It is common knowledge that employees are legally entitled to be accompanied at disciplinary hearings by a work colleague or union official. But most organisations' disciplinary procedures do not make mention of whether or not employees have the right to legal representation at internal disciplinary meetings. Two recent rulings may make some employers think again when next updating their disciplinary procedure.

"British HR executives are grossly overpaid, those in the public sector particularly so" (external website), according to an article in the Times written by business commentator Sathnam Sanghera.

Line managers who keep putting off that difficult conversation, in the hope that the issue that has been dragging on will just go away, could be creating further problems for themselves.

The statutory maximum unfair dismissal compensation award from 1 February 2010 is £65,300 - a high price to pay for not following a disciplinary procedure deemed to be fair and reasonable.

In Metrobus Ltd v Cook (EAT/0490/06) the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruled that an employment tribunal did not err in increasing the amount of unfair dismissal compensation by 40% where an employer had failed to follow the statutory disciplinary and dismissal procedure.

IRS is conducting research to look at how employers deal with grievances and disciplinaries. We also want to collect feedback on the reaction to the new Acas code, and whether it has helped or hindered in dealing with employee grievances and disciplinaries.

Taking part in this confidential survey will give you a unique opportunity to benchmark your organisation's procedures for dealing with individual disputes against other employers in your sector.

The 2010 general election is fast approaching, although the exact date is still not yet known. But what is certain is that its outcome will have major implications for the world of work and consequently for the work of HR professionals - no matter which party wins. Personnel Today has canvassed the views of a number of UK HR leaders and commentators, providing a fascinating insight into the HR profession's wishes and concerns for the next Government.

There's no surprise what the most popular HR question has been this month (note the restraint there in resisting the obvious "snow surprise" pun). Whether or not employers have to pay employees who can't get to work because of the snow tops the list of the most frequently accessed questions on XpertHR for January 2010.

HR professionals were also looking for other snow-related information such as minimum office temperatures and how to deal with lateness due to travel disruption.

Every penny counts for HR practitioners in the current economic context faltering profitability for many organisations and weak overall economic growth. And so, as I tell Jeya Thiruchelvam in this week's XpertHR Podcast, benchmarking employment practices can represent a highly effective way to keep on top of costs and do their jobs more efficiently and more cost-effectively.

HR outsourcing is on the increase, with around 50% of private sector organisations and a quarter of public sector organisations now choosing this option. But have HR professionals really got to grips with the outsourcing process and what it can achieve? The IRS conference on HR outsourcing will examine the complexities of outsourcing, and share practical and strategic advice from experts on finding the right outsourcing fit for any of the HR operations that your organisation wishes to outsource.

I once spent eight days as a patient in an NHS hospital. When the consultant in charge of the ward eventually came round to see me with his entourage I tried to join in the conversation. There was an awkward silence and then he turned back to his clipboard and lackeys.  When I was discharged I had a chat with the same consultant in his office. We got on perfectly well and he treated me like an equal. The difference was that I was no longer a patient. I was a human being again.

If you've not yet lent it an ear, XpertHR's Weekly podcast provides an excellent, thoroughly enjoyable and completely free weekly digest of key HR and employment issues. The current edition includes an introduction to the newly launched XpertHR benchmarking service from my colleague David Shepherd, explaining how it works and what XpertHR subscribers can get out of it.

I'm delighted to announce that XpertHR's new benchmarking service (subscription required) has been launched today (Thursday 14 January 2010). This is a major enhancement to XpertHR, providing our subscribers with the opportunity to access a huge resource of customisable HR benchmarking data. The interactive features of XpertHR benchmarking enable you to tailor your own bespoke HR benchmarking data. We think it'll quickly prove to be an invaluable tool for our users.

The rise of online recruitment methods over the past decade has resulted in a completely transformed recruitment landscape with social recruiting at its centre as we enter 2010, according to a fascinating blog post from recruitment consultant Andy Headworth. He argues that social recruiting now represents the cutting-edge of recruitment (external website), and that recruiters must adopt social recruiting methods in order to meet evolving candidate expectations. Consequently, platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and blogs should be seen as "primary recruiting channels", and "will become the recruiting battlegrounds of 2010".

