human-resources

Individuals in HR jobs at relatively prosperous companies could still be facing difficulty in accessing the funds needed to recruit and train new employees.

With growth taking place in a number of industries and sectors, Chris Baguley, managing director of corporate lender Bridging Finance, says some firms are "finding their resources stretched".

This could relate to any asset required for expansion - from physical infrastructure to the appointment of new employees by people in HR jobs at growing companies.

"Even for those businesses with a positive cash flow, the lack of funding from the mainstream lenders can be a barrier to growth," says Mr Baguley.

He adds that those which are able to access cash on a short-term basis might find it easier to invest in the future of their operations.

In particular, he says that his own company is handling clients with an immediate need to raise finances, in spite of holding strong levels of equity.

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Updated: 10 September 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Updated: 10 September 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Updated: 08 September 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

As the recession draws to a close and the upswing begins in markets nationwide, an open and honest approach in HR jobs could be one key to retaining a loyal workforce.

John Taylor, chief executive of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), explains that it costs thousands of pounds to recruit and train a skilled employee.

In consequence to this, mass redundancies during turbulent economic times leave companies facing a bill to increase their workforce once again as markets become more prosperous.

During the most recent recession, Mr Taylor notes some of the more innovative approaches taken by people in HR jobs and senior management.

For instance, some offered sabbaticals or part-time contracts to previously full-time employees.

Others kept staff on full-time but dealt with a downturn in business by offering training in the spare time which resulted.

These companies - which include car manufacturer Nissan - can expect a more highly skilled staff base as a result, Mr Taylor suggests.

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Updated: 08 September 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

With continued focus on maximising return on investment and minimising expenditure, Gartner claims that the number of permanent placements available with IT firms is unlikely to return to pre-recession levels.

However, that does not mean that there are not employment opportunities available, as people in IT HR jobs are reportedly offering more temporary staffing opportunities and short-term contractor roles.

Lily Mok, research vice-president at Gartner, adds that the availability of skilled candidates remains tight despite the conditions in the sector.

"Despite the fact that there was some level of ease in hiring during the last 12 months, IT organisations continued to face challenges in finding quality candidates," she explains.

Ms Mok works in Gartner's CIO and executive leadership research group, covering issues ranging from workforce planning to employee retention and rewards.

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Updated: 08 September 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The research organisation reports that, of 230 organisations it surveyed this year, 48 are applying mobile tools to workforce management issues.

Some of these are simply making use of mobile telephony to communicate with their employees.

However, some people in HR jobs at those 48 firms are carrying out their tasks using mobile systems.

Time-keeping, attendance and scheduling are all among the areas where mobile technology is being applied, says Aberdeen Group senior research analyst of human capital management Mollie Lombardi.

Wider issues are also seeing mobile technology used by best-in-class organisations to automate processes or simply to carry them out while on the move.

Learning content delivered to employees wherever they may be, phone-based recruitment procedures and scheduling tasks are three of the main areas listed by Aberdeen Group for where this is the case.

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Updated: 07 September 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Jayson Saba, research analyst in the human capital management practice at Aberdeen Group, describes the threefold approach being taken by people in HR jobs at best-in-class organisations.

Rather than focus purely on the costs associated with human resource functions, he explains that the best companies also work to cut the administrative responsibilities of their HR professionals and to improve satisfaction levels among existing employees.

Aberdeen Group assessed more than 160 organisations in the compilation of the report to determine which are achieving the greatest level of success in driving business results forward using the data that they collect.

Mr Saba covers "a bevy of technologies", Aberdeen Group says, with a focus on how employee performance, talent acquisition and human resource systems can help people in HR jobs to fulfil their duties.

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Updated: 06 September 2010.
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A new update has been issued for the tool, which is being phased out in the new year.

Stephen Banyard, director of HMRC's Business Customer Unit, says: "I encourage all employers who use our CD-ROM to download the update as soon as possible."

The update is required even if people in HR jobs are using the February 2010 edition of the Employer CD-ROM.

In 2011, the disc is due to be replaced, meaning no paper pack will be sent out to begin the new pay-as-you-earn tax year.

From February, downloadable versions of the necessary tools are to be made available, including the required forms, learning modules, calculators and the Employer Database.

However, the new tools will be compatible with the existing Employer CD-ROM providing the current update has been downloaded and installed.

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Updated: 06 September 2010.
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Instead, a more hands-on method is being used by many to nurture talent and entice skilled individuals into the company.

Kevin Martin, vice-president and group director of the analyst's human capital management practice, notes the findings of research covering 380 people in business, recruitment and HR jobs.

"Among top-performing companies, the method of simply casting a line and waiting for a bite has been replaced by a proactive and strategic process," he writes.

This incorporates relationship management and a focus on candidate experience in an environment where competition for the right employees has "skyrocketed".

Mr Martin has been at Aberdeen Group since March 2007 and, under his stewardship, more than 100 research papers covering human capital management have been published by his team.

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Updated: 06 September 2010.
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Laura Dewar, policy and parliamentary officer at the Single Parent Action Network, argues that recruiting single parents should not be seen as a numbers game.

But she adds that vacancies that match the individual's skills could prove beneficial to their long-term financial health.

"It's not going to keep them out of poverty - and it's not going to keep them off benefits - if they just do a short-term job," Ms Dewar says.

She also points out the obligations that people in HR jobs face when dealing with single parents who they already employ.

After six months, those with caring responsibilities - in particular anyone with a child aged under 16 - can ask for flexible working conditions to be considered, she notes.

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Updated: 01 September 2010.
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Industry analyst Gartner explains that demand for skilled IT professionals is likely to exceed supply as the new version of the operating system picks up pace.

The research firm suggests three possible solutions, dependent on whether budget or labour is the main constraint.

Migrating to a virtualised desktop environment could be less labour intensive due to its central deployment, but will still cost as much in equipment, says Gartner.

Windows 7 developer Microsoft is itself looking into this area, saying that the modern workforce demands the flexibility of being able to operate in different locations.

The second option - upgrading existing PCs - should cost less but is likely to postpone the full migration to Windows 7 by only two to three years.

Alternatively, bringing upgrades forwards and buying entirely new computer systems can avoid some of the issues that might be seen by refreshing existing equipment.

People in HR jobs are told to expect the "resource burden" to hit its peak in 2011-12, when the availability of skilled workers is expected to be at its lowest ebb.

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Updated: 01 September 2010.
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The findings from IFF Research reveal that two-thirds of people in senior-level recruitment and HR jobs consider the 16-year-olds they have hired to be well grounded for the role to which they were appointed.

Despite this fact, 94 per cent of companies did not recruit from school leavers during the recent recession, instead focusing on those with higher levels of education.

With the recent news surrounding the number of people who have failed to qualify for a place at their preferred university, it could be of particular interest that slightly more employers recruited 18-year-old college leavers than under-24s leaving higher education during the recession, at 11 per cent versus ten per cent.

