Talk to your talent today about their tomorrow

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Growing economies create more job opportunities. Your talent will be feeling more confident, and more focused on their development than ever, so if you’re not actively engaging with them about the ways they can develop their career with you, then someone else soon will.  This is particularly true when it comes to your Generation Y […]

How to get your employees excited about pensions

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Despite the government’s recent pensions reforms, including the introduction of auto-enrolment and the 2014 Budget changes to abolish annuities, 41% of employees still don’t understand retirement planning according to a recent report, Flexibility in Retirement – planning for change. The report, authored by former government advisor Ros Altmann, found that just 24% of working adults […]

‘Mid-life pay crisis’ hits female bosses as pay gap widens

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Female managers are still being paid 35% less than their male counterparts, meaning they would have to work 14 years longer to equal men’s total career earnings, new research has found. The report, by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR, revealed that female executives over the age of 40 are being hit hardest by […]

Auto-enrolment reaches four million mark

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Over four million workers have now been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension, The Pensions Regulator has claimed. The figure represents an increase of over one million this year or an average of around 6,000 a day, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). More than 21,000 employers have now completed their ‘declaration […]

‘Dinosaur’ employers reluctant to hire working mums

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Nearly 40% of managers avoid employing working mothers for fear they won’t perform as well as their male colleagues, new research has found. A survey of 500 managers by law firm Slater & Gordon has revealed that nearly half of bosses would resist recruiting a mother for a senior role, with 38% hesitant about hiring […]

More than half of companies have no e-cigarette policy

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Over half (58%) of UK businesses haven’t introduced a policy on the use of e-cigarettes, with 53% unconcerned over ‘vaping’ among staff. This is according to a new survey from employee health risk company PMI Health Group. How many people 'vape' in the UK? The total number of e-cigarette smokers in the UK has climbed […]

Capability and confidence in men and women

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Capability and confidence are two critical areas where men and women behave differently. What each gender needs to sustain confidence is distinct from the other and this is not an issue of personality, it comes down to fundamental differences in neurobiology. Work cultures are more naturally geared to supporting male confidence building and therefore senior […]

The business benefits of a diverse workforce

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Tackling workplace barriers This year two reports have been published, highlighting major inequalities in how women and ethnic minorities are progressing in the UK’s workplaces. Race for Opportunity’s ‘Race at the Top’ found a widening leadership gap between Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people and their white counterparts when it came to securing their […]

What do Generation Y really want?

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Generation Y, or those aged 30 and below, have grown up in an environment unlike any before them. They have been raised in a world of technology, where they have been more educated than any previous generation. As such, they come to the workplace with different wants and needs than their predecessors: different things motivate […]

Working women and the industry divide

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The issue of the gender gap, particularly in the workplace, has long been a topic of debate. Despite significant advances in gender equality over the past few decades, men and women are still not being treated equally in terms of their experiences at work, including pay and career progression. However, our latest research – which […]

Why do women take more sick leave than men – and what can we do about it?

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This article is part of our in-depth content series on women in the workplace – take a look at the full list of articles today and increase your knowledge of a range of issues relating to women in the workplace, including sickness absence, impostor syndrome and mental health. Last year, a study by Octopus HR found that women take […]

Female power and utilities executives ‘have no voice’

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Only 4% of executive board positions in the world’s largest power and utilities (P&U) companies are held by women, according to a new report. The research, published by professional services firm EY, found that this lack of diversity is damaging business performance and leaving female executives struggling to be heard. “Diverse boards deliver for companies; […]

Are you part of the culture club?

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The might of globalisation How big is Planet Earth? A quick Google search will tell you that it’s the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, with a radius of 6,371km and a surface area of 510,072,000 km². And yet, despite the almost incomprehensible size and volume of the planet we live on, […]

Can we please stop blaming women for diversity problems?

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Why is it always assumed that gender diversity is all about women? Too often female under-representation in senior positions is blamed on motherhood, women shying from responsibility and failing to behave like men. It’s time to stop blaming supposed ‘women issues’ for the lack of diversity in business. The solution does not lie in asking […]

Diversity and recruitment – a necessity for the modern organisation

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For any HR professional or hiring manager, the recruitment process can sometimes appear time-consuming, but in fact it is incredibly simple. When on a journey to find the right talent for your business, it is essential that you find the best person for the job, someone who can contribute positively and add value to your […]

Gender bias in HR recognition programmes

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Recognition is a key tool for driving engagement and can range from a simple ‘thank you’ to a large financial bonus. However if it is to be effective, HR teams need to understand what drives behaviours and align these with the desired organisational goals. Compelling evidence exists that points to clear differences between how men […]

Interview: Gerry Wyatt, Operations Director, graduate-jobs.com

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1. What are today’s graduates looking for from modern employers? To be honest, I don’t think the fundamentals of what the majority of graduates are looking for have changed all that much over the years. They’re eager to start their career and discover the working world, and the typical graduate is looking to do so […]

Case study: diversity and dignity at Airbus

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Airbus manufactures commercial aeroplanes and operates from sites across Europe; aircraft wings are manufactured in the UK. The organisation is complex, incorporating transnational reporting lines. The company is two years into an ongoing initiative with UK HR and employment law firm Vista to deliver a Dignity at Work and Diversity programme that is proving successful […]

Why reward is so important for ‘Best Companies’

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As the Sunday Times publishes the 2014 showcase of ‘best companies to work for’, there is no doubt that engagement is good for employees, good for business and good for the economy.  A read of the rigorous research outlined in ‘The Evidence’ [PDF, 1.1mb] paper from the Employee Engagement Task Force will confirm the link […]

Mental health in women – greater incidence or more likely to report problems?

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“Mental health is inextricably linked to our status in society.” New figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre suggest that women – and especially those under 50 – are the group at the greatest risk of suffering from mental health problems. But is this a case of greater reporting of problems by women, […]