Businesses struggle to accommodate rise in older workers
Companies may be struggling to use older workers to their full potential, according to a new survey of 100 senior HR professionals. Close to two thirds (59%) of respondents to the Towers Watson research said they were not making progress in adapting working environments to the needs of older workers or taking advantage of their […]
News: First quarter of 2013 sees accelerated jobs growth
The UK jobs market grew in March, continuing positive growth seen throughout the first quarter of 2013. Reed Job Index’s monthly measure of conditions and trends in employment opportunities stands at 156, its highest ever level, eclipsing last month’s previous high by one percent. In total there were nine percent more job opportunities on offer […]
News: Renewed optimism in the workplace?
Employees are feeling more empowered to do their jobs than at any other time during 2012, according to new research. Well over half (58.6 percent) of UK workers are proud to work for their current organisation, up on the 41.7 percent reported in summer 2012. Over three quarters (76.1 percent) believe their manager gives them […]
Budget 2013 – what it means for HR
Chancellor George Osborne has announced his 2013 Budget to Parliament – referred to by the chancellor as one for an ‘aspiration nation.’ Read on for our analysis of how new measures introduced could impact the HR function. You can keep up with comments on the budget by following hashtag #Budget2013 on Twitter. Tax incentives for […]
Interview: Peter Cheese, CEO of the CIPD
Peter Cheese, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) believes we are at an inflection point in HR and that the opportunities for the profession to make an impact on the business has never been greater. With the CIPD’s centenary year in full swing, HRZone recently caught up with Cheese, to […]
News: employers who fail to engage will fail the UK
HR has known the importance of engagement for a long time – now there’s research out that points to just how important it is for long-term economic prosperity. According to new research from Adecco Group, employers that do not engage, motivate and retain their best employees risk damaging the UK’s economic position, according to new […]
Blog: top tips for training finance staff
The NHS Foundation Trust is a big believer in staff development. Helen Rourke, Assistant Finance Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, shares her tips on training finance staff of all skill levels and abilities through a formal qualification. The NHS Foundation Trust has supported a significant number of finance staff through formal […]
Are employers up to speed on failing Work Programme?
"Extremely poor." That’s the damning assessment from a committee of cross party MPs of the government’s flagship, multi-billion pound Work Programme to get the long term unemployed back to work. But is the Programme failing as a result of poor communication and marketing to employers, without which it cannot hope to succeed? The House of […]
Redundancies on the up – but so are salaries.
2013 promises a high number of redundancies but also healthy salary increases for UK firms, reports an Aon Hewitt survey. The survey revealed a mixed picture of the jobs market in the UK. More than a third (35%) of UK organisations said they were considering redundancies this year – higher than any other European country […]
Legal: no mass sackings, but check your equality policies in the wake of gay marriage vote
With the gay marriage bill safely voted through the Commons with a massive majority, legal experts have dismissed the HR-centric scaremongering by opponents, but advise a re-examination of existing equality policies. MPs voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 400 to 175, a majority of 225. Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday’s […]
News: employees still fear redundancy in 2013
Around one in 12 employers fear they may need to make redundancies in the next six months as the stalling economy fails to ignite growth. This 8% figure represents a marked slide in confidence from 2012 when just 2% of employers were unsure whether redundancies would be needed, according to a survey of 783 […]
Unemployment falls again
Unemployment levels have fallen to an 18-month low while the number of people in work has reached a record high, in spite of a jittery economy. There were 2.49 million people unemployed between September and November 2012, a fall of 37,000 over the previous quarter, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Meanwhile, […]
Analysis: Govt’s response to Frost sickness absence review “disappointing”
Experts have branded the government’s response to the Frost review of workplace sickness absence as “disappointing”, warning that it did not go far enough. The 2011 review was originally led by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work and a former president of the Royal College of Physicians, and David Frost, […]
News: ‘Sign up to ethical code or quit,’ Barclays’ CEO warns staff
Barclays’ new chief executive issued employees with an ultimatum today to either sign up to an ethical code of conduct or quit, as part of the bank’s attempt to try and repair its battered reputation. In a memo sent to its 140,000 staff worldwide, Antony Jenkins warned that, in future, performance would be judged on […]
News: UK’s top gay-friendly employers unveiled
Management consultancy Accenture, housing association Gentoo and the Co-op have been named as the UK’s top three employers respectively for lesbian, gay and bi-sexual staff. Charity Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2013 rankings also recognised investment bank Goldman Sachs, which won an award for ‘Employee Group Network of the Year’. The Nationwide Building Society was […]
News: EU – Employers ‘must retrain or redeploy redundant staff’
European MPs have approved proposals for medium- and large employers to take responsibility for retraining or redeploying employees that they plan to make redundant. The European Parliament report, which was drawn up by Spanish socialist MEP, Alejandro Cercas, is calling for new regulations that would require organisations employing more than 100 staff in a single […]
News: ECHR religious discrimination ruling could force more legislation
Although the European Court of Human Rights’ landmark ruling on four UK cases of alleged religious discrimination has brought some legal clarity, new legislation may be still be required to illuminate the situation further. The judgement, which was published in Strasbourg today, found in favour of one of the claimants, but the other three all […]
News: Banks angle for tax-efficient bonuses amid change to police and teachers’ pay
As a row broke out over attempts by bankers to defer bonus payments in order to exploit forthcoming tax cuts, it was announced that the starting salaries of police officers were to be cut by a fifth. According to the Daily Telegraph, the outgoing Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, warned the banks that they […]
News: UK’s oil and gas industry to create 85,000 jobs over next 3 years
The UK’s oil and gas industry is forecast to create 50,000 new jobs this year, with another 35,000 likely to be added in the shale gas sector over the next 24 to 36 months. The jobs “boom” will cover roles ranging from engineers and drillers to geologists and support services staff and will take the […]
News: What to do when it snows?
After a wet Christmas and mild New Year, a cold snap is hitting the country once more, with temperatures predicted to reach as low as -10 and snow forecast to fall in most areas of the UK. Inevitably, this situation will result in travel disruption and employees who are unable, or unwilling, to get into […]
