Huge gender pay gap in City
Women working in the UK’s financial sector receive around 80% less in performance-related pay than men, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The commission’s Finance Sector Inquiry found that women employees earned an average of £2,875 in bonuses, compared to an average of £14,554 for men. The inquiry included a survey of […]
Diversity at B&Q: The people business
Retail chain B&Q is well known for its success in employing a diverse workforce. So what is its secret? Lucie Mitchell speaks to the organisation’s diversity advisor to find out. Home improvement retailer B&Q is well known for its diversity policies. It has earned a reputation for employing older workers and has […]
Engaging all the generations in our workforce
Karen Frost explores the key differences between each of the four generations and explains how to overcome the challenge of Generation Y. If you stop and think about it, we currently have four generations of people in our workforce. This has always been the case, but the needs and aspirations of each […]
Create a diverse workforce for business success
Equality and diversity must be seen as a business issue, despite the recession, because promoting a diverse workforce can bring many benefits to both employer and employee, says Sarah Williams Gardener. The total benefits to the UK economy of reducing the gender segregation of jobs and increasing women’s employment has been estimated as anything up […]
Default retirement age review to take place in 2010
A review of the default retirement age is to be brought forward by a year, the government has announced. The review had been expected to take place in 2011, but will now take place next year in response to changing demographic and economic circumstances, ministers said. Denise Keating, chief executive of leading age campaigners […]
Legislation update: Climate change and philosophical beliefs
Richard White discusses a recent case in which the employment tribunal held that an employee’s belief in climate change could be considered a religious belief, rather than an opinion. In the recent case of Nicholson v Grainger PLC and others, the employment tribunal held that Mr Nicholson’s belief in climate change could […]
Equality in the city: Women in charge?
Equalities minister Harriet Harman was recently criticised for suggesting that the Equality Bill could be used to appoint more women to senior positions in the City. Alex Denny and Christabel Oh discuss the issues concerning ‘positive action’, one of the new measures contained in the Bill. The Equality Bill has been hailed as an important move […]
Ask the expert: Alcohol policy and religion
An employer would like to develop an alcohol policy that takes into account employees who cannot drink due to religious reasons. Esther Smith and Martin Brewer advise. The question: We have two scenarios :- A manager may invite their team out after work to celebrate a fundraising success. We may crack open a bottle of champagne in […]
Paternity leave plans put on hold
Proposals to let parents share a year of leave to help raise a child have been put on hold by business secretary Lord Mandelson, due to the economic crisis. Despite backing by Equality Minister Harriet Harman, the plans to extend paid maternity leave to 12 months and allow fathers to share up to six months […]
The drive towards equality in the workplace
Cases involving discrimination on the grounds of age, religion and belief or sexual orientation are on the increase. Pam Loch discusses the opinion as to whether some equality rights are more equal than others. Since 1975 and the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act, there have been many challenges in tribunals and courts which have clarified […]
A week in HR: Discrimination, data and Women’s Day
This week, Neil Davey reports on the mixed feelings surrounding the European Court of Justice's ruling on forced retirement, the rising number of unfair dismissal claims and a disturbing case of data misuse. Age discrimination was the top story last week. First of all it was revealed that the number of unfair […]
Overcoming age bias in recruitment
In the current economic climate, both older and younger individuals face even greater difficulties than usual in obtaining or changing jobs. Dianne Bown-Wilson comments on how improvements to the recruitment process might help cut down on age discrimination. Age discrimination in employee recruitment continues to be rife despite legislation which should by now have resulted […]
Women in the workplace: A career in interim management
This article forms part of our series on women in the workplace. Take a look at the full content series for more information, including insight into impostor syndrome, sick leave and much more. One reason why there is a lack of women in the boardroom is because many are becoming interim managers, which allows them to work at […]
HR tip: Retiring an elderly employee at 70
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: "We wish to retire a 70-year-old employee. Our normal retirement age is 65 but we let him stay on. Do we need to do anything other than give him notice? And at […]
HR tip: A new fair reason for dismissal
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: "I always understood that there are five reasons for fair dismissal, but have just been told that there are six. Is this so?" HR tip: Yes. For many years the five reasons […]
Female talent: Do we need different strategies?
How do we help manage female talent through the pipeline to executive level? Michelle Brailsford and Mary Ann Rettig-Zucchi discuss what strategies need to be implemented. 'The Pipeline to the Top', a study published in the Academy of Management Perspectives, found an acute shortage of female talent in the leadership pipeline of FORTUNE 1000 […]
HR tip: Advising retirement age employees of their rights
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question:"Are we obliged to inform people approaching their retirement age of their rights or is it up to them to find out?" HR tip:Indeed you are. You are required to inform employees in […]
How’s your parrot? Why ‘shemail’ could harm your career. By Sarah Fletcher
If you want to be taken seriously at work, cut the fluff. Women risk being ignored as serious business minds because their email style is flowery and ambles around the point before reaching the real reason for contact, new research claims. According to Drs Monica Seeley and Niki Panteli in Gender and Communication at Work, […]
Bumps to babies
Businesslink has launched a new online interactive tool covering maternity in the workplace to help small businesses understand their obligations and employee entitlements. Research by the Equal Opportunities Commission indicates that half the respondents felt managers didn’t understand how to manage pregnancy in the workplace. Businesslink’s guide aims to help. Users are guided through a […]
Off the record: Navigating pregnancy discrimination rules
Are there any ways around the laws that make it unlawful to discriminate against women on the grounds of pregnancy? Can bosses that would like to take on women of childbearing age but fear the costs associated with maternity pay and leave get round the problem? Find out what the experts say. There are no […]