The sudden, high-profile resignation of Jonathan Ross (external website) from his rather lucrative employ at the BBC (announced earlier today, Thursday 7 January 2009) leaves the BBC with some rather significant gaps to fill (possibly to the benefit of Messrs Norton and Kermode (external website)), thereby highlighting the ongoing and critical importance of succession planning. This is an issue that employers frequently ignore - sometimes to their cost.

Questions on medical evidence required for employees with swine flu, annual leave for employees on maternity leave and a number of questions on working time feature in December's top ten most frequently visited FAQs on XpertHR.

The closest we get to a festive themed FAQ asks whether or not Christian employees can refuse to work on bank holidays that are aligned to a Christian festival.

Four new frequently asked questions on swine flu in the workplace have been added to the XpertHR dedicated swine flu resources page.

We asked XpertHR subscribers to suggest any questions they would like answered on how to deal with the impact of swine flu on their organisation. We have added the suggested questions to the swine flu FAQs already published on the site.

Issues covered by the new questions include how an employer should deal with sickness certification when employees with swine flu symptoms are advised not to attend their GP, and the risk of employees coming to work when sick because of absence policies that trigger disciplinary action.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has now concluded what was arguably the most eagerly anticipated Pre-Budget Report since they were introduced in 1997. Here we provide coverage of the Pre-Budget Report 2009 speech, highlighting the proposals of most interest to HR and reward professionals.

IRS is conducting benchmarking research into paternity and adoption leave. Completing this brief, confidential survey on paternity and adoption leave will entitle you to a free copy of the report. The closing date for this survey is Monday 14 December 2009.

In these recession-racked times, conspicuous largesse from the banking community has the potential to provoke immediate public outcry, as illustrated by today's outraged headlines (external website) concerning proposed bonus payments for some Royal Bank of Scotland employees. So perhaps it should come as little surprise that workplace Christmas parties are being conducted in secret (external website) for many City of London finance firms in 2009.

A properly completed ET3 form in response to an employment tribunal claim can mean the difference between winning and losing a case. The importance of spending time preparing and completing the ET3, while keeping to the 28-day time limit for responding, should not be underestimated.

A new guide in the XpertHR How To section gives practical advice on completing the ET3, including issues to consider and pitfalls to avoid.

• How to respond to an employment tribunal claim is in the XpertHR How To section (subscription required).

The CBI has published a report on The shape of business: The next 10 years (on the CBI website), identifying the trends it expects to see in how business will develop over the next decade.

The report includes predictions of how workforce dynamics will change as a result of the recession, including the greater use of a flexible workforce.

With many employers having been hit hard by the full force of the recession during 2009, it is a distinct possibility that the traditional workplace Christmas party could have fallen victim to enforced spending cutbacks for many employers. IRS is conducting a short, confidential survey to investigate how employers are preparing for Christmas this year in light of the recession. Take part in the survey - which closes at the end of today (Monday 16 November 2009) to receive a free copy as soon as it is published.

UK employers have mixed views on the value of performance management, and are failing to use performance management techniques to their full potential (external website), according to research from the CIPD.

October's top 10 most frequently accessed faqs on XpertHR include a number on how to handle issues relating to part-time employees and a number on entitlement to a redundancy payment.

The most popular question, arising from the decision in the Heyday case at the end of September, asked what will happen to tribunal cases that had been stayed pending the decision in that case.

Werner Heubeck, whose exploits as managing director of Ulsterbus during the worst of the Troubles included personally boarding buses to remove suspect packages, has died at the age of 85. The Daily Telegraph has published an obituary of Heubeck on its website.

Yesterday, I went to the Public Service Partnership staff protection and wellbeing conference. Although the speakers were from the public and private sectors, some common themes emerged as to how businesses can improve staff protection and wellbeing.

Once employees have been given notice of dismissal by reason of redundancy, should employers sit back and be satisfied that they have complied with their obligations to inform and consult?

The IRS essential HR update on change management takes place in London on 8 October 2009. We’ve put together a change management resource pack to help XpertHR subscribers attending the event get the most out of it.

The IRS essential HR update on surviving pandemic flu in the workplace takes place in London on 6 October 2009. We’ve put together a pandemic flu resource pack to help XpertHR subscribers attending the event get the most out of it.

