UK - National Minimum Wage Increases

The adult (aged 21 and over) minimum wage rate will increase from £6.50 to £6.70 an hour in October.

National Minimum Wage Increases

Looking to the future - are your feet on the ground or in the clouds?

In this article, Mark McKergow explores the various ways in which managers and leaders view the future including the dreamer, the realist, the business planner and the host.

Looking to the future - are your feet on the ground or in the clouds?

A Career in Writing Wills

Careers in will writing can be really fruitful if you have the ability to multi-task well and be a complete team player.

A Career in Writing Wills

Essential Skills for Joining and Maintaining Salesforce Jobs

Are you just starting your career, or do you want to upgrade your career within Salesforce jobs?

Essential Skills for Joining and Maintaining Salesforce Jobs

Stress Factors

Stress Factors

Review of some of the factors linked to stress

How to have a great first day at the new job

Finding a job can be tough. It takes forever to search for the right position, apply, interview and finally get an offer. Perhaps that’s why the first day at your new job can be exciting or even nerve-wracking.

How to have a great first day at the new job

Shape a Strong Career in the Field of Reselling Retail Digital Signage

Are you in a dilemma about your career and still have not decided? You can think of a profession as a reseller in retail digital signage.

Shape a Strong Career in the Field of Reselling Retail Digital Signage

What Does Building a Strong Career as a Remote DBA Expert Entail?

Database Administration is an IT profession in which all the work involved relates to the database of a particular organization.

What Does Building a Strong Career as a Remote DBA Expert Entail?

9 Tips to Advance Your Career and Rise in the Corporate Ladder

If you want to progress within the corporate ladder and rise within your company, or in a different company, you have to start thinking about how to consciously go about accomplishing that goal.

9 Tips to Advance Your Career and Rise in the Corporate Ladder

Recruitment - Is Retention the Real Minefield?

In the third of a series of articles, Tony Brookes, Sales Director, Vacancy Filler Recruitment Software argues that effective Performance and Talent Management systems should be in place so that the candidate, who has been carefully selected, can be nurtured throughout their career.

Recruitment - Is Retention the Real Minefield?

UK - The Freelance Factor

The working environment has changed drastically in the last ten years as technological advances have increasingly empowered today's workers to become increasingly global, mobile and flexible.

X'ploring the freelance factor: why your best workers may not always be your employees

UK - TUC New Year Message

Full text of TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady's New Year message.


"2015 must bring living standards boost as average wage fell £500 in 2014"

Women in Communications Top Jobs


Women in the communications sector fail to achieve boardroom positions because of differences in communications styles between men and women.

Recruitment - Now Less of a Minefield?

In this, the second article, Tony Brookes, Sales Director, Vacancy Filler Recruitment Software examines the vital next steps and takes a look at additional ways to ensure a recruitment strategy really delivers.

Recruitment - Now Less of a Minefield?

UK - Eight tips to making your company Christmas video stand out

As the Christmas season draws closer, company Christmas videos start to circulate to employees, customers, partners and associates.

Eight tips to making your company Christmas video stand out

UK - Recruitment - Still a Minefield?

In the first of a series of articles, Tony Brookes, Sales Director, Vacancy Filler Recruitment Software looks at implementing an HR Strategy that Delivers Optimum Results.

Recruitment - Still a Minefield?

Managing age-diversity in the workplace

Dealing With An Ageing Workforce

Managing age-diversity in the workplace

A modern business needs a mobile workforce

The modern employee is no longer tied to an office desktop. Whether it is on a smartphone, a laptop or a tablet, employees are increasingly taking their work with them wherever they go.

A modern business needs a mobile workforce

UK - Candidate Care

Unfortunately the negative feeling and publicity surrounding recruitment agencies is largely self inflicted. Like any industry there are great practitioners and there are cowboys operating in the space.

It's time to focus on Candidate care

UK - ACAS Early Conciliation - Is it Working?

Ian Abel of Michael Lewin Solicitors comments on ACAS statistics regarding the first quarter of Early Conciliation.

ACAS Early Conciliation - Is it Working?

USA - Leadership Skills

As of July 2014, log on to Amazon and you'll find 116,796 titles under the heading "Leadership". But if you're in too big of a hurry to read a book, open up the American Heritage Dictionary. A careful examination of the various definitions of "leader" presents a fascinating and brief explanation of great leadership.

Six Essential Leadership Skills For Today's Leader

Can software make better hiring decisions than people?

A new breed of software claims to be able to select employees who perform better. Based on behavioural research, the software means that in the long run people may no longer be needed in the selection process in order to assess whether a candidate is the best fit for a given role or job. But how realistic is this shift? And will software ever replace human selection?

Can software make better hiring decisions than people?

UK - Illegal Working

On 16 May 2014, a number of important changes to the UK's prevention of illegal working requirements and associated civil penalty scheme took force.

Changes to the UK's prevention of illegal working and civil penalty system

UK - Managing an Expanding Retail Workforce

Roger Moore, General Manager, Bond Teamspirit outlines the key requirements for minimising payroll overhead and maximising employee cost visibility
in a continually changing retail market.

