Shaping future strategy: Workforce analytics
Workforce analytics helps organizations understand how their employees drive revenue and profit. By using accurate data to deploy the right talent in the right roles, companies can boost shareholder value and avoid costly mistakes from viewing headcount as expense alone.
HMRC to charge PAYE dodgers from April
From April, HMRC will require employers with a serious risk of PAYE and National Insurance non-compliance to pay security deposits or bonds. Employers who fail to pay face fines up to £5,000, with amounts calculated based on previous behavior and tax owed. The measure targets deliberate tax dodgers while supporting businesses with genuine payment difficulties.
P45s will not get a pink slip
HM Revenue & Customs has decided to keep the P45 form after employer feedback, rather than replacing it with a ‘leaver statement’ as originally planned for the Real Time Information system rollout.
National Apprenticeship Week: How to get started
National Apprenticeship Week highlights how apprenticeships can create motivated, skilled employees while helping businesses meet training needs cost-effectively. With government grants available, employers can develop a workforce aligned with company values over one to four years.
Fewer ex-offenders required to reveal spent convictions to employers
The Justice Minister proposes significantly reducing how long ex-offenders must disclose spent convictions to employers, shortening the period from up to 10 years to as little as two years. The reforms aim to improve employment prospects for former criminals and reduce reoffending rates while maintaining public safety protections.
Move to darker suits reflects darker employee mood
Since the recession, employees have shifted from navy to charcoal suits, reflecting a darker mood in the workplace. Sales data shows navy suit purchases dropped from 47% to 37%, while charcoal rose from 9% to 11%, suggesting workers’ subconscious mood changes through clothing choices.
Workers more ‘stressed and insecure’ than in Queen’s coronation year
UK workers report higher stress and job insecurity despite greater prosperity since the 1950s, according to a CIPD Work Audit. Rising workplace stress stems from digital technology blurring work-life boundaries and enabling increased surveillance, while widening income inequality and unemployment concerns undermine job satisfaction.
Blog: Employee stress equals financial risk
Employee stress is a major financial risk factor for companies, yet many leaders overlook it as a primary cause of retention problems. When top performers cite work-related stress as their reason for leaving, organizations that fail to address it face growing difficulty retaining critical talent.
Blog: How to embed a learning culture
A learning culture helps organizations stay competitive by encouraging employees to develop skills and capabilities. Key strategies include securing management sponsorship, rewarding learning behaviors, measuring progress in appraisals, and establishing learning as a core organizational value.
Blog: Cultivating a success culture
A success culture doesn’t happen by accident—it requires deliberate attention, planning, and nurturing. Leaders must understand how organizational culture shapes performance and learn to cultivate it intentionally, just like farmers cultivate crops, to gain a competitive edge.
Shift over last year in way HR viewed, reveals survey
A survey of HR directors reveals that two-thirds believe their role has shifted significantly over the past year, with 83% moving from transactional support to becoming strategic business partners. However, employment prospects remain mixed, with only 21% of HR leaders planning to increase headcount in the first half of 2012.
Talent Spot: Dan Grant, head of HR at Dell UK
Dan Grant, head of HR at Dell UK, believes success comes from honesty and delivering on commitments. He has spearheaded a major flexible working initiative called the Connected Workplace, which has been adopted by 60% of the UK workforce.
HRD Summit: BT develops own internal Olympics legacy
BT is developing a lasting legacy from its Olympics sponsorship through staff redeployment initiatives and community programs. The telco is introducing a ‘Career-wise’ scheme with Skills Passports and job placement support for project workers, plus a community program enabling employees to vote on workplace improvements like job clubs and carer spaces.
Trends 2012: Modern life skills
HR professionals face mounting challenges from stress-related illness and mental health problems that impact employee productivity and business success. Organizations that proactively support their workforce with modern life skills—abilities for adaptive and positive behavior—can create sustainable working environments where employees thrive despite increasing workplace demands.
Blog: Forget employee surveys – Social ‘sentiment’ is where it’s at
Social media sentiment analysis offers real-time insights into employee engagement and organizational culture, potentially rivaling traditional employee surveys. By monitoring authentic social conversations, companies can access genuine employee perspectives at scale, similar to how hedge funds use Twitter sentiment to predict market trends.
Blog: Social media and the workforce – Can you hear me now?
Social media has become a critical force in business and workforce engagement, as demonstrated by major companies like Netflix and Verizon that were forced to reverse decisions after public backlash. Organizations can no longer ignore social media’s role in internal communications, employee engagement, and corporate culture, as employees will engage with these platforms regardless of company control.
Trends 2012: The talent issue
As UK economic austerity tightens in 2012, employers face critical talent challenges. Companies are shifting toward short-term contracts and contractors to manage hiring cautiously, while prioritizing staff engagement through improved communication, objective-setting, and performance coaching to maximize productivity.
Blog: Global recognition stereotyping – don’t believe the lie
Employee recognition transcends cultural boundaries and geographic stereotypes. Research and real-world experience show that workers worldwide, including in Asia/Pacific regions, value appreciation and recognition just as much as Western employees, making global recognition programs equally effective everywhere.
Talent Spot: Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground
Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground, emphasizes the importance of staying deeply involved in operations and understanding every role within the organization. His hands-on approach has been essential for managing industrial relations and driving business success in the highly unionized rail industry.
1000s of private sector jobs ‘at risk’ across all industries
The Ministry of Defence plans a second round of military redundancies affecting 2,900 Army positions, 1,000 RAF jobs, and 300 Navy roles. Alongside armed forces cuts, thousands of private sector jobs are also at risk as the MoD outsources operations to private contractors.
