XpertHR - Employment Intelligence

Distribution industry salaries: free data from CELRE

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:31:26 +0000

CELRE is currently recruiting new participants for the 2008 Distribution Salary Survey. If your company is a player in the industry and would like to benchmark salaries at all levels from forklift truck driver to warehouse manager, we would like to hear from you.

The best bit about it is that new participants this year will get the full report free of charge.

This month's top 10 HR questions

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:54:44 +0000

Some of the most frequently visited FAQs on XpertHR during June concern the calculation of statutory payments - redundancy pay and SMP - where the employee in question has had a recent change in hours. Questions on the length of time that an ex-employee's personnel record should be kept, and a change of heart on the employer's part after a job applicant has accepted a position also feature.

Health-related benefits are fighting fit in 2008

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0000

Tai chi, line dancing and free fruit. Not always the most likely of combinations, but these are among the more unusual health-related benefits offered by employers taking part in our latest annual benefits and allowances survey (subscription required).

ECJ hearing on default retirement age

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:29:29 +0000

A legal challenge to the UK default retirement age is due to be heard by the European Court of Justice on Wednesday 2 July. The case has been brought by the National Council on Ageing, which operates under the names Heyday and Age Concern. It argues that the Government has improperly implemented the EU Framework Directive on which our age discrimination Regulations are based through the inclusion of the default retirement age. This allows employers to retire people at age 65 or over.

Time to remember the maternity basics

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:47:58 +0000

Most employers will be aware that the law on maternity rights has changed again. Since 6 April a woman bringing a sex discrimination claim on grounds of pregnancy, or for exercising the right to maternity leave, no longer needs to show that she was treated less favourably than she would have been treated had she not been pregnant or taken maternity leave. The need for a comparator is removed. However, of more practical significance for employers is the imminent change (taking effect where the expected week of childbirth begins on or after 5 October 2008) to rights during additional maternity leave. Affected employees will be entitled to the benefit of their non-remuneration terms during additional maternity leave as well as during ordinary maternity leave. See the latest series of XpertHR's Topic of the Week (subscription required) for an overview, case studies and FAQs on the changes.

Pay awards stay firmly below inflation, at 3.3%

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:30:00 +0000

The headline measure of pay awards stands at 3.3% for the three months to the end of May 2008, according to latest IRS data (subscription required), published today.

Plans to "declutter" and "strengthen" discrimination law

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:06:49 +0000

The Government has begun the countdown to the introduction of its single Equality Bill with the publication of Framework for a fairer future - the Equality Bill (on the Equalities Office website), setting out initial details of the Bill's contents.

Employment cases from the archive

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:16:07 +0000

To coincide with the launch of its new online archive, The Times has published a list of 100 "cases that changed Britain", including some colourful employment decisions.

When being clever isn't enough

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:35:56 +0000

An interesting post from Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace discusses how to prompt behavioural change in "exceedingly intelligent" employees who are vital to an organisation's success but who are "stunted" in some way, lacking key social or leadership skills.

Introducing XpertHR screencasts

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:36:09 +0000

I spent this morning recording and publishing the first XpertHR screencast - a demonstration of the optional "idea cloud" enhancement for our search results page.

This will be the first of several video guides on aspects of the service that will be published over the next few weeks.

European Works Councils take on bargaining role

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:13:29 +0000

Research published this week on XpertHR seems to suggest that European Works Councils are moving beyond their original information and consultation brief to take on a multinational negotiating role.

Crackdown on illegal immigrants fails to net Mr Big

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:23:34 +0000

The Home Office has today published a list of companies found to be employing illegal immigrants to the UK as part of its "name and shame" strategy. I have to say that the results don't exactly justify all the fuss over immigration.

What's your favourite web browser?

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:24:07 +0000

If you are reading this blog using Internet Explorer you are in good company. According to our web analytics system, some 91% of readers of this blog and the main XpertHR web site over the past month accessed the services using IE - as illustrated in the graph above, which you can click to see a full version.

Most UK workers are receiving below-inflation pay rises

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0000

The vast majority of workers in both the private and public sectors are receiving pay awards below the rate of inflation, according to latest IRS research.

Unions set out wish list for Labour's fourth term

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:07:51 +0000

Remember the Warwick Agreement? It was the 2004 deal between trade union leaders and ministers over the future shape of employment policy that formed the basis of Labour's 2005 general election manifesto.

Well, "Warwick Two" is now on the cards. The trade unions have sorted out their priorities for a fourth term of Labour government, and now various meetings are being held in the run-up to the Labour Party's policy forum in July.