Managing an Expanding Retail Workforce

Competencies: Developing a Culture of Employee Accountability

Now with the increased talk of a skills gap, the focus on training couldn't happen soon enough.

A major challenge for modern HR professionals is to grow learning environments so that it works to help employees understand the competencies for their role. Due to the introduction of new, automated performance management software into the mass market, companies of all sizes have an opportunity to develop their workforces.

Competencies: Developing a Culture of Employee Accountability

Company Culture: Giving Your Employees The Tools To Succeed

Helping employees set and reach goals is a critical part of every manager's job.

Employees want to understand how their work contributes to wider corporate objectives, and setting the right activities, goals and plans makes this connection explicit for them, and for you, as their manager.

Goal-setting is particularly important as a mechanism for providing ongoing and year-round feedback.

Company Culture: Giving Your Employees The Tools To Succeed

Substance misuse in the workplace

Nearly one third of UK employers (32%) admit to not having enough knowledge or training to identify workers under the influence of recreational drugs. This is despite 16% having suspected an employee of taking a substance.

Substance Abuse in the Workplace

Canada - Ontario Family Caregivers Leave

Bill 21, the Employment Standards Amendments Act (Leaves to Help Families), 2014, passed its third reading in the Ontario legislature with all party support.

Ontario Family Caregivers Bill

USA - Preventing Workplace Violence

Employers should positively engage a small but dangerous minority of employees, supervise them closely and make sure they get the help they need, according to a paper from professors at the the University of Texas at Arlington and Oklahoma State University. The researchers analyzed FBI reports, case studies and HR records focused on the estimated 1-3% of employees prone to aggressive behavior such as homicide, suicide or destruction of property in the workplace.

Preventing Workplace Violence

Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA), the leading provider of mental health workplace training, has today released figures which demonstrate a significant increase in spend by UK employers on mental health awareness training. The company has reported a 400 per cent increase in business spending on MHFA Workplace training since the start of this financial year. These figures are released in the wake of a new report, published by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and King’s College London[i], which reveals the cost of mental health to businesses across Europe at a substantial £77 billion.


UK workplaces show significant increased spend on mental health training

Next-generation Worker and the Modern Employer

This is a question that gets asked a lot but the answer is simple: the next-generation worker expects use of state-of-the-art technology, mobile working and the adoption of social media within the enterprise.

What Does the Next-generation Worker Expect from the Modern Employer?

Paperless HR

HR is an area beset by processes, workflows, procedures, compliance and legal requirements. These are traditionally all very much paper-based, which could at least partially explain why HR departments are such a long way from embracing the 'paperless office'. Yet the technology is in place to solve these issues, the process
improvements are obvious, and the environmental and cost benefits are hard to dispute, so isn't it time that HR managers took a serious look at eliminating - or at least reducing - paper?

Paperless HR?

Flexibility and resilience can boost the bottom line

Flexibility and resilience can boost the bottom line

Resilient managers who can choose when and how they work perform significantly better than 9-5 colleagues.

UK - Top tips for new management consultants

Whether you're a beginner or an expert in your field, there are always new elements that can be added to your role to improve your outlook on your business. Being the point of call for your team of employees, or investing time in your personal development as a freelancer means more time to be spent on developing your skills and the role itself. Below are some tips that will always be useful, particularly so if you're getting started as a management consultant.

Top tips for new management consultants

India - What NOT TO DO in a Team Offsite

"Teambuilding" is a much maligned word. From our experience, here are a few things that Teambuilding providers need to keep in mind.

What NOT TO DO in a Team Offsite

UK - Big Work Survey Reveals UK is Nation of Stressed Staff

According to new research, we are a nation of stressed staff. While a certain level of stress can certainly be a good thing, unmanageable levels of stress can have a very negative impact on both performance and employee health.

Big Work Survey Reveals UK is Nation of Stressed Staff

UK - Tupe Regulations Changes

The reforms which come into force on January 31 2014 are intended to reduce bureaucracy and increase flexibility surrounding the regulations. For many employers though, particularly small businesses, the new TUPE rules still do not go nearly far enough.

TUPE Regulations changes 31st January 2014

A Business Accounting Career Provides Options

If you are looking for a career (outside of HR) that has lots of possibilities for jobs and gives you the option to try different things, then a career in business accounting might be the right choice for you.

A Business Accounting Career Provides Options

UK - Coaching to improve youth employability

A recent presentation at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology in Brighton put forward the view that when young people have a positive outlook, self-belief and skills for the workplace they are happier, sleep better and are more well-behaved.

Coaching to improve youth employability

UK Employment law - what to expect in 2014

Happy New Employment Year! 2014 promises to be another year of substantial change in UK employment law.

Employment law - what to expect in 2014

Men still earning more than women Australia wide

Women earn a mere 64% of the average man's wage and salary income across Australia, according to a recent report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Men still earning more than women Australia wide

UK - Settlement Agreements

A Settlement Agreement (previously known as a compromise agreement) is a legally binding confidential agreement between you and your employee.

