Engagement top priority to aid retention, says survey

The top priority for a huge two thirds of HR directors over the year ahead will be boosting employee engagement in order to improve retention rates as businesses start moving out of recession.  Second on the list is being able to demonstrate a return on investment on proposed HR projects, which are under more scrutiny […]

Jobs, skills, growth? Not likely this year, say Unions

Union research indicating that the rate of pay freezes will accelerate this year has been published just as an influential employment advisory body hosted an international conference to focus on the UK’s future strategy for skills, jobs and growth.  The new study undertaken by the Labour Research Department found that pay freezes were now more […]

Public sector job cuts crossroads on road to recovery

Although the UK jobs market is moving ‘out of intensive care’ and confidence is returning to the private sector, it is likely to be hit by public sector redundancies over the next 12 to 18 months, according to experts.  The latest ‘Report on Jobs’ published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and management consultants […]

Survey highlights top challenges for HR

A new survey has revealed the challenges HR practitioners feel they are already facing in 2010. While nearly half of HR professionals expect to start hiring again this year, they are also bracing themselves for an increased turnover of disaffected staff.  As a result, more than two thirds see employee engagement as the top challenge […]

Happy 100th Birthday, Jobcentre

An employment expert has praised the UK’s Jobcentre network as being one of the most “sophisticated” in Europe as the public employment service begins celebrating its centenary this month.  The Public Employment Service was created under the Labour Exchange Act of 1909 when unemployment rates of eight per cent were similar to today. By 1912, […]

2010: The year of interesting jobs?

As HR professionals know only too well, the recent months have been a difficult time for organisations but in 2010, this fluctuating operating environment can actually offer a great chance for HR teams to improve engagement among staff, says Carla Cavanagh of Best Companies. Coping with radical change has been one of the biggest challenges, […]

Group call for government support on equal pay research

An employers’ membership group has called on the government to support organisations in collecting, analysing and publishing pay data in order to help them get to grips with tackling the ongoing gender divide. The move came in response to recommendations published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) around the government’s pay reporting and […]

Good HR is E.ons away

Utility firm E.On has caused outrage among staff after finding out about its decision to axe 800 jobs following the closure of its Rayleigh call centre from a local Essex newspaper.  The German-owned company, which supplies gas and electricity to 5.5 million UK customers, said that the decision to close the facility was not “taken […]

Employers adopt ‘sophisticated’ methods to cope with recession

Employers need to adopt a more sophisticated approach to staff retention and development if they are to weather the current financial storm effectively, according to a new survey. A recent poll conducted among 550 senior HR managers in 17 countries by HR consultancy The Scala Group and the ACE Network found that only 25 percent […]

Snow business: 14% not in work, costing economy £0.5bn per day

Absence is at an all-time high as employees find themselves snowed under, according to FirstCare, who estimate it will cost business £0.5bn per day to cope with such high levels of absence.  Is it quiet in the office? It seems likely as more employees are staying at home than ever seen before due to the […]

Talented graduates seek work in call centres

Talent war? What talent war? Call centres appear to be winning a better quality candidiate since the downturn. While contact centre agents have traditionally been considered undereducated with few other options, a huge 25 per cent are now graduates, with 14 per cent having a post-graduate degree under their belt. Moreover, according to a report […]

Lessons from France Telecom – handling restructures

Performance culture expert Nigel Watson of Q4 Solutions explores why the role HR can play in restructuring is so vital, ensuring staff are mentally prepared and are working within a supportive culture in order to avoid problems like those seen at France Telecom.  The recession has forced many businesses to review how they operate and […]

PwC: Bonus culture clash is contagious

It’s not only the financial sector which is at the sharp end when it comes to criticism over bonuses and incentive payments. Public opinion is unlikely to change towards these renumeration policies and the consequences will have a high impact across FTSE-listed companies, according to experts at PricewaterhouseCoopers. While the stated focus of the one-off […]

2010 – year of the better workforce?

Kevin Dougall, Managing Director of APHR Solutions, believes that there will be more causalities for HR in 2010 as we pull out of the recession, but is he only dreaming or is he right when he says HR could make 2010 the year of the better workforce?  It is probably fair to say, that 2009 […]

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 […]

Pre-budget report: have salary sacrifice canteens had their chips?

Salary sacrifice schemes have been popular in recent years, proving a godsend for working families by providing creches or childcare vouchers and hungry workers with workforce canteens provided by the schemes. However the pre budget report’s attack on salary sacrifice workplace canteens may hint at a sea change for tax status over salary sacrifice. Aside […]

Pre budget bonus? Not this year, Darling

A pre-budget report before an election might usually be a giveaway but with huge public borrowing and a gloomy economy, Alistair Darling's good news was severely curtailed. This year's pre budget report was bound to be a balancing act: with a serious economic situation and an election just around the corner, the delicate balance became […]

Managing people in 2009

We’re looking back over the year here at HRzone and it’s safe to say the recession has had a tremendous effect on business and how we manage people. Some of the most popular articles on HRzone this year have been to do with motivating in the recession. In many ways HR has had to work […]

Are MPs opening the floodgates for unfair dismissal claims?

Brian Rogers, head of compliance at law firm Lewis Hymanson Small, argues that the recent announcement that MPs can no longer have members of their family working for them will have far reaching implications for HR professionals and businesses across the UK. The proposals have not detailed how family members will be sacked and if […]

Walk the talk with wellbeing

On National Stress Awareness Day, Rob Woollen asks if UK businesses are taking employee wellbeing seriously and considers the body of evidence suggesting that wellbeing directly affects the bottom line. Financial concerns top the list of barriers experienced by HR professionals keen to implement employee wellbeing schemes, according to a survey released this week by […]