News: Diamond to receive £2m payoff
Bob Diamond will receive a £2 million payoff following his resignation as Barclays’ chief executive, but has given up bonuses worth up to £20 million amid a growing furore over the bank’s rate-rigging scandal. The payment is the equivalent of a year’s salary plus pension contributions and is about twice Diamond’s contractual entitlement based on […]
News: TUC to replace Barber with first female director general
The TUC has appointed its first female leader, Frances O’Grady, to take over as general secretary when incumbent Brendan Barber steps down at the end of this year. Although little known outside the trade union movement, O’Grady, who joined the TUC in the mid-1990s, is well-regarded and is expected by some to shake it up, […]
Ask the Expert: Is someone sacked for gross misconduct entitled to unused leave?
The question Reviewing an employee handbook, I noticed that it includes a clause to the effect that an employee summarily dismissed for gross misconduct will forfeit entitlement to payment for unused leave. Can you advise me as to whether this is lawful? The legal verdict Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar […]
Blog: Leadership/management lessons from the Diamond debacle
We know that former head of Barclays bank, Bob Diamond, was leading the financial institution during the period in which the well-documented Libor rates or interest rates for inter-bank borrowing, were being manipulated. It has now come to light that Diamond had absolutely no idea it was going on. Surely, if he was at the […]
Legal Insight: Playing the Games within the letter of the law
With only a few months to go to the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and amid widespread predictions that London could come to a complete standstill, employers need to start planning now to ensure that they can cope with the many issues that will undoubtedly arise. Transport Inevitably, the Games will cause […]
Video Interview: Beecroft talks to the TUC – Should it be easier to sack staff?
Venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft has caused controversy with his proposals to make it easier for bosses to fire underperforming employees. In this video debate from The Telegraph, Beecroft debates the issues with Trades Union Congress boss, Brendan Barber.
How business savvy are you – really?
Let’s face it, the phrase ‘HR needs to be commercial’ is nothing new. Yet it’s a theme that keeps recurring. Time and again we hear the argument that HR is not business focused enough and more HR directors need to be on the board. Ellie Rich, operations director at Michael Page Human Resources, comments: […]
News: London bus workers set two pre-Olympic strike dates
Demonstrations staged by London bus drivers disrupted services during rush hour this morning as they geared up for two further days of action in the run up to this summer’s Olympics. At least 40 routes were affected due to action at bus garages in Edgware, Westbourne Park, Willesden, Brixton, Garston and Alperton. Drivers at […]
News: Union welcomes Fujitsu’s move to tackle low pay
Unite has welcomed steps taken by Fujitsu towards tackling low pay after the IT services giant pledged to boost its UK-wide minimum wage to £14,000 per annum for all of its staff. As part of an agreement reached with the union in 2010, Fujitsu had already set a £12,000 company-wide minimum wage, but committed to review […]
News: Junior IT technician blamed for RBS debacle
A junior IT technician who was hired after RBS laid off more than 20,000 UK staff and outsourced their work to India was to blame for the bank’s massive computer failure last week, it is being claimed. According to a source at tech website, The Register, the “inexperienced operative” who is understood to be part […]
News: Redundancies to leap as employers bid to cut staff costs
Amid warnings of a deteriorating economic situation, UK employers are shifting their focus towards making voluntary redundancies and outsourcing loss-making services in a bid to cut staffing costs. Sir Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, told MPs on the Treasury Committee today that the economic situation had now worsened to such an extent […]
Dealing with the stress factor
Once upon a time, musculoskeletal problems such as bad backs brought on by physical labour were the main cause of long-term sickness absence. But not any more. According to the latest survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, stress is now – for the first time ever – the most common cause of […]
News: MPs accuse Beecroft of employment “policy by parable”
The man behind the controversial ‘compensated no fault dismissals’ proposals appeared before a committe of MPs yesterday and got a hostile reception. Entrepreneur Adrian Beecroft appeared before the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill committee theoretically to discuss proposed new legislation, but instead found himself having to defend his stnace on previous recommendations. Opposition MPs questioned […]
Public sector struggles to recruit top talent
Public sector organisations face increased problems in recruiting and retaining staff – particularly at more senior levels – as skilled individuals shy away from the sector as the impact of the cuts is felt and the image of the sector wanes. So argues the latest annual snapshot of the state of the UK recruitment market […]
Talent Spot: Michael Doolin, HR director at DHL’s Tradeteam
“I swore blind I wouldn’t end up doing what my father did and, 34 years later, I am,” laughs Michael Doolin, HR director at DHL’s Tradeteam. His father had been a shop steward before moving into industrial relations, which meant that there had been lots of very dull-looking manuals hanging around at home that had […]
Beecroft fire at will proposals stung by dismissal
Fire at will proposals proposed by the Beecroft review look to be dismissed themselves following a ‘call for evidence’ by the government. Venture Capitalist Adrian Beecroft had proposed allowing employers to fire staff without explanation in return for a basic pay-off. Out of 135 responses by businesses, 38% called for the plan to […]
Living Leader Learnings: The Redundancy Challenge
The Company: Insurance Company The Challenger: Group HR Director My company is in the process of introducing a series of job cuts across the workforce, and some of the members of my team will be involved. I want to communicate with them directly and prepare them, though I know other board members are not planning […]
Ask the Expert: How do I end non-contractual arrangements?
The question I’m looking for advice on the steps to go through when ending non-contractual arrangements. I’m working on the basis that, for expediency’s sake, the safest approach is to follow the same process as for contractual terms, but any advice would be much appreciated. Esther Smith, partner at Thomas Eggar […]
Talent Spot: Joris Luijke, Atlassian’s vice president of HR
Joris Luijke, vice president of talent and HR at fast-growing Australian software company, Atlassian, has followed in his father’s footsteps by choosing HR as a career. “When I was young, my father tried to convince me not to do HR. So just to annoy him, I went to work in HR!” he laughs. Luijke did […]
Blog: feedback – are we even sure what it is?
Recognise This! – Feedback is useless unless it is frequent, timely and gathered from multiple sources. Feedback. How often should we give it? Who should give it? When should it be given? What format to deliver it should be used? All of these are good questions, but are we all in agreement on what feedback […]