Settlement Agreements - a guide for employers

UK - Parental Leave

New statutory rules first trailed last year, have now been announced as coming into force in April 2015, which allow working mothers to effectively share their statutory maternity leave and pay entitlement with their partners.

'The New Parental Leave rules - what they mean for the workplace

UK - Measuring Employee Attitudes

John Telfer, managing director at IBP looks at alternative methods for obtaining employee feedback and explains why a healthy dose of gaming theory can bring surprising results.

HR app asks workers "how d'you feel right now?"

USA - Unpaid Interns - a HR Legal Issue for 2014

One of the leading issues that will be facing many US HR teams in 2014 is the topic of unpaid interns.

Unpaid Interns - a HR Legal Issue for 2014

Big Data - Turning the Data Deluge into Strategic Value

While the focus in many companies is on long term projects to improve customer understanding, there are other areas of the business, most notably employee recruitment and development, where big data should be making a real difference.

Big Data - Turning the Data Deluge into Strategic Value

UK - Living Wage

Over 30,000 low paid workers stand to benefit from a rise in the 'UK Living Wage' rate worth up to £400 a year recently announced during Living Wage Week at the start of November.

Rise in UK Living Wage good news for low paid workers

Why Employers Should Ensure Employees are Prepared for the Future

Employment surveys have indicated that after health insurance, employee retirement plans are the most desired benefit of workers. In spite of that, a large number of small businesses still do not offer employee retirement plans.

Why Employers Should Ensure Employees are Prepared for the Future

Multicultural Business Meetings

Culture impacts everything you do. This follows on into areas of business such as the meeting - how cultures approach, run and conclude meetings differ.

Multicultural Business Meetings: How to Avoid Getting Lost in Translation

UK - Government's consultation on the prevention of illegal working regime

Nearly 500 individuals, employers and representative organisations responded to the Government's consultation indicating broad support for the Government's aims to get tough on rogue employers whilst supporting compliant employers.

Implications for business following the findings of the Government's consultation on the prevention of illegal working regime

UK - Further Changes to Employment Law - October 2013

2013 has been a significant year where changes to employment law and tribunal rules are concerned; but the change is still on-going. October brought further amendments to the law regarding executive pay, national minimum wage, third party harassment provisions and pension protection from TUPE.

Further Changes to Employment Law - October 2013

How HR leaders can get CEO sign-off for HR expenditures

Human resources expenditures often fall to the bottom of the list when organizations evaluate priorities and allocate funds. But as the HR leader, it’s your job to communicate the importance of your initiatives and secure the resources you need to drive results for your department and the organization.

Make Your Case: How HR leaders can get CEO sign-off for HR expenditures

How Culture Impacts Teamwork

A lack of attention to cross-cultural communication in a team setting can bury your organisation in strife, muted conflict, poor motivation and worse.

How Culture Impacts Teamwork and What You Can Do About it

NZ - Women SME owners doing better than men

Women SME (small and medium enterprises) owners in New Zealand are outperforming their male counterparts in a number of important areas according to a national survey.

Women SME owners doing better than men

B Lab Awards 79 Companies for Positive Impact on Workforce

Study after study shows that being ‘best for workers’ means being best for shareholders because the name of the game is winning the war for talent

B Lab Awards 79 Companies for Positive Impact on Workforce

USA - InterviewStream Transforms Video Interviews with WebRTC

Today's video platforms allow recruiters and hiring managers to conduct live and pre-recorded interviews with any candidate in any location, at any time - significantly reducing travel costs and scheduling hassles.

InterviewStream Transforms Video Interviews with WebRTC

UK - Law and Religious Clothing

Following the recent ruling that a Muslim woman must remove her face veil while giving evidence in her trial, and the investigation by the Daily Telegraph which revealed that the wearing of a full face veil has been banned for staff dealing with patients in 17 NHS hospitals, there has been much discussion about the wearing of face veils in public and particularly in the workplace.

Religious Clothing and the Rights of Employees - What Should an Employer do if an employee wishes to wear a veil/ other religious clothing?

UK - Summer changes to employment law and tribunal rules

2013 has been an important year for business owners, HR specialists and employment law practitioners. This is because we all have witnessed staged implementation of various changes to employment law and tribunal rules.

Summer changes to employment law and tribunal rules

UK - Engineering & IT Fuel August Rise in Permanent UK Jobs

A new job survey suggests that the labour market in the UK continues to strengthen as the total number of job vacancies increased at the sharpest rate in over six years.

Engineering & IT Fuel August Rise in Permanent UK Jobs

Canada - OHS and the HR profession

The OHS field is vast and to effectively manage the risk within organizations, you need the expertise on board to do it! In this article we will be reviewing the OHS program administration requirements.

OHS and the HR profession

UK - Preventing illegal working

Employers' duty to prevent illegal working is underpinned by a civil penalty regime which is now being reviewed with a raft of Government proposals aimed at strengthening and simplifying the system. The proposals are part of the forthcoming Immigration Bill designed to make it more difficult for illegal migrants to live and work in the UK.