Higher education action group Universities UK recently called for better advice to be given to young people when considering their degree course, to avoid people enrolling on to programmes unsuitable to their needs.

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Updated: 01 September 2010.
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Low unemployment in the IT sector - even following a recession - indicates the lack of availability of skilled candidates to be appointed by people in HR jobs with vacancies to fill, it is suggested.

Gerry McLaughlin of IT workers' portal IT Contractor explains that unemployment in the sector at present stands at less than five per cent.

This could be set to fall even further as people in HR jobs at companies that have weathered the recession are tasked with appointing more IT staff.

"IT will prove to be a lucrative and much safer profession over the next five to ten years," Mr McLaughlin argues.

"The information age has arrived and those working in IT are in the vanguard of it."

However, as employment rates approach 100 per cent among the skilled workforce, he adds that recruiters face a number of problems.

As well as the lack of candidates, these include associated effects like the increase in asking salary that is likely to emerge due to competition between employers.

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Updated: 27 August 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The Chartered Management Institute has told individuals in HR jobs that any changes made to company strategy in light of the recession should be communicated properly throughout the workforce.

Without a focus on effective communication from the top level of an organisation, the institute warns that employees - including those at the management level - can become demotivated.

"They are driven by really understanding the company vision and having a sense of purpose in terms of what can be done," explains Petra Wilton, director of policy and research.

By communicating actions taken to weather the recession, people in HR jobs may therefore find they are able to boost workforce motivation, rather than see it fall due to the economic turbulence.

Ms Wilton calls communication "an absolute critical part" of the institute's model of employer engagement and its impact on the effectiveness of a workforce as a whole.

Updated: 27 August 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Defined contribution schemes could be among the employee benefits that people in HR jobs are asked to manage in the years to come.

Previously, pensions in many workplaces have operated on a final salary basis, with employers paying out according to the level reached by the individual at the end of their career.

However, this is now changing as more final salary pension schemes close their doors - an event that Hargreaves Lansdown pensions analyst Laith Khalaf calls "the end game" for such products.

Instead, he expects that people in HR jobs and financial decision makers in companies across the UK will see greater use of defined contribution pensions in the years to come.

These offer a level of confidence to employers, he explains, due to the fact that they can be aware from the outset of how much they will have to put into participants' accounts in any one year.

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Updated: 26 August 2010.
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Updated: 23 August 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Figures compiled by insurance provider Aviva show that 39 per cent of employers believe they take the necessary action to identify any problems in their workforce.

A similar proportion (42 per cent) welcome any concerns from their workers under an "open door policy".

However, people in human resources jobs could find a gulf between senior management's beliefs and the truth at ground level.

For instance, Aviva found that 96 per cent of employees would be reluctant to speak to their manager about health issues, while 21 per cent of people would expect a negative outcome for their career if they did.

The news follows figures from the firm that indicated employers' attempts to treat their workforce could be putting their health at risk, with 51 per cent of out-of-office social events involving a visit to the pub.

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Updated: 23 August 2010.
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Suggestions have been made to provide a cash incentive to companies for people in HR jobs to train interns in a way that makes them more likely to find a permanent position.

The thinktank Demos recommends a cash payout of at least £1,000 to providers of internships if somebody they train goes on to permanent employment within a year.

Demos adds that each individual not in education, employment or training costs £120,000 to support.

The proposals could see payouts as high as £5,000 made in some cases, which could lead people in HR jobs to consider providing more internships.

Julia Margo, director of Demos, says: "Getting at-risk young people into internships will go a long way to giving them the opportunities and aspirations open to middle class graduates."

Demos' work in 2010 encompasses five broad themes, comprising family and society, violence and extremism, public interest, political economy and public finance.

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Updated: 18 August 2010.
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People in HR jobs could find they are able to gain an increase in productivity from employees by not subjecting them to a relentless frenetic pace in their workload.

Dr Jochen Menges, lecturer in human resources and organisations at Cambridge Judge Business School, makes the suggestion in a podcast from the academic institution.

He explains that breaks are a necessity in order to restore energy levels and return to a faster pace of working as part of a cyclic process.

Without providing breaks, individuals in HR jobs could see motivation among the workforce drop, with productivity likely to follow it.

"The acceleration trap takes place when organisations ask their employees to work on a high level of energy for most of the time," Dr Menges says.

He adds that this can mean a demand for accelerated effort not only day after day, but for months at a time - and says "you need to slow down in order to speed up".

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Updated: 17 August 2010.
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A research preview from Aberdeen Group outlines the many data collection duties fundamental to modern HR jobs.

They include recording timekeeping and attendance within the workforce, as well as processing payroll in accordance with this information.

"How organisations collect and maintain accurate standards and controls about the basic building blocks of employee strategies is critical," writes report author Jayson Saba.

Mr Saba adds that core data management has become "the cornerstone" of the HR role in modern companies.

His remit at Aberdeen Group incorporates analysis and research from the human capital management practice.

This encompasses issues such as talent acquisition, succession planning and employee performance, along with wider themes such as implementing enterprise-wide human resource systems.

Mr Saba's professional experience includes a stint at the online tools development division of Fidelity Investments.

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Updated: 17 August 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Skills gaps within a new business's workforce could be the first place for people in human resources jobs to look in order to bring employees at start-up firms up to standard.

IBA Start-up Business Adviser of the Year 2005 Sylvia Constantine explains that it is inevitable for people to have some areas where they are not so proficient, even if they have knowledge to transfer on other issues.

Her comments could provide a basis point for people in human resources jobs to assess a new workforce and eliminate and gulfs in knowledge that may be unearthed.

"Everybody has transferable skills and knowledge from their previous employment and their life but there will be gaps," Ms Constantine asserts.

"Try to identify those gaps and use every means possible to fill them."

She adds that business leaders can also set good standards of customer service by drawing from their own experiences as consumers - and by adopting an enthusiastic approach to their work.

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Updated: 17 August 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The likelihood that employees, once trained, will leave the company may be among the issues faced by people in HR jobs on a daily basis.

Sylvia Constantine, an experienced business adviser, suggests that the problem is greater for small businesses, as a single person leaving represents a greater proportion of their workforce.

However, people in HR jobs at organisations of all sizes may be concerned about the potential for up-skilled staff to take their newly acquired skills elsewhere.

But Ms Constantine notes that there are clear positives to be derived from training staff at all levels - including management.

"Every business will get some benefit from having a highly trained and skilled workforce," she says.

She also suggests that the negative connotations associated with some government schemes to introduce the right to demand training for employees may arise due to the fact that few politicians have been in business themselves.

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Updated: 16 August 2010.
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Mayor of London Boris Johnson is supporting the government in scrapping the default retirement age, allowing people in HR jobs to retain older workers more easily in the years to come.

Steve Webb, minister for pensions, says: "We must harness the skills and experience of our older generations."

"Many older people want to work after age 65 and have a wealth of skills and experience that are not being used."

Figures from the Mayor of London's Office show that 57 per cent of London's employed over-60s are male.

