News: Management on the move in 2013
Almost a third of UK senior managers are looking to switch jobs this year, according to an independent report commissioned by career advisor AGM Transitions. The research found that the desire for a new job was high among senior managers, prompted by the prospect of better pay (37%) as well as a fresh challenge (18%). […]
Blog: Dealing with the thorny legal issue of vicarious liability
Employers should not turn a blind eye to allegations of harassment. They should be investigated fully as quickly as possible and dealt with appropriately and fairly. In cases of sexual or racial harassment that are taken to an employment tribunal, an employer may have to defend an allegation of vicarious liability. […]
Have you got what it takes to be an HR director?
Securing an HR director job is tough. If you apply for an HRD role, you’ll be faced with strong competition from both inside and outside the organisation. There are some common factors that employers look for when hiring. Ideally, you’ll be someone who is currently a senior HR business partner or a head of HR, […]
All you need to know about hiring a former drug or alcohol user
I’ve spent much of the last 17 years working with current and former drug users, homeless people and ex-offenders in London and Sheffield. Much of that time has been taken up helping them to access services, which include housing, treatment and mental health support, so that people have the necessary assistance to try and turn […]
Age audit tool unwrapped: How ageist is your organisation?
In the blink of an eye, the default retirement age made employees go from being seen as important contributors to society to a perceived ‘burden’. The recent end of the DRA is just one element of a broader shift towards recognising the changing role, and value, of older workers. Enabling more people to defer […]
Blog: Living Wage Week – Take-home pay is just the start of it……
Next week (Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 November) is Living Wage Week when, from this year onwards, a figure will be published for the minimum hourly rate that staff should be paid in order for them to be able to meet the basic costs of living. It’s a voluntary scheme where ‘Living Wage employers’ who […]
Blog: Could your business survive a Hurricane Sandy?
Thankfully in the UK we do not currently suffer from hurricanes and major earthquakes, however, with the climate changing the weather has started to have a huge impact. Just think about recent snowy winters and the rainy summer with associated flooding we have experienced that will have caused problems for the many businesses in affected […]
Blog: Ten signs that you love your job (really)
One blogger in the HR space I’ve enjoyed reading for years now is Alexander Kjerulf (aka The Chief Happiness Officer). I just received through my feed his post celebrating 10 years of blogging (a feat I hope to accomplish someday) in which he highlighted his 10 most popular posts. Near the top of the […]
News: 22,500 new HR jobs created over last year
While the number of HR professionals employed in the UK has risen by 20% over the last year, vacancies for senior interim staff leaped by a huge 45% during the first nine months of 2012 alone. According to an analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics undertaken by specialist HR recruitment agency Ortus, […]
Blog: Why competency frameworks are like potatoes
I always think about Competency Frameworks as being like a potato. Not because they are muddy, starchy and sprout a bit when left in a dark cupboard, but because they provide a good solid basis and you can do loads of different things with them. Yet also like spuds, they are often either under-utilised, or […]
Legal Insight: The HR implications of pensions auto-enrolment
From 1 October this year, pension auto-enrolment will start to affect the UK’s largest businesses. While a lot of these employers will already have got to grips with fundamental issues such as identifying their staging date and considering which pension scheme to use to satisfy the new legislation, there are a number of HR implications […]
News: North Tyneside ditches shared services plans to save jobs
North Tyneside Council has ditched plans to go for shared services in favour of outsourcing in a bid to save 360 jobs that would otherwise be at risk. The aim of the local authority’s four-year plan is to save £47 million and two preferred bidders have already been selected to pitch for its business. […]
News: Govt evaluates creation of German-style “mini jobs”
The creation of German-style “mini jobs”, which enable workers to earn up to E400 per month tax-free, is being explored by the Treasury in a bid to reduce long-term employment. But according to one German think-tank, the flexible contract system, which was introduced 10 years ago, should be treated with scepticism as it has only […]
Blog: Punk rock HR – Reasons to be cheerful, part 3: Good job design
This is the third extract of my new book “Punk Rock People Management – a no-nonsense guide to hiring, inspiring and firing staff”. Here’s an extract on the topic of motivation: In the words of honorary punk rockers, Rogers, Hammerstein and Captain Sensible, “Happy talk”. Yes, it’s nice to be happy at work, […]
News: Border Agency strike on eve of Games called off
Industrial action by Border Agency staff has been called off at the eleventh hour following union claims that the Home Office now intends to create 1,100 new jobs. The move came only an hour before the government was due to launch a high court challenge against a planned one-day strike by members of the Public […]
Blog: Crappy performance management rule 4 – Job descriptions should be old and vague
If you really want to make a disconnect between performance management and your staff here are three must haves for your teams Job Descriptions: 1. The old ones are the good ones: Why go to the bother of updating perfectly good JD’s? If you’ve an old one that’s been faithful in the past, then save yourself […]
Blog: The disciplinary power of slapping someone’s legs with a wet fish
Disciplinary stages: 1 – verbal warning. 2 – written warning. 3 – a slap round the back of the legs with a wet fish. 4 – final written warning. Well, not really, but I’m sure I’m not the only one to have fantasised about having an additional, more impactful sanction somewhere along the line! […]
Legal Insight: Positive discrimination – A trap for the well intentioned?
Recent publicity on the use of positive action in recruitment or promotion in tiebreak situations has left HR directors with a dilemma. Should positive action be used to improve diversity either in the organisation generally or to help women and members of ethnic minorities break through “glass ceilings” into management? Section 159 of the […]
Legal Insight: Health matters part 3 – Tackling presenteeism
‘Presenteeism’ can have many meanings. On the one hand, the term can refer to employees who feel that they need to be at the office for longer than everyone else in order to show the boss how dedicated they are. On the other, it can apply to staff members who turn up for work […]
Legal Insight: Health matters part 1 – Managing sickness absence
Doom-and-gloom tales about the state of the ailing economy are prevalent at the moment and companies large and small are reportedly taking drastic steps to save money. But if panic has not yet set into your organisation and there are no full-scale redundancy programmes in the offing, consider taking alternative action by reducing costs from […]
