Caption competition: And the winner is…
City bonuses have dominated the headlines this year, and a recent inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has pushed the topic into the spotlight once more. It has found that women working in the UK’s financial sector receive around 80% less in performance-related pay than men – a shocking statistic. We have now […]
How to celebrate success when there isn’t any
It’s always easy to celebrate the good times, but what happens when the results aren’t so great? Claire Logan outlines some of the options available to reward and recognise in challenging times. It has been accepted wisdom for many years that the culture of an organisation can affect its performance. Throughout the late 80s […]
Huge gender pay gap in City
Women working in the UK’s financial sector receive around 80% less in performance-related pay than men, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The commission’s Finance Sector Inquiry found that women employees earned an average of £2,875 in bonuses, compared to an average of £14,554 for men. The inquiry included a survey of […]
Colborn’s Corner: Who are the fat cats?
With news about Barclays’ recent profit announcements and headlines about the fat cats being back in town, Quentin Colborn takes a look at fat cat salaries in the light of a recent article in The Times and questions if they are who we were expecting. When you think about it, the expression ‘fat cat’, which is normally used […]
Agresso: The future of salary reviews
As the recession continues to bite, technology correspondent Jon Wilcox speaks to software developer Agresso about what it thinks is the future for salary review software. In an interview with HRzone.co.uk, business software developer Agresso has prophesied the future of salary review tools, and revealed one issue it’s experienced during the marketing […]
Rewarding the recession-weary
During these tough times the question around how to keep the troops motivated is on everyone’s mind. The HayGroup’s latest study reveals how rewards can boost engagement. The latest study: World at Work has given some great insights into the reward practices companies are planning in the future. Of the 763 organisations surveyed in 66 […]
Ask the expert: Sending home without pay
An employer has a clause which states that staff who are late for a shift, resulting in cover being brought in, will be sent home and not paid. Matthew Whelan and Esther Smith advise whether this is legal. The question We are currently reviewing our disciplinary rules and we have a clause which states that […]
Sick to fit: The optimistic angle to employee sickness
Simon Collingridge and Rachel Watkins provide an update and explanation on the government’s ‘fit note’ initiative, as well as clearing up the confusion between statutory and company sick pay. The practice of an employee providing their employer with a sick note has been in place since 1948. The employer’s policy will usually explain to the employee when […]
HR tip: Reducing wages
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: "Because times are hard we would like to reduce the wages of our employees. Can we do this?" Answer: You cannot do this unilaterally since it would constitute breach of contract. You […]
Ten top tips on rewarding in a recession
Mark Eaton outlines some of the simple steps you can take to ensure you are ready to keep rewarding in a recession. It’s realistic that employers need to be prudent and take some tough decisions in the current recession and ongoing economic uncertainty. Yet, there’s much employers can do to galvanise their people and use […]
Gaynor’s Thoughts: Complexity, anarchy and self–management
Roy Gaynor, Managing Director of management consultants' training and support network, Navisys Academy explains how he implemented a successful and innovative bonus scheme within a factory and why he feels anarchy has a place in management methodology. I stumbled into HR management, starting out as an industrial engineer, concerned with how work was organised. Part […]
Management annual bonus plans: Determining the best approach
By Leena Beejadhur and Richard Lamptey, Mercer Human Resource Consulting An annual bonus plan is probably the most effective incentive tool available to companies for influencing management behaviour to deliver short-term business results. As the eventual payout is based on performance over one year or less, a properly designed plan will ensure executives are rewarded […]
News in Brief: DTI confirms illegality of rolled up holiday pay
Catch up on the week in HR including DTI confirms illegality of rolled up holiday pay, CIPD reveals changing attitudes to training, UK firms feel economic squeeze, Learning and Skills Council staff vote for strike action, employers cautious about recruitment and non-white women face 'double discrimination'. W/C 10/4/06DTI confirms illegality of rolled up holiday payMinisters […]
Book review: Employee Reward
Employee Reward Title: Employee RewardAuthor: Michael ArmstrongPublisher: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)ISBN: 0852929382Price: £36.99Reviewer: Sandra Beale Employee Reward gives a good theoretical grounding in reward issues. I used it as part of my CIPD Diploma and the reward tutor sang the praises of Michael Armstrong. I am pleased to say I passed the […]
Book review: 24 carrot manager
The 24-Carrot ManagerTitle: The 24-Carrot ManagerAuthors: Adrian Gostick and Chester EltonPublisher: John Wiley & SonsISBN: 0-470-82163-9Price: £9.79 (paperback)Reviewer: Sharon Cooper This book is subtitled “A remarkable story of how a leader can unleash human potential.” As the word carrot in the title might indicate, it deals with employee motivation and recognition. It is a very […]
EEF: Engineering pay settlements fall
Engineering pay settlements have fallen sharply, to the lowest level for nearly 12 months, according to the latest figures from the EEF (Engineering Employers' Federation). This reduction is believed to reflect the deteriorating trading conditions that much of manufacturing is now facing. The average settlement for the 3 months to May 2001 was 2.6%, compared […]
Passing share option gains to the employee
The Government yesterday laid regulations to help companies who grant share options to their employees as part of their remuneration packages but who experience highly volatile share prices. The new regulations, which follow new legislation introduced in the summer, provides the process to enable employers to seek approval so that they may make an election […]
Share option NIC regulations: Background Information
Under new legislation introduced in the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 the employer and employee will be able to make a joint election under which the liability for all or part of the employer's NICs on share option gains is transferred to the employee. These regulations provide the supporting legislation to enable […]
