Modern Workplaces consultation: the view from payroll

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Back in May, the government launched a four part consultation on Modern Workplaces to explore the pros and cons of four key regulatory proposals. These proposals comprised: the introduction of a system of flexible parental leave a right for all employees to request flexible working changes to the Working Time Regulations affecting the interaction of […]

Employers must “challenge status quo” for women to reach the top

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Employers need to challenge the status quo and revamp out-moded working patterns if they are to give women as much chance as men of getting to the top, according to experts. A report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission entitled ‘Sex & Power 2011’ earlier this week revealed that, at current rates of […]

The value of on-the-job assessments when managing older workers

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Although Employment Minster Ed Davey hailed the abolition of the Default Retirement Age as ‘great news for older people, businesses and the economy’, not everyone agrees. As Mary Clarke, chief executive of Cognisco points outs, some business leaders and lobby groups have voiced concerns that businesses may be saddled with an ageing and incompetent workforce, […]

Consultation on modern workplaces

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The “Consultation on Modern Workplaces” launched by the Government in May 2011 proposes radical changes for 2015 to maternity and parental leave, which could create a huge administrative burden on employers, and shifts the focus of diversity measures away from women, toward equal treatment for both parents, plus additional paid leave. Employers don’t need to […]

First Default Retirement Age test launched

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In what may prove a test case on new laws abolishing the default retirement age, a principal at a Scottish university has started tribunal proceedings after rejecting claims made by his employer that he had retired.  Abertay University reportedly circulated an email to staff in error a couple of weeks ago ahead of an official […]

Older workers neglected in training and performance

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If employers fail to tackle the current widespread neglect of older workers’ training and performance management requirements, they will leave themselves open to discrimination claims when the default retirement age is phased out in October.  This is the warning issued by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development after publishing a survey of 2,000 respondents, […]

Case in point: Treating maternity leavers too favourably

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Caught between a rock and a hard place: too favourable a treatment of employees on maternity leave during a redundancy process can lead to discrimination issues. The Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in Eversheds Legal Services Limited v Mr J De Belin has highlighted the difficulties facing employers who, in a bid to avoid discriminating against […]

Under 30s feel exploited and disengaged

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The under-30s are the most disengaged age group in the workforce, feeling forced to do jobs they are not interested in as a result of the current economic climate as well as put upon by exploitative employers.  According to a survey among 30,556 adults in 29 countries undertaken by market research firm GfK Custom Research, […]

Apprentice Katie claims three weeks maternity is enough

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Katie Hopkins, the ex-Apprentice and reality TV contestant, has sparked another row by appearing on The One Show with a report (which you can view here on iPlayer – it starts at 8.58 minutes) suggesting women should take no more than three weeks off after giving birth. Most people realise being a parent isn’t an […]

New study highlights decision-making differences between genders

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Men are prone to make black-or-white judgements when making decisions, while women are more inclined to see shades of grey, according to a study from Warwick University.  This means that the former gender appear more suited to work environments that require decisive action, while the latter are likely to be more effective in occupations where […]

Ageism ‘endemic’ in the workplace

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Ageist attitudes are endemic in the workplace and must be tackled by appointing a dedicated minister to champion over-60s at the highest level, a care home and retirement property provider has warned.  The call for change came after Anchor commissioned ICM to undertake a survey among 2,011 adults who were over 18. The research revealed […]

Gender issues: Effective workplace communication

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Gender is one of the most obvious differences in any group of employees, and an undeniable one: men and women aren’t just physically different, but grow up influenced by (and largely endure) different social conditioning. But while each of us has a gender, we also have a nationality and/or race, a set of personal beliefs, […]

EHRC to focus on promoting and enforcing equality at work

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The coalition government has launched a consultation on plans to restrict the equality regulator’s remit to core activities, which include promoting awareness of and enforcing anti-discrimination legislation in the workplace.  The Equality and Human Rights Commission was set up in October 2007 when it took over the work of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission […]

Mum mentoring and menopause guidance for women in work

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To coincide with International Women’s Day yesterday, Asda unveiled its Mum2Mum maternity leave mentoring scheme, while the TUC also published guidance for employers on how to support female workers going through the menopause.  Asda’s Mum2Mum mentoring initiative is targeted at women going on maternity leave to “help counteract the dips in confidence and motivation mothers […]

International Women’s Day: The equality debate – how far have we come?

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If you didn’t know already, today is International Women’s Day – a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday. However seeing as though it’s business as usual for us in the UK, […]

Default retirement age amendments announced

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As official figures showed that the number of people aged 65 or over who work has doubled over the last 10 years, the coalition government moved to amend controversial draft regulations governing the end of the default retirement age.  The initial version of the draft regulations laid before Parliament on 16 February had indicated that […]

Older workers have emotional intelligence to share

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Although too many employers discriminate against older workers by focusing on potential decreases in physical and cognitive abilities, they should instead be harnessing their valuable emotional skills to help support younger colleagues.  Research from the Manchester Business School reveals that older staff members are generally more effective at coping with emotional stress and burnout than […]

Positive action gets support to smash glass ceiling

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Just under three quarters of women believe that they continue to face barriers to top-level promotion in the UK compared with only 38% of men who acknowledge that a glass ceiling still exists.  The survey of 3,000 members of the Institute of Leadership and Management also revealed that some 47% of females compared with only […]

FTSE 100 need to diversify boardrooms or face quotas

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A government inquiry is expected to recommend that FTSE 100 companies be given two years to radically increase the number of women in boardrooms or face the imposition of quotas. The review by Lord Davies of Abersoch, ex-trade minister and former chairman of bank Standard Chartered, is likely to reject the immediate introduction of statutory […]

Forcing retirement after the DRA? A high hurdle…

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The recent announcement by the Government that the default retirement age (DRA) will, as expected, be abolished with effect from 1 October has been welcomed by age campaigners. It does not, however, necessarily spell the end of forced retirement and employers groups, including the CBI, have pointed out. The proposed abolition of the DRA in […]