Fit notes more than double days lost to sickness absence

Workers who obtained a fit note from their GPs were off work for more than twice as long as those who failed to follow procedure, a study has revealed. An analysis of 22,086 employee records by absence management services provider, FirstCare, revealed that personnel requesting a fit note were absent from work for an average […]

Analysis: Tribunal reform will lead to more out-of-court settlements, admits Minister

Coalition Government measures to reduce the rising number of tribunal cases will lead to more employers having to pay lump sums to settle claims out-of-court, the Employment Minister has admitted. A key element of the Government’s proposed changes to the employment tribunal system is to encourage workplace mediation when a dispute arises between employers and […]

Update: Royal Mail Christmas temps threaten walk-out

Seasonal temp staff at a Royal Mail sorting office in Birmingham are threatening a second walk-out after delays in paying their wages. According to the BBC, thirty four workers at the postal service’s Newtown depot already walked out on Monday over unpaid or incorrect wage payments as did personnel in Essex. Similar action was taken […]

Update: High Court bid to stop tube drivers’ strike on Boxing Day

The High Court will hear a legal bid to stop tube drivers from walking out for 24 hours on Boxing Day in a row over pay later today. London Underground claims that only 42% of Aslef ‘s members – the largest tube driver union – voted to go take industrial action and so it is […]

Update: Ministers claim pensions deal – even as unions pull out

Agreement in principle to make big changes to public sector pensions has been reached with a majority of trade unions, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has told Parliament. After 10 months of negotiations and following the UK’s largest industrial dispute in a generation, Danny Alexander said that 26 out of the 28 negotiating unions […]

Self-efficacy: Limiting the damage of redundancy

Christmas is a time for giving. But some presents are less popular than others – and that includes the dubious gift of redundancy. Sadly, however, Christmas is a depressingly common time for workers to be handed their notice – Virgin Megastores went into receivership on Christmas Eve, 2008; Woolworths closed the last of its stores […]

Only a third of employers handle staff mental health issues well

Although about a quarter of employees have experienced mental health problems while in employment, only just over a third believe that their employer is supportive of such issues. An online poll of 2,068 UK workers undertaken by YouGov on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealed that a worrying one in five […]

CEO Insight: Stinkyink.com’s John Sollars on recruiting for start-ups

One of the most difficult and exciting decisions any new business owner must make is when to take on staff, and even more importantly, in what role, John Sollars, managing director and founder of Stinkyink.com tells our sister publication, www.BusinessZone.co.uk. The key issue is deciding at what point you actually need somebody else to help. […]

Half of UK managers expect redundancies in 2012

Nearly half of managers expect their organisations to cut more jobs in 2012, with more than a third feeling insecure about their own employment prospects. These are the key findings of a survey among 800 bosses in UK companies undertaken by the Chartered Management Institute. The study also revealed that more than half of those […]

Busiest expenses day of the year piles pressure on accounts staff

Yesterday was the busiest expenses day of the year, with finance teams facing a 139% rise in the number of claims submitted. According to claims management software provider Concur, staff rushing to recover the coming cost of Christmas placed huge pressure on finance teams to complete last-minute submissions before the break. The expenses rush added even […]

Lowering organisational stress levels

Pressure appears to be endemic in today’s society – and nowhere more so than in the workplace.  Indeed, in many companies, it seems to be almost an ethos. As a result, pressure to meet targets, make money and even push for promotion is simply part of day-to-day life for hundreds of thousands of employees up […]

Ask the Expert: What rights do staff have during performance reviews?

The question I am a standalone HR Manager in medium-sized company and took over this year, after the previous HR Manager left.   A few months after I started, I was informed by senior management that a member of staff, who has been with us for six years, was to be performance-managed out of the […]

Unilever branded “spiteful” for cancelling strikers’ Christmas perks

Unions have accused Unilever of being “spiteful” and a “modern day scrooge” after the firm cancelled workers’ Christmas parties, hampers and bonuses in retaliation over their 36-hour strike. More than 2,500 employees out of a total UK workforce of 7,000 are involved in the first ever industrial action involving the manufacturer of Marmite, Dove shampoo […]

Plan in advance to cope with winter weather, warns ACAS

With the weather expected to turn increasingly wintry over the weekend, HR departments must prepare themselves by ensuring that suitable staff policies in place, ACAS has advised. According to the mediation service, advance planning is key to ensuring that everyone and everything keeps working smoothly when circumstances turn unpredictable.   Adrian Wakeling, the organisation’s guidance […]

Legal Insight: Surviving the Christmas party

The Christmas party season is upon us again.  But while it is known as a time of goodwill to all men, the Christmas period can cause massive headaches for employers.   In particular, the office party, where the mulled wine is flowing freely, can lead to a number of employment-related challenges as alcohol-fuelled employees have […]

More private sector collaboration will lead to brain drain, warn public sector bosses

Increased collaboration with the private sector will harm staff morale and and mean that key skills, experience and knowledge is lost, public sector bosses have warned. Although leaders are bracing themselves for significant increases in public-private sector collaboration over the next few years, the majority have big doubts over the likely success of such a […]

Two out of five employers plan to axe Christmas party

Two out of five employers are axing this year’s Christmas party, but half have yet to break the news to staff, according to a study. The survey of 2,532 company bosses undertaken by online restaurant booking service www.table7.com also revealed that, even those still planning to continue with the festive celebrations intended to have a […]

Employers drag feet in evaluating cost impact of pension auto-enrolment

The introduction of pension auto-enrolment among large companies next year will result in lower wage growth in some instances as well as reduced hiring activity and less generous employer contributions in others. These are the key findings of a survey among 653 HR professionals undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and published […]

HRD Insight: Jack Morton’s Fiona Lawlor on sustainable engagement

If there’s one thing that’s needed to help business survive recession, it’s an engaged workforce. Yet all around, there are signs that such engagement is sadly lacking in British industry today.   The majority of UK workers have had much to contend with over recent years, including pay freezes and soaring inflation. Add to this […]

Ask the Expert: How do I ensure that shift workers get the right holiday?

The question We have a team of 24/7/365 shift workers working four days on, four days off, 12 hours each shift.   Using the calculation on the Direct.Gov website (5.6 weeks entitlement x 3.5 shifts worked per week = 19.6 12 hour shifts annual entitlement), the team is entitled to 19.6 shifts off per year […]