Take your Dog to Work Day, an annual fundraising event organised by the Blue Cross (on its website), is on 16 September 2009 (also reported on the Guardian website). The pet charity is encouraging dog owners to take their dogs to work to raise money to help it care for homeless and sick pets in its hospitals and adoption centres.

UK employers must prepare now for the workplace impact of a "widely predicted second and more serious wave of swine flu", which is expected to hit the UK over the coming weeks (external website) and result in a significant rise in absence levels, according to the CIPD and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI).

• Strategist:  know where you are doing and have a position about the future
• Executor: make sure you make things happen and deliver as promised
• Talent manager: involve others in your journey
• Human capital developer: invest in the next generation
• Personal proficiency: take care of yourself so others will trust you

Every day this week, we'll be adding new swine flu FAQs to XpertHR in response to employers' questions about the impact of swine flu on their organisations. The first three questions have been added to the XpertHR dedicated swine flu resources page.

To help employers keep up to date with the swine flu pandemic, we have gathered together the latest information on XpertHR on the subject, along with links to external resources for employers. These include links to the Health Protection Agency’s weekly epidemiological update and influenza report, to assist employers in predicting, and planning for, absence levels. My colleague Luke Smith will be checking that the information is up to date on a daily basis. Meanwhile Susie Munro, who looks after the XpertHR FAQs section, is compiling employers’ questions on the swine flu pandemic and its impact on the workplace, to create new additions to the FAQs section. If you have any unanswered questions, let her know.

We recently noted that UK employers hit hard by the 2009 recession are exploring a range of measures to stave off redundancies as long as possible, from pay freezes to short-time working. But more radical responses are starting to emerge, with BT and the CBI leading the way.

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.

The recession has led to an increase in flexible working practices as employers and employees cooperate to save jobs, according to a survey by the CBI and recruitment consultants Harvey Nash.

45% of firms responding to the survey have increased flexible working, with the twin aims of reducing hours and meeting employees' requests for a work-life balance. A further 24% said they were considering such an increase.

The High Court has rejected Cheltenham Borough Council’s case against a former director who failed to disclose a history of depressive illness.

Acas and CIPD have produced the "five-a-day" fundamentals of good people management, aiming to highlight the importance of people management skills in helping to raise productivity. The five management fundamentals, with practical tips on "how to be a better boss", are grouped under five headings:

With use of micro-blogging tool Twitter approaching epidemic proportions in 2009, many employers are concerned about the implications of Twitter for the workplace. To answer these concenrs, specialists from law firm Charles Russell present an invaluable FAQ on workplace Twitter usage (subscription required), including guidance on: whether employees should be permitted to 'tweet' during work hours; how Twitter can be used in the hiring process; and what to do if employees badmouth the organisation via Twitter.

Times are tough for Generation Y (defined as those born after 1978), and look set to get worse before they get better. And this is likely to create new challenges for those that manage them.

With the likelihood of a swine flu pandemic increased (although not inevitable according to the World Health Organisation), now is a good time for employers to check their flu pandemic contingency plan.

Swine flu: what you need to know [from New Scientist]
Swine influenza frequently asked questions [from the World Health Organisation]
Interactive swine flu map of US and Mexico [from New Scientist]
Readers’ comments on swine flu outbreak [from New Scientist]
Swine flu measures could be legal minefield, experts warn [from Personnel Today]
Will swine flu affect businesses? [from HR Girl]
Swine flu - an employer’s checklist [from Simmons & Simmons]
Swine flu: 10 things HR professionals and employers need to do now [on Personneltoday.com]
Don’t panic, TUC tells employers over pandemic flu [on TUC website]
Employers gear up for pandemic threat [on CIPD website]

Angel on the HR Space forum makes a good point. And perhaps employers don’t always think about the business benefits of having a progressive approach to age in the workplace. We’re currently looking into commissioning something on this for our XpertHR good practice guides - watch this space.

Alcohol misuse is rife in Britain’s great orchestras, according to a report in The Guardian (on its website) on 28 February 2009. Bill Kerr, the orchestral organiser of the Musicians’ Union spoke at the Association of British Orchestras annual conference last week, about players performing while drunk.

