Talent Spot: Community blogger, Derek Irvine
Derek Irvine, one of HRzone’s most prolific and respected bloggers, started his career as a marketing and brand man in his home town of Dublin. Currently vice president of strategy and consulting services at rewards and recognition software and services provider, Globoforce, he is still based in Ireland, but spends a good chunk of his […]
Short on rewards – an HR skills crisis
It would be hard to miss the steady growth in demand for reward professionals. Interest in their skills began with a handful of FTSE 100 businesses back in the 1990s, but the job title of ‘compensation and benefits director’ was a rarity at that time. Today, however, there are a lot more reward roles […]
Woolworths union takes advice over collective redundancy laws
Shop workers’ union Usdaw is taking legal advice on whether to challenge the UK’s implementation of EU collective redundancy legislation after thousands of former Woolworths staff were denied compensation because they worked in stores where less than 20 people lost their jobs. The move came following an employment tribunal ruling that Deloitte, which acted as […]
Blog: How to embed a learning culture
I guess many companies have survived over many years without what we’ve started to call a Learning Culture, but without doubt it’s going to be a major help. When Kaplan & Norton first published their balanced score card method in the mid 1990’s it was interesting to note their attention to learning: Customer goals, Finance […]
Update: RBS chief rejects £1m bonus
Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester has hit the headlines again by turning down his controversial £1 million bonus, just as the founder of easyJet tabled a motion to end what he claims is a “gravy train” at the company. According to the BBC, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, whose family still owns 37.5% of the […]
Trends 2012: Rewards
Nearly two thirds of UK private sector organisations plan to change their reward strategy over the year ahead, with almost half saying that the shift will be significant. Our recent study entitled ‘Which way now for reward?’ revealed a number of drivers behind the move, with ‘employee engagement’ and ‘ensuring a clear link to business […]
Fujitsu workers agree to end long-running dispute
A long-running dispute over pensions, pay and overtime between Unite and Fujitsu has ended after union members accepted a new offer from the IT services supplier. The UK’s largest union called off its industrial action on Friday, 20 January, after members welcomed the agreement, ending a long running dispute that has affected sites in Crewe […]
Survey reveals UK employers of choice
Google, Apple and John Lewis are perceived to be the best three employers in the UK, with the ability to create a good working environment considered the key criteria in desirability terms. According to a survey among 2,133 adults undertaken by pollster YouGov on behalf of workplace services provider, Croner, Google was nominated 81 time, […]
Trends 2012: Employment law
With so many new legislative proposals around at the moment, this summary sets out details of what is coming into force and when in order to help you plan for the changes over the year ahead and beyond. 1 February 2012 The annual increase to Employment Tribunal limits will take place. The maximum compensatory […]
Analysis: Increasingly fragile UK jobs market set to get “much worse”
The latest official figures paint a picture of “increasing fragility” in the UK jobs market, which is set to get “much worse” over the year ahead. According to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November, accounting for 2.69 million or 8.4% of the total workforce, up from […]
Blog: The art of communication in tough economic times
We all felt it. The incredible desire to get 2012 off to a great start, this Olympic year that’s full of hope, only to be confronted with headlines indicating that the next 12 months could in fact be far worse in terms of the economy and employment market than the ones that have passed. Not […]
Cleaning manager hangs himself at Heathrow over job security fears
The manager of a cleaning sub-contractor for the major airlines hung himself at Heathrow Airport over fears about the security of his job. Keith Stone, who was 50 years old, was found hanging from a de-icing vehicle at Terminal 5 in full view of passengers taking off and landing. According to the Sun, the father […]
Accountant jailed for stealing cash due to share disappointment
A company accountant has been jailed for theft after admitting that he stole tens of thousands of pounds from his employer when the shares he bought from the company did not provide the returns expected. According to the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, Mark Hewitt, an accountant earning more than £65,000 per year, stole £80,000 in […]
Trends 2012: Employment tribunals
After being “positively outraged” at the way in which the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust behaved, an employment tribunal awarded compensation of £4.5 million in December to Polish-born consultant, Dr Eva Michalak. The record-breaking award was ordered after Dr Michalak was found to be the victim of prolonged sex and race discrimination at the hands […]
PM U-turns on plans to scrap 50p tax rate – till 2015 at least
At the same time as the Prime Minister is to drop plans to scrap the 50p rate of income tax, he has also promised to give company shareholders a binding vote on executive pay. According to the Daily Telegraph, David Cameron has come to the conclusion with Chancellor George Osborne that abolishing the tax for […]
Blog: Should banks cut executive pay?
Earlier this month, one of the UK’s most influential shareholder groups, the Association of British Insurers, sent a terse letter to each of the country’s five biggest banks: Barclays, HSBC, RBS, Lloyds and Standard Chartered. In the letter, the ABI warns the chairman of each company that it wants to see the end of the […]
Update: High Court bid to stop tube drivers’ strike on Boxing Day
The High Court will hear a legal bid to stop tube drivers from walking out for 24 hours on Boxing Day in a row over pay later today. London Underground claims that only 42% of Aslef ‘s members – the largest tube driver union – voted to go take industrial action and so it is […]
Blog: Doing the festive season on a shoestring
With the recession still in force, many organisations this year will be cost-saving by cutting back on the Christmas celebrations. Asking people to pay for the staff party, or even cancelling it altogether; not putting up a decorated tree; cutting back on Christmas bonuses; these are all difficult decisions facing cash-strapped companies at the moment. […]
Avoiding the hidden cost of Christmas perks
When it comes to indulging in the Christmas spirit, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs is not generally known for its generosity. Indeed, since the 2010 Bribery Act came into force, there have been strict rules and regulations on gift giving, which could see overly-magnanimous companies landed with a hefty tax bill. This means that, […]
Pressure rises on banks for more pay transparency
Any large bank operating in the UK could be forced to disclose the pay packages of its eight highest-paid, non-board level executives in a bid to tackle “unacceptable” bonus levels in the City. The Coalition Government launched a consultation yesterday on the proposed new rules, which would come into force in 2012 in order to […]
