Throughout June 2009 what were HR professionals asking? The top 10 most frequently visited FAQs on XpertHR in the last month include some recent additions to the site on the subject of gender reassignment and toilet facilities, and whether or not the entitlement to a 20-minute rest break arises after every six hours worked. These questions were suggested by subscribers.

Other questions in the top 10 look at workplace maternity rights for surrogate mothers and the women for whom they give birth, and dismissal where the employer has previously granted an employee’s request to carry on working beyond retirement age.

Continue reading "Top 10 HR questions - June 2009" »

Short-time working is becoming a critical issue for many employers and employees as the impact of the 2009 recession continues to worsen. But what is short-time working, why is short-time working now seen as a necessity at so many organisations in 2009, just how widespread is it, and how best to go about implementing short-time working? As ever, XpertHR has all the answers.

Continue reading "How to make short-time working work in 2009" »

While employers in Britain connive to get their staff to strip off, councillors in Florida have passed a policy enforcing the wearing of underwear.

Continue reading "Floridians introduce new pants policy" »

Are you missing the boardroom antics of The Apprentice? Perhaps you're yearning for just one more priceless James-ism, which included "I want it almost to be like he's willy-wonka and you're giving me the keys to the factory" and "I'm skating on thin ice - and I think Sir Alan might be waiting for it to crack".

Continue reading "Sir Alan facing sex discrimination claim" »

 

As children grow up one of the first lessons that parents try to instil is the notion that things don't just happen - hard work makes things happen. In other words, hard work pays. It's an obvious truism - but does it also hold that paying people according to some measure of their performance makes for better organisational outcomes?

Here are six issues that are worth considering:

Continue reading "Rethinking performance pay in six steps" »

It sounds like the stuff of nightmares - you dream you’ve gone to work, and suddenly you’re sitting at your desk and you’re naked. While most people would wake up screaming at this point, business psychologist, David Taylor, is using the idea of ‘Naked Friday’ to boost team morale in flagging companies.

Continue reading "Bare all for business" »

By distilling the current discrimination legislation into one Equality Bill, the Government hopes to achieve a clearer legal framework for equality that will be easier to understand and implement. But has it done this? The three-part detailed analysis of the Bill (introduced into the House of Commons on 24 April 2009) published on XpertHR over recent weeks suggests that there are a number issues that are going to have to be given careful consideration if the Bill is to realise this aim.

Continue reading "The Equality Bill: simplifying discrimination law?" »

Health-related benefits remain a popular element of the reward offering in 2009 (subscription required), latest research from Industrial Relations Services (IRS) reveals. But there is also evidence that some health-related benefits may be suffering from employer cutbacks as a result of the recession.

Continue reading "Are health-related benefits still fit for purpose in 2009?" »

This corporate guide for social media is interesting in that it outlines what it calls guiding principles for both employers and employees who use social media.

Guiding principles for employers

• Lead by example
• Build your policies around job performance, not fuzzy concerns about productivity
• Encourage responsible use
• Grant equal access
• Provide training
• Begin from a position of trust

Continue reading "Social media tips for employers and employees " »

It looks like the Met Office’s prediction (on its website) of a warmer summer than average is, at last, coming true. While most of us are happy to see the sun, the problem of trying to work in an overheated workplace should not be underestimated. Although employers are required to ensure that the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings is reasonable, no upper temperature limit is specified.

Continue reading "Hot weather and dress codes - what is acceptable?" »

Workers struggling to keep cool at work may feel empathy with Andy Murray who complained that the new roof at Wimbledon lead to such humid conditions that he could not perform at his best.

Continue reading "Wimbledon and the heatwave" »

Here are some pictures I took last night at the PPA awards, where the XpertHR Group was named business brand of the year.

Continue reading "XpertHR's winning night - the pictures" »

XpertHR has been voted the UK's business media brand of the year in the 2009 PPA awards (external website). This is a truly significant award for XpertHR to attain. The PPA is the association for UK publishers of consumer, customer and business media, and its annual awards are described as "the most coveted awards in the magazine industry, showcasing excellence, rewarding innovation, and providing the benchmark by which the UK magazine industry judges itself".

Continue reading "XpertHR voted business media brand of the year in 2009 PPA awards" »

As a new month gets underway, and with summer in full swing (subscription required), the July 2009 economic commentary from CELRE - XpertHR's salary surveys unit - looks in detail at the prospects for the UK economy, and whether claims that we are seeing the "green shoots" of economic recovery might yet wither in the summer heat.

Continue reading "Economic outlook July 2009: Keep on the sunny side?" »

Well, spare a thought for 31-year old Sean Daley from Bicester who was shot by unknown gunmen in Kyrgyzstan where he was employed to run a struggling mill. Mr Daley was sacked by his Caerphilly-based employer later that same day. I suspect you'd be hard pressed to top that but would be interested in hearing from you if could... Read more on the bbc.