DTI Minister reserves seat for personnel managers in boardroom
Addressing the CIPD/JSB’s annual employment law conference yesterday, Alan Johnson, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Employment Relations Minister, calls for people management issues to be given greater priority in the boardroom. Johnson says, “We need to see managers at all levels putting people first and get people issues into the boardroom. It is critical […]
Low Earners to be taxed as ‘Higher Paid’
New Labour has backed itself into an absurd corner over low pay and ‘benefits in kind’ rules, according to a top regional accountant. If they take home the company car or van that they use for their work, many of those relying on the recently announced rate of National Minimum Wage will cross the ‘benefits […]
Opra’s 5th Annual Report
The fifth Annual Report of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (Opra) was published yesterday.In 2000/2001, Opra received more than 43,000 enquiries; opened 10,000 new cases; and brought over 12,000 cases to a satisfactory conclusion, including some carried across from previous years.In April 2000, Opra’s two largest categories of case became civil offences – late payment […]
Morris announces over £1 million for new Union Learning Fund projects
A raft of new projects to boost learning at work got the go-ahead from Education and Skills Secretary Estelle Morris yesterday.Lorry drivers, who will be offered flexible learning which reflects their shift patterns, and bakers who need to brush up on their basic skills are just two groups of workers who will benefit from the […]
Limit unapproved share option NIC liabilities warn accountants
Unwary employers who granted Unapproved Share Options to their employees after 6th April 1999 are liable for National Insurance Contributions on the increasing value of the options, warns Clive Gawthorpe, a partner at the Manchester office of national accountancy group Hacker Young. The increase in the value of the options will be calculated from the […]
DfWP Statistical Summary June 2001
Coverage: Great BritainTheme: Social and WelfareAt August 2000: 2.7 million children (20%) were living in families claiming a key benefit. This number was 175 thousand fewer than 2 years earlier. 60% of them had been on benefit for at least two years.Population of Working AgeAt November 2000: Just under 5.0 million people of working age […]
ACAS takes on Race Relations and Equality
Following the Cabinet Office announcement RREAS (the Race Relations Employment Advisory Service) and Equality Direct (the telephone helpline for employers on equality issues in the workplace) will join Acas, the employment relations service.Acas Chief Executive John Taylor said, “This is a welcome move as it will strengthen our expertise in this very important area of […]
Review of Payroll Services
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, announced on the 18 June that businessman Patrick Carter is to review the market for payroll services to small enterprises in the UK and to report back by 30th September. The aim of the review is to identify ways of reducing the total cost to business and the […]
Well, that’s cleared that up Mr Prescott!
Over recent weeks there has been a little lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities within the Government, with some of HR Zone’s members particularly asking about equality issues, equal opps, disability issues and women’s issues.We know that government offices watch both HR Zone and TrainingZONE closely and have therefore not been surprised at the […]
Hewitt announces plans for regional targets for new businesses, job opportunities and skills
More freedom on how they use their money will help Development Agencies tackle inequalities within as well as between regions In order to ensure that every region makes progress on a range of outcome targets, England’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are to agree specific milestones on the creation and attraction of new businesses, increasing employment […]
Industrial Society: Cut absenteeism by being more flexible
The Industrial Society says that flexible annual leave and working hours, along with the ability to work from home, can all help to cut down on the number of days taken off by employees. The research which led to the Industrial Society's report results from a survey of 300 firms. The results indicated that where […]
Matching refugee skills to shortages
As Personnel Today launches a new campaign to persuade the government to make it easier for employers to recruit refugees, they are reporting on initiatives being taken to carry out skills audits on people seeking asylum.In Glasgow, the city council is carrying out an audit on refugees and asylum seekers in the city to ‘make […]
If you’ve gotta go, go now!
Exit strategies affect politicians just as much – if not more – than it does businesses and senior employees. This week’s FTdynamo article compares how well thought out exit strategies of past people at the top have worked out.As UK Prime Minister Tony Blair contemplates his second term in office he may also be thinking […]
SAS style attack was part of team-building exercise
Former SAS soldiers faked the kidnap of a senior partner in an accountancy firm while shocked colleagues watched in horror, reports today’s Daily Mirror.The ‘kidnapping’ at the Celtic Manor Hotel at Newport, South Wales, was all part of a team-building exercise organised by Pilgrim Resources from the SAS’s home city of Hereford.Company executives of the […]
AS Exams to be cut after ‘shambles’ earlier this year
Ministers are to ‘cut significantly’ the number of exams that sixth form pupils take in their first year of sixth form studies. The move comes as the initial inquiry results come out from David Hargreaves of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Estelle Morris, Minister for Education and Skills, asked Hargreaves to investigate the number of […]
Teacher Training hits a record high
More than 1,100 people will take up places on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) – working as unqualified teachers while they follow individual training programme – in September, the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) announced today.The sharpest rise has been in the key secondary shortage subjects of maths, science, technology, modern languages and English, with 510 […]
If learning is such a high priority for the government, then why….
HR Zone’s Editor says: If learning is such a high priority for the government, then why don’t we have a Department for Learning?Ok, so it may be a little bit of nit-picking on my part, but anyone who read ‘View from the Hill‘ in last week’s HR Briefing may understand my confusion over the naming […]
NVQ Level 5 Strategic Management
Thursday 12th I will need to present on my strategy (KM) and enter discussion on my chosen subject (performance management. Those attending will be from examining board, university profs, NVQ Assessors and my company’s senior execs. Has anyone been through this who could give me some tips? Presentation, types of questions asked etc to assist […]
Employer Branding: The latest fad?
For those of you able to access the New York Times website (great site once you’re registered), a recent article on Brand Loyalty Among Employees extols the virtues of using brand loyalty as a means of retaining employees in times of recruitment difficulties.To quote the article Instead, many companies are undertaking large-scale campaigns to identify […]
Confidence really does work!
A ground breaking pilot scheme at the Institute of Psychiatry has produced evidence that suggests ‘self-confidence’ is not only the key to success it is one of the main keys to fighting depression and anxiety.June Brown presented the results of a study aimed at increasing self-confidence at the 29th Annual Conference of the British Association […]
