Talent Spot: Kevin Fisher, HR director at Blemain Group
One of the six key tasks that Kevin Fisher was set when he joined specialist lender Blemain Group as an interim was to find a permanent HR director. And he found the perfect candidate: himself. From Blemain’s perspective, having Fisher on board as an interim HRD first of all enabled senior managers to ‘try before […]
CEO Insight: Sinead Hasson on Hasson Associates’ CSR programme
The arrival of 2012 brought with it the news that there are still 2.65 million people out of work in the UK. Widespread redundancies, salary freezes or even cuts as well as the increasing loss of employee benefits are not only hitting employers hard, but also causing employees to question their job security. And […]
Talent Spot: Leisa Docherty, people services director at Sage UK
One of the key aims of Leisa Docherty, people services director at Sage UK, is to help staff move “from good to great”. She believes that career development and encouraging innovation are key to the business applications company’s success and is proud to play her part in creating an environment where staff can flourish. […]
Blog: Using transparency as a tool to rebuild employee trust
"I am sorry, but we have already identified someone for that role.” The next question was, “how could that be, the job was just posted on the Internet?” What my friend had just found out is a little dirty secret in some organizations. Sometimes when jobs are posted, and even when they are not, […]
CIPD to boost enforcement for HR code of conduct
The CIPD is attempting to boost the professionalism of the HR industry by strengthening its code of conduct and boosting its complaints and disciplinary procedures to ensure more effective enforcement. The revised code of professional conduct, which is due to come into force for all Institute members on 1 July, was drawn up by a […]
Valentines Day: Two out of five employees look for love at work
Although many UK employers have traditionally frowned on workplace romances, a huge two out of five employees will nonetheless be looking for love at work this year, according to a survey. The poll undertaken by Jobsite.co.uk also revealed that a third of men would take a job based on the attractiveness of new colleagues. Some […]
Analysis: What is ‘fair’? Co-operatives, bonuses and the living wage issue
A new Bill to make it easier for employees to set up their own co-operatives is to be put before Parliament in a bid to make the UK economy more “fair and worthwhile”. In a speech in London yesterday, the Prime Minister said that employee-owned organisations already provided the country with nearly £1 billion-worth of […]
Talent Spot: David Arkless, president of End Human Trafficking Now!
David Arkless, ManpowerGroup’s president of global corporate and government affairs, constantly criss-crosses the globe advising on labour issues, talking to governments and spearheading a campaign against human trafficking. It’s an impressive and worthy remit that more than fulfils his modest childhood ambition: “I grew up in a very, very working class family in a council […]
Avoiding the hidden cost of Christmas perks
When it comes to indulging in the Christmas spirit, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs is not generally known for its generosity. Indeed, since the 2010 Bribery Act came into force, there have been strict rules and regulations on gift giving, which could see overly-magnanimous companies landed with a hefty tax bill. This means that, […]
HMRC looks for more PAYE Real Time Information guinea pigs
HM Revenue & Customs is asking for more employers to join its PAYE Real Time Information (RTI) pilot scheme. The government agency has already recruited 300 volunteers to test drive the system before its initial launch in April and is inviting a further 1,300 to join in July next year, followed by an additional 250,000 volunteers from November […]
Employee vetting in recruitment – a must or a nice-to-have?
How effective is making pre-employment vetting part of the recruitment process in order to reduce subsequent fraud and theft? Which pre-employment checks are necessary and where do you stand on hiring ex-offenders? Such topics have been widely debated in the HR world for years without any clear-cut answers having emerged. But what is […]
New investment for 10,000 more volunteer business mentors
The Coalition Government is investing £1.2 million in order to recruit and train 10,000 new mentors in a bid to boost support for entrepreneurs and stimulate the economy. The money will be used to support the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative‘s new ‘Get Mentoring’ scheme for volunteers from small-to-medium businesses who may not otherwise be […]
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: John Ainley, group HR director at Aviva
“Authenticity is very important. You can be authentically awful, but being comfortable with who you are, is crucial as an HR director,” says John Ainley, group HR director at Aviva. Ainley, who is a member of the insurance group’s executive committee and reports directly to its chief executive, started working there as a divisional HR […]
A question of ethics: Candidate profile-building using social media
The internet has, and will continue to, change the way we do things. ‘Business web sites’ such as LinkedIn and other social media web sites such as Facebook and Twitter are increasingly being used to meet people and sustain friendships and business relationships online. More and more organisations are also using social media to […]
HRD Insight: M&S’ Tanith Dodge on boosting customer service via staff engagement
Employee engagement and good customer service are integrally linked, believes Tanith Dodge, HR director of Marks & Spencer. The idea is that if staff are demotivated and unhappy, they will not be inclined to go the extra mile or care about the impact of their behaviour either on individual customers or the brand image of […]
HRD Insight: McDonalds’ head of people on staff engagement
McDonalds’ decision to make its people strategy part of its business strategy has not only polished up a previously tarnished employer brand but also seen staff engagement levels leap. The rationale behind integrating rather than aligning the two policies was a simple one, however, said Jez Langhorn, vice president of people for the UK and […]
Creating a sustainable people strategy
When it comes to creating an environmental or sustainable policy, it seems that businesses are making the same mistakes that they did when the internet first arrived. At that time, everyone rushed to create a web site and packed it full of information. But they failed to either develop a suitable strategy or appreciate that […]
Encouraging green employee action can help cut costs
By understanding and complying with environmental regulations, you can not only save the planet, but also cut costs in your organisation. Ellie Dart, senior communications officer at NetRegs.gov.uk, explains how. Your workplace environmentRecent estimates say that UK businesses generate over a third of the UK’s CO2 emissions. So how are they doing it? Energy and […]
FairPensions rally calls for living wage by top 100 companies
An advocacy group is writing to chief executives at the top 100 UK companies to demand that they pay workers a “living wage”, after holding a rally in London yesterday. Two and a half thousand investors, philanthropists and religious leaders led by FairPensions, an organisation committed to promoting responsible investment, gathered at Westminster Central Hall […]