However, among over-50s in general unemployment of a year or more is higher than any other age group.

The mayor also recently launched Young Londoners - successful futures, detailing his desire to give young people in the capital the life opportunities that they need in order to thrive.

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Updated: 10 August 2010.
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Jerri Barrett, vice-president of marketing for the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, explains that many companies are doing more to retain skilled female workers.

Mentoring is one way in which they can help to achieve this, which may inspire some people in HR jobs to consider implementing similar principles in their own workplace.

Another option is introducing greater flexibility in the roles that women are expected to fill in the workplace.

"Companies are paying more and more attention to their corporate cultures and are making significant efforts on retaining their female employees, especially at the mid-level," says Ms Barrett.

The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology aims to ensure that technology has a positive impact on women and vice versa.

Updated: 09 August 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) suggests that training for managers should be an area for investment in order to raise levels of leadership.

In doing so, people in HR jobs could be able to achieve the dual benefits of improving managers' self-confidence while also increasing the amount of faith other employees have in their leadership abilities.

Head of public affairs at the CMI Mike Petrook says: "Our own research has shown that 50 per cent of people think they can do their job better than their manager."

This may be in part due to the fact that four in five managers have no professional qualifications, he adds.

By investing more in training - as is done in continental Europe - some of the issues associated with this fact might be overcome, Mr Petrook concludes.

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Updated: 04 August 2010.
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People in UK HR jobs have been told to consider engaging more closely with their workforce in order to ensure that the employment relationship is a mutually beneficial one.

Mike Petrook, head of public affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, suggests that the issue of employee engagement is one that should not be overlooked by people in HR jobs in the UK.

"We need to look closer at how we are engaging with our staff," he says.

"One of the big issues is, are they getting what they want from their place of work?"

This is as important as making sure that the company itself is benefiting from the individual's employment, Mr Petrook adds.

He looks back to a study published by the government in 2009 which revealed that there was, at the time, a disconnect between employers and their workforce in many cases.

The report found employee engagement at an all-time low, Mr Petrook notes.

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Updated: 02 August 2010.
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Scrapping the default retirement age of 65 could make some elements of HR jobs almost impossible, according to the Confederation of British Industry.

Deputy director-general John Cridland argues that, without a clear cut-off point at which people are expected to retire, it could be more difficult to offer them benefits.

"These proposals could make workforce planning and providing some employment benefits - such as critical illness cover - next to impossible," he says.

For people with HR jobs, this raises the question of how best to deal with an ageing workforce following the planned removal of the default retirement age.

Mr Cridland adds that physically demanding roles in particular could be troublesome, as it is not possible for older people to remain in some of the jobs that they could do when they were younger.

Existing regulations allow workers to request that they be allowed to stay on past the age of 65; however, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills says the coalition government has committed itself to removing the default age completely.

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Updated: 02 August 2010.
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People in HR jobs may be overlooking the importance of diversity when trying to fill permanent placements in the current economic climate.

Rachel Krys, campaign director for the Employers Forum on Age, concedes that turbulent times may make it tempting to hire an individual who closely resembles the team already in place.

However, if that group consists only of people around the same age, she argues that the added bonus of different levels of experience may be lost.

"Having people of all different ages makes a much stronger and much more adaptable team," she says.

"When you put lots of people who are the same together, it is actually really bad."

Her comments may inspire people in HR jobs to take a new approach to filling the permanent placements that are put at their disposal.

By opting for an older applicant with demonstrable experience, they could find they are able to add an assured employee to their workforce while also demonstrating an awareness of - and avoidance of - ageism.

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Updated: 30 July 2010.
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While employee succession plans are one way to keep positions filled with talented individuals, those in HR jobs may want to reassess their own preparations for if a senior member of staff leaves.

According to figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers, vacancies are typically filled by the intended successor only one in three times.

The business analyst suggests that company leaders and those in HR jobs may instead want to maintain a list of "exemplar" employees who are able to inspire their colleagues.

Preparing for change is a key part of making any major decision, the firm adds, such as downsizing the workforce or taking other austerity measures.

"Companies need to ensure employees remain engaged during any subsequent changes as their support is equally vital to return on workforce investment," says human resource services partner Richard Phelps.

The analyst previously urged business leaders to adopt the appropriate tone in dealing with staff and customers alike as a "make or break" factor in maintaining a healthy relationship.

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Updated: 28 July 2010.
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People in HR jobs can perform to the highest standard if companies invest in the systems that they need in order to do so, it is claimed.

Analyst Aberdeen Group indicates that "substantial gains" can be made through individuals in HR jobs if they are given the technology to integrate issues such as payroll, workforce management and other core duties of the department.

In its assessment of the sector, the research firm focuses specifically on companies with employee numbers ranging from 50 to 1,000 individuals.

"The state of the economy is driving organisations to invest in core HR systems to manage costs, ensure compliance and allow HR personnel to be more strategic," writes Jayson Saba.

Mr Saba is Aberdeen Group's human capital management practice research analyst, responsible for assessing industry trends in enterprise HR systems and succession planning, employee performance and talent acquisition tools.

His expertise includes a stint with a provider of self-service employee benefit tools and a number of years helping to run his family's business.

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Updated: 27 July 2010.
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People in HR jobs may want to encourage communication among the individuals that they employ in order to keep information flowing around their workplace.

Martin Lyne, marketing director for small to medium-sized enterprises at telecommunications firm Everything Everywhere, explains that communication is a useful way to promote interaction through a range of different media - and not just face to face.

"Having the necessary tools and processes in place to promote open communication is therefore a must for business leaders," he argues.

For people in HR jobs, candidates with a significant presence on social networking platforms, including the business-specific site LinkedIn, could be an indicator that they are willing communicators.

Mr Lyne suggests that mobile phones are enabling an increasing variety of methods of communication among workers.

With the latest handsets, these include email and video conferencing while on the move, helping to compensate for times when a face-to-face meeting is impossible.

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Updated: 26 July 2010.
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A human resources expert has suggested that a greater number of employees would like their bosses to be frank and honest about the overall performance of their company.

Claire McCartney, resourcing and talent planning adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, believes that by providing this information to the workforce, they can unite around a shared aim as well as developing new ways of working together to meet challenges.

"The relationship and contract between employee and employer works both ways and employees need to ensure that they are actively seeking out development opportunities and contributing their best in this difficult climate," she stated.

Ms McCartney's comments come in the light of a survey by chrysaliscourses.co.uk, which found that one-third of workers felt unappreciated by their bosses and 63 per cent admitted they were considering a change of career as soon as possible.

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Updated: 22 July 2010.
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Work placements and internships can be an asset to HR jobseekers looking to get a foot on the career ladder, it has been suggested.

Vodafone's UK HR director Matthew Brearley said there are a great number of bright and capable young applicants leaving university seeking employment.

However, to succeed in being hired he thinks candidates need to stand out from the crowd, HR Magazine reports.

