News: CIPD’s new CEO appointed to further its global ambitions
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has appointed Peter Cheese as its new chief executive in a bid to further its global ambitions. Cheese, who is currently chairman of the Institute of Leadership and Management, will take up the new position on Monday, 2 July. He is taking over from Sue Upton, who […]
Blog: Dealing with the leadership ‘reality gap’
When someone gets ideas above their station and too big for their boots, it generally pays dividends to bring them back down to earth in the most diplomatic way possible. It’s not always easy, but when it’s a close friend or family member you can afford to be frank. At work it tends to […]
Blog: What impact does office politics have on people’s work lives?
Ask most people in businesses today if they think that manipulation and office politics affect their working lives and they’ll say yes. But ask them to quantify the impact on the business and that’s a much more difficult question to answer. In 2011, Revelation Consulting Ltd set out to answer that question, and we […]
Talent Spot: Fiona Lawlor, HR director at Jack Morton Worldwide
During Fiona Lawlor’s time at Jack Morton Worldwide, she has seen the HR function develop from being a lowly back-room admin operation to become a strategic partner of the business. Today, Lawlor is HR director and a senior vice president of the brand experience agency, but when she joined 18 years ago, it had no […]
News: Female Network Rail staff to fight for equal pay
Network Rail bosses were accused today of treating women like “second class citizens” after research revealed that they were being paid on average £4,500 per year less than their male colleagues. The findings of the survey of more than 2,000 workers will result in some 34 female middle managers launching an initial claim for […]
Blog: CVs – To fib or not to fib….
CVs – to fib or not to fib? That may be the question, but to my mind it would only be worth £100 on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, since it’s a bit of a no-brainer really. Yet it still seems to be asked a lot, usually alongside the bold assertion “Well, everyone […]
CEO Insight: Briggs Equipment’s Richard Close on how to work effectively with unions
Disputes between trade unions and employers have flooded the news in recent weeks, not least due to the threat of a tanker driver strike that would have had a severe impact across the country. Strike action is often seen as a last resort by employees when negotiating with their employers, but it is nonetheless likely […]
News: Petrol tanker strike averted as drivers accept deal
The threat of a national fuel strike has been averted after tanker drivers narrowly voted to accept a deal aimed at ending a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. Unite said that 51% of its 2,000 members, who worked for a total of seven distribution companies, backed the deal despite a recommendation to reject it. […]
News: ‘Cameron to decimate Whitehall’ claim
The Prime Minister’s director of strategy has advised him to "road test" swingeing cuts to Whitehall in a belief that the the civil service could function effectively with 90% less staff. According to The Telegraph today, Steve Hilton, who is leaving to take up a US university post this month, has already sent officials to […]
Blog: How to get the most out of restructuring, redundancy and redeployment
For some people it must seem like a merry-go-round when they experience the upheaval of round after round of restructuring, redeployment and redundancies. Every few years the company is turned upside down and yet often doesn’t seem to gain the benefits. This must cause a lot of confusion to those in charge. They […]
News: Government brands public sector pensions strike as “futile”
Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers took part in demonstrations and 24-hour strike action today, staging a protest over pension changes that the Cabinet Office minister has branded “futile”. The walk-out follows last November’s nationwide stoppage by more than one-and-a-half million public servants, but was fuelled by statements in the Queen’s Speech yesterday confirming […]
Blog: The power of the personal relationship
"Six years ago, Fred had a friendship with a rep for a small brand. "The brand’s contribution to our sales was insignificant, so going to a dinner with him during a shoe show, when there were hundreds of other brands there, didn’t make a lot of sense. But it was still something Fred prioritized, based […]
News: HMRC worker sacked after being found guilty of sharing tax credit details
A tax office worker has been sacked after using work computer systems to disclose confidential information to her landlord. Natalie Brennan, 41, could go to prison after pleading guilty to wrongful disclosure at Preston Crown Court. Her crime was to divulge information about a tax credits claim made by Mary Houghton, a former partner […]
Blog: HR – Where has all the passion gone?
This is one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite movies – Serendipity – I know, I know, but what can I say? I’m a sucker for a love story 😉 The quote is from the scene when Dean reads out a make believe Obituary: “The Greeks didn’t write obituaries. They only asked one question after […]
News: Boots’ move to slash Sunday pay unlawful, rules tribunal
A move by Boots to slash workers’ Sunday pay has been ruled unlawful by an employment tribunal and could see it having to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation. The retailer cut its Sunday pay rate for employees that were taken on before October 2000 from double time to time-and-a-half last June. The […]
Ask the Expert: What is the legal status of union-appointed safety reps?
The question Under The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, only trades unions can appoint safety representatives – they can do this whether the employer wishes them to or not and indeed they can appoint as many safety representatives as they want. These […]
Blog: How to hold on to good employees – Part 3
You now know the reasons why employees leave your company, and last week I described two of the five top strategies that will help you keep them: creating and maintaining an attractive and nourishing working environment, and developing effective employee relationship strategies. To complete the picture, here are strategies 3, 4 and 5: 3. Employee […]
News: KPMG HR blunder #3: Failing to pay staff salaries
If HM Revenue & Customs didn’t have such a knack for mishaps, KPMG’s embarrassment might be more acute after it was revealed that the Big Four firm failed to pay its staff as expected on Friday 29 April. KPMG staffers are usually paid on the 29th of each month, and if that date falls on […]
Blog: How to hold on to good employees – Part 2
In my last HRZone blog entry I set out the five main reasons why employees leave their companies. Today I’m going to describe some corresponding employee retention strategies: 1. Create and maintain a working environment that attracts, retains and nourishes good people The issues you need to attend to include developing a corporate […]
Ask the Expert: Can a sacked employee with less than a year’s service claim discrimination?
The question If an employee with less than one year’s service (six months) is instantly dismissed for breaching company policy, is there any legal obligation to hear their side of the story? Other members of staff have been breaching the same rule (use of company vehicles), but have not yet been disciplined – they […]