Government proposals to overhaul the civil penalty regime for employers & top ten tips for right to work checks

UK - Government declares that "Firms have a duty to hire Britons" but what are the implications for employers?

Employers have a social responsibility to take on and train local young people, rather than taking the "easy option" of employing skilled workers from overseas, a Tory minister has said. In recent media interviews, skills minister Matthew Hancock said businesses that give local youngsters on-the-job training end up with more loyal and motivated workers. Employing more local workers would also aid economic recovery, he argued, calling on businesses to consider their social duty as well as commercial interests. His controversial comments are reminiscent of Gordon Brown's 2007 call for "British jobs for British workers" - and sparked similarly fierce debate. Surely such an approach amounts to discrimination, and downplays the merits of a flexible labour market? Or is it time for UK businesses that rely on migrant workers to rethink their recruitment culture?

Government declares that "Firms have a duty to hire Britons" but what are the implications for employers?

UK - What employers need to know about stress at work

Stress at work is a costly affair and hits businesses financially, but also has a negative influence on staff relationships, poor performance, staff turnover and leads to more management time being spent on resolving the issues arising from stress.

What employers need to know about stress at work

UK - Summer time blues for employers

Summer holidays should be a time for workers to relax, but advances in technology means that many people top up their stress levels, rather than their tans when they go on annual leave.

Alarmingly, research conducted by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), revealed that over half of managers (54%) feel compelled to work while on holiday, with many finding it hard to switch off their smartphones, which leads to a fifth of workers returning from annual leave more stressed than before they left.

Summer time blues for employers

Canada - Is it HR’s job to manage OH&S?

The simple fact is that, in many organizations, Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) has become a Human Resources (HR) responsibility. In an era where corporate social responsibility has grown to come to include health and safety, how can HR fulfill its role in building an effective OH&S system?

Is it HR’s job to manage OH&S?

A strategic internship programme can give you the satisfaction of training future employees for a successful, enjoyable career.

Laying the foundations for a sustainable future: How to start a successful internship programme

UK - Internships & HR - What You Need in Place

When managed with transparency and care, business internships create a win-win situation. Properly managed interns gain confidence and priceless work experience, and the advantages of taking on a good intern are innumerable. Managed badly, however, internships can be a pointless and demoralising exercise for the intern and costly for the employer. Here are a few tips for internship success.

Internships & HR - What You Need in Place

UK - Unnecessary Redundancy Payouts in the NHS

According to a report by the Government spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, large sums of money have seemingly been wasted on unnecessary redundancy pay-outs in the NHS.

Unnecessary Redundancy Payouts in the NHS

Australian Minimum Wage Decided

The Fair Work Commission has decided to increase the Australian national minimum wage by $15.80 a week or 41 cents per hour based on a 38 hour week for a full-time employee. The new national minimum wage will be $622.20 per week or $16.37 per hour and will affect more than 1.5 million workers in Australia from July 1 2013.

Australian Minimum Wage Decided

UK - Case Study: Home Group

Home Group has been using iTrent, MidlandHR's specialist HR and payroll solution, since 2010. Following the successful roll-out of iTrent HR and payroll, the company introduced iTrent Employee and Manager Self-Service as a key part of its new HR strategy.

The self-service strategy was introduced to provide both employees and managers with the technologies and tools to find information relevant to them in a more user friendly, timely manner.

Case Study: Home Group

UK- Performance Management Process

Developing an effective performance management process is crucial for a number of reasons; namely the direct financial gain from ensuring employees are successfully meeting expectations, for generating motivation and engagement amongst the workforce and for aligning employees to strategic objectives.

Performance Management: Creating an Effective Process and Dialogue

Australia - How to attract and hold on to top IT talent

It's a well known HR statistic that it costs an average of 2.5 times an individual's salary to replace an employee when they leave. So in today's unpredictable economic climate it is essential that businesses retain staff, especially those classed as 'top talent' - your highest performers.

How to attract and hold on to top IT talent

Social Media and Video

The recent announcement that Skype Video will be integrated into Outlook Email for instance shows how video, as a social tool, is becoming ever more engrained in modern day communications.

Collaboration at Work: If You Have a Message, Say it with Social Media

Using Training as a Strategic Tool

"What is the best way to get the maximum return on the training budget?"

At a time when training budgets are tight - the above question as to where to invest it for maximum returns is clearly a top-of-mind issue for many organizations. The dilemma is: Should the focus be on maximizing individual employee potential or should it be on maximizing organization returns?

Using Training as a Strategic Tool

UK - Talent Retention Biggest Challenge

This year's Employee Rewards Watch Survey from Thomsons Online Benefits highlights the on-going financial demands that companies are under to control costs at a time when 34 per cent are finding basic pay more difficult to control than any other element of reward.