He admitted that while internships are not an absolute barometer of a strong potential worker, they are a good thing to have done and graduates with experience in some form tend to show better judgement and a pragmatic approach to the world of work.

"From our own experience at Vodafone we are always looking for grads who are bright, web savvy, positive and have that spark of energy," Mr Brearley added.

This follows comments from Peter Panavotou at The Write Stuff, who advised jobseekers to try and fill gaps in their resumes where possible to help them appear more attractive to employers.

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Updated: 22 July 2010.
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Those in HR jobs may be encouraged to learn the jobs market has been described by one industry specialist as steady.

Chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation Kevin Green said Office for National Statistics (ONS) data published this week is positive.

ONS revealed the unemployment rate for the quarter leading up to May 2010 was 0.1 per cent down on the preceding three-month period, standing at 7.8 per cent.

Mr Green remarked: "These figures are an encouraging sign of the stability returning to the jobs market as was borne out in our Report on Jobs last week with an upturn in [some] sectors."

However, according to the expert, the public sector could help to bring down potential redundancies by copying efficiency measures implemented in private companies.

Many businesses have done well to hold on to their best talent during the recession, he explained, while still being able to reduce their costs.

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Updated: 16 July 2010.
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People in HR jobs are being told that how a company conducts its operations will need to be altered as a result recent legislation passed in parliament.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has published guidance to deal with changes in the Equality Act in order to help business better understand how it will effect their day-to-day activities in practice.

Among the issues that might impact on companies are rules governing third party harassment, which could result in employers being liable if a staff member feels aggrieved in this way.

People in HR jobs have also learned that pre-employment health questionnaires will no longer be given out to new workers as from October.

John Taylor, Acas chief executive, said: "Fairness in the workplace is good business and motivates staff as well as improving effectiveness and productivity."

Athough it is an independent body, Acas is largely funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

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Updated: 16 July 2010.
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People in HR jobs are being told that the success of their industry should lie in allowing professionals to share ideas and set the culture when it comes to hiring processes.

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group which runs a wide variety of operations in areas such as transport and entertainment, told HR magazine that his company's guiding principle for staff usually revolves around setting some parameters but largely letting individuals "get on and do their stuff".

He said: "The key to effective people management is ensuring everyone has a little of people management in them."

Furthermore, Mr Branson admitted that although there are process and approach systems that encompass the company structure, the different Virgin brands have some freedom about what they want to do.

Writing for People Management on Monday (July 12th), Serene Consulting chief executive Kevin Balchin advised people in HR jobs to stand up to macho management styles.

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Updated: 16 July 2010.
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People in HR jobs in the UK should be aware of unethical behaviour from company bosses or managers and be willing to stand up to such attitudes, it has been suggested.

Writing for People Management, Serene Consulting chief executive Kevin Balchin noted a trend in a wide range of organisations towards "macho management".

Furthermore, he suggested that there is an increasing tendency in public sector bosses to consider "quiet, considerate" forms of management as ineffective and "too slow to demonstrate a real result".

Mr Balchin said he is worried about what he sees as attempts to "graft" private sector methods of leadership on to the public sector, when such approaches are unproven or disregarded by the other private firms.

Last month, the human resources director of the Metropolitan Police Martin Tiplady told a meeting of industry figures that he hoped the sector would bring greater value to companies going forward.

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Updated: 14 July 2010.
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People in senior human resources jobs are being presented with an opportunity to make create value-for-money public services as the government looks to make savings, according to one industry figure.

Dean Shoesmith, president of the Public Sector People Managers Association, told HR magazine there is no doubt workers would perceive an increase in VAT and pay freezes as a "double whammy", but urged professionals in the sector to use this time wisely.

He stressed the importance for people in human resources to get employees to understand what benefits they already receive in "complete terms" as well as trying to introduce "total reward benefit statements across the sector".

"Only then will we be successful in retaining and motivating existing staff and attracting new staff," Mr Shoesmith added.

On Sunday (July 4th), transport secretary Phillip Hammond told the BBC that government departments are unlikely to be hit by spending cuts of around 40 per cent, despite being warned to be ready for such a situation.

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Updated: 09 July 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Sainsbury's has won this year's HR Excellence Awards for the best human resources team.

Those with HR jobs in the company were commended for their new approach to managing staff members, while the company was congratulated on an organisation-wide turnaround initiative in this area, HR Magazine reports.

According to the publication, judges were impressed with the improved communication shown across the firm's stores, with a HR job being introduced at most Sainsbury's outlets.

Other schemes implemented at the enterprise included streamlining the staff scheduling procedure - which saved £8 billion a year - while a new HR payroll system was also purchased.

A new mantra for those in HR jobs was also followed, highlighting the importance of talent management, change, relationship-building exercises and coaching.

HR Magazine recently stated that a survey from Communications Management found people issues are now at the top of the agenda for many top business leaders.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 06 July 2010.
Categories: human-resources.

Human resources jobseekers could need more skill training, according to one expert.

Those looking for human resources jobs could find they are in need of more skill training, believes an employment specialist.

Phil Flaxton, chief executive for not-for-profit initiative Work Wise UK, was commenting on the proposal put forward by David Cameron's coalition government to encourage those living in high unemployment regions to relocate to areas with better prospects.

Despite his support for the initiative, Mr Flaxton said he believed there was also a need for more skills training.

He said: "There is still fundamentally a skills shortage in this country. We have got to make sure the processes are in place to ensure we get people trained and skilled up for the next 15-20 years."

Between April and May this year, the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) fell below 1.5 million for the first time since March 2009 to 1.48 million. However the number of people now unemployed rose by 23,000 to 2.47 million.

Updated: 29 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Highly qualified middle-aged people looking for employment may need to show businesses what they can do if they are to succeed.

This is the opinion of Daily Telegraph columnist and management expert John Timpson, whose comments are likely to be of note to anyone in or in search of HR jobs.

Discrimination still exists in some areas - despite legislation - and as such applicants must be realistic about their prospects.

"Prospective employers need proof before they pay you what you think you are worth. Your idea of the skills gap may not coincide with theirs," he explained.

Mr Timpson went on to say, however, that people who show positivity and confidence in an interview are sure to eventually find a suitable role.

His comments came in response to a reader's query about how to find a position despite having run a successful business with 22 staff.

HR jobs experts may also be fielding queries from people in similar situations - so Mr Timpson's reply might be of use.

Updated: 28 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Taking a vocational course instead of going to university could be a sensible option for those hoping to acquire human resources jobs in future, it has been suggested.

Sarah Clover, business development manager at notgoingtouni.co.uk, said that because of the recession, the number of people using their degrees to get a job is falling.

This is because the country is still recovering from the effects the recession had on the market, she explained.

As an alternative, Ms Clover commented that vocational courses may be a much better option as they mean people will already have the skills companies are looking for from their new recruits.

"With the average university debt reaching £20,000 and with tuition fees looking certain to increase, taking a more vocational approach is definitely an option worth considering," she continued.

