Public sector cuts are bad news for female workers

Female workers face the worst employment prospects for a generation as swingeing job cuts in the public sector, which employs twice as many women as the private, mean that they will be disproportionately hit.  These are the findings of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey of […]

Female workers should use their ‘negotiator potential’ to close the gender pay gap

Female workers will struggle to close the current gender pay gap of 20.2% unless they become more proactive in negotiating salary increases with their bosses, claims an expert. But the problem, according to Corinne Mills, managing director of consultancy Personal Career Management, is that too many women undervalue their contribution to the business and are […]

Workplace bullying – not only at Number 10

Recent headlines have hit the Labour party with a book claiming Gordon Brown is a bully – an allegation seemingly backed up by a national hotline claiming they have received calls from ‘several’ members of Number 10 staff. However, this has now been hit with a backlash of its own as this has been perceived […]

CIPD: We’re not out of the woods yet!

The UK labour market remains in an “extremely fragile state”, with the unemployment situation likely to get worse before it gets better, an expert has warned. Figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed that total unemployment fell for a second consecutive month, albeit by a meagre 3,000 people, for the three months to […]

HR professionals ‘risk being left behind’, says CIPD

HR professionals risk being left behind unless they find ways to help senior managers reach their goal of building a genuinely sustainable business model for the future.  The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in the first report from its Next Generation HR project said that the HR function needed to move from its […]

Redundancies are set to almost double in the first quarter

Redundancies are set to almost double in the first quarter with nearly a third of public sector employers planning to cut jobs and the private sector unable to make up the shortfall despite signs of renewed hiring activity. A survey undertaken among 700 organisations by market researchers IPSOS Mori indicated that the jobs market would […]

Snow days: how to cope as a business and deal with employees

Sue Evans, a partner at Lester Aldridge, offers her advice to employers about how to cope when severe weather leaves your employees snowbound or without childcare. Businesses have experienced considerable disruption so far this year as a result of the severe weather that the country has suffered, and it’s a situation likely to repeat. Many […]

Navigating the new learning map

 The CIPD has changed its courses in order to better support modern HR. Trainer Derek Robertson explains what it means for HR. Over the past decade we’ve seen a huge amount of changes in the role HR has taken in the business, from an admin and payroll centre in many cases to a decision making, […]

270, 000 may strike after redundancy pay cut

The biggest civil service union intends to both ballot more than quarter of a million workers on strike action and seek a judicial review following government plans to slash redundancy pay-outs by up to a third.  The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union claimed that cuts to the civil service compensation scheme, which comes into […]

Ask the expert: Holiday on sick leave?

Can an employee go on holiday when they are on sick leave, and if so, what are we supposed to pay them? Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise. The question: Holiday on sick leave? An employee on long-term sick leave (work-related stress) obviously accrues his/her holiday entitlement during this absence. However, during this time if […]

Council pay freeze leads to thaw demands

Unions are urging local councils to reconsider a decision to impose a pay freeze on their 1.5 million workers, which they claim was made without negotiation.  The year-long freeze, which is due to come into force from April, flies in the face of the 2.5% or £500 increase – whichever was greater – that Unison, […]

Ask the expert: Sacked after 10 months

A graduate has been sacked after ten months, seemingly unfairly. Is there anything which can be done?       The question: A person has been employed for approximately 10 months and passed probation after three months with no adverse comment. This is their first job after graduating from University. Recently they received a letter […]

HR in 2010: ‘From partner to provocateur’ – CIPD

Stephanie Bird , Director of HR Capability at the CIPD, shares with us her vision of HR in 2010 and explains how the CIPD’s reach and research is extending far beyond British shores. When I was asked to write about my favourite topic within HR and what 2010 holds for it, I was initially thrilled […]

Ask the expert: Can they replace my holiday with childcare?

If an employer is making a contribution to childcare, can they remove some of my leave entitlement? And should I be able to avoid tax on the childcare?       The question: I have a little boy aged two and my current employer has agreed to pay my £245 that I would get from […]

Engagement despite M&A – the impact on employer brand

Rebecca Clake examines the issues with a merger or acquisition and what HR can do to maintain engagement and keep key staff using recent research from CIPD. CIPD’s new report on mergers and acquisitions defines the employer brand as a ‘two way deal between an organisation and its people – the reason they choose to […]

Be aware of mental health in 2010, says Acas

Ed Sweeney, Acas Chair, considers the impact the recession has had on business and employees and what HR should focus on next year to avoid legal implications.  2009 has been a challenging year for businesses and employees. For many managers, this is the first time that they have encountered such challenging economic conditions. As a […]

BA strike ruled illegal

The planned strike by Unite which would have seen cabin crew striking over the Christmas period is now off after a high court judged it illegal. Unite invited workers who had already agreed to take voluntary redundancy to vote in the ballot. BA raised the issue and although they continued with negotiations, the court found […]

To party or not to party – that is the question

Christmas bash, bonus culture clash, employees getting smashed… the nightmare before Christmas has begun, and the warnings and advice have begun flooding in. Charlie Duff identifes the key themes and tips to take heed of this season… Don’t call off the Christmas partyIn our poll, most of you were going ahead with a Christmas celebration. […]

Colborn’s Corner: Mistletoe and whine – the office Christmas party

This month Quentin muses on personal responsibility when it comes to behaviour at the office Christmas party. Should HR even get involved? It’s that time of year again. For many it is a religious celebration of great significance, for others it’s an excuse for a series of parties and seemingly endless expenditure, which, like the […]

Ask the expert: Does a fixed contract negate redundancy?

Does an employee qualify for redundancy pay even if they’re on a fixed-term contract? Matthew Whelan and Esther Smith advise.   The question: If a three-year fixed-term contract is not renewed and the employee dismissed in the absence of other work, do they qualify for a redundancy payment?  Legal advice: Matthew Whelan, solicitor, Speechly Bircham The […]