42 per cent of organisations believe retaining talent will be the biggest challenge of 2013 according to tenth annual Thomsons survey

How To Attract Headhunters

One of the best ways to achieve a career advance is to become noticed by professional headhunters.

How To Attract Headhunters

UK - To Give An Executive Garden Leave?

When it comes to an executive leaving the job, it is pretty common that the companies put the executive on garden leave. In such a situation, the executive is paid for the notice period, while being ordered to stay at home and is restricted from business or from working with any other company. Every now and then, there have been debates whether garden leave should be given to a leaving executive or not. In such a case, including the 'garden leave' clause in the executive's employment contract will essentially be a good idea. However, such an inclusion doesn't necessarily mean that the employer can enforce it upon the executive. Therefore, it is considered wise on the part of an HR professional to weigh up the pros and cons before granting garden leave to a leaving executive.

To Give An Executive Garden Leave?

UK - Video Technology Enhances the Remote Worker’s Experience

Yahoo's recent announcement to ban remote working firmwide, starting from June 2013, has been the topic of a lot of media coverage and a reason for concern for many current flexible workers. Yahoo claim that "speed and quality are often sacrificed when working from home" but I would argue that if you provide the right technology - which is definitely available - it is possible for employers to support remote workers and make sure they are productive, involved and in touch.

How Video Technology Enhances the Remote Worker’s Experience

Canada - Work Pressure and Job Control

Having control over one's work schedule and job autonomy are associated with lower levels of job pressure. However, having more control of one's work can also have negative consequences.

Work Pressure and Job Control

USA - Performance Management: Not Just for Big Business Anymore

Smart analysis of performance issues across your workforce can identify opportunities for process improvement, employee training and many other ways to improve your business.


Performance Management: Not Just for Big Business Anymore

A Comprehensive Look at Unemployment in the U.S.

The unemployment rate in the U.S. rose to 7.9 percent for the month of January despite 157,000 new jobs being created, according to the Department of Labor. This number, however, isn't necessarily the best indicator of economic conditions in America. The unemployment rate is actually somewhere between 11 and 41 percent, depending on how the number is derived. The following is a guide that breaks down how the government calculates unemployment and what it means for you.

A Comprehensive Look at Unemployment in the U.S.

USA - Big brother is definitely watching

With as much as 60 to 80 percent of employee time on the Internet having nothing to do with work, organizations are facing an epidemic of 'cyberloafing.'

Big brother is definitely watching

USA - HR and Divorce

When looking for help during a divorce, few people consider the human resources department at their place of employment as a place to go for assistance.

How HR Can Help an Employee Survive and Thrive Through a Divorce

Canada - Panoramic Feedback

Once upon a time, an entrepreneur could design a good product and sell it unchanged for years. But today's Internet-based companies must constantly innovate to maintain their lead in a shifting marketplace.

Constant Innovation Is Key To Customer Satisfaction For Internet Companies

UK - Religious discrimination

HR experts Croner have advised employers to have robust, justifiable reasons for restricting the wearing of displays of religious faith such as crosses.

Religious discrimination

Canada - Helping women succeed in business

Ontario has introduced a new initiative for women entrepreneurs on low incomes.

Helping women succeed in business

Who Are You Meant To Be?

This book goes beyond any other personality system or four quadrant model currently available by integrating a century old personality system with breakthroughs in brain science and neuroplasticity. These two behavioral change experts demonstrate how psychological needs originating in the brain are the driving force for the behavior behind each of the functional areas of the brain. By showing us how the brain actually develops, they demonstrate what we have to do to get beyond the "aha" moment to real growth and development over time.

Who Are You Meant To Be?

UK - How can employment lawyers help headhunters place candidates more swiftly?

Picture the scenario: an ideal candidate for a role is found, the candidate can't wait to start and your client is eager to announce his joining. Then the candidate mentions in passing that he has a 12 month garden leave clause and post-termination restrictive covenant in his contract which prevent him from working for a competitor. Sound familiar?

How can employment lawyers help headhunters place candidates more swiftly?

Online employee scheduling

Unlike Excel, this software is designed with a single job in mind, helping you allocate your human resources effectively. More at:

Online Employee Scheduling - Take a Break from Excel

USA - Health and Safety

Most executives will turn to financial figures when speaking with investors about the value of their company and how it's growing and improving. When the new CEO of Alcoa, Paul O'Neil, spoke to his investors for the first time, he informed them about the improvements in health and safety for employees. The men at the meeting were confused; a CEO had never referred to the company's employees as its strongest investment, and O'Neil declared that Alcoa's priority and goal was to become a zero-injury work environment.

More at: Protect Your Most Valuable Investment, You: Health and Safety in the Workplace

Australia - Risks of Work-Related Social Events

Work-related social events can be enjoyable and are a way of developing better
working relationships. By being aware of, and being prepared for the potential unintended consequences, many of the risks associated with these events can be reduced or removed.

Risks of Work-Related Social Events

UK- Women on the Board

Greater transparency of board make-up analysed by gender is intended to put pressure on companies to increase the number of women occupying senior roles. Clearly this will have a consequential impact on recruitment.

