Flexible benefits revealed: CIPP report
More than seven out of ten employees are offered salary sacrifice schemes by their employers, with the most popular options being either pension contributions or childcare vouchers. These are the key findings of a Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals survey conducted among 213 people during December and early January to establish what type of flexible benefits […]
Blog: Making your employee benefits count – and not just the financial ones
Make your employee benefits count! I am not talking here about financial benefits. If you are a great employer you know the market levels of financial reward and presumably you are paying a fair salary in return for the work of your employees. Pensions are another financial reward which I know is subject to […]
CEO Insight: Sinead Hasson on Hasson Associates’ CSR programme
The arrival of 2012 brought with it the news that there are still 2.65 million people out of work in the UK. Widespread redundancies, salary freezes or even cuts as well as the increasing loss of employee benefits are not only hitting employers hard, but also causing employees to question their job security. And […]
Ask the Expert: Should car allowances be included in sick pay?
The question I have a case of someone who is taking long-term sickness absence (eight months). They were paid a combination of statutory sick pay and company sick pay for the first six months, which included their monthly car allowance in full. Their manager has now decided to stop paying the car allowance, saying […]
Blog: How to help staff get in better financial shape
Saving more money is the one piece of advice personal financial experts are putting a lot of stock into, especially these days as the economy remains shaky. Likely there are many employees dutifully putting in their hours who are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living continually rises. For this reason, it […]
Tube maintenance staff to strike next week
London Underground maintenance staff will go on strike for 72 hours next Tuesday because of a row over pensions and benefits. The Rail Maritime and Transport Workers union, which represents about 1,000 staff who work on the Tube Lines contracts, said that personnel had voted four to one in favour of industrial action, which will […]
Talking Point: Why are there still so few women in the workplace?
Once upon a time, real work was for men and women were expected to stay at home and look after the wellbeing of their families. If anything, they were regarded as the ‘silent reserve’ of the labour market. In the 21st century, however, policy makers and businesses no longer need the devastating impact of the […]
Blog: Crappy performance management rule 2 – Never attempt to motivate staff
In my previous blog I articulated rule 1 of crappy performance management: Don’t tell anyone about the vision. In this article we step up a gear and think about the 2nd most important of rules when designing a ‘wet lettuce’ performance management mindset. Crappy Performance Management Rule 2: Never attempt to motivate staff – […]
A day in the life of…an HR professional
Twenty years ago, most office workers arrived for work for 9am, took an hour’s break for lunch and clocked off at five. Fast forward two decades, and the average UK worker now spends an extra 73 minutes at work and takes 31 minutes and 29 seconds less time for lunch – and HR professionals are […]
Legal Insight: Staff health and wellbeing – Your duty of care
Employees who have problems — whether work-related or personal — are, for obvious reasons, unlikely to perform as well as they would if the problem did not exist. But the impact on their work can take numerous forms ranging from reduced concentration and effort to sickness absence. If endemic, the situation may even lead […]
Legal Insight: Employee or consultant? Lessons from the Student Loans Co
Taxation has never been a more contentious issue. Political arguments have been raging for months now over everything from the 50p rate and tax evasion among high earners to the reintroduction of a £10,000 threshold for people on low incomes. Also to hit the headlines recently, however, was the case of Ed Lester, chief […]
CEO Insight: Briggs Equipment’s Richard Close on staff engagement
As fears of another recession continue to mount, many business leaders are looking for new ways to either turn around their balance sheet or ensure that it grows. But all too many simply fail to look at their number one asset: their people. Over the last 20 years, I have worked with a number […]
UK employers waste £692m on out-of-policy expenses claims
UK employers wasted a huge £692 million last year because employees and their line managers failed to interpret the company expenses policy correctly. According to a study conducted by travel and expenses company Concur, for every £100 that businesses paid out in expenses last year, nearly £9.85 was spent on items such as business class […]
Is interim HR management for you?
Leaving behind the stable world of PAYE won’t appeal to everyone in the current economic climate. But even with predictions of a second recession ahead, many HR professionals still crave a new career challenge and some are even brave enough to make big changes. One career option that commonly appeals to senior HR practitioners […]
Ask the Expert: Can we buy back chunks of carried-over annual leave?
The question I have recently commenced working for a company, which has a policy allowing staff to carry over their unused annual leave into the first three months of the new year (the leave period runs from August to July). If the leave is unused by the end of the three months, it is […]
Workers more ‘stressed and insecure’ than in Queen’s coronation year
In the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it appears that, despite higher levels of personal prosperity, workers are more stressed and more insecure than they were 60 years ago. According to a special Work Audit report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to explore how the world of work in the […]
Survey reveals UK employers of choice
Google, Apple and John Lewis are perceived to be the best three employers in the UK, with the ability to create a good working environment considered the key criteria in desirability terms. According to a survey among 2,133 adults undertaken by pollster YouGov on behalf of workplace services provider, Croner, Google was nominated 81 time, […]
Trends 2012: Employment law
With so many new legislative proposals around at the moment, this summary sets out details of what is coming into force and when in order to help you plan for the changes over the year ahead and beyond. 1 February 2012 The annual increase to Employment Tribunal limits will take place. The maximum compensatory […]
The Bribery Act: Goodbye to the gravy train
The UK Bribery Act 2010 is ushering in a new era of tighter control over corporate hospitality and employee entertainment. For any business built on wining and dining customers and business partners, the introduction of the Act this July will have a significant impact on its behaviour. To ensure they comply with the law, […]
Blog: Alternative benefits to give you a hiring edge
As we move forward, it has quickly become common for the modern workplace to relax in order to stay competitive. In a world now dominated by startups and “Google” environments, things like allowing a relaxed dress code and being able to enjoy the occasional beer at work are the new norm. So what are […]