IT recruitment slows drastically after nine quarters of growth

Although overall activity in the IT recruitment sector had been increasing for nine consecutive quarters, growth over the last three months slowed to a grim 1%. Moreover, an increase in outsourcing by both public and private sector organisations as they attempted to cut costs led to both consultancies and software houses being the most active […]

Mediation: Part Three – How to prepare participants effectively

The prospect of attending a mediation session in order to try and settle a workplace dispute can be very daunting for everyone concerned. So what can HR professionals do to support people and help prepare them for the big day? 1. Clarify the mediation process   Most providers supply all parties with a written document […]

UK lags behind rest of OECD in management skills

An influential HR body has called on the Coalition Government to find ways of encouraging UK employers to fill damaging gaps in current management and leadership skills profiles. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has published a Work Horizons report entitled ‘Good Management – A New (Old) Driver for Growth’, ahead of next month’s governmental […]

Blog: A Beecroft in a bonnet – is the leaked report really such a big deal?

There’s been a lot of hoo-ha this week over the leaked Government report proposing that – shock horror! – people should be fairly sacked for being no good at their job. The main bone of contention though seems to be the ‘compensated no-fault dismissal’ – the suggestion that employers should be able to dismiss incapable […]

How to guard against corporate social media discrimination

Corporate social media discrimination is becoming an increasingly tricky issue to deal with and HR is finding itself at the forefront of the struggle – often without having the necessary defences in place. Corporate social media discrimination refers to situations where employers use social networking sites such as Facebook to undertake research about a candidate’s […]

NHS staff expose confidential patient data 5 times per week

NHS staff are revealing highly sensitive information up to five times a week by posting messages about patients on Facebook, discussing their illnesses in public or losing their medical files. The news was relayed in a shock-horror Daily Mail expose, but was derived from a Freedom of Information request submitted by pressure group, Big Brother […]

Too many firms employing Mr and Ms ‘Unknown’, warns HMRC

The taxman has expressed concern over how much incorrect payroll paperwork he receives, after more than 800 returns in fiscal year 2009/10 claimed to employ Mr or Ms ‘Unknown’. Errors in the details of employees’ tax and national insurance contributions, sent by employers each year to HM Revenue & Customs as part of their PAYE […]

Garden centre worker unfairly dismissed for anti-hunting beliefs

A Dorset man was unfairly dismissed from his job at a garden centre because of his anti-hunting beliefs, an employment tribunal has ruled. Joe Hashman was fired from Orchard Park in Gillingham after acting as a witness in two hunting prosecutions.   He took his claim for unfair dismissal to a tribunal after a judge […]

Ask the Expert: Can I give a bad reference?

The question Does a referee need to discuss a potentially damaging reference with the employee concerned before it is sent to a new employer? What is the legal position on references generally in terms of what can and can’t be said?     The legal verdict   Martin Brewer, a partner at Mills & Reeve […]

PAYE pooling proposals could cut costs – and lead to more tax probes

A proposal by HM Revenue & Customs to allow “connected” employers to pool employee PAYE returns may cut costs for some but could also create “bigger targets” for the taxman, an accountancy firm has warned. Many organisations such as corporate groups of companies, professional partnerships, charities and public bodies, are made up of a number of […]

Small businesses call for tax relief to help with sickness absence costs

The Federation of Small Businesses has called for the introduction of tax relief to help employers cope with the high cost and administrative burden of sickness absence. Ahead of the publication of findings from an independant review of the sickness absence system later this autumn, the FSB’s ‘Voice of Small Business’ survey revealed sickness absence […]

Legal Insight: The Bribery Act revisited

That the Bribery Act has claimed its first victim less than four months after coming into force serves as a timely reminder to employers to be aware of their responsibilities. Munir Patel, who worked at Redbridge Magistrates’ Court in east London, pleaded guilty to accepting £500 to ‘get rid’ of someone’s speeding charge, which amounted […]

Axing unfair dismissal rights “not beneficial” for employers or staff, warn experts

Radical proposals to allow employers to sack unproductive workers without explanation would “not be beneficial” to themselves, their staff or the economy, experts have warned. A leaked final draft report, commissioned by the Prime Minister and written by Adrian Beecroft, a venture capitalist and Conservative Party donor, suggests that UK workers should be banned from […]

Cunard denies ship registration switch is “smoke screen” for staff wage cuts

Cunard has denied that the decision to switch the registration of its ships from the UK to Bermuda at the start of next year is aimed at circumventing domestic employment laws on pay and conditions. Peter Shanks, the luxury cruise operator’s managing director, told the Telegraph that the move was instead intended to enable ships […]

Clegg promises yet more employment law change this autumn

The Coalition Government plans to introduce a “major package” of employment law changes this autumn, which includes “significant reforms” to the tribunal system. This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told a meeting of small business leaders gathered at the Shoreditch offices of Holition, which creates augmented reality marketing software, that the aim of implementing […]

Mediation: Part Two – How to find the right provider

The mediation industry has no single regulatory body. The Civil Mediation Council runs a workplace mediation provider registration scheme, which provides a register of mediation suppliers. Although this is a positive step forward, as yet there is no single code of good practice for workplace mediators and the scheme relies on self-certification. As a result, […]

Unions mount legal challenge to Government pension changes

A new front will open up tomorrow in the ongoing battle over public sector pensions between unions and the Coalition Government when a judicial review hearing kicks off in the High Court. The aim of the legal challenge, which has been mounted by the UK’s six largest public sector unions, is to question the lawfulness […]

Tesco temp agencies ask workers to waive EU employment rights

Thousands of temps working for Tesco have been asked to sign contracts waiving their new employment rights under the Agency Worker Regulations in a scenario that is becoming increasingly widespread across the UK. According to the Sunday Telegraph, many of the recruitment agencies for the country’s largest supermarket chain have introduced a get-out clause, which […]

The HR Headmistress: Coping with ET1 tribunal claim documents

Unless you’re a solicitor, the arrival of an ET1 employment tribunal claim document does tend to cast a gloom over the morning. Such claims have risen considerably in recent years and, in the current economic climate, contractual changes and redundancy dismissals are commonplace.   In an ideal world, we should be ensuring compliant, timely and […]

Stone Roses’ ticket scramble hits staff productivity hard

A rush to snap up tickets for the Stones Roses reunion concert this morning resulted in a huge dip in employee productivity, but should not be allowed to set a precedent, an employment lawyer has warned. The cult Manchester band’s three nights of gigs at the city’s Heaton Park sold out in just 68 minutes, […]