Financial Times to offer first non-exec director post grad course
The Financial Times will start offering the UK’s first formally accredited post-graduate qualification for non-executives directors from 1 September this year. The six-month-long Non-Executive Director Certificate is based on the UK Corporate Governance Code and will be accredited by Edexcel in a bid to support the professionalisation of the sector. Lesley Stephenson, a Financial Times publisher […]
1/3 of unionised workplaces expect a strike over next year
Just over three quarters of employers believe the UK is moving into a new and more unstable era of industrial relations, with a third of those that recognise a union expecting their workers to go on strike over the next 12 months. According to an online poll among 371 HR practitioners undertaken by the Chartered […]
Latest research gives tips for ERP success
To ensure success when introducing complex ERP systems, organisations must ensure that staff training is differentiated, focuses on changes to working practices and takes place at all stages of the project lifecycle, research has found. A study undertaken by Dr Stephen Grourlay, a reader in the leadership, HRM and organisation department of Kingston University’s Business […]
Organisations could use social tools to aid ROI and engagement
Enterprise social media and collaboration tools could help employers to obtain a better return on investment from their knowledge workers and improve engagement, a study has found. A survey among 150 managers and knowledge workers undertaken by Forrester Research on behalf of project and portfolio management software provider AtTask revealed that, despite often high levels […]
HP boss wins breathing space over sexual harrassment letter
A letter detailing sexual harassment allegations against former Hewlett-Packard boss Mark Hurd will not be unsealed until September as revealing its contents before he has a chance to plead his case could cause him “irreparable harm”. The letter, written by celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred on behalf of former HP contractor Jodie Fisher, triggered a chain […]
Coaching ‘vital’ to laid off managers
Coaching can play a “vital” role in helping older managers cope with finding themselves unexpectedly on the job market again after being laid off, research has found. The two-year study undertaken jointly by academics at the Universities of Surrey and Bath among senior managers aged 49 to 62, who lost their jobs in acrimonious circumstances, […]
Engagement matters – HR and L&D can work together when they get engaged
At the Plateau Insights user conference – which took place in the ancient city of Rome – learning experts took on an age-old issue. Is the LMS dead? Plateau CEO, Paul Sparta, quizzed the panel of Clive Shepherd, Donald Taylor and Nigel Paine for their expert knowledge. One of the themes they picked up […]
HR at a crossroads: can we collaborate to improve business execution?
Successful organisations need strategic HR people working with IT people to create systems that empower the alignment of workforces through a combination of goals, targets, pay for performance, reviews and effective communication of strategy. That’s the theory anyway. The reality – as exposed by a new study from Cloud Computing firm SuccessFactors and services giant […]
Recruitment procurement framework for local authorities sees 11 companies triumph
Eleven recruitment agencies have been appointed to supply temps to local authorities under a newly-let Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources procurement framework in a bid to cut costs and reduce the time spent on tendering. The national framework agreement is operational now, but the first wave of early adopters is not expected to go […]
Chancellor Osborne – payroll’s hero, comp & ben’s villain?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer took the brave first steps to simplify Britain’s complicated tax and National Insurance (NI) payment systems in the recent Budget. Lengthy consultations follow, but with crystal ball in hand, Matt Duffy of Aon Hewitt considers the pros and the cons. From where we sit, we can see obstacles aplenty, but […]
HR department pays price of false accusations at Renault
Heads have rolled at Renault following an HR failure that led to three employees being sacked after being falsely accused of industrial espionage. Patrick Pelata, the French carmaker’s chief operating officer, has stepped down, although he will remain with the firm, while Jean-Yves Coudreau, the HR manager responsible for senior executives, legal director Christian Husson […]
Finding new roles for existing staff within your organisation
In spite of many economies being under pressure to grow and the problem of high unemployment levels, acquiring and retaining good people is a constant challenge. Simon North explains. Why is the issue of finding new roles for individuals who are already within your organisation worth discussing? Clearly the issue of keeping what we typically […]
Ask the expert: HR reviews – do we need to consult?
This time the experts, Esther Smith and Adam Partington advise on whether a consultation period is required before an HR review. The question: HR reviews – do we need to consult? We are an organisation that has grown quite organically. It started with one staff member in 2002 and we now have eight currently employed […]
HR can do complicance but struggles with strategy, says survey
Although HR professionals are performing well in dealing with tactical statutory compliance issues, they are failing miserably in more strategic areas such as mapping and managing staff competencies. These are the key findings of a survey among HR directors and board members in 53 organisations across Europe undertaken by HR services provider Aon Hewitt. The […]
Social media – the new learning diet pill?
With any area of dissatisfaction there’s a natural human desire for the one stop cure – the silver bullet. Take the slimming pill. Now, intellectually and rationally we all know that losing weight is tricky but there’s only one sure way of achieving success – eat less, do more. It’s not a secret which is […]
Sustainability: Megatrend? Mega-opportunity for HR…
A crisis changes everything. Before the financial upheavals and corporate collapses of the past three years, the word ‘sustainability’ was probably linked in most business minds to well-meaning campaigns by environmental charity groups. With the sudden demise of Lehman Brothers, and the recognition that dozens of other huge banking names would have disappeared without state […]
Risk in the workplace – the role of HR in helping to manage incidents
The number of costly injury claims against business has risen sharply but human resources can play a role in helping the organisation avoid risk of injury at work and associated fines, says expert laywer, Fiona Gill. In the past few years, the number of high value injury claims contested in the High Court has jumped […]
Chris Last appointed head of Government HR Operations
The implementation of a single civil service HR policy across all Whitehall agencies has moved a step closer following the appointment of the first head of Government HR Operations. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s in-house publication People Management, Chris Last, HR director general of the Department for Work and Pensions, has […]
Half of bankers set to leave over 2011 bonus
With half of frontline banking staff threatening to leave if next year’s bonus again fails to meet their expectations, financial services organisations may need to find new ways of retaining top talent. According to a survey of more than 1,000 banking personnel undertaken by recruitment consultancy Hays Financial Markets, almost two thirds said they were […]
How to recruit higher quality candidates: a key lesson from consumer marketing
By thinking like a marketer, recruiters can create a targeted sourcing strategy that can deliver a higher quality of hire, says Tim Geisert of Kenexa. In 2004, Dove, one of Unilever’s biggest beauty brands, sponsored a global research study that asked 3,200 women for their views on female beauty and well-being. Among the results was […]