Yesterday (June 23rd), Edge revealed that over four million vocational qualifications were awarded in 2009, with this number continuing to increase.

Updated: 28 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in human resources jobs may know the importance of keeping their workforce feeling positive and well-motivated.

If this is the case, the comments of one industry expert about incentivising the office could prove to be useful.

Andrew Hodgkins, acting managing director at Keith Prowse, explained the nature of today's businesses means many people often get stressed at work.

To counteract this, he recommended bosses in financial services jobs motivate their employees by entertaining them at a cultural or sporting event.

"Star employees who have proved their worth over a sustained period can be rewarded with fine dining, superb service and the excitement of an international sporting contest," Mr Hodgkins advised.

He also stated that spending time together out of the office can encourage members of staff to form new relationships.

These comments come after a study conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work found 79 per cent of managers are concerned about stress in the workplace.

Updated: 24 June 2010.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Martin Tiplady, the man currently occupying to human resources job with the Metropolitan Police, wants the industry to take a look at how it can continue to be relevant and cost-effective in years to come.

Speaking at the HR Forum on Friday (June 18th), he told delegates that the industry needed to understand its business and help to facilitate it, stating: "If we don't do HR with attitude, we will be dumped."

He argued that the sector needed not to get carried away with whether it held board positions or name notoriety within a company structure, as it would not be a "a worthwhile argument".

Mr Tiplady suggested people in HR jobs could offer "good, pragmatic, common-sense solutions" that are direct and free of jargon.

At the same event, the person in charge of human resources at Santander talked of the troubles he faced when dealing with extra staff joining the company after the buyouts of Alliance and Leicester and Bradford and Bingley within a short timeframe.

Updated: 23 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The HR director of Santander told delegates at an industry event yesterday (June 17th) about how he had to deal with the swift takeover of Bradford & Bingley in 2009 and how to cope with a swell of extra employees.

Mark Adams said, to attendees of the HR Forum that there were staff, that left work and Bradford & Bingley on Friday and by Monday had suddenly changed companies, this at a time they in the process of buying Alliance and Leicester, HR magazine reports.

Of the merger with Abbey National in 2004, people in HR jobs learned that while those staff are now "moulded into the Santander way", it was not easy to control the bank's personnel in "a consistent way".

Mr Adams is on the shortlist for the same publication's HR director of the year award, along with other personnel figures such as Graham White of Westminster City Council and Andy Doyle of ITV, with the winner announced on June 29th.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 22 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs may want to push for a unified framework on digital media as it may expand the potential area employers can dip into for talent, while saving money, according to one industry specialist.

Hugo Harber, director of convergence and network strategy at Star, said that companies in London may be able to recruit outside the M25 if they utilise the benefits of homeworking.

He said that the plus points for firms of adopting this approach includes better management of resources and "reduced consumption" which are "all good for a business's health, as well as the planet's".

Meanwhile, a report by Frost and Sullivan showed a growth in web conferencing services of 19.3 per cent across Europe.

Mr Harber estimated that flexible working could significantly reduce an organisation's "office footprint" - based on use of utilities, rent, hardware and its management - said to be worth around £5,000 per desk annually.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 22 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs and company bosses may need to offer positions with more than high salaries as benefits to young qualified applicants, an expert has said.

Tom Davie, head of careers at the University of Durham, suggested that graduates are considering issues such as work-life balance and corporate social responsibility on the part of the employer, as well as how that firm's operations fit with their own values and beliefs.

Furthermore, he said that there are applicants at high-flying academic institutions in the UK that are deemed worthy of a high pay packet, but often choose a position with a lower wage.

Mr Davie, who is also director of professional development at the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service, told those in HR jobs that university leavers are fully aware of the range of options they can choose from.

His comments follow a poll by Graduate Prospects that found just six per cent of newly-employed workers from higher education were lured into their current role by how much a company is paying.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 21 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Imelda Walsh has confirmed that she is to leave the top HR job at Sainsbury's and has "plenty of irons in the fire" at the moment.

She told HR magazine that she is planning to recharge her batteries and consider different roles after almost ten years with the supermarket chain.

"My plan was always to step down after 2009, but I was persuaded to keep putting it off," Ms Walsh said and she admitted to being conscious of leaving before people become fed up with her.

The publication stated that the woman in the top HR job leaves a significant legacy of championing flexible working rights both with the company and industry-wide, having led the Labour government's review on the issue.

In a separate interview with People Management, she described her excitement and being able to step back and assess the opportunities open to her.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 17 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has begun its search to find a suitable candidate to replace Neil Roden in its senior HR job.

People Management reports that he will remain in his post for another five or six months to help RBS chief executive Stephen Hester to appoint his successor.

Mr Roden told the publication that he was not leaving to go to another company, but had been working in HR jobs for 30 years straight, including the last ten years as HR director and felt it is time for a break.

He joined the firm from National Australia Group in 1997 and was involved in human resources issues during a transitional period for two of its subsidiaries, Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale.

"I want to take advantage of the time off to decide what to do next, which is actually quite difficult in a job like mine because you're so busy. So I've got some decisions to make," he added.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 17 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Those in HR jobs are being told that business leaders are keen to put people issues at the top of their agendas when public sector cuts hit their organisation, but one-quarter of bosses have admitted they are ill-equipped to deal with the changes.

HR magazine reports that a survey from Communications Management - which provides advice and programme implementation for private and public sector clients - revealed that 47 per cent of managers see problems such as low morale in the workforce as a key point to tackle.

The biggest change in priority over the coming year is structural reform including headcount with 41 per cent putting that ahead of strategic policy change (28 per cent).

What may interest in people in HR jobs is that the survey uncovered poor internal communications, a lack of effective leadership and a dearth of experience in change management to be among the biggest barriers to reforming the makeup of a public sector company.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 15 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

With the World Cup in full swing, employers and people in HR jobs will be aware of the possibility of increased absences during the tournament.

However, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has issued guidelines for its members to help them with handling the problems of extra sick days being taken.

Fiona Coombe, REC director of professional development, said employers need to make it clear to their staff that they are monitoring attendance during the tournament.

She stressed: "Should an employee's sickness absence then be directly linked to football fixtures, an investigation may take place and they may be subject to disciplinary action."

One particular fixture that may prove a headache for employers and people in HR jobs is England's final group game against Slovenia, which kicks off at 15:00 BST.

But there are numerous guides for dealing with this, including those from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, which promotes flexible working as a viable option in avoiding too much in lost productivity.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 15 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in senior HR jobs are urging the government to make cuts to public sector pay across the board, as it looks to tackle a ballooning budget deficit.

Personnel Today reports that leading industry professionals have indicated that this is a viable option, but that the coalition government - which has already pledged to slash £6.2 billion from the public sector budget - should be aware that job losses may be an inevitable consequence.

Richard Crouch, who occupies a senior HR job at Somerset County Council, said: "It is probably right for society as a whole to accept some pain to support the rebooting of the economy. This should be via short to medium-term measures rather than long-term."

