Npower receives shock from disabled customer
Disabled woman Valerie Dexter won £850 compensation after npower required her neighbour to countersign her gas and electricity contract without permission. The utility company’s policy of requiring disabled and older customers to have contracts countersigned was ruled discriminatory and unlawful by Swindon County Court.
Retaining High-Flyers
Retaining high performers requires more than competitive pay. Research shows employees join companies for salary and challenging work, but stay for personal development, work culture, and feeling valued as individuals. Employers can improve retention through better hiring practices, aligned development programs, and compensation packages that support work-life balance.
Surviving redundancy
When redundancies loom, businesses face more than financial challenges—organizational dysfunction spreads as fear triggers defensive behavior, siloed departments, and short-term thinking. Clear, regular communication and protecting managerial loyalty are essential to maintaining performance and morale during economic downturns.
FE Colleges face biggest strike in a decade
Further Education lecturers in the UK are striking Tuesday over pay disparities, marking the sector’s biggest industrial action in over a decade. College lecturers earn significantly less than schoolteachers despite increased workloads and student numbers, with most employed on insecure part-time contracts.
Discrimination awareness – use of Videos
A Class Divided video demonstrates how easily discrimination develops through a teacher’s 1960s experiment separating children by eye color. The post explores whether educators use this discrimination awareness tool and what feedback they receive from training sessions.
CBI rejects TUC claim over EU redundancy protection
The CBI has rejected the TUC’s claims that a proposed EU directive would improve redundancy consultation, arguing it would unnecessarily strengthen union influence over management decisions and duplicate existing UK protections. CBI leaders say imposing uniform EU standards across different countries with distinct workplace traditions is inappropriate and impractical.
Charles Handy: Humane Management
Charles Handy, Europe’s preeminent business thinker, distinguishes between “human management” and “human resource management,” arguing the latter belongs to an obsolete corporate model. He explains how modern business divides into “elephants” (large, bureaucratic corporations) and “fleas” (agile, creative contractors), requiring organizations to prioritize flexibility and effectiveness over traditional efficiency.
Please help me find new “exciting” icebreakers/energisers
Looking for engaging icebreakers and energizers for training programs? This post seeks recommendations for activities to start or refresh courses, plus suggestions for websites offering ready-made ideas for facilitators.
50,000 in workplace training revolution
Trade union learning reps have encouraged almost 50,000 workers to pursue workplace training, with government plans potentially expanding this to reach half a million employees by the decade’s end through statutory legal protections for learning representatives roles.
Government advisory and online services index
A comprehensive index of UK government advisory services and online resources covering employment, pensions, benefits, taxation, and workplace support for employers and individuals.
Specialist Zones
Specialist Zones are dedicated site areas covering essential topics including e-learning, IT, recruitment resources, and taxation. Find focused guidance on training, software updates, recruiter tools, and tax matters across these organized resource centers.
Dilbert: Excuse Me While I Wag
Scott Adams’ latest Dilbert collection, “Excuse Me While I Wag,” offers satirical business advice on inept management, absurd mission statements, and avoiding meetings. Priced at £5.99, this humorous guide reveals why common sense fails in corporate environments and why incompetent bosses survive in consultant-run companies.
E-mail your way to the top!
E-mail communication reveals much about career prospects, according to management research. Top executives often use poor grammar and spelling, while carefully crafted messages signal middle-management status. Learning to use e-mail effectively is essential for climbing the corporate ladder.
Transferrable and Mature skills are being overlooked by employers
Many workers avoid career changes due to employer reluctance to recognize transferable skills, with mature talent often overlooked unless applicants have nearly identical previous roles.
CBI Manifesto: Make Lifelong Learning a Priority
The CBI’s Manifesto for Business urges the next government to prioritize lifelong learning and strengthen business-education links to boost UK workforce skills. The organization argues that improving literacy and numeracy is essential to raising worker productivity and competitiveness against international counterparts.
Menopausal? Are you positive?
Dr. Christiane Northrup explores menopause as a transformative life stage for baby-boom women, describing it as a period of physical rebirth and intellectual awakening that can bring renewed social advocacy and creative energy. Her book, The Wisdom of Menopause, addresses the experiences of millions of women entering this significant transition.
Who says that the government doesn’t listen?
Government ministers appear to be listening to HR Zone’s advocacy, with recent announcements on financial rewards for basic skills training and plans for a new Working Age Ministry that would consolidate employment-related departments to reduce bureaucratic complexity.
Mind your language!
US companies are increasingly implementing workplace policies banning swearing and inappropriate language, citing sexual harassment concerns and legal risks. This trend is expected to spread to the UK, though disability rights experts anticipate legal challenges from employees with Tourette’s syndrome.
Survey shows top executives are unhappy with pensions earning cap
A survey of major employers reveals that 62% of senior executives raise pension earnings caps during recruitment interviews, with concern rising to 83% among board directors. Most employers have adopted compensation strategies, with funded unapproved retirement benefits schemes remaining the most popular solution at 34% of respondents.
Negotiations on pay and industrial relations in higher education
After marathon negotiations concluding in May, higher education unions and employers have reached a significant agreement on pay through July 2002 and proposals for a new National Joint Committee, with member consultations underway before further talks in June.
