London has been well documented as one of the reasons for ‘key workers’ such as teachers and nurses leaving the capital, but a new survey finds that the stress of travelling by rail has led many commuters to consider relocating too.The survey, undertaken by culture change specialists Managing […]
Equality directive ‘threatens jobs’ for gays, lesbians and single parents
The Independent reports on a potential loophole within the forthcoming EC Employment and Race Directives, which could, it says, lead to those working for organisations with an outlook that conflicts with their own personal life being dismissed from their jobs.The legislation, due to come to parliament later this year, requires EU member states to introduce […]
Survey finds 40 per cent would fail to notify DTI of redundancies
The Financial Times reports that a soon-to-be-published survey reveals a worrying level of ignorance about the legal procedures involved with restructuring within organisations.The survey of FTSE-500 companies, commissioned by law firm Taylor Joynson Garrett and In-House Lawyer magazine, found that despite it being a criminal offence not to notify the DTI of the intention to […]
Does your company have ‘ghost workers’?
A Financial Times article highlights the financial impact of failing to remove permissions to access computer systems and other company perks when staff leave.Writing for the paper, Jane Bird warns that it’s easy to forget to cancel health insurance or credit cards or to ask for laptop computers and other equipment to be returned when […]