One, two, three, four? How many women are on your board?

Turning recruiters on - and off

A survey by online recruiting software company Bullhorn defined five key candidate behaviors that turn recruiters off and have negative impacts on their chances of landing a job.

Turning recruiters on - and off

USA - Feedback and Performance Management

Informal feedback is critical to success said 93% of IT Professionals in a recent survey but fewer than half felt that feedback in their organization could be rated as good or excellent.

Performance Management - Key Practices

UK - How to fire for poor performance

Much has been said recently by the Government about how its current package of intended employment law reforms will help create a climate in which it will be easier for employers to dismiss under-performing staff. The Government argues that this will give businesses - especially small businesses - the confidence to take on more staff, thereby aiding growth and economic recovery. But how difficult is it, in fact, to fire under-performing staff and will any of the intended reforms actually make a difference?

How to fire for poor performance

UK - TUPE (the retention of employment model)

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) give domestic effect to the EC Acquired Rights Directive (ARD) on "the approximation of the laws of Member States relating to the safeguarding of employees' rights in the event
of transfer of undertakings, businesses or parts of undertakings or business."

TUPE - What businesses need to know about the retention of employment model

UK - Job Satisfaction

The business case for job satisfaction is clear: satisfied employees make for a more engaged workforce that will be committed and advocate the business. What's more it'll make for a more productive and profitable business.

Why the work-life balance is now more important than ever

UK - The Hidden Cost of Sick Leave

Although the holiday season has ended the holiday pain has not for those employing individuals on long term sick leave.

The Hidden Cost of Sick Leave

UK - Absenteeism Survey

The latest CIPD Absence Survey shows a drop from an average of 7.7 to 6.8 days per employee.

Absence Levels

UK - Motivating staff and the changing workplace culture

The current economic climate is still having a significant impact on the way organisations operate. The pressure to cut costs and reduce expenditure has led to a fall in innovation and has also made it harder to motivate and engage employees on an on-going basis.

Motivating staff and the changing workplace culture

UK - Employment Tribunal Changes

The annual statistics for claims in employment tribunals (ETs) for 2011/2012 have just been published. The statistics show a 15% reduction in ET claims being presented and an increase in costs awards by ETs, where over 80% have been made against claimants. Despite this, the Government is intent on its employment law reform programme under the auspices of promoting growth - especially for small businesses.

The Future is Bright for Employers - the Future is Blue and Gold!

UK - Professional Exit

Your role as a member of an LLP in a professional or financial services firm has been identified as at risk. What should you do as a prudent member who has been asked to pack their bag before heading for the departure gate?

LLP departure lounge - getting ready to board the exit flight

UK - Why choose video to communicate?

Whilst the idea of using video is by no means a new concept, corporations have only recently started to embrace it and taken note of internal and external stakeholder's need to engage with businesses through this channel.

Why choose video to communicate?

Canada - Workplace romance

Canada seems to be the place to study workplace romance. According to a survey of 32 countries by Randstad Canada seems to be very tolerant of office romances. CareerBuilder.ca does an annual survey and this year's findings (published in February) were typical with 30% saying they had dated a co-worker and almost as many (28%) saying they had married a fellow employee.

Randstad's Global Workmonitor survey, published in July, found that 59% of Canadian respondents confirmed that romantic relationship between colleagues happened in their organizations and two thirds (66%) didn't see a problem.

Your office or mine: love in the workplace

UK/UAE - How we isolate talent

Organizations seek the best talent. We target individuals that stand out and assume they bring with them the talent shown in previous posts. If they fail to perform at the level we anticipate, HR managers and the board are left wondering what went wrong.

How we isolate talent

UK - Can Partners in Professional Partnerships claim Employment Status?

For businesses operating as a partnership, promotion and ownership of the business can be controlled by means of operating different levels of partnership, for example a salaried partner, fixed term partner or equity partner.

Can Partners in Professional Partnerships claim Employment Status?

UK - Sickness during annual leave - it's not as bad as it seems!

In a timely case - given that the holiday season is upon us - the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in ANGED v FASGA and others has decided that workers who fall sick during their annual leave must be permitted to reschedule the time affected by illness. What does this case mean for employers faced with workers returning from their holiday, claiming they were affected by sickness, and how much impact is the case likely to have in reality?

Sickness during annual leave - it's not as bad as it seems!

USA - Work and Sleep

Research from the University of Iowa has shown that police officers sleeping less than six hours per night are more susceptible to chronic fatigue and health problems.

Work And Sleep

UK - Corporate Scandals Eroding Trust

A survey of more than 2000 UK employees commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that only 36 per cent of employees trust senior managers.


Employees and Employers: corporate scandals eroding trust

UK - Employability and Student Choice

As students we are not only studying for a degree - we are also developing our own personal brands and turning ourselves into marketable products.

Employability and Student Choice

UK - Employee Performance and the Law

The abolition of the default retirement age in April 2011 and the recent decision of the Supreme Court in Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes have focused attention on the issue of performance management. These recent developments highlight the increasing importance of having proper performance management processes in place.

