Tube strikes after ACAS talks break down
The London Underground network is set to be crippled by a wave of 24-hour rolling strikes from today after talks at the conciliation service Acas to avert industrial action collapsed last week. Some 10,000 members of London Underground’s two biggest unions, the RMT and TSSA, began preparations for strike action from 5pm on 6 September […]
Over 2/3 of organisations fail to evaluate training
In order to boost the performance of their coaching initiatives, organisations need to introduce well-thought through programmes and evaluation processes that are aligned with business strategy. According to the ‘2010 Learning and Development’ survey undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), however, more than two thirds of organisations currently fail to evaluate […]
Overseas labour still in demand to fill skills gap despite jobless Britons
Despite high levels of domestic unemployment, organisations are turning to both migrant workers and offshore outsourcers in a bid to plug UK skills gaps as the economy starts to recover. According to the quarterly ‘Labour Market Outlook’ survey published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and management consultancy KPMG, some 45% of […]
Pay offer halts proposed BAA strike
Money talks: the Unite union has called off proposed industrial action by thousands of airport workers that would have crippled six UK airports, after operator BAA agreed to a “much improved” pay offer. The agreement was reached last night after hours of fraught negotiations mediated by the conciliation service, Acas. Unite intends to recommend that […]
HR must not fall for the ‘delusion of gender’
HR professionals need to be careful of indulging in ‘neurosexism’, after revelations that widely accepted differences between male and female abilities are not hard-wired into their brains from birth but are the result of cultural assumptions. Cordelia Fine, a researcher at Melbourne University, argues in her book entitled ‘Delusions of Gender’, which is due to […]
Union urges BT employees with damaged hearing to claim
Only days after the Communications Workers Union voted to accept BT’s pay deal worth 9.3% over three years, it is urging engineers suffering from tinnitus and deafness to seek compensation from the telco for potential negligence. Compensation claims are currently being looked at in Cardiff County Court, which has asked the solicitors involved to consider […]
The HP Way: Sexual harrassment and the CEO
The fall from grace of a highly regarded CEO, sexual harassment accusations from a soft porn actress-turned reality TV contestant, some fiddled expenses and a breach of a 50 plus year old corporate ethical code: the events of the past week at Hewlett Packard, one of the founding fathers of Silicon Valley, reads more like […]
CIPD predict 50% rise in redundancies
Redundancy levels are expected to jump by 50% over the next quarter dealing a blow to coalition government hopes that private sector employers will create enough jobs to offset swingeing public sector cuts. According to the latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook published by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) and management consultancy KPMG, […]
‘Nuclear options’ must be considered by Government to avoid strike action
The CIPD urges the government to consider ‘nuclear options’ to tackle unions if necessary but to realise that engagement and trust will win greatest advantages. The warning came only days after the RMT transport union tabled a motion to be heard at the TUC conference in September, calling for co-ordinated national strike action in protest […]
Unions may coordinate action against cuts
The prospect of a general strike moved a step closer yesterday after the RMT union tabled a motion calling for co-ordinated industrial action in protest at the coalition government’s proposed public sector jobs and pension cuts. The transport union’s motion will be heard at umbrella organisation the TUC’s Congress, which takes place from 13 to […]
The end of team bonding down the boozer?
Although nearly three out of five managers take staff to the pub for team-building purposes, just over half of employees are unenthusiastic about going out with their colleagues and one in five actively dislike it. These are the findings of study entitled ‘Health of the Workplace’ undertaken by insurance firm Aviva. The research also revealed […]
20% claim they are bullied by boss
In somewhat of an indictment of UK business leadership, just over one in five UK workers claim to be bullied by their boss, while almost a third believe their manager is incompetent. A study among 1,298 staff commissioned by HR consultancy Reabur.com also revealed that a further 22% of respondents felt their manager was ‘under-qualified’ […]
Unite union prepares for court battles
Unite is to sue British Airways under European human rights legislation for withdrawing travel perks from cabin crew who took part in strike action earlier this year at the same time as it prepares for legal action against Ford. The union believes that the move by BA was taken without proper disciplinary procedures being followed. […]
Better communication with the DISC system
Body language expert Peter Clayton looks at the complex subject of profiling and how it can help you better understand how to communicate with your audience whether you are delivering a training programme to managers, presenting to the board or giving a speech at an HR event. Most of us take in knowledge and analyse […]
CIPD in ‘wildly inaccurate’ policy paper row
A leading HR body has found itself at the centre of a PR storm following the publication of a policy paper about skills quangos, which has been branded “wildly inaccurate” and “unprofessional”. The report entitled ‘Quangos in the Education and Skills System’, which was published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) last […]
Out of date policies putting businesses at risk
Too many companies are failing to revise internal procedures in order to comply with new equality and anti-bribery legislation, leaving them open to potential prosecution, lawyers have warned. According to a survey of more than 100 HR directors undertaken by law firm Pannone, just under two thirds of respondents still routinely use pre-employment health questionnaires […]
No break for SME bosses
Three out of five bosses in small-to-medium enterprises plan to remain in daily contact with staff during their summer break this year, a situation fuelled by concern over increasingly complex HR and payroll issues. According to a poll of 293 owners of small-to-medium businesses undertaken by internet service provider Eclipse Internet, while 73% plan to […]
Summer and autumn of direct action ahead
The head of the RMT union has called for a general strike and co-ordinated community direct action in protest at proposed government cuts as ministers brace themselves for a summer or autumn of discontent. General secretary of the transport union Bob Crow issued a “call to arms” at the RMT’s annual conference in Aberdeen yesterday, […]
Interns need ‘training wage’ says CIPD
The CIPD says all employers should be obliged to pay interns a guaranteed ‘Training Wage’ to prevent exploitation. A policy paper entitled ‘Internships: To Pay or Not to Pay?’ published today by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) proposed that all interns regardless of their occupation or industry sector be paid £2.50 per […]
Emergency budget – what it means for HR and employers
This ‘emergency’ budget, delivered by Chancellor George Osborne (flanked by two Liberal Democrats to prove how well the coalition is working and how much cross-party support the financial plan has) could be significant for managers and HR, according to business leaders and the CIPD. John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel […]