News: Public/private sector pay gap widens, gender pay gap eases
Public sector workers earn on average £86 more per week than private sector employees, widening the pay gap, while the gender pay gap has fallen below 10% for the first time, driven by faster wage growth for women aged 22 to 49.
Legal Insight: Have you renewed your foreign worker sponsorship licence?
Employers must renew their foreign worker sponsorship licences before expiry to legally employ migrants from outside the European Economic Area. The UK Border Agency’s points-based immigration system requires valid sponsorship licences, which typically run for four years and require timely renewal to avoid legal breaches.
News: Govt offers employers £150m skills development pot
The UK government is offering employers £150 million to fund their own training schemes through the second round of the Employer Ownership Pilot. The scheme has already distributed nearly £70 million to major companies and aims to address skills gaps while encouraging innovation in apprenticeships and specialist training programs.
Blog: The HR lessons to be learned from the BBC crisis
The BBC director-general’s resignation after 54 days highlights critical HR lessons: the importance of succession planning, the value of hiring external candidates to challenge group think, and the complexity of senior-level recruitment decisions.
News: NHS “sleepwalking” into workforce crisis within 3 years
The Royal College of Nursing warns the NHS faces a workforce crisis within three years due to staff cuts and reduced nurse training posts. Since 2010, the health service has lost nearly 21,000 staff including 6,150 qualified nurses, with another 40,000 jobs at risk and nurse training numbers down 14% in two years.
Blog: Dealing with tax and the contractor issue
The BBC is reviewing contractor employment agreements following a tax audit, highlighting the importance of correct contract classification. Improper contractor designations can create significant tax liabilities for both employers and employees, particularly regarding IR35 regulations and personal service company status.
News: BBC to investigate harassment claims after journalist’s suicide
The BBC has appointed an independent investigator to examine whether it properly handled sexual harassment complaints made by journalist Russell Joslin, who died by suicide in October. His family claims the broadcaster failed to act on his harassment allegations, which Joslin himself blamed for his mental health deterioration before his death.
Blog: How to deal with equal pay after the Birimingham ruling
A recent Supreme Court ruling allowing 170 women to pursue equal pay claims against Birmingham City Council highlights ongoing pay discrimination despite 40 years of equal pay legislation. Organizations can mitigate legal risks by conducting equal pay audits or implementing analytical job evaluation processes to identify and address wage gaps.
Giz a job: The state of the HR recruitment market
HR recruitment activity is rebounding after the summer slowdown, with increased permanent hiring across financial and professional services. Strong demand exists for HR generalists and mid-level talent professionals earning £60,000-80,000, though senior roles above £150,000 remain challenging due to cost constraints and candidate inflexibility.
News: Birmingham equal pay ruling could open claim floodgates
A Supreme Court ruling allows thousands of workers to bring equal pay claims dating back six years instead of six months. The landmark decision backs 174 women from Birmingham City Council who were denied bonuses paid to male colleagues in similar roles.
News: Extent of ‘off payroll’ deals in public sector “shocking”
An MP committee has condemned widespread “off payroll” payments to thousands of public sector workers as “shocking,” citing potential tax avoidance. The BBC paid 25,000 employees through company accounts rather than standard payroll, while over 2,400 civil servants earning more than £58,000 annually used similar arrangements.
Is the HR recruitment market starting to recover?
The HR recruitment market is showing steady recovery with increased vacancies across most sectors, though challenges remain at senior levels and in securing top-tier talent due to high candidate expectations and companies seeking more strategic, business-focused HR professionals.
Infographic: Overall staffing levels down despite Olympics boost
Overall staffing levels have declined despite a temporary boost from Olympic-related hiring. The infographic illustrates employment trends across various sectors during this period.
News: Heart attack risk higher for disempowered workers under stress
Workers experiencing job strain—high stress combined with little control over their work—face a 23% increased risk of heart attack or coronary death, according to research from University College London. The condition is most common among lower-skilled workers and often leads to unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking and inactivity.
News: Sailors’ pay docked after £1.2m MoD overpayment error
Hundreds of Royal Navy sailors must repay a combined £1.2 million overpaid by the Ministry of Defence, with some facing up to four days’ pay docked monthly. The error affected 423 personnel placed on incorrect pay grades over several years, with individual overpayments ranging from £9 to £17,000.
News: ‘Zero-hours’ NHS contracts branded risky “untested experiment”
NHS Trusts are increasingly using zero-hours contracts to manage government reforms, a practice critics say amounts to an untested experiment that risks patient safety and creates an unstable, casualized workforce without guaranteed hours or employment rights.
Blog: The art of mobile motivation
Managers must adapt staff motivation strategies for mobile-first workplaces by creating content designed specifically for mobile devices and social media platforms, while balancing constant connectivity with employee well-being to avoid burnout.
Blog: A final lesson from Olympians: Turning ideas into results
The true Olympic lesson isn’t any single idea, but the skill of turning ideas into results. By adopting this principle, businesses can develop better judgment about which ideas deliver tangible outcomes and sustain efforts to achieve their goals.
Blog: Learning to manage sickness absence more creatively
NHS workers took an average of 15 days of sickness absence last year. Rather than simply recording staff as absent, employers can redeploy workers with minor ailments to training or administrative tasks, improving business efficiency while supporting employee development.
Infographic: Some Olympic facts
This infographic presents interesting facts about the Olympic Games, including historical data and notable statistics. Click the image to view the full-size version for complete details about Olympic history and achievements.
