New ‘family friendly’ legislation: Live webchat with employment minister Jo Swinson
The government is currently consulting on proposals to allow new parents to share a year’s leave, and the extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees. On Thursday 2 May at 11.30am, employment relations minister Jo Swinson will join us and our sister site BusinessZone.co.uk for an exclusive live webchat to take […]
Employment minister Jo Swinson introduces an HRZone live web chat [VIDEO]
On Thursday 2 May, employment relations minister Jo Swinson will take live questions from HRZone.co.uk members on government proposals to allow new parents to share a year’s leave, and the extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees. In the video below, the minister explains more. To take part in the web […]
Are companies meeting the needs of an ageing workforce?
This feature was written by Kevin Young, General Manager, Skillsoft EMEA It is rare for a Government initiative to be of direct relevance to almost every business in the UK. However, with recent changes to the retirement age and pension payouts, businesses need to start thinking about how they will manage an ageing workforce. By […]
Ask the Expert: what is harassment and victimisation based on religious belief?
Question: “Can anyone tell me what’s happened to the f***ing Pope?” is shouted twice across a busy newspaper editorial office by an undoubtedly stressed editor trying to hurry a story up about the Pope, at the time of his 2010 visit to the UK. The story, in the vernacular of the paper, is referred to as […]
Gender politics: woman losing out in the UK, but on top in France
UK women’s grip on positions of power in politics and public life is slipping away dramatically, claims a report. Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain? by Counting Women In, a coalition of five organisations including the Fawcett Society and Hansard Society, found damning evidence of British women losing representation across politics, the judiciary, police, media […]
UK workers set to run out of money due to lack of pension savings
UK workers are the worst in the world at saving for retirement, data from a new report into global savings shows. According to the HSBC report, “The Future of Retirement: A New Reality”, the average UK citizen will spend 19 years in retirement but with savings that will run out after just seven. In other […]
Best practice: Staying mum at Merrill Lynch
Bank of America Merrill Lynch is spearheading an innovative campaign to help stay-at-home mothers and carers get back into the workplace. The ‘Returning Talent’ programme offers practical advice to people hoping to re-enter the workplace after three or more years caring for their family. It is aiming to attract middle to senior-ranking professionals from […]
Legal: no mass sackings, but check your equality policies in the wake of gay marriage vote
With the gay marriage bill safely voted through the Commons with a massive majority, legal experts have dismissed the HR-centric scaremongering by opponents, but advise a re-examination of existing equality policies. MPs voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 400 to 175, a majority of 225. Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday’s […]
Gay marriage: will a licence to marry really be a licence to sack?
Tonight MPs in the House of Commons will vote on whether or not to make same sex marriage legal. Despite vocal opposition from some elements in the Conservative party, the vote seems certain to be passed with Labour and Liberal Democrat support. The result will be a landmark one politically and socially. But what should […]
News: Catholic Church threatens to sack teachers in gay marriages
With the UK government on track to push through same sex marriage legislation, the Catholic Church has warned that teachers entering what it calls “non-chaste” relationships outside of Church-sanctioned marriage face the sack. The guidance – contained in Christ at the Centre: Why the Church provides Catholic Schools – also says that teachers in Catholic […]
Woman crack the boardroom, but not the pay gap
More women have made it onto the board but the gender pay gap has widened, a report by Hay Group reveals. European boardrooms were still dominated by men, the global management consultancy found, with women securing only 17% of director roles. In addition, barely 2% of non-executive chairs in Europe were female. There […]
Blog: What Celebrity Bake Off demonstrates about disability
In aid of Comic Relief last week the BBC aired Celebrity Bake Off where each day four celebrities showed off their baking skills with one celebrity being judged the winner. It has been a highly entertaining programme watching the celebrities struggling with the requirements of delivering signature bakes, a technical challenge and show stopper […]
News: UK’s top gay-friendly employers unveiled
Management consultancy Accenture, housing association Gentoo and the Co-op have been named as the UK’s top three employers respectively for lesbian, gay and bi-sexual staff. Charity Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2013 rankings also recognised investment bank Goldman Sachs, which won an award for ‘Employee Group Network of the Year’. The Nationwide Building Society was […]
Three ways to make the most of your older workers
Times are changing and, henceforth, employers will need to be smarter. This is because a potentially explosive mixture of issues is starting to bubble under. Older workers now comprise a much bigger cohort than those coming up behind them. The imminent retirement of the Baby Boomer generation has been known about for years as […]
News: Older workers valued least in the workplace, reveals study
Even though older staff are considered to have a better work ethic and attitude towards working hard than other generations, they are still being subjected to age discrimination when trying to get a job. According to a survey conducted by cognitive neuroscientist and age diversity specialist, Dr Lynda Shaw, respondents believed that people over 60 […]
Three key trends in the world of work (and how to deal with them)
At a time when the pressure is on to do more with less and to keep staff motivated through potentially destabilising change, new and innovative ways of working often become necessary. In the world of HR, we often talk about innovating in terms of products and services, production processes, new strategies, new forms of partnerships […]
News: Top 10 talent trends for 2013
From the continued impact of the difficult global economic situation on HR departments to a growing focus on workforce diversity, 2013 looks set to be a dynamic and exciting year. Recruitment consultancy Futurestep, a Korn/Ferry company, outlines the top 10 trends that it expects to see in the talent management arena: 1. To outsource […]
News: Employers ‘routinely discriminate against women from ethnic minorities’
A group of MPs and peers has urged the government to take steps to improve equality in employment procedures after it was revealed that many employers routinely discriminate against women from ethnic minorities. A report produced by the Runnymede Trust for the all-party parliamentary group on race and community found that females belonging to ethnic […]
The emerging discipline of workforce planning
The job of managing the workforce is growing in complexity. At one end of the spectrum, demanding Millennials are now entering the world of employment for the first time, while at the other, growing numbers of employees are choosing to work past the age of 65. In between these two extremes, however, you will […]
News: Gen Y will lead to workforce management shake-up
The growing presence of Generation Y in the labour force will lead to new ways of working, generating radical change in the way that employers handle everything from staff retention and talent management to succession planning. According to a global survey of 2,900 managers and graduates as well as 100 in-depth interviews conducted by the […]
