HR tip: Wearing shorts at 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, men and women, have started coming to work in shorts on hot days. Frankly some of them, the men especially, look dreadful. Are we entitled to stop this […]

HR tip: Unanswered job offer

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 weeks ago, we wrote to a man offering him a job but he has so far not replied. We suspect that he is trying to wring a better deal […]

Should HR outsourcing be a part of your recovery strategy?

Will HR outsourcing and shared-service techniques prove their worth over the next 12 months? Tim Palmer says there is a sourcing opportunity for almost every organisation in today’s economy, but only if an effective approach is taken.     Throughout 2009 HR leaders have found that their organisations are searching for ways to lower costs. Previously unthinkable […]

HR tip: Defining redundancy

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: Recently, a woman took advantage of our voluntary redundancy scheme and left us but I find that, following a reorganisation, her job still needs doing. As her job clearly was not redundant, […]

HR tip: What is theft?

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: An employee was given a final warning for stealing some lengths of timber. However, a few days later he reported one of our team leaders for theft because, he said, she handed […]

HR tip: Challenging doctor’s fit note

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: An employee has returned to work following a period of sickness absence, with a doctor’s certificate saying that he is now fit for work. However we have our doubts. Can we challenge […]

HR tip: Personal hygiene problem

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 told that one of my employees has a body odour problem. His colleagues have told me that it is unpleasant working near him. They have dropped hints but to […]

Staff development is weapon of choice in recession

Employers are choosing to focus on retention rather than recruitment in response to current resourcing issues, finds the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey. This year’s report revealed that 73% of organisations find a lack of necessary specialist skills remains the key resourcing challenge, whilst 56% of employers are […]

Retaining the talent in a recession

John Pope explains how employers can best attract, retain and motivate the high performers in times which have become tough all round.       Too many of us thought that the good times were here to stay. As a result, many organisations became sloppy in managing their talented people; some even thought that talent was an asset […]

HR tip: Unfair versus wrongful dismissal

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: What, if any, is the difference between unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal?   Answer:  They reflect the why and how of dismissal respectively. Dismissal is unfair if it is for reasons other […]

HR tip: Appeal problem

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 am the manager of a small UK operation of an American conglomerate and my boss is in America. I handle all disciplinary matters including giving warnings and dismissing. But what should […]

The impact of the recession on recruitment

Whether levels have dropped or increased, recruitment processes have definitely changed since we entered into the recession. Lucie Mitchell examines exactly what impact the downturn has had on recruitment and retention in UK organisations.     The most obvious impact of the recession on organisations is that employers are recruiting less and making more redundancies. […]

HR tip: Termination arrangement for struggling employee

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 long-serving employees is struggling to cope with work. We had no intention of dismissing him but he has said that he would like to leave and would do so […]

The war for talent: Fiercer now than before?

The recession is an ideal opportunity to revisit your talent management strategies, but how should organisations be fighting the war on talent in this climate? Becky Midgley speaks to the CIPD’s Claire McCartney to find out.     There isn’t one business out there at the moment that isn’t having to change the way it does […]

HR tip: Reporting sexual harassment

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 told that a couple of women in my section are being sexually harassed but are reluctant to report the matter to me, a male, as I will not take […]

How to beat the recession by empowering your line managers

In a downturn organisations are faced with the challenge of cutting costs whilst ensuring staff remain productive and motivated. Phil Brown examines the benefits of drawing on the capabilities of your line managers as a means of weathering the economic storm. The role of line managers has been a hot topic in recent years in […]

HR in a recession: A change of focus

John Pope examines how HR professionals’ roles have changed since the downturn and how they must now adapt to the current climate. Business is a bit like gardening. To get good roses in summer, you have to prune in winter, root out diseased old stock, get rid of those which flower poorly or are no […]

HR Tip: Deductions from final wages for company clothes

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: "An employee has resigned rather suddenly and left the premises but he has not returned his company overalls. Can we deduct the cost of the garments from his final wages payment?" HR […]

Figuring Things Out: Leadership development – Maximising the yield

Effective leaders manage processes that yield optimal results. This being true, why do so many organisations not maximise the value of development in workplace application? In the final analysis, leadership development is designed to produce better qualified, more effective leaders that improve business results; or so the theory goes. Converting leadership development into business results, […]

Firms failing to align business strategy with HR

Firms are failing to align their managers' personal goals and reward packages with the strategic people management objectives of their organisations, according to research published today. The IRS research, based on a survey of 49 public and private sector organisations, found that while senior managers' goals and reward packages are closely linked to the delivery […]