The importance of managing employee performance before problems arise

USA/UK - Personal Branding

Anyone trying to find a job in today's climate knows how hard it is to get your CV noticed amongst the piles stacked on HR directors' desks. For many seeking to enter fast-paced fields, the simple CV is no longer enough. You need to stand out, to prove your mettle.

How One Job-Seeker Turned His Personal Brand Into Fame and Opportunity

Australia/NZ - Accountants heading abroad

No fewer than six in ten Australia and New Zealand accountants will be job hunting within the next 6 to 12 months, according to global research.


Australian and New Zealand accountants heading abroad

NZ - Strong Growth in New Zealand Employment

An analysis of 42,000 jobs listed in the last quarter on Trade Me Jobs shows that the New Zealand job market remains positive, with listings up by 8.2 per cent on the same period in 2011.

Strong Growth in New Zealand Employment

UK - Protected Conversations

The idea of the 'protected conversation' is that employers can talk to their employees about possible termination deals or severance packages without having to worry about those conversations being referred to in subsequent Employment Tribunal cases if the discussions come to nothing and the employees then say they have been unfairly dismissed.

Protected Conversations: an exciting new initiative or counter-productive for employers?

UK - Letting a banker go - pitfalls for the unwary

One might be forgiven for wondering whether a number of bankers may soon be "let go" by their employers as the banks' trials and tribulations following the LIBOR fixing scandal unfold. Given the rates of remuneration they tend to enjoy, making most of
us appear by comparison to be journeyman labourers, this could be an expensive time.

Letting a banker go - pitfalls for the unwary

Canada - Dealing with tough interview questions

Good preparation is the key to answering the toughest interview questions with confidence according to staffing, recruitment and HR Services company Randstad Canada.

Prepare for work: dealing with tough interview questions

Canada - Healthy Workplaces

Six key elements of extraordinary organizations around the world were identified recently by the The Health Work & Wellness Group.

Healthy Workplaces

Anger at work

What makes people angry at work and what they do about it?

Anger at work

Men and women react differently to stress.

Men and women react differently to stress.

Danger of the desk

UK - Technology extends the working day

Replying to emails and answering work calls at home means that the average UK employee is putting in an extra three weeks a year in overtime.

Technology extends the working day

USA - E-mail: the Way to Gossip

It has been estimated that the average corporate email user sends 112 messages a day - and one in seven of those messages can be described as gossip.

E-mail: the Way to Gossip

Belgium - Learning environment at work

As the government tells us that we need to work harder for longer in order to pay for retirement, it is clear that we must be even more ready to adapt and change our skills and knowledge throughout our working lives.

Building a learning environment at work

NL - The escape from the 'boring cage' of talent development

It is essential for organizations that want to 'survive' or even play a leading role in their niche to engage and fascinate the right employees.

The escape from the 'boring cage' of talent development

UK - Culture and Inequality

The term culture refers to the system of assumptions, beliefs and perspectives, many of them unconscious and taken for granted, which members of a group have in common.

There is often a lot of confusion and massive assumptions about what culture means. Some organisations talk about working towards being one culture, because they want to achieve consistency in customer care, leadership and management styles, and ensure all employees demonstrate behaviours, which are professional, considered, and do not wittingly or unwittingly discriminate.

Is There Inequality in the Workplace Because of a Lack of Understanding About Culture?

NZ Employers confident on hiring

A survey of 650 New Zealand employers by Manpower shows that employment confidence is relatively high with 25% expecting to take on staff while only 9% are contemplating reducing payroll numbers.

NZ Employers confident on hiring

Offshoring from Australia to New Zealand

With an 18% drop in earnings forecast by Fairfax Media, the publishing group has confirmed that cost-cutting includes moving jobs from Australia to New Zealand.

Offshoring Australian editing jobs to New Zealand

UK - Leadership and Creativity

What kind of leadership roles do you have in your organization? Customer Services Director, Business Development Manager, Vice President of Sales? That's great, but how about Meaning Maker, Storyteller, Talent Scout, Innovation Seeker? How different would things be if job titles reflected what we wanted managers to do and be like rather than what they are responsible for?

Leaders - ten ways you can be more creative

Australia - How HR Can Become Strategic

For many years, HR professionals have been trying to justify their right to a seat at the executive table. Executives rightfully have been scratching their heads trying to understand just exactly how HR drives business value.

How HR Can Become Strategic

USA - Male Leaders Judged More Harshly

Male leaders who make mistakes in what is perceived as a man's world are also judged more critically than a female leader.

Male Leaders Judged More Harshly

UK - Laughter at Work

Creating an environment where humour - and laughter - is viewed positively will create a place of enjoyment.

The Importance Of Not Being Ernest

USA - High-Potential Entrepreneurs

Stanford Graduate School of Business has reported that its graduates are much more likely to become entrepreneurs than ever before. 16% of the class of 2011 have already started their own businesses compared to a mere 5% in the early 1990s and 10-year trend data is suggesting that there is a generational shift toward entrepreneurship.

