Early retirement isn’t the future
New research by Professor Richard Blundell of the Institute of Fiscal Studies suggests that the trend towards early retirement won’t continue. Through the 1980s and early 1990s, financial incentives encouraged more people to retire early, but recent changes to public and private pension schemes will make it more difficult for the vast majority of men […]
Further Education Policy
We currently pay course fees for staff who do further education courses either professional qualifications or home study. We contribute 50% of the course fees and the beginning of the course and the re-imburse the student the remaining 50% once they have passed the qualification. I am looking to develop a policy whereby staff who […]
Manufacturing firms cut training in the face of falling profits
The latest Regional Trends Survey from the CBI and Business Strategies shows orders falling over the past four months in all parts of the UK, except Northern Ireland. Firms expect orders to fall further over the next four months, except in the East of England and the South East, where a small increase is anticipated, […]
Online recruitment and psychometric testing becoming common
A new report from GTI gives an insight into current recruitment procedures. It is based on graduate recruitment in engineering, IT, City and finance, law (solicitors and barristers) and the built environment over the last three years. Main findings– selection procedure have become more complex and lengthy with the increase of testing, presentations and case […]
Jobseekers go for ethical companies
A new survey by Axiom Software suggests more than three quarters (79%) of today’s graduates wouldn’t work for a company that has a poor ethical record. Just over half would still be selective in a difficult economic environment, and a similar number would take an ideal job over a higher paying job despite the fact […]
Pressure grows to end long hours culture
The TUC publishes a report today identifying the UK’s failure to meet the European Working Time Directive. Tomorrow (Tuesday 5th February) the trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt is expected to commit the government to changing this pattern. Currently the UK has an opt-out from the European directive, but the TUC is advising the governement […]
Will you get the day off work for the Jubilee on June 4th?
The Jubilee year has started quietly, but Robin Cook has done his best to encourage public enthusiasm, by promoting June 4th as an extra day of paid holiday. He was prompted by Labour MP Peter Pike during questions in the commons, who said that “many mean-minded employers have no intention to pay their hourly-paid workers […]
Board members not in touch with HR
The CIPD’s latest research, Voices from the Boadroom, suggests that companies’ boards aren’t aware that better people management delivers bottom line improvements and can even have more impact than R&D. The research was compiled from interviews with 48 board level managers in 16 public and private sector organisations, including cheif executives and HR directors.The respondents […]
Employee self-service systems – Softworld preview
Mary Sue Rogers, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be giving a seminar on Employee self-service – redressing the balance between employee and employer at at Softworld. TrainingZone spoke to her about what her seminar will cover, and about the implications of establishing B2E systems.Mary Sue Rogers I will be looking at what B2E systems are, […]
Lack of trust in the workplace holds back productivity
Internal office relationships may be the most dysfunctional part of business life according to a survey by Roffey Park, the executive education and research organisation. The report, the Management Agenda 2002, was produced from a survey of 400 managers, and examines issues relating to structural change, reduced workforces, managerial motivation and loyalty, careers, rewards, political […]
Women still underpaid and under-represented in management
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show women working full-time in 2001 earned 18.5% less per hour than men working full-time, compared with 18.9% in 2000. The gap between women part-time workers’ hourly earnings and men full-time workers’ hourly earnings increased from 40.2% in 2000 to 41.3% in 2001. The Equal Opportunities Commission has […]
Softworld Preview – seminars
A look at the breakfast briefings and masterclasses avaiable at Softworld. Day One, Thursday 6th February Breakfast Briefing BB1 09.00 – 09.45Selecting the right HR and Payroll system for your organisation– Determining your requirements– Common mistakes – How to avoid them!– A look at the latest market trends– How to ensure you select the right […]
HR legislation and software – masterclass preview
Adrian Hobbs introduces some recent legislative changes and their implications for HR records and reporting. Adrian will be providng some guidance through these in his masterclass seminar at Softworld. April 2002 sees a radical change in the way company cars are taxed in the UK. A large number of employees are unaware or unsure of […]
B2E: the next frontier for HR – Softworld feature
Steve Foster, Director, KPMG Consulting will be leading the first Breakfast Briefing at Softword (Day one 09.00 – 09.45) on Selecting the right HR and Payroll system for your organisation. Here he considers the future of HR technology. HRMS, e-HR and B2E As you wander around the Softworld exhibition, you will doubtless see some very […]
What’s wrong with the HR/Personnel profession? – Opinion
What’s wrong with the HR/Personnel profession? – an outsider’s, now insider’s, view. Contributed by Malcolm Finney of Management Dynamics “HR seen as inefficient at managing information” announces HRZone quoting some findings of Cognos in a recent business survey. Now I must confess to not having read the findings of the survey quoted but am not […]
Company car drivers are accident-prone and ignorant!
The RAC’s Report on Motoring: Going too fast, going too slow? reveals, among other findings, that company car drivers are the most accident-prone group, and that they are ignorant of tax changes relating to driving. The report compares drivers’ perceptions of risks, conditions and costs, with statistics. The highlights are presented below, provided by the […]
‘Employment by God’ limits clergy’s rights to appeal
Ray Owen is seeking to appeal against his sacking from the post of rector of the parish of Hanley. The trouble is, Church of England clergy are designated as employed by God, and only as holders of office within the church. This leaves them without the same rights to tribunals as other employees. Mr Owen […]
Warning to companies to improve on workplace partnerships
The CIPD is warning employers that they need to stay up to date with recent legislation in the area of union recognition and industrial relations.Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser, “Employers have too much at stake to remain unaware of the rules affecting trade union activity. The costs of industrial action, in terms of output, productivity […]
HR seen as inefficient at managing information
According to a survey of 100 medium-to-large companies by business intelligence specialists Cognos, 81% of UK businesses make crucial decisions with “inadequate data”. An even higher proportion rated improving sdata-handling as their top priority. Only 9% named data security as the greatest immediate concern.HR was considered particularly at fault, with nearly half of respondents rating […]
Feelings about workspaces affect productivity
Workspaces have a significant effect on productivity, but while offices have changed enormously in other respects, attitudes to the physical working environment need updating. This is the message of a new report from Futures at The Industrial Society, “The state of the office: The politics and geography of working space”.Open plan space for most staff […]