With most of the UK beset by extremely heavy snowfall (on the BBC website) today, here is a timely reminder that XpertHR offers handy content for those those dealing with the workplace impact of severe weather conditions.

Social networking and web 2.0 technologies are now so deeply embedded in everyday life that today's crop of graduates and new employees want and expect to be able to remain plugged in to social networking sites while at work (external website), according to research from Open Text's Web Solutions Group.

The recent news that two Britons have managed to get themselves locked up after a drunken romp on a beach in Dubai highlights the potential dangers of alcohol to individuals. The risks that organisations face in dealing with substance misuse are somewhat different but can potentially be serious.

(Photo: Pete the Painter)

With the Olympics getting underway, some employers are going to great lengths to support athletes and volunteers who are involved.

As some of the City's unfortunate bankers are now discovering, cash-strapped organisations often attempt to save money by getting rid of employees - but this isn't always the case. In many circumstances it can pay to hang on to staff.

The latest IRS staff absence and turnover survey (subscription required) revealed that the median voluntary resignation rate in the UK was 13.8% of the workforce in 2007. That's one in every seven employees deciding to walk out on an organisation on their own accord. Replacing these people costs time and money that many organisations would rather not spend on recruitment and training.

Our recent survey (subscription required) looking at line managers’ role in people management shows that employee engagement is a growing part of a line manager’s function.

But, as our survey also shows, one in five HR practitioners responding felt that this was a role that line managers struggle to perform well.

I attended a seminar recently, given by international employee opinion survey ORC (external link), exploring this very topic. Kate Pritchard, ORC director of employee research, discussed practical steps organisations can take to keep engagement levels high among employees. This should help employees to remain committed to the organisation, and be prepared to “go that extra mile” – as outlined by ORC's model of engagement: ‘Say, stay, and strive’.

One thing was clear from the seminar: achieving and sustaining an engaged workforce requires effort, and conducting an employee opinion survey can be no more than a starting point.

US blogger Evil HR Lady posted an account of her typical working day yesterday, beginning with an office breakfast of fresh bagels and cream cheese provided by a grateful finance department and ending promptly as usual at 5pm. Presumably the date of the post is of some significance.

HR has been busy making changes to the way new employees are recruited and selected. IRS's latest survey (subscription required) of changes and trends in recruitment and selection has identified one clear winner: the internet.

Our three-part report is based on the experience of 133 organisations - covering a combined workforce of more than 1 million people - and shows that employers are now using the internet in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

We looked at changes and trends in three areas: candidate attraction; the application process; and, assessment and selection. In each of these key areas, the internet has grown in use and coverage.

Is yours one of the “Best Companies to Work For”? Not in a literal sense, but in the Sunday Times’ annual ratings sense.

Well, if you are, and your organisation has been labelled extraordinary, outstanding or first class, then no doubt you’ve made the big announcement to your employees and are basking in the kudos of having a “Best Company” logo on your letterheads.

European HR departments – and that includes those in the UK – are facing renewed criticism for their alleged failure to take as active a role in workforce management issues as their counterparts in Asia and the Americas.

According to computer giant IBM, the HR function in Europe takes an advisory role in business transformation efforts rather than working as a proactive contributor of time and resources. It says HR on this side of the Atlantic remains a supporter rather than a driver of change, with decisions often based on relationships rather than hard facts.

Alongside the Budget, the Treasury also published Enterprise: Unlocking the UK’s talent, which focuses on entrepreneurial culture, business growth and skills.

A timely reminder that XpertHR offers handy content for those those dealing with the workplace impact of today's stormy weather.

The repercussions of the government's loss of child benefit data discs continue to reverberate around Whitehall.

Employers across Europe are missing out on potential talent because line managers fail to engage poorer performing employees, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt.

The research, which covers 175 companies and 5,500 employees, finds that managers are far too preoccupied with top performers and fail to communicate effectively with those that show less promise. As a result, those that need to have their skills or motivation boosted are left high and dry.

What does it cost to run an HR department? For the first time this year, IRS research into the roles and responsibilities of the HR function has tried to get serious data on the amounts UK employers spend.

If you have moved to a new job in human resources over the past couple of years, the chances are that it is with a company in the services sector.

