UK skills rating sliding
The UK is living on “past glories” and its economy risks sliding down the international rankings unless the skills of 10 million workers are improved, according to experts.
20% claim they are bullied by boss
In somewhat of an indictment of UK business leadership, just over one in five UK workers claim to be bullied by their boss, while almost a third believe their manager is incompetent.
Unite union prepares for court battles
Unite is to sue British Airways under European human rights legislation for withdrawing travel perks from cabin crew who took part in strike action earlier this year at the same time as it prepares for legal action against Ford.
April 'too soon' for retirement age scrapping
The CBI has warned that the coalition government’s proposals to phase out the Default Retirement Age from April next year are too swift and will make workforce planning “next to impossible”.
Leadership matters: Disruptive team member
This column answers your questions on leadership, talent management, performance improvement and the employee behavioural issues that can cause even the best leadership techniques to go awry. This time a disruptive team member is causing a management headache for a team leader.
Eye care: What you need to know
Eye watering statistics from a recent survey reveal that a large number of British employers are failing to comply with laws obliging them to care for the eyesight of their computer using employees. Here we present a definitive guide to what you need to provide to employees and what their rights in this area are.
Employers with staff who use computer screens are obliged by the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1993 to provide those workers with regular eye tests on request. However, a research study, commissioned by Simplyhealth in conjunction with the Eyecare Trust of HR professionals has found that one in five big businesses (of 1,000 plus employees) fail to pay for regular sight tests and only a third of small employers (less than 10 employees) cover the cost.
Business to be consulted on public spending
Skills Minister John Hayes has launched a couple of public consultations, with the aim of understanding how scarce public resources should be used to best effect to meet employers’ requirements.
Coalition plans will lead to more older workers
Age UK has called on the coalition government to do more to tackle age discrimination if it is to push through proposed benefit reforms likely to boost the number of older workers returning to the jobs market.
Workplace morale at all time low
Workplace morale has hit an all-time low, with record falls in job satisfaction and two out of five personnel saying they would leave their current employer if they could find a better job.
UK workers have lower ROI
Despite being subject to some of the least strict labour laws in Europe, UK workers generate a lower return on investment for their employers than those in either Western European or the US.
Better communication with the DISC system
Body language expert Peter Clayton looks at the complex subject of profiling and how it can help you better understand how to communicate with your audience whether you are delivering a training programme to managers, presenting to the board or giving a speech at an HR event.
Employers face legal action due to sun danger
Employers in the UK could find themselves facing legal action if they do not sufficiently protect their employees from skin damage caused by working for prolonged periods in the sun.
Ask the expert: Resign or seek severance?
Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on whether this employee should resign or seek a severance payment.
Flexible working key to retention
While a huge 85% of workers would be more likely to stay with their current employer if they offered a broader range of flexible working options, less than half of organisations currently do so.
CIPD in 'wildly inaccurate' policy paper row
A leading HR body has found itself at the centre of a PR storm following the publication of a policy paper about skills quangos, which has been branded “wildly inaccurate” and “unprofessional”.
Managing remotely – hands on, but hands on what?
The principles of leadership are no different whether you are co-located or virtual: the challenge – apart from adopting and practising appropriate principles, of course, is making them work in the virtual context. Robert Terry of ASK gives his tips on managing disparate teams in the first of a two-part series.
Flexible working has the HR stamp of approval
The overwhelming majority of HR professionals back government moves to promote flexible working, with just over a third already having such policies in place.
Vocational experience valued more higly than academic qualifications
Three out of five employers value vocational qualifications and work experience more highly than graduate status because they believe that personnel with a less academic background are more equipped to contribute to the business from day one.
Dragon advocates softer management approach
Alan Sugar's famous style of leadership is in the firing line of recent research which claims the economic downturn has had a dramatic effect on how bosses manage their staff.
The research found that people respond far better to a more ‘touchy-feely’, empathetic manager at the helm of their company rather than an intimidating, authoritarian figure barking orders left, right and centre. Shaf Rasul, from Dragon’s Den Online – one of Scotland’s richest entrepreneurs - explains how managers can and have changed their styles to meet the needs of the recession and how bonding with their teams has made them more effective leaders in our podcast below:
Making the leap into the Cloud: one HRD's story
Stepping into the world of 'cloud computing' sounds strange and scary to many but actually it's not that big a leap. All 'cloud' means, essentially, is 'web-based'. So if you've used Facebook, Hotmail, GMail or perhaps an online jobs board, you are already operating in 'the Cloud' - maybe without even knowing it. So where does moving HR software into the Cloud become different? One HR director, Ciara Hassan of Landmark Group, a hotel business, explained how she made the change.
Working across multiple sites, she needed to deploy something which worked for the group. She said: "My search for business transformation software was more centred around simplicity, ease of use and deployment across three sites and good value for money."