European employment law blocks M&S redundancy plans
A Paris High Court has blocked Marks and Spencer’s planned closure of 18 French stores, citing violations of European employment law requiring extensive staff consultation before redundancy announcements. The decision highlights the stricter labor protections in France compared to the UK, where consultation can occur simultaneously with formal closure announcements.
Extreme monitoring and lack of breaks top TUC call centre complaints
Call centre workers report excessive supervisor monitoring and inadequate rest breaks as their top workplace concerns, according to a TUC investigation. The report found one in four workers complained about extreme monitoring, including toilet breaks, while 15.5% said they weren’t given adequate breaks despite working long shifts.
The Promise And Betrayal Of Modern Work
Joanne Ciulla explores how work shifted from a means of survival to a source of identity and meaning, then examines the broken social contract when mass layoffs shattered employee loyalty in the 1990s. Her book traces this historical arc from ancient times to modern corporate culture.
Stakeholder pensions available from today!
Stakeholder pensions launched today as a low-cost, flexible pension option for moderate and higher earners. These schemes are capped at 1% annual charges, accept contributions from as little as £20, and allow penalty-free transfers, providing more retirement savings options for working people.
Tessa Blackstone welcomes graduate employment news
Education Minister Tessa Blackstone welcomed new employment data showing graduates remain highly sought after by employers. The Higher Education Funding Council for England published the first university employment rates to help prospective students choose courses, though Blackstone highlighted concerns about significantly lower employment rates among ethnic minority graduates.
UK graduates have the best employment prospects in Europe
UK graduates have the best employment prospects in Europe, with 83% finding work within three years compared to 77% across the rest of Europe. However, employment rates vary significantly by ethnicity, and graduate employment prospects remain substantially higher than those for non-graduates.
Health and Safety centre is set to cut red tape
The Health and Safety Executive launches a new unified incident-reporting centre to streamline workplace accident notifications across the UK. The service offers employers multiple reporting methods and aims to reduce administrative burden while improving compliance with mandatory reporting requirements.
Government pins hopes on new names giving services a lift
The UK government announced two new welfare service brands: Jobcentre Plus will combine employment and benefit services for working-age people, while The Pension Service will provide streamlined support for pensioners. Both services aim to offer integrated, accessible help through high streets, telephone, post, and internet.
Alistair Darling: New measures to help jobless
Alistair Darling introduced new work incentives to help jobless people return to employment, including the fast-tracked “Rapid Reclaim” scheme launching in October. Additional measures include a £100 job grant for benefit claimants over 25 and continued mortgage or rent support after starting work.
CPD RECORDING SOFTWARE
Seek recommendations and information about Dovetail Software and Rebus Software for CPD recording needs. Both platforms help professionals track continuing professional development activities and documentation.
United we fall!
United Airlines’ employee ownership scheme, once heralded as a management success story, is now in crisis with falling revenues, threatened strikes, and a five-year low share price—raising questions about whether worker shareholding actually improves employee performance and engagement.
Acas helplines get the thumbs up!
Acas telephone helplines achieved a 95% satisfaction rate among users, with 98% saying they would use the service again, according to a recent survey. The helplines answer over 750,000 calls annually on employment issues including pay, discipline, dismissal, and redundancy rights.
Recruitment Exercises
Learn about prioritizing exercises used in recruitment processes. This guide helps hiring managers select and implement effective recruitment exercises to evaluate candidate competencies and job readiness during the hiring process.
Financial Services Authority shows the friendly face of regulation in new web pages
The Financial Services Authority launches new consumer web pages offering impartial financial guidance, interactive quizzes, and budgeting tools to help people manage borrowing, save for emergencies, and plan for major life events without the complexity.
EMPLOYEE PAY COSTS
UK, French, and German employers face significant employment costs beyond base wages, including national insurance contributions, payroll taxes, and statutory benefits. Understanding these additional costs is essential for budgeting and demonstrating total compensation expenses to foreign parent companies.
Half a million illegal child workers in the UK
Nearly half a million schoolchildren in the UK are working illegally, according to a TUC/MORI survey. The study found that one in four children under 13 do paid work, which is against the law, while over 100,000 skip school to work.
Blair calls for stronger public sector leadership
Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for stronger public sector leadership, welcoming research that identifies the need to improve recruitment, retention, and development of leaders across hospitals, schools, and local authorities to deliver more modern and efficient services.
‘We’ll keep you on file’
Explore whether being kept on file by employers actually leads to job opportunities, and understand the legal requirements around CV retention in recruitment processes.
Workshop report: Bullying in the Workplace
A workshop discussion on workplace bullying explores systemic issues including inadequate harassment policies, defensive company responses, and flawed investigation procedures. Participants examine how poor workplace culture, high staff turnover, and conflicts of interest in complaint handling undermine efforts to address bullying effectively.
Today is ……
Today is National Joe Day, an unofficial holiday celebrating anyone unhappy with their name who gets to be called Joe for the day. The post humorously highlights various quirky observances coming up this week, including Something On A Stick Day and Festival Of Smoke and Mirrors Day.
