360-degrees feedback in practice
360-degree feedback systems help organizations assess employee performance from multiple perspectives, including managers, peers, and direct reports. This research explores the acceptability and applicability of these programs in Malaysian organizations, seeking expert insights to benchmark findings against established practices.
Get fell in and get selling you ’orrible lot!
Centrefile conducted a 36-hour team-building program at the Army’s Infantry Training Centre in Catterick for 60 sales executives and managers in January 2001. Participants underwent military-style exercises including night orienteering, shooting, abseiling, and obstacle courses designed to build team spirit, confidence, and a “can do” attitude among road-based staff.
Loophole allows Home Office to reject blind solicitor
A legal loophole allowed the Home Office to deny a blind solicitor, Andrew Kamoza, a guaranteed interview for an asylum adjudicator position despite Disability Discrimination Act protections. The Disability Rights Commission is calling on the Home Secretary to close this loophole and ensure disabled people have equal employment opportunities.
Pay deal reached for BMW at Cowley
BMW workers at the Cowley plant in Oxfordshire have voted to accept a new two-year pay deal that is expected to make them the highest-paid car workers in the UK. The settlement comes after workers rejected a previous offer just two weeks earlier.
Sunderland heaves a sigh of relief
Nissan confirmed plans to build its new Micra model at its Sunderland plant, securing 500 new jobs and the future of 5,000 existing workers. The decision includes a £235 million investment and increased annual production from 330,000 to 500,000 cars.
Women are still way behind men in European paystakes
Women in the EU earn significantly less than men, with a gender pay gap of 17% in hourly wages. The gap widens in the private sector and varies by industry, while childcare responsibilities disproportionately affect women’s workforce participation.
Everything changed during maternity leave
A Glasgow employment tribunal heard how an administration manager at First National Bank returned from maternity leave to discover her desk reassigned, her role restructured, and her personal belongings moved to a cupboard without notice, prompting claims of sex discrimination and constructive dismissal.
Appraisals – Definitions of Grades
This appraisal system uses five grade levels (A-E) to evaluate employee performance, ranging from exceeding objectives at the highest level to failing to meet most objectives at the lowest. The grades provide a structured framework for assessing whether employees have fulfilled their agreed objectives and identifying areas needing improvement.
New and re-designed HR related websites
Several HR-related websites have recently launched or undergone redesigns, including HSEdirect, the TUC site, the Partnership Institute, SHRM, and the Involvement and Participation Association’s Partnership at Work portal. Early reports indicate some initial technical issues with these new sites.
Workshop report: Service standards and recruitment agencies
This workshop report examines service standards in recruitment agencies, exploring inconsistencies in how they treat job applicants and clients. Participants discuss whether agencies prioritize quantity over quality placements and suggest that stronger client relationships and quality-focused recruitment practices could improve overall service standards.
Learning the Rules of the Business Game
Business is a game with profit and loss instead of runs and goals, according to Jack Stack’s management training program. The Great Game of Business teaches employees to read financial accounts and understand their impact on company performance through open-book management and individual scorecards.
Telegraph Feature – Why working today can be such a pain
Modern workplaces often overlook musculoskeletal disorders, creating legal risks for employers. The article explores how organizations can address these health issues proactively and what employees can do to prevent workplace-related injuries.
Business Week article on the benefits of recruiting disabled workers
Cisco actively recruits disabled workers, demonstrating significant business benefits. A Business Week article explores how the technology company’s disability hiring initiative creates value for both the organization and employees with disabilities.
TUC targets Call Centre bad practice
The TUC launches its “It’s your call” campaign in February to expose poor practices in UK call centres while highlighting best employers. The campaign includes a report on the industry, a freephone hotline for workers to report bad bosses, and workplace rights advice.
GMB challenges UK discrimination laws
The GMB union plans to create ethnic minority shortlists for job positions, a move it acknowledges may breach UK discrimination laws. The union argues this measure mirrors successful women-only shortlists used to increase female MPs in Parliament and aims to remove barriers ethnic minorities face in reaching senior roles.
Capability Policies
A capability policy outlines performance standards and procedures for managing employees who are unable to meet job requirements. This guide helps small and medium enterprises establish fair processes for addressing performance issues, distinguishing them from misconduct cases, and supporting employee development.
The Partnership Institute: Staff Profiles
Meet the leadership team of the TUC Partnership Institute, including Director Sarah Perman, who oversees strategic operations and partnership development. The team also includes Project Manager Véronique Duvergé, Linda Kelly (Director of the TUC National Education Centre), and Ian Borkett (Director of Consultancy and Training).
The Partnership Institute: Consultant Profiles
The Partnership Institute brings together experienced consultants specializing in organizational change, HR management, diversity, and union-management partnerships across public and private sectors.
Health, Safety and the Law for employers of under-18s
The HSE has published updated guidance for employers of under-18s on their legal duties to protect young workers from workplace hazards. The guide covers specific risks young people face, employer compliance requirements, work equipment standards, and working hour limits. This resource is essential for employers, parents, guardians and those organizing work experience.
Launch of the Partnership Institute
The TUC launches the Partnership Institute, a new consultancy led by Sarah Perman and 26 expert consultants dedicated to helping employers and unions adopt collaborative, inclusive approaches to workplace problem-solving and organizational change.
