Blog: Workers to burn out unless something gives soon…

HR professionals will have seen more than anyone the ongoing challenges being faced by both employers and workers as the seemingly never-ending economic crisis rolls on. Some may be claiming that the green shoots of recovery are now visible but others are telling us to prepare for a triple dip recession.   Whatever future difficulties […]

In a Nutshell: Five ways for HR to be true partners with the business

As HR director of British Gas, one of the UK’s best-known organisations and a key employer of 35,000 staff, Angela Williams needs to be on top of her game. Here she shares her views on the key attributes and skills that an HR director needs to become a true, valued partner to the business: 1. […]

News: Govt pursues shares-for-rights scheme despite lack of support

 The government has decided to press ahead with its plans for ‘employee-owner’ contracts despite a lack of support among either employers or employees. A consultation by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed that most organisations would choose not to take up the new rights, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his […]

The skills paradox flourishes

We are in a skills paradox. On the one hand, headlines have screamed all year of redundancies, high unemployment, and graduates struggling to get a foot through the corporate door.   On the other, they have also been warning of rising skills shortages and on-going talent wars.   While there has and always will be […]

Blog: Punk Rock HR – Counting down the top 10 Christmas HR tips

In this mini series, I’m going to count down 10 HR tips as seen through the eyes and ears of Punk Rock. A kind of "HR Top of the Pops" but without the DJ.   No need to pogo whilst reading these unless you must. Punk HR refers to brevity, simplicity and purity of thought […]

How to ensure there are no legal hangovers after the Christmas party

Christmas music has been played on the radio and in the shops for a number of weeks now which can only mean one thing – the Christmas season is fast approaching along with the anticipation of the associated festivities. Many companies like to put on a Christmas party for their hard working staff, but with […]

Ask the Expert: How can I keep my job with an undiagnosed disability?

The question I have developed a disability that requires a few reasonable adjustments in the workplace.   Access to Work has agreed to fund an assistant for me, which would be the most expensive.   But at the end of April, I was sent home from work after several meetings between my union and employer, […]

Case Study: How Norfolk Council maintains staff morale despite tough times

During the last few years, Norfolk County Council has experienced a squeeze on resources common to many public sector organisations. It’s been forced to make savings of £135 million over three years and is now halfway there, but hundreds of staff have been axed as a result.   The cuts have arrived in conjunction with […]

Blog: How to deal with the pregnancy issue – legally

I have recently been contacted by several women who feel they have been unfairly treated by their employers because of pregnancy and maternity issues.  It seems that this is an area of employment law that many employers fall foul of, possibly unintentionally.    Pregnant employees or those on maternity leave have many key rights in […]

Have you got what it takes to be an HR director?

Securing an HR director job is tough.  If you apply for an HRD role, you’ll be faced with strong competition from both inside and outside the organisation. There are some common factors that employers look for when hiring. Ideally, you’ll be someone who is currently a senior HR business partner or a head of HR, […]

Blog: The HR Headmistress – Adrian Smith and the social media issue

The number of problems that arise from the use of social media has, in recent years, increased dramatically. Facebook now has over 1 billion users, more than 500 million people are said to be tweeting and over 100 million professionals are connecting with each other on LinkedIn.   Every day more and more users of […]

All you need to know about hiring a former drug or alcohol user

I’ve spent much of the last 17 years working with current and former drug users, homeless people and ex-offenders in London and Sheffield. Much of that time has been taken up helping them to access services, which include housing, treatment and mental health support, so that people have the necessary assistance to try and turn […]

Blog: The HR lessons to be learned from the BBC crisis

After the recent scandals at the BBC, director-general George Entwistle was forced to resign last week, after only 54 days in the role. As a result, trustees of The BBC’s governing body met on Saturday to finalise plans to appoint a new director-general.   Not only does this highlight the importance of having a succession […]

News: Greencore workers win temporary pay cut claim

More than 400 workers at a Hull factory are expected to receive up to £1.2 million after their employer refused to revert back to premium pay rates and enhanced holiday pay following a temporary suspension. According to Unite, the staff at Greencore had agreed to the temporary suspension from June 2010 to October 2011 “in […]

News: British workers on verge of ‘burn-out’

Two separate studies have revealed that UK workers are coming to the end of their respective tethers and feel that they can’t handle the stress of their jobs much longer. A survey among 32,000 employees across the world conducted by professional services firm, Towers Watson, indicated that just over one in three UK staff are […]

News: Christian demoted for gay marriage opposition wins breach of contract case

A Christian man who was demoted at work for posting his opposition to gay church weddings on Facebook has won a breach of contract lawsuit against his employer. Adrian Smith found himself in trouble with the Trafford Housing Trust after linking an article on the BBC News website entitled ‘Gay church marriages get go ahead’ […]

Lembit Opik: How to navigate office politics

I’ll let you into a bit of a secret, off the record, as they say: office politics exists.   In fact, it’s everywhere. I once asked my friend and former boss at Procter & Gamble, Graham Cowley, what the smallest organisation to be influenced by politics was.     He replied without a moment’s hesitation: ‘A marriage.’ Was […]

US presidential election – The power of empathy

It’s official (again) that being able to show empathy is a critical quality desirable in any leader. For instance, in an exit poll during the recent US presidential election published by the Washington Post on Tuesday 6 November, ‘caring about people like me’ was shown to be the most important leadership trait among 20% of […]

News: Institute launched in bid to improve UK employee relations

A membership body has just been set up in the UK to undertake research, offer training and provide expert advice to employers in the area of employee and workplace relations. The Employee Relations Institute’s board comprises representatives from 17 employers, employer bodies and trade unions and has appointed Jan Parkinson, former director of the Local […]

Infographic: HR pros among most unhappy in their career

Credit: City & Guilds