However, Graham White, currently in the top HR job at Westminster Council, stated that widespread cuts were not a reasonable solution to lowering expenditure.

Earlier this week, Recruitment and Employment Confederation chief executive Kevin Green stressed that the impending budget reduction facing parts of the sector represented a one-off chance to create sustainable reform.

Updated: 15 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that personnel departments should take the time to respond to every job applicant if possible, because it helps preserve a strong employer brand.

Angela Baron, employment advisor for the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, reminded industry professionals that candidates invest a significant amount of time and effort into their applications.

She told People Management that HR managers should show at least some "low-level courtesy" in getting back in touch with applicants if they have been unsuccessful and added "a nice email doesn't cost much".

Employers and people in HR jobs were advised to avoid putting up too many hurdles in the process of recruitment to simply trim the numbers of people applying, as it may harm their brand image.

Although, more recent innovations in technology have meant the manager looking to hire can come to the applicant through virtual reality tasks to analyse the potential that some jobseekers show.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 15 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

A study has suggested that people in HR jobs will witness the creation of a new personnel role over the next decade.

Research conducted by the Future Foundation on behalf of Google suggested that technology has allowed elements of IT and human resources functions to become more integrated, HR Magazine reports.

Google has claimed that, by 2020, human systems directors will be in place and candidates will have a powerful role within a company, commanding respect at boardroom level, while overseeing large parts of employee performance and structure.

The study involved 3,500 employees, 100 HR managers and 100 IT managers in the UK, Germany, Japan, the US and France.

Judith Kleine Holthaus, account director of the Future Foundation - which claims to "identify, explain and measure trends" through its research - predicted that personnel managers will be contributing to an "innovation economy rather than a knowledge economy".

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 15 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning of an information gap that, if solved, could help boost decision making at a company.

According to the UK Talent Intelligence Survey from Taleo - a specialist in talent management solutions - 91 per cent of employers want details on competency and skills shortages in their workforce, but only 55 per cent have reliable access to relevant data.

Similarly, nine in ten stress the significance of possessing knowledge on how a staff member's goals are aligned to that of the business, yet only 57 per cent can obtain reliable information.

Alice Snell, vice-president of Taleo, commented that people in HR jobs do recognise the necessity for having details on all parts of employee performance.

However, this kind of data cannot be collated as "an afterthought", but should be part of a company's talent management approach going forward.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 09 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

There were fewer sick days taken by British staff last year than at any time since 1987, according to a survey of people in private sector HR jobs.

The Workplace Health Survey by the Confederation of British Industry and healthcare company Pfizer Absence revealed a marked decrease in the number of people off work due to ill health in 2009, as UK workers took a combined 180 million sick days.

People in HR jobs were told that the combined costs of absences by employees equated to around £16.8 billion during 2009 and private sector figures observed that 27 per cent of that number, among their organisations, was not as a result of genuine ill health.

CBI director of employment policy Katia Hall believes that workplace health policies and schemes are a key part of reducing the number of sick days taken.

Indeed, a recent study by Business in the Community found that company wellbeing initiatives could help boost profitability and shareholder returns.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 07 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning of a government-led drive to reduce red tape, which is apparently stifling business growth.

Speaking yesterday (June 3rd), business secretary Vince Cable announced an action plan, which includes a potential review of 200 rules and regulations introduced by the previous administration currently in the pipeline.

He claimed that the cost of implementing this proposal put forward by the Labour government would be around £5 billion a year before 2011 and £19.1 billion a year after that.

"The deluge of new regulations has been choking off enterprise for too long. We must move away from the view that the only way to solve problems is to regulate," he added.

People in HR jobs were told that businesses needed to take on increased social responsibility as the government seeks to deliver in terms of protecting consumers and the environment.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 07 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

Getting the best talent into HR jobs will require changing perceptions among aspiring professionals who are perhaps put off by the image of the profession, according to one expert.

Speaking to the delegates at the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development's Building HR Capability conference, Georgina Kvassav said the industry could ill afford to remain a "well-kept secret" in order to attract a high calibre of candidates to the industry.

She implied that HR jobs have a brand problem and only people in the profession are aware that it is not a boring vocation or even repetitive.

"We need to connect the two as there's a huge void between them and to do that we need to tell the HR story," Ms Kvassav added.

The expert pointed to Rachel Campbell, currently global head of people at accounting firm KPMG, as an example to others showing that those in HR jobs can make an impact at a "high strategic level" of an organisation.

Ms Campbell was succeeded in her former role as UK head of people at the company by Michelle Quest earlier this year.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 04 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

Coalition proposals to publish the salaries and expenses of public-sector officials have been described as "intrusive" by one expert.

Mike Cooke, the lead for pay and reward at the Public Sector Managers' Association (PSMA), told People Management that there is an "inappropriate balance" between the right to release information and safeguarding an individual's privacy.

People in HR jobs were told that the shift has "swung far too heavily in favour of public information" and that views about an official's rights were not given any credence when the plans were drawn.

In the Queen's Speech last week, the decentralisation and localism bill included the provision for every public body in the UK to publish job titles of every member of staff plus details of pay packages for senior figures.

Charles Cotton, reward adviser for the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, is supportive of the measures but believes that holding public sector officials to account will require more than putting up names on a website.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 03 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that the long-term impact of the recession has had an effect on issues such as remuneration and talent retention.

Speaking at the British American Business Conference, Aviva's director of HR John Ainley suggested workers had to feel pride working in their companies, otherwise it could not be transferred to customers, HR magazine reports.

People in HR jobs were told that risk, long-term stability and governance were key issues in engendering trust from employees.

At the same event, Financial Times assistant editor Michael Skapinker warned that the effects of the downturn will remain but personnel figures need to be thinking ahead.

"We need to think about what sort of leaders we need and how we will attract them - not just now but ten to 20 years down the line," he said.

Meanwhile, BT is introducing a social media network for its staff to encourage greater collaboration on company projects in the future, Computer Weekly reveals.

Updated: 03 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Those in HR jobs have been warned of the risk of discrimination in allowing flexible working only at certain times during the World Cup.

A survey by DLA Piper found just over half of UK businesses plan to allow staff to swap shifts or adjust start and finish times in order to support their team in South Africa.

However, the firm warned there is a risk of discrimination if employees are only allowed flexible working to watch certain matches.

Only a fifth of those questioned said they would allow flexible working for matches in which England is not involved, while three-quarters said they would not give the option to non-football fans.

The firm's UK head of employment Tim Marshall warned this could lead to allegations of discrimination.

He said: "By not offering flexible working patterns to staff that don't follow football at all and expecting them to pick up their colleagues' work, bosses could be undoing much of the goodwill they have tried to create."

Mr Marshall also reminded those in HR jobs and other managers that flexibility during the World Cup sets a precedent.

He said companies should consider whether they would allow the same flexibility for future events to accommodate those who feel passionate about other sports.