New IRS research published this week on XpertHR shows that banks, retailers, transport firms and communication companies have invested in a big way in HR as they have taken on more workers and the HR workload has increased.

There is a big new survey on work-life balance and flexible working out today from the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

The press release accompanying the full report stresses that 92% of workplaces offer some form of flexible working to at least some employees, and highlights a growing trend for men to request flexible working.

Barely a week goes by without dire warnings about the impact on the workplace of websites such as Facebook and MySpace, including news that over two-thirds of employers have banned their use during working hours (on The Daily Telegraph website). But, as our new model policy on social networking websites [subscription required] shows, employers need to do more than just block employees from using them at work.

Just when you thought you'd got to grips with terrorism, flooding and the outside chance that a giant meteorite might wipe out humanity, along comes yet another threat to your business continuity plan.

While the words ‘more principles-based regulation’ may strike fear into the hearts of otherwise brave HR professionals in the City, a breakfast seminar hosted this morning by the authors of XpertHR’s financial services chapters, Field Fisher Waterhouse, helped attendees demystify the changes to FSA regulation taking place on 1 November.

Two in three employers believe that return-to-work interviews have cut absence rates, our latest IRS survey (subscription required) shows.

Our survey of 182 employers, covering 705,000 employees, shows that return-to-work interviews are highly effective in recording and managing absence.

But employers are growing increasingly frustrated with line managers' lack of commitment to using return-to-work interviews to manage absence.

If you’re wondering how the implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), the FSA's Better Regulation Initiative and changes to the FSA rulebook will impact your HR department, don’t panic, join us for a free breakfast seminar on Friday 12 October in London.

TUPE, navigating the age regulations when retiring staff and change management are some of the issues keeping HR people awake at night, according to those visiting the XpertHR Suite in Harrogate this week.

When asked what are the most important issues in their organisation attendees provided the following list:

"Implementing changes to the HR function in the public sector is like turning the QE2 around, it takes a long time. Other issues include TUPE and managing different terms and conditions, particularly when staff members are on different pay scales. Attendance management is an ongoing issue and always will be. Public sector

The owners of social networking site Facebook would have to have very deep pockets indeed to buy the volume of publicity they have been enjoying in the press of late. But has all the furore got just a little out of hand?

Talent management is a hot issue for HR practitioners as new business models, changing labour market demographics and international competition make the task of recruiting, developing and retaining key employees all the more difficult.

I would just like to say well done and congratulate the Iraqi national football team for winning the Asia Cup on Sunday. In a country torn apart by war, where going without electricity and water for weeks on end and facing the dangers of suicide bombers and mass warfare are a normal occurrence, the players pulled together and defeated Australia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, among others, to a fairytale ending by lifting the Asia Cup.

Employers are increasingly blocking employee access to the social networking sites, such as Facebook, because of fears that staff are frittering away huge amounts of work time, according to a report in the Times today.

The cross party Treasury Select Committee of MPs has joined the Bank of England in questioning the wisdom of the decision to relocate 1,200 statisticians and other employees of the Office for National Statistics from London to Newport, South Wales. The committee's report says there is evidence that the relocation "poses risks to the quality of statistics provided by the ONS".

Absence levels rose last year in the face of employers’ best efforts to promote employee well-being, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Prior to their formal announcement in the Queen's Speech this November, Gordon Brown announced more than a score of Bills and draft Bills in a speech to Parliament yesterday (11 July 2007).
A number of these have direct implications for the workplace, giving an early indication of Brown's employment agenda.

Has your organisation changed its retirement age as a result of the new legislation?

Have you had any requests to work past the age of 65?

EOR wants to find out what impact the new age discrimination legislation has had on employers and your help would be much appreciated. Participants will be emailed a free copy of our findings once our research and analysis has been completed (individuals will not be named).

>> Click here to take part in our short survey.

A flick through the papers reveals a broadly positive verdict on the abolition of the DTI and DfES and replacement with three new government departments. The Telegraph reports on how the new PM was dissuaded from tearing up the DTI completely by the business lobby, who feared the loss of a strong business voice in Cabinet. The FT also notes business support for the move, adding that in terms of the DTI's budget it is being split down the middle, as half is currently spent on innovation and the other half on everything else.