Would you pass the leadership test?

Paul Kennedy, HR Director at sportswear company New Balance explains the test leaders should set themselves, and why it’s important to be honest when looking in the mirror… Since 1990 we have operated with a calm economy, successful organisations, low unemployment and generally a good warm feeling about everything that we do. In the last […]

HR tip: Can we withdraw notice?

We gave a worker his notice, but would now like to continue his employment. Can we take back the notice? Withdrawing notice Because our order book has dried up a bit, we recently gave notice to three of our short-serving employees but we now find that we want to keep one of them after all. […]

Meeting great expectatations

With the transformation of many HR functions to play a more strategic role, Jan Hills asks: what are the essential technical skills needed to meet business expectations?     In 2007 the CIPD report ‘The Changing HR Function’ found that 53% of organisations had restructured their HR function in the previous year and 81% had done […]

The importance of hope

Chris Howe explores the damage a feeling of hopelessness can do to a workforce and how you can inspire your employees with hope.     If people lack hope, they simply give up. In the workplace this means that people stop trying, they lose creativity and will potentially leave the organisation. This is the very […]

HR tip: Dishonest academic claims on CV

These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: We took on a woman recently who said that she had a degree in marketing but we have since discovered that she merely did a correspondence course in the subject and has […]

Beat stress on National Stress Awareness Day

National Stress Awareness day is a chance for HR to show they care by helping their employees manage their stress. This year why not help your managers spot and deal with stress? Stress has become a major factor in many people's lives as the recession has increased employment and financial worries. It is reported that […]

Ask the expert: Paternity leave starts…now

If a worker is a birthing partner at a prolonged labour, where do the employers stand? Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on when and how paternity leave comes into effect.         The question: When a woman goes into labour but does not have the baby until the following day can an […]

Home grown leaders preferred, say UK employees

When hiring your next CEO or director, bear this in mind: research has revealed that ‘growing your own’ creates better perceived, more highly regarded leaders than hiring externally.  A majority of UK employees have more respect for leaders who have worked their way up through an organisation. Two thirds of the employees surveyed considered ‘home-grown’ […]

Start from scratch: Teambuilding

HR may be handed the task of ‘building teams’ but how best to go about it? John Pope outlines his no-nonsense guide.    Within any sector of business, good teams are essential to business function and success. We have teams so that people get better results by working together rather than separately. Members stay together […]

Recession continues: Don’t forget your workforce

Many were expecting news of a small, but not insignificant, recovery of the recession when the lastest quarterly results were released. When, in fact, the economy was found to have contracted by a futher 0.4% it was a surprise to many who had predicted ‘green shoots’, and not without evidence. According to the recent 2009 […]

HR Tip: Using solicitor in Employment Tribunal

These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: We have been summoned to appear in the Employment Tribunal to defend a claim of unfair dismissal. Do you advise that we engage a solicitor or handle the case ourselves by sending […]

When opposites frustrate – don’t give up!

Diversity can bring huge benefits to an organisation, but are you getting the most from it? Matthew Hill gives advice and guidance on managing diverse teams. When the pressure is on within a team, the cracks will begin to show. This is often evidenced by escalating displays of emotion and tension. Sometimes a negative spiral […]

Ask the expert: NI contributions for older employees

This week there is confusion over whether NI contributions are higher for older workers or not, and if so, why? Esther Smith and Harry Scott advise.  The question We have previously looked at this. Looking through the work we produced in 2007 we came across this;"Employers’ national insurance contribution rates are higher for workers over […]

Fostering innovation

Innovative organisations are successful ones. Lisette Howlett explores how innovation can become part of your HR department and organisation’s DNA. As companies wrestle with the never-ending challenge of finding new sources of growth in stagnant or declining markets, the pressure to innovate is higher than ever. But can companies learn how to innovate? Or is […]

Saving the endangered business partner

Grahame Russell considers how far the Ulrich model has come and where it fits in with today’s human resources department. Three years ago I rather mischievously suggested that we were entering the ‘post Ulrich era’, a period of reflection for global HR given that our beloved guru and HR proponent had been quiet for three […]

HR tip: Making rules work

Learn HR is a leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications, and is experienced in advising on common HR and payroll problems. A wide selection of tips and guidance can be seen below. HRzone.co.uk recommends that any tips are taken as a starting point for guidance only.   The question:Our […]

Tesco picking up pieces of ‘woeful’ education system

Standards are so low in schools that employers and HR departments are forced to pick up the pieces, claimed Tesco’s chief executive in a recent speech to grocery retailing body IDG. Tesco’s chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy, called on the government to increase schooling standards and simplify the education system for the sake of British […]

Views on HR News: HR’s Role in the Social Business

Jon Ingham trawls the net to provide his round-up of the great and the good of HR thought and opinion found on the web, so you don't have to. This month, he reviews HR’s role in the ‘social business’.   I have been writing this bulletin over the last six months or so to help […]

It’s HR, not a magic pill

Continuing his series, Paul Kearns explains how HR can work wonders, but the temptation of ‘magic pill’ quick fixes must be avoided. Some of us might like to think we can work miracles for our organisations but none of us should ever fool ourselves into thinking we can perform magic. Yet in practice that is […]

HR tip: Regular absenteeism

These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question: A couple of our employees quite regularly are absent on Fridays and Mondays, claiming minor illnesses. One likes to spend time in his caravan and the other visits her mother miles away […]