Does performance-related pay provide value for money?
While the average new hire’s salary is 3% down on 18 months ago, pay packages for FTSE 350 bosses have soared 700% since 2002 – despite company share prices spectacularly failing to correspond. A report by The High Pay Commission revealed that most of the jump in directors’ renumeration came in the form of annual […]
Simple steps to help women reach the top
Gender equality remains a problem at the top of UK business. While there is a general consensus that Lord Davies’ call for more of it at board level is a good thing to aim at, many people believe the road to that particular promised land will be much longer and far more arduous than first […]
Female unemployment to jump again from 23-year high
Even as it became clear that Lord Davies’ boardroom gender targets were being ignored by most UK companies, the TUC warned that female unemployment rates were set to jump further from current 23-year highs. An analysis of official statistics undertaken by the union umbrella organisation revealed that, because the number of women employed in the […]
Legal Insight: The religious discrimination issue
The Church of England recently attempted to re-open the long-running debate over the issue of religion (and religious expression) in the workplace. But the legal position is far from straightforward. How far employers should go in accommodating the religious needs and requirements of staff is an issue that typically polarises opinion. The Church believes that […]
Ask the Expert: How sick is sick?
The Question A member of staff has been off sick for two weeks (one week self-certified, the other with a doctor’s note). While off sick, she has been posting on a social networking site that she has been to Bristol to have a new tattoo, has been out and about with friends and has also […]
Criminal convictions for tax evasion jump 38% in a year
The number of criminal convictions for tax evasion jumped by 38% over the past year as HMRC has taken a more focused approach to dealing with the problem. The number of convictions increased to 148 for the year to 31 March 2011, according to figures obtained from HMRC under the Freedom of Information Act, with […]
Going for gold – the role of HR in Olympic tenders
With less than a year to go until the Olympics, much is being written about the expected impact on the workforce, including an increase in sickness absence and requests for flexible working. But another much less discussed issue is the stringent tender process that companies are having to go through to be considered ‘fit to […]
Legal Insight: How to craft an effective social media policy
The proliferation of social media has blurred the lines between workers’ public and private lives. As a result, over the last few years, there has been a rise in the number of cases involving employees’ use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The situation has also been made all the more difficult […]
Modern Workplaces consultation: the view from payroll
Back in May, the government launched a four part consultation on Modern Workplaces to explore the pros and cons of four key regulatory proposals. These proposals comprised: the introduction of a system of flexible parental leave a right for all employees to request flexible working changes to the Working Time Regulations affecting the interaction of […]
Goldman Sachs takes away bankers’ two-year old pay rise
Goldman Sachs is taking the unusual step of cutting the salaries of hundreds of its London bankers by invoking a contractual clause to phase out former pay increases by the end of the year. The move follows a previous announcement by the New York-based investment bank’s that it plans to cut about 1,000 staff across […]
Tate trustees take action to stop bullying
Complaints of bullying by managers has led the Tate galleries to issue a directive pointing out that staff have a right to work in a safe place “free from harassment or discrimination of any kind”. According to the Independent, the problem was considered so serious that the organisation’s trustees, who are appointed by the Prime […]
Ask the Expert: Can I reject candidates due to their visa status?
The Question I’ve had applications for full-time permanent positions from applicants who are on a Post Study Work (PSW) Visa and so only eligible to work for two years before they would have to change status. I’m assuming that there is no guarantee that new visas would be granted, so is this a valid […]
RBS pay details exposed in Hays email
Recruitment specialist Hays has launched an internal investigation after one of its employees forwarded on an email revealing the pay of thousands of contractors who work for the Royal Bank of Scotland. According to Sky News, the message, which disclosed the pay of about 3,000 contract and temporary staff employed in areas such as HR […]
Coulson paid by NotW while working for Prime Minister
Allegations that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson received two years’ contractual pay from News International while working as the Prime Minister’s communications chief have led to calls for a probe of Conservative election funding. Coulson resigned from the editorship of News of the World in 2007 after the Sunday tabloid’s royal correspondent […]
Legal Insight: Where does long-term sick leave end and annual leave begin?
The boundaries between annual leave and sick leave and where they lie has been a growing issue in both the courts and employment tribunals over the last couple of years, points out Harriet Broughton, a solicitor at Bevans. The problem arises because the Working Time Regulations 1998 state that annual leave “may only be taken […]
Ask the Expert: How to stop a one-off lease car perk becoming a given?
The Question We have a lease car sitting in the car park as the employee left after only six month’s service and will not be replaced. I suggested using it as a pool car till the lease comes to an end but the MD wants to give it to one particular member of staff. […]
Blog: Got sick while on holiday?
After months of hard work you finally booked a few days off to enjoy the gorgeous (?) British summer weather. But, a day before taking your long awaited break you got really ill and had to spend all of your holiday in bed. Ouch! The good news is that you are entitled to take sickness […]
Employers must “challenge status quo” for women to reach the top
Employers need to challenge the status quo and revamp out-moded working patterns if they are to give women as much chance as men of getting to the top, according to experts. A report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission entitled ‘Sex & Power 2011’ earlier this week revealed that, at current rates of […]
Tribunal hears first UK caste-based discrimination claim
In the first case of its kind in the UK, an Indian couple is claiming unfair constructive dismissal from their legal jobs due to caste-based discrimination. Because of the precedent-setting nature of the lawsuit, Home Secretary Theresa May is believed to be watching the case carefully and considering whether to add a section covering caste […]
The value of on-the-job assessments when managing older workers
Although Employment Minster Ed Davey hailed the abolition of the Default Retirement Age as ‘great news for older people, businesses and the economy’, not everyone agrees. As Mary Clarke, chief executive of Cognisco points outs, some business leaders and lobby groups have voiced concerns that businesses may be saddled with an ageing and incompetent workforce, […]