The World Cup kicks off in South Africa on June 11th, when the hosts face Mexico in the first match.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 02 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that communication is the key to improving organisational performance.

According to David Pardey, senior policy and research manager at the Institute of Leadership and Management, the ability of a company's workforce to connect with each other from front line staff right up to executive level helps to boost trust.

However, he pointed out that when management structures are not trusted that can lead to a misinterpretation in information shared and could lead to a breakdown in communications within an organisation.

This follows research from the Ashridge Business School, which revealed that many top level managers fail to spend sufficient time interacting with employees.

According to the Ashridge Management Index, around half of respondents stated that senior bosses were guilty of not communicating clearly with their staff.

Mr Pardey added: "It is important for leaders to be able to trust their managers to communicate effectively with their teams and to pass on important organisational information."

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 01 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that graduate recruitment has picked up during May but the market will remain competitive for the foreseeable future as those who missed out on places last year are joining current university leavers in looking for positions.

Mike Hill, chief executive of Graduate Prospects, indicated that the number of employers now advertising vacancies had seen a significant improvement from 12 months previously.

He noted that more roles had been offered to graduates in the last week than in the whole of May 2009 and this month's figures have also overtaken May 2008.

People in HR jobs were told that, of the sectors now looking to recruit graduate talent, finance is said to be "extremely buoyant" with consulting also performing well, as are engineering and retail.

Graduate Propspects was set up in 1972 and works in partnership with recruiters and some of the most prominent bodies in higher education in the UK.

Updated: 01 June 2010.
Categories: finance-and-accounting, human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning how a global cosmetics brand used revolutionary technology to recruit graduate talent to its ranks.

L'Oreal's recruitment director Thomas Riegel said that its new online game called Reveal not only gives students and university leavers problem-solving tasks to complete in its virtual work environment, but also offers personalised feedback to applicants, People Management reports.

He told the publication that the innovation "brings something new and fresh to the recruitment market" and confirmed that the best performers will be invited for interviews, potentially skipping parts of its typical employer searches for successful candidates.

People in HR jobs were told that the game is currently being piloted by students at Cardiff University with L'Oreal planning to roll out the programme in July.

This is the latest step into virtual recruitment technology after Procter and Gamble began using a similar feature to find the best talent for its company.

Updated: 01 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told by an expert that outplacement could be a valuable service to offer to employees.

Sian Harrington, editor of HR magazine, suggested this option could help the relationship between staff and their bosses and will leave workers with a higher opinion of the company they work for after they have left their role.

She indicated that many of the people will even recommend their former organisation to others looking for jobs, which is "a good thing to do" in terms of employer branding.

People in HR jobs were told that some companies see outplacement or career transition services as a benefit akin to offering pensions or health insurance policies and that many bosses will only make job cuts as a "last resort".

This follows research by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which revealed that the number of people in part-time positions because they cannot secure a full-time role has a record high of over one million.

Updated: 01 June 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement, temporary-staffing.

People in HR jobs are being told that fewer companies are forecasting pay freezes this year compared with 12 months ago.

Duncan Brown, director of HR business development at the Institute for Employment Studies, claimed this is down to a combination of a recovery in some sectors of the UK economy and fears that another hold on salary increases may encourage talented workers to look for new roles.

However, he warned that while the private sector is showing promising signs of growth, the public sector is only just starting to see freezes in pay, with the need to cut a "massive" spending deficit.

His comments came after data from the Bank of England's Agent's Summary which showed labour costs were muted thanks to caps on salary increases.

The report did hint at tentative signs of pay growth beginning to occur as the economy picks up some confidence.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 01 June 2010.
Categories: finance-and-accounting, human-resources.

People in HR jobs are being told that 15 per cent of the working population plan to take sick days to catch every match during the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

According to a report by Kellogg's, just one in ten UK employees said that they would be allowed to take time off during the tournament, which may be problematic with one of England's games, in the early stages, kicking off at 16[:]00 BST.

However, the company's communications manager Louise Davies suggested that those organisations that can be adaptable and offer workers the chance to see the football and still be able to do flexible shifts may find employees work harder for them.

She pointed to Kellogg's own flexible pattern, which includes allowing staff to take Friday afternoons off when they completed their allotted hours, a detail that may interest those in HR jobs.

The company's research highlighted that while 20 per cent of workers are willing to take time off to watch football, only one in 20 are willing to use their own holidays to do so.

Updated: 26 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that workers from New Zealand are being seen as possessing a strong work ethic by UK employers.

That is the opinion of Anna Groot, regional manager of the Kiwi Expat Association in the UK and Ireland, which represents the country's citizens working abroad and its business looking to capitalise on global opportunities.

She suggested company bosses who are employing New Zealand staff ware "resoundingly positive" in their assessment and noted the level of education workers are bringing over as well as a keenness to pitch in and do whatever needs to be done.

Ms Groot suggested that potential employees travel to the UK are not only relatively well educated but also come with a broad level of experience due to having taken up a wider role in smaller companies back home.

Despite changes in visa requirements, which may have caused confusion for people looking to visit Britain to work, she noted that the number of New Zealanders in this country has remained constant.

Updated: 26 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told by a UK body that employers must be consulted by the new coalition government before trying to implement a cap on immigration.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) stated that it welcomed the policy programme agreed by the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats during last weekend's negotiations.

It believes that a stable government can address "economic challenges" facing the UK in the coming months.

CIPD director Stephanie Bird affirmed her delight at the scrapping of a rise in national insurance contributions and said initiatives giving more immediate support to jobseekers looks "sensible".

However, people in HR jobs were told that the organisation continues to have deep concerns over proposals to cap non-European Union immigration, which it argues could leave bosses struggling to hire the level of talented workers to achieve growth.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 17 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that implementing wellbeing initiatives may help a company keep workers in the office more and enable savings.

Let's Get Healthy's founder and managing director Maria Bourke has advised businesses to train members of staff to manage health programmes individually, which can lead to a decrease in the number of sick days taken.

She pointed out that 80 per cent of its client activity involves helping organisations to look at its workforce's wellbeing as they look to trim costs resulting from lost productivity.

Among her recommendations, one that may interest those in HR jobs is the idea of appointing a company "health champion" to listen to staff concerns about their health, avoiding the need to talk to management.

She added that the most successful programmes involve teaching firms "to deliver their own health plan, because that makes it sustainable and much more cost effective".

This follows research earlier this week by Business in the Community, which indicated that wellbeing initiatives could boost investor returns.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 14 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning about a new talent programme aimed at keeping top performing staff from the lure of head hunters.

The Co-operative Group, which employs around 114,000 and has 5.5 million members, wanted to build a "pipeline" of future leaders as it builds on its recent success.

Jackie Lanham, director of resourcing and development with the firm, said it wanted to identify promising talent and it has conducted external research in order to understand how potential is unearthed.

"With traditional organisational development intervention you start at the top first, but we decided to go where the need was, at that lower level," she said.

