Family Business
Many well-known corporations are family businesses, from Ford Motor and BMW to Mars and C&A. While some family-run companies like Mars maintain strict privacy, others such as Ford actively shape their firms’ direction. Family ownership remains surprisingly common in industries like automotive manufacturing.
Basic skills for adults with learning difficulties or disabilities
The Freedom to Learn Report outlines ten recommendations to help adults with learning difficulties or disabilities improve literacy and numeracy skills. A national conference and regional seminars introduce new curriculum frameworks designed to make learning accessible to all learners.
Ufi and NTOs join forces on workforce development
Ufi and the National Training Organisation National Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on workforce development and address skills shortages affecting six million UK adults without formal qualifications. The partnership aims to improve access to training information, develop learning materials, and align national qualifications with employers’ sector-specific needs.
Managers as communicators
Line managers are essential communicators who can bridge the gap between central management and frontline staff. They’re the preferred information source for employees and uniquely positioned to facilitate two-way communication, add credibility, and ensure messages reach all parts of the organization. However, they often fail as communicators due to lack of time, skills, or organizational barriers.
Employers Handbook: What it should contain
An employer’s handbook should clearly outline workplace policies and procedures. This guide explains essential contents and directs you to downloadable templates and resources for creating comprehensive employee handbooks.
Oops! The National Record of Achievement Team seem a little behind
The National Record of Achievement team has launched a new website allowing users to download NRA templates and logos. However, NRA folders will no longer be supplied free of charge, and telephone orders will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
The real cost of training
Advanced modern apprenticeships cost between £28,100 and £51,500 depending on the field, with expenses driven primarily by one-to-one training support and infrastructure costs. A report by JM Consulting reveals these figures for private sector training, with findings potentially applicable to public sector and college programs.
Erasing the rubber health risk
Over 100,000 NHS staff face life-threatening latex allergies that could be prevented by switching to alternative gloves. The TUC warns that safer, non-latex options exist but hospitals continue using cheaper latex gloves despite the significant health risks to workers and patients.
Rubber Banned – case studies
These case studies document healthcare workers who developed serious latex allergies through workplace exposure, including a practice nurse, radiographer, and chiropodist. The TUC publication highlights how latex allergies can be career-ending and potentially fatal, while advocating for latex-free alternatives that don’t significantly cost more.
Does the answer to city parking rest in Shamanic meditation?
Edinburgh’s parking enforcement officers, known as “blue meanies,” are receiving stress management training including shamanic meditation after facing abuse and death threats. APCOA Parking is investing £3,000 in a year-long course to support staff dealing with the pressures of the role.
Breaking the cycle of low self-esteem
Low self-esteem can trap people in cycles of negativity and depression. MIND’s resource guide explains how to recognize low self-esteem and offers practical strategies including self-help techniques, counseling, and expressive arts to help break these patterns and improve self-perception.
Money for bullying crackdown and work-life balance development and training
The UK government is offering £1.5 million from the Partnership at Work Fund to help companies tackle bullying and improve work-life balance through training and development programs. The funding supports organizations aiming to create better internal relationships and family-friendly policies.
Unions and business leaders agree thousands of jobs are at risk
Unions and business leaders agree thousands of manufacturing jobs are at risk as Britain’s manufacturing sector officially enters recession, though they differ sharply on the scale—unions claim 250,000 jobs threatened compared to the CBI’s estimate of 29,000 by summer’s end.
Corporate manslaughter verdict
English Brothers Ltd. was convicted of corporate manslaughter and health and safety breaches after foreman Bill Larkman died falling through fragile roofing material in 1999. The Wisbech construction company was fined £30,000, sending a warning to the industry about strict safety responsibilities.
Raise the profile of your T&D function with an ‘internal identity’
Training and development departments waste investment if their offerings remain unknown. Building a strong internal identity through consistent visual and verbal branding—including names, design styles, key messages, and logos—increases visibility and perceived value, helping T&D compete for attention and recognition within organizations.
No brave new world for home teleworking
Despite predictions of a work-from-home revolution, a TUC report finds teleworking has failed to materialize widely. Instead, home computers are primarily used by stressed executives taking work home, while UK employees work Europe’s longest hours with minimal employer flexibility or trust.
What to do when your staff miss deadlines
Counterintuitive management theory suggests tightening rather than extending deadlines for consistently late staff. Harvard Business School professor Robert Austin argues that nearly impossible deadlines keep workers focused and discourage dangerous shortcuts, making missed deadlines preferable to quality-compromising workarounds.
What do you do in your five minute mini-breaks?
Teleworkers often skip vital breaks while focused on tasks, but taking five-minute breaks can boost mental clarity and productivity. Learn how professionals use mini-breaks to refresh their minds, from family interruptions to flight simulators.
Training 1.5 million employees – a logistical challenge
McDonald’s is implementing an e-learning program with DigitalThink to train its 1.5 million employees across 28,000 outlets in 120 countries. The pilot, launching in five countries and languages, will deliver standardized training on operations, food safety, and service using on-demand, web-based learning modules.
HOT PRESS! Bank rates reduced…. European rates remain unchanged
The Bank of England has reduced interest rates by 0.25% to 5%, citing weaker global economic activity and sterling strength pressuring UK exporters. The European Central Bank kept its rates unchanged at 4.50%, 5.50%, and 3.50% respectively.
