Tory plans to raise retirement age

Following a high court ruling the age of retirement could stay, the Conservatives have announced they would raise the state retirement age to 66 – for both men and women. Although there are already plans to raise the retirement age, the present Government is not seeking to raise the age to 66 until 2026. The […]

Top 10 tips: Engagement for managers

For your employees to be productive, motivated and loyal, it is vital that the line manager is engaged and knows how to lead a team. Doug Shaw shares his top ten tips on how to be a successful manager.   1.    Create the ‘right’ culture. Pretty much everything you do as a manager impacts the […]

HR Tip: Signing contracts of employment

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 had trouble with an employee and therefore have referred him to his contract where it makes the position perfectly clear. However he points out that, as he has not signed […]

Top tips: Boosting motivation at work

When times are tough, it can be a bit of an uphill struggle to ensure your teams stay engaged and motivated. Jo Geraghty has some top motivational tips to ensure the workforce remains productive. Motivating teams in your organisation can be a tough and unrewarding task in the current economic environment. Morale is low so thoughts of […]

How HR can sell itself to top management

Struggling to be strategic? Dave Millner offers his top tips to help HR directors to win friends and influence people.         Many HR functions have been downsized, not because HR provides a lack of strategic value but because of the lack of effective marketing. Too often, HR simply fails to provide quantifiable proof […]

HR tip: Limiting recruitment – discrimination?

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: Ordinarily we visit four schools each year to give talks about engineering and what we do in the hope that they will produce some good apprentice recruits for us. The school just […]

HR tip: Closure of canteen

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.     Question: […]

Views on HR news: Engagement and productivity

Jon Ingham trawls the net to provide his round-up of the great and the good of HR thought and opinion, so you don’t have to. This month, he reviews posts on employee engagement and workforce productivity.     My favourite posts this month have focused on employee engagement and productivity.   Engagement   Did you […]

HR tip: Children at work on weekends

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: Some of our employees come in on Saturdays to catch up with their work and I have noticed that some of them bring their children with them. I have taken up this […]

HR and learning: Should we be one big, happy family?

In a series on HR and learning strategy, Paul Kearns asks whether it is about time learning and HR specialists were seen to be working much closer together as one, single, coherent source of expertise in people management.     It is amazing that HR and learning professionals do not work more closely together. Anyone […]

What is your boss really thinking?

Have you ever wondered how your boss interprets your actions? Chester Elton answers questions about what bosses really think when their employees exhibit typical workplace behaviours. What’s my boss thinking when I don’t speak up in a meeting, come in late with an excuse, volunteer to organise all the team private parties and events, or […]

HR tip: Stopping swearing

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: One of our employees consistently uses bad language in all his conversations. This is offensive to some people who hear it and even more so when it forms part of a complaint […]

Getting your outsourcing contract back on track

While we know outsourcing can offer real business benefits, new research shows there is a feeling of discontent among many businesses when it comes to outsourcing payroll, says Roger Fullilove.   We recently undertook some research which revealed the key drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among UK companies that outsource their payroll. The results highlighted the five key issues […]

HR tip: Types of holiday – statutory, bank and public holidays

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: I have been looking through the contracts of employment of several of our employees and find reference to statutory, bank and public holidays. There appears to be no consistency. What exactly are […]

HR tip: Is ‘old boy’ discriminatory?

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: All my life, I have referred to other men to whom I am speaking as 'old boy'. I have been told that this is age discriminatory. Is it?   Answer: Yes, it […]

HR tip: Too hot to work?

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: Some of our employees complained during some recent hot weather that it was too hot to work and that they should therefore have been sent home. How do we stand?   Answer: […]

HR tip: Parking on residential roads

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: Our premises are on a street that is lined with houses and some of the residents have complained to us that our employees regularly park their cars outside their homes. Our employees […]

How to blog on HRzone.co.uk

It is really easy to blog on HRzone.co.uk but if your inner blog just hasn’t come out yet and you feel you need a helping hand to get started, Karyn Romeis has a few tips on how to become a successful blogger on our site. There are probably as many different reasons for blogging as there are bloggers out […]

HR tip: Length of 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: How long and comprehensive should a CV be? I have been told it should be no more than two pages, but I have a varied career background and a lot of experience […]

Opinion: Cost-effective retention strategies

Continuing with her series on recruitment and retention in today’s business landscape, this month Lisette Howlett explains how to implement an effective retention strategy that doesn’t break the bank.     The trick to a really good retention strategy is not just effectively keeping your people, but actually knowing who it is that you want […]