How to avoid penalties as income tax deadlines loom
It is that time of year again when businesses have to start preparing their Employer Annual Returns which are due to HM Revenue & Customs by 19 May. This task can never be looked upon lightly as failure to adhere to the rules could result in hefty penalties. Of course, there is a lot […]
Olympian Insight: Steve Backley and Roger Black on what HR can learn from sport
Ahead of former Olympic medal winner (javelin throwing) Steve Backley’s keynote speech at learning and development conference TrainingZone Live on 15 May, we caught up with him and his business partner, fellow Olympian (400 meters sprint) Roger Black, to talk training, leadership and the upcoming Games. 1. What are the main leadership lessons that businesses can […]
Employers can sack older workers to cut costs, rules Appeal Court
Legal opinion is mixed as to whether a landmark court case will open the floodgates for employers to dismiss staff based on their age in order to escape large pension pay-outs – without being subject to discrimination claims. The Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that Cumbria Primary Care Trust was within its rights to make […]
Ask the Expert: When does continuity of service start for a casual worker turned perm?
The question We have workers employed on zero hours/casual contracts, which means that there is no obligation either to offer or accept work on either side. But one of these workers is moving to a take on a permanent role with us. Do we give them continuity of service from their casual start date […]
Rooting out the “cancer” of employee cynicism
We are living through one of the most, if not the most, challenging, uncertain economic times of our lives. The US economy has been on rocky ground for a number of years and the Euro is under threat as major countries in Europe face potential insolvency. Even the Far East is facing numerous economic […]
Creative industries ‘collective’ to speed date work placement candidates
Around 100 employers in the creative industries have formed a “co-operative” to offer 300 young people posts as apprentices or paid interns after interviewing them in a speed dating contest. Organisations such as Facebook, RSA Films, Aardman Animation, Saatchi & Saatchi and gaming firm Activision have all signed up to take part in the ‘Creative […]
How to build a positive corporate culture
Every organisation has a culture, which is based on who its people are, what they say and how they act. But wise companies recognise the potential and power that fostering the right culture can generate. Strong, positive cultures are the basis of successful organisations because they tap into workers’ collective energy and define common […]
Can Goldman Sachs’ CEO survive “toxic culture” claims?
Questions are now being raised as to whether Goldman Sachs’ chief executive can survive the public resignation of a London-based manager who attested that he could no longer work there “in good conscience”. Greg Smith, who headed the US investment bank’s equity derivatives business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, quit in an email […]
Living Leader Learnings – How do I stop a valuable employee from dominating meetings?
The challenge A divisional team leader for marketing at an FMCG manufacturer says: “I head up the Divisional Marketing team of 12, and whilst they all have different strengths one is particularly dominant. For example, during meetings I feel this individual dominates to the point that others cannot get their point across. However, when […]
Blog: Lessons on empowering staff to win
One of the things I love about being in HR is that everyone always bring you these rich stories that sometimes causes you to have an "a-ha" moment. A major retail chain this past week did something that, for a retail company, needs to be lauded. In retail, you have a workforce that is […]
Legal Insight: Employee or consultant? Lessons from the Student Loans Co
Taxation has never been a more contentious issue. Political arguments have been raging for months now over everything from the 50p rate and tax evasion among high earners to the reintroduction of a £10,000 threshold for people on low incomes. Also to hit the headlines recently, however, was the case of Ed Lester, chief […]
Case Study: Herts Council’s ‘Transformation’ programme slashes sickness absence
Hertfordshire County Council provides local services to more than a million people in the area and employs around 34,000 staff, of whom about 24,000 work in schools. Last year, it introduced a ‘Transformation’ programme – a new and radically different wellbeing strategy, aimed at reducing sickness absence and improving organisational performance. And, while it […]
Blog: Yes, you can really grow your brain!
“I’m just off to the gym to give my brain a workout”. That’s not something that you hear people say very often! No one would doubt the link between exercise and muscle development, it’s a well understood fact; if I want to grow my muscles I need to work them. Unsurprisingly the same fact is […]
Blog: Do we encourage a dependency culture at work?
At just aged six, my son is already learning to be independent. He washes and dresses himself he can run his own bath get his own drinks, breakfast and little things like that. At the weekend I took in him for his swimming lesson, and afterwards I told him to have a shower which […]
HR software deployments: ‘Big bang’ or phased roll-out?
There are two possible approaches to introducing a new HR system – one is to go for a big bang, ‘all-in-one-go’ implementation, while the second is to phase in the deployment over time. And both approaches have their merits as was highlighted at software supplier Unit4’s customer conference in Birmingham last month. Construction consultancy, Cyril […]
HR too focused on cost when devising policy goals, warns report
HR functions are giving insufficient attention to the potential impact of external social and political influences when designing HR policy goals and are instead focusing too much on short-term issues such as cost. These are the key findings of a survey among 52 HR directors and board members working in large corporates across Europe conducted […]
CEO Insight: Briggs Equipment’s Richard Close on staff engagement
As fears of another recession continue to mount, many business leaders are looking for new ways to either turn around their balance sheet or ensure that it grows. But all too many simply fail to look at their number one asset: their people. Over the last 20 years, I have worked with a number […]
Blog: Appraisals – The menace of ‘soft marker’ managers
There are plenty of aims of appraisal or performance review programmes, but the key one is usually for managers to assess the performance of their staff, often giving them performance assessment ratings. Sounds like a straightforward enough concept – yet like so many HR initiatives, it is so often a good idea badly executed! […]
Addressing shared HR service challenges
With public sector budget cuts still on the cards and an ever-increasing focus being placed on generating efficiency savings, it is surprising perhaps that more public authorities have not opted to go down the shared services route. But a recent survey that we commissioned among 100 UK public sector representatives from functions such as HR, […]
Research puts migrant construction worker safety in the picture
Deaths and injury among migrant construction workers could be cut by up to 20% simply by including pictures in safety training, research has revealed. Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive show that migrants, who comprise 6% of the UK’s 2.3 million construction workers, are more likely to be fatally injured than native UK employees […]
