Gamification: How to play ball with staff engagement

Engaged employees are more effective and innovative because they are showing their true selves at work. Involvement is key to engagement and games have always epitomised that. So it stands to reason that an effective route to employee engagement is to encourage people to play games.   In our recent international executive survey, which explored […]

Blog: The changing role of reservists in the workplace

Employer support is vital for Reserve Forces to be able to balance their civilian and military roles in society successfully. But the Reserve Forces are changing as a result of the recently published Reserve Forces Review 2020 (FR20) and, since July, the Ministry of Defence has been working on how to implement the recommendations in […]

EU final salary pension proposals could cost employers £100bn

Proposed new European rules for final salary pension schemes would land employers with such a “huge bill” that they would be forced to close them for good, the Pensions Minister has warned. The European Commission is considering whether to introduce so-called ‘Solvency II’ regulations that would mean the 6,850 UK companies still operating such pension […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Blog: The serious issue of recruitment fraud

In March of 2011 there was a topic that was posted on The FIRM’s discussion forum that was quite alarming. One of the members, a UK based recruitment manager, working in-house at a large company had flagged the issue of Recruitment Fraud.    I wrote the majority of this post then. It is updated here […]

Finding and keeping disabled workers

Organisations facing cost pressures in today’s challenging economic environment would do well to explore the business case for employing disabled people. Exceptional characters such as Stephen Hawking, David Blunkett and Richard Branson would appear to prove the point that it doesn’t make sense to simply exclude them in the mistaken notion that they have nothing […]

Asset-based pension contribution crackdown could put off large employers

 Changes introduced in Tuesday’s Autumn Statement to restrict tax relief on asset-backed contributions to pension schemes are likely to make them less attractive to large companies. The new limits on tax relief for asset-backed pension contributions were set out in draft clauses of the Finance Bill 2012, but came into effect from the date of […]

Round-up of Chancellor’s key Autumn Statement pronouncements

Public sector pay rises are to be capped at 1% for two years, the Chancellor announced today in his Autumn Statement. The cap will follow straight on from a two-year-long pay freeze for public sector workers and is only likely to inflame anger over the Coalition Government’s proposed changes to pensions. Among other things, the […]

Blog: A key engagement question: Would you recommend a friend to work here?

One of the most important questions when it comes to employee engagement is, “Would you recommend a friend to work here?” One of my Gen Y mentee’s called me last week. The problem was I was in Boston on business and she knew that. So when she called I knew there was a problem.   […]

The value of employee pension education

Auto-enrolment begins next October, with the aim of increasing the retirement income of a large proportion of the 14 million UK employees who do not currently save in a workplace pension scheme. An estimated nine million people will join the Government-sponsored National Employment Savings Trust, but millions more could opt straight out of the system […]

Blog: A two-minute guide to employer branding

So, you’re an employer. You have a Staff Handbook and have made sure that you are complying with basic employment law. You think that you’re an OK employer, and provide an OK place to work. But is OK enough? Why not be a great employer? If you’ve got the basics in place, don’t stop there […]

Update: Auto-enrolment delayed for small businesses

Small businesses are to be given an extra year before they have to start enrolling their employees into workplace pension schemes. The move will apply to firms employing less than 50 staff and is being portrayed as a boost for business. More than 44% of the entire UK workforce – the equivalent of about four […]

Should HR be regulated?

HR departments play an important role in ensuring that businesses comply with regulatory requirements.  By monitoring conformance with industry-specific guidelines, guaranteeing adherence to legislation and keeping paper trails updated, HR professionals help organisations to avoid the penalties and fines that can damage or even destroy reputations.   But what about regulation relating to the HR […]

‘Protected conversations’ will create business “nightmare”

Coalition Government proposals to introduce ‘protected conversations’ risk “creating a field day for employment lawyers and a nightmare for businesses”, experts have warned. Among a raft of proposed changes to UK employment law mooted by Business Secretary Vince Cable this morning, one of the most controversial was enabling employers to hold ‘protected conversations’ with staff […]

Employers failing to make staff contingency plans due to Olympics antipathy

 As youth unemployment passed the one million mark for the first time, just over a quarter of UK employers said the money being funnelled into the London Olympics would be better spent on training to help young people get jobs. A total three in five UK also wished that the money had been invested in […]

Employers asked to bid for chunk of £250m apprenticeship pot

In a bid to try and tackle soaring youth unemployment, the Coalition Government is asking employers to bid for a chunk of a £250 million pot next year to take on new apprentices. The news came only weeks after the leak of a document from Business Secretary Vince Cable’s department revealing that official apprenticeship figures […]

Blog: How to turn volunteering into team-building

My daughter decided to volunteer through a program at her job. Each employee has the opportunity to volunteer their services and receive a day off in return. She was up early on a Saturday morning and headed into New York City to work at a soup kitchen in the Bowery.   To her surprise, basically […]

Talent Spot: David Smith, HR director at LV=

When David Smith, HR and communications director at LV=, first joined the UK’s largest friendly society he was faced with the ultimate challenge: a blank sheet of paper. At that point, in 2008, the company had outsourced its entire HR function. Smith’s first job was to bring HR back in-house. It was a time of […]