In a Nutshell: Five tips when rolling out HR software
In January, Jack Morton Worldwide completed a global roll-out of a new performance management system from SAP’s Software-as-a-Service acquisition, SuccessFactors. The system replaced bespoke applications so the brand experience agency was determined to reapply the lessons learned from its first implementation in order to ensure that its second one went as smoothly as possible. HR […]
News: Stringfellows’ dancer goes back to tribunal
The epic case of topless dancer Nadine Quashie will be heading back to the employment tribunals after a judge ruled that she had been an employee at the Stringfellows club in London. Quashie, a former accountancy student, lost her unfair dismissal case at an employment tribunal in late 2010, which found that she was self-employed. […]
Video Interview: Bright Purple Academy aims to inspire next generation business talent
I spent last Thursday touring Edinburgh promoting entries from Scottish entrepreneurs for our small business competition The Pitch 2012 with £50,000 worth of business support up for grabs. During the day, I visited several organisations to discover how they are supporting small business owners. The first meeting was at the offices of recruitment company Bright […]
News: Some apprenticeships of “no real benefit” to anyone, rule MPs
Some apprenticeships are so short as to be “of no real benefit” to anyone, while the amount and quality of training provided by others is questionable, a parliamentary committee has warned. The Public Accounts Committee pointed out that, of the schemes that it had evaluated, about 20% lasted for only six months or less – […]
Blog: 10 learning tips for National Learning at Work Day
Today, Thursday 17 May is National Learning at Work day, with events promoting learning at work happening across the UK. To support the day, we’ve created these Top Ten Tips for Learning to help and encourage business to make learning fun and relevant in order to motivate and engage employees: 1. Make learning social – […]
The HR Headmistress: How to select candidates for redundancy pools
In a redundancy situation, it is really important to implement a fair process in order to avoid unfair dismissal claims. Part of this activity involves identifying an appropriate redundancy pool and ensuring that the selection criteria used are not tainted by discrimination. 1. Defining a redundancy pool There are no set rules about […]
Blog: Dealing with the leadership ‘reality gap’
When someone gets ideas above their station and too big for their boots, it generally pays dividends to bring them back down to earth in the most diplomatic way possible. It’s not always easy, but when it’s a close friend or family member you can afford to be frank. At work it tends to […]
Blog: How to promote workplace safety
Engaging employees in workplace safety can be a formidable challenge. Many employees view training sessions as a distraction, and they won’t pay attention if they find the materials boring or largely repetitive. At the same time, creating a safe work environment can mean the difference between a productive and profitable business and one that […]
News: Calls for ‘competency card’ after employer convicted of manslaughter
Health and safety experts have called for a mandatory proof-of-competence card to be introduced for agriculture workers after a pig farm became among the first organisations to be convicted under the Corporate Manslaughter Act. JMW Farms was fined a record £187,000 plus £13,000 in costs at Belfast Crown Court last Tuesday, following the death of […]
Blog: Workforce career development survey – Initial findings
Thanks to all who have taken part in our career development survey so far. Some 24 employers and 53 employees had participated when we took this cut of data. We’re keeping the survey open and numbers continue to grow – here is the link to the employer survey, and here is the link to […]
News: Employers ‘must collaborate to stem falling adult learner numbers’
A national body has called on employers, policy-makers, unions, providers and charities to work more effectively together in a bid to stem the dwindling numbers of adults involved in learning. An annual survey among 5,237 people undertaken by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education to mark Adult Learners’ Week, which started on 12 May, […]
Blog: How to get the most out of restructuring, redundancy and redeployment
For some people it must seem like a merry-go-round when they experience the upheaval of round after round of restructuring, redeployment and redundancies. Every few years the company is turned upside down and yet often doesn’t seem to gain the benefits. This must cause a lot of confusion to those in charge. They […]
Five principles to ensure successful conflict resolution
The hidden cost of conflict is underestimated in many organisations. Indeed, one recent survey by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution put the cost of conflict at £40 billion each year. Grievance probes that are handled by inexperienced or poorly trained investigators can also lead to a spiral of appeals and reinvestigation, but the […]
News: Big brand retailers urged to employ ex-offenders
The Justice Secretary plans to call on big brand high street retailers later this month to try and encourage them to recruit former prisoners in a bid to cut reoffending rates. The move comes on top of the coalition government’s decision in March to make former prisoners join its Work Programme immediately on their […]
News: Budget cuts see public servants improvise to get training
Public sector workers are being forced to turn to colleagues and the web to boost the skills that they require to take on new responsibilities, after budget cuts have led to workplace training provision being slashed. According to a survey among 1,100 UK public sector workers undertaken by recruitment consultancy, Badenoch & Clark, about 14.5% are […]
Blog: Why you should beware of video CVs
Following attendance at a recent recruitment industry event, it seems that the idea of using video CVs as a recruitment tool may be coming back into ‘vogue’ – certainly if the number of companies extolling the benefits and trying to sell their systems and software to me are anything to go by. I first encountered video CVs as a concept […]
Blog: What makes a good mayor?
Today, as votes are being cast in London to elect the city’s mayor, and a further 10 English cities vote on whether they wish to have a mayor at all, it’s a good time to contemplate the value and role of a leader and what lessons our business leaders can take from this week’s mayoral elections. […]
How to manage a mixed age workforce
Two years ago, the number of people who were over 65 outstripped those who were under 16 for the first time. Moreover, the abolition of the Default Retirement Age now means that older workers are likely to stay in the workplace for longer – either through choice or economic necessity. Meanwhile, Generation Y-ers […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 7 – Know, and listen to, your team
This programme contained plastic bugs, beard trimmers and extreme overuse of the word ‘strategy’. The tans we saw were definitely fake, but the people were all real, although most of the task was set up purely for Lord Sugar’s entertainment. Week 7 of ‘The Apprentice’ and the remaining ten hopefuls met Lord Sugar at […]
Six steps for succession planning success
The identification and development of future management candidates – otherwise known as succession planning or talent management – was recently identified as one of the top three immediate HR issues that needed to be dealt with (Bersin and Associates, 2011). Over 50% of the employers surveyed struggled to fill key positions and believed that their […]