However, according to Ms Lanham, the only measure of how successful this project has been is when young applicants of promise begin to take up roles across various aspects of the Co-operative's business, which may leave a blueprint for people in HR jobs to follow for their companies.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 14 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being made aware of a new guide to deal with absence management during the forthcoming Fifa World Cup.

During the tournament, a number of football matches will kick-off at either 12:30 BST or 15:00 BST, which could lead to employees taking time off work to view those games.

In particular, at least one England game in the early stages, against Slovenia will begin during the afternoon on June 23rd and an adviser for the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) John McGurk is alarmed that a number of companies have not got a clear policy to deal with the issue.

A poll by the CIPD revealed that nine out of ten employers had not got a plan to address absences during the sporting event.

Its own guide to absence management recommended introducing flexible working, shift swaps and unpaid leave to help negate the effect on organisations.

Mr McGurk pointed to research that showed firms which embrace its staff's interests tend to have a more loyal workforce.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 12 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that a link has been made between promoting staff wellbeing and increases in shareholder returns on investment.

Business in the Community (BITC) analysed FTSE 100 employers and found companies that addressed health issues of its employees performed ten per cent better financially than those firms that failed to take steps.

The study carried out with pollsters Ipsos Mori revealed that shareholder return is around 61 per cent for organisations that focus on these areas.

Louise Aston, national director of BITC's Business Action on Health Campaign told Personnel Today that companies and people in HR jobs must avoid misunderstanding what is required to improve wellbeing.

She said that it is "not about lettuce leaves and gym membership".

BITC membership includes more than 830 companies across the world, employing around 17.8 million people.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 12 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that a High Court ruling on civil service severance packages may mean that redundancies are put on hold by the government for the time being.

The intervention of judges yesterday (May 10th) could lead to civil service jobs in Whitehall being given a temporary reprieve, according to one industry expert.

John Read, employment law editor for XpertHR, told Personnel Today that a delay may happen if the government believes it can make changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and get the agreement of public sector unions.

As the publication noted, the original had intended to create £500 million of savings as political leaders look to cut public spending and reduce the UK deficit.

Meanwhile, Recruitment and Employment Confederation chief executive Kevin Green called for the next government to protect the flexible jobs market as well as make innovative public sector reforms.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 12 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that a global computer manufacturer has launched a new initiative to help its top performing staff to understand a modern context for doing business.

IBM vice-president Stan Litow told Meettheboss.tv that the Corporate Service Corps (CSC) marked the start of a transformation for the organisation, which allowed it to become "more connected" to its business strategy and mission, HR Magazine reports.

Mr Litow claimed that corporate social responsibility and citizenship is linked to a smarter planet and the firm's attitude had boosted its ability to retain its top performers.

He added that a more connected workforce could also help a company navigate a tricker economic climate

Last month, IBM's global head of human capital management Tim Ringo admitted that people in HR jobs with the firm had helped to rescue it from potential collapse in the mid-1990s to its all-time high share price.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 06 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs may be interested in a UK employment body's effort to improve its academic path for recruiters looking to progress their career.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) Academy for Business is currently undertaking a "major review" of its qualifications programme in a bid to develop it as a key tool for industry professionals.

It is seeking feedback from recruiters in an attempt to create a "relevant" and "robust" route to help with furthering individual careers in the sector and that meets a "burgeoning regulatory and business framework", which could interest those in HR jobs.

REC director of professional development Judith Armitage believed the programme, including diplomas, certificate and degrees in recruitment practice, must reflect a fast-moving industry in its evolution.

The confederation has more than 8,000 corporate members, comprising of businesses from various sectors as well as agencies.

In addition, the 6,000 strong membership of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals, including industry consultants, also abides by the REC's Code of Professional Practice.

Find information on the latest Human Resources roles at Poolia Recruitment Specialists

Updated: 04 May 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told the main political parties in the UK have a public spending "black hole" in their plans for after the general election.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that none of those competing for votes at next week's general election were willing to set out their ideas for addressing a record deficit of £163 billion.

IFS director Robert Chote said: "For the voters to be able to make an informed choice in this election, the parties need to explain clearly how they would go about achieving it. Unfortunately, they have not."

Research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research yesterday (April 27th) claimed that two-thirds of the current financial crisis was down to public spending, with Northern Ireland and Wales having a high proportion as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Furthermore, shadow chancellor George Osborne told the Institute of Directors today that two-thirds of jobs in the UK were a result of extra government outgoings.

Updated: 29 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that corporate responsibility in business practices is returning investment, according to new research.

Data from Kenexa analysing businesses in the US revealed that 50 per cent of employees stated that they were working for a "responsible organisation".

A point that may interest people in HR jobs concerns findings which showed firms that portray an image of responsibility had workers who were confident, "customer-orientated" and engaged, according the Anne Herman, a research consultant for Kenexa.

Such findings, showing the positive benefits of company image and how it can filter through a company with great success, may be of interest to senior figures in the UK who called for better corporate governance in the light of the recovery.

Earlier this year, Miles Templeman, director-general of the Institute of Directors, believed the level of governance within UK boardroom may be denting an economic recovery.

Mr Templeman was responding to recommendations from the Financial Reporting Council for shaking up boards of senior representatives, including an annual election for chairman.

The Hundred Group recently made public its opposition to this suggestion.

For more information on HR recruitment or HR jobs in London, contact Poolia today.

Updated: 28 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that their peers could lead the way in encouraging entrepreneurial leaders and economic growth.

That is the view of Chris Roebuck, a visiting professor of transformational leadership at the Cass Business School and a former global head of people with UBS.

Writing for HR Magazine, he stressed that people in personnel can help nurture this by making the whole organisation understanding what being entrepreneurial means.

Professor Roebuck also suggested that people -rep in HR jobs could identify those with a particular flair and create a team of "key influencers".

"Once you have created a culture across the organisation where entrepreneurial behaviour can flourish, people will take the initiative," he added.

Last week, at a conference hosted by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development in which the figure responsible for HR jobs at IBM Tim Ringo told delegates that its employees had helped rescue the company from possible collapse in the 1990s to an all-time share price high.

Updated: 28 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning about role of industry professionals in turning around a global computing giant.

Delegates at the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development's (CIPD) HR Development (HRD) conference, which ended yesterday (April 22nd), were told that IBM's all-time high share price is a direct result of its improved functionality in this area of the business.

Tim Ringo, global leader of human capital management at the software and services provider, told the audience that the turnaround emanated from "a real focus" on altering the HR structure and making it crucial to the company.

CIPD chief executive Jackie Orme said: "IBM has truly found a way of driving business integration supported by HR transformation."

However, People Management reports that not all delegates at the annual HRD conference, which explored ways to tackle learning and development challenges in the industry, will have been pleased by IBM outsourcing of HR jobs that contributed to improved results.

Updated: 26 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that KPMG has appointed a new head of people strategy.

David Dickinson will be involved in the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) practice at the big four accountancy firm, which will