High-Potential Entrepreneurs

NL - Please don't blame the crisis

No, it's really not the fault of the crisis - you yourself are to blame. If turnover is lower, it is because business is not good. But why hasn't business dropped for every company - what is the difference between you and your competitor? And why do things that go easy go even easier for one entrepreneur than another? Does the difference lay in the fact that some work harder, possess more skills or may have more insight?

Please don't blame the crisis

UK - Age Regulations

This is a very difficult area of the law for employers. On the one hand employers do not want to be accused of age discrimination, but on the other hand they have to act in the best interests of the business, even when this means replacing older workers with a younger, fresher work force. However, before rushing into any decisions, employers must consider all the options available to them as any rash decisions could cause more harm than good.

The ticking time bomb of older workers

Should You Be Sharing That?

Improvements in systems technology mean that global HR systems are possible for any size organisation. This opens up many possibilities from a shared service perspective and for many global companies there are attractive cost savings to be made from the consolidation of their IT operations in this way. However, along with the possibilities that today’s global HR IT systems present there are also many challenges that need to be met.  Not least is the requirement that the data stored on each employee is accessible to those that need it to perform their roles, whilst remaining private to everyone else and compliant with relevant data privacy legislation.

Should You Be Sharing That?

UK - The Transformational Power of HR Software

HR software has for many years been revolutionising the processes and procedures of HR departments. But the growing power of intuitive technologies means the opportunities for forward-thinking HR professionals are ever-increasing.
Keen to develop a greater understanding of organisations’ evolving HR goals, client services director at Cascade HR Heather Vitty recently surveyed her varied customer base. Here she shares her findings...

The Transformational Power of HR Software

Canada - Saskatchewan immigration program changes

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) has been changed to reflect current needs in the province's job market.


Saskatchewan immigration program changes

UK - A book for entrepreneurs

It's All About You is specifically for you, the entrepreneur, the lone adventurer, who is relentlessly driving forward business, focusing more on achieving business objectives, but possibly to the detriment of your personal wellbeing and basic health. It's All About You

USA - Engagement and Onboarding

Millennials (also known as Generation Y) are actively doing something at all times and if you don’t want that something to be aimlessly browsing or looking at online job boards, engagement at work is key. It’s All About Engagement

USA - Surface Diversity: Subverted by some employees

There is evidence to suggest that organizations are only achieving 'surface diversity' while key customer-facing staff such as servers are behaving in a racist way towards customers. Surface Diversity: Some Employees Subvert Diversity Programs

UK- How to help staff going through divorce

Often at times being caught up in all the distractions of HR, many people don't make the time to create a crisis or advice centre for struggling employees and this is SO needed within the workplace.

How to Help Your Staff Going Through Divorce

Intuition in Recruitment and Selection

Richard van der Lee argues that we need to use a bit more intuition to find talent

Use more intuition during the Recruitment & Selection process

Learning Management Systems

A LMS is a tool used for documenting, tracking and reporting on training programs in a bid to increase employee efficiency and productivity.

The Advantages and Drawbacks of Learning Management Systems

Student HR - Revised Employee Resourcing Pages

Employee Resourcing

Recruitment

Researching candidates

Employee Selection

Interviewing

Psychometric tests

Other Selection Methods

Student HR - Revised Strategic HRM Pages

People Strategies

Change Strategies

Forming HR strategies

Translating strategy into action

Drastic and Incremental Change

Strategic Alliances and Behavioural Transformation

UK - HR and Spotting Fraud

It’s surprisingly easy to take on someone who isn’t who they say they are, especially when your focus is on can they do the job in question, not who they say they might be.

HR and Spotting Fraud

Australia - Free HR Downloads

Six Pitfalls of Workforce Planning
Free download: Know the pitfalls that companies can fall into when doing strategic workforce planning.


Measuring and Addressing Competency Gaps
Free download: Learn how to find and fill competency gaps in your organization before they affect you.


Driving Business Execution Through Integrated Talent Management
Free download: Discover how you can leverage talent management processes to drive business execution.

UK - Minimum Wage Increases

The adult minimum wage rate will increase from £6.08 to £6.19 an hour on October 1 2012.

National Minimum Wage Increases

UK - HR as a Business Partner

The term 'business partner' is often highlighted as an important aspect in discussions about the role of the human resource manager but being a 'business partner' needs wide business knowledge. According to a new report released by the CIPD three fifths of HR practitioners feel that the profession needs to be 'business savvy' with improved understanding of business issues. But the CIPD acknowledges that this can be easier said than done. The CIPD report shows that a common trait among the people they interviewed was curiosity about the organization in which they worked and the wider context in which they operated.

HR as a Business Partner

UK - Resolving Unwitting Discrimination

In this article, we look at how employers might seek to resolve the problem of discrimination against disabled participants in personality tests and the pitfalls associated with trying to make reasonable adjustments.

'Computer says no': Are you unwittingly discriminating with personality testing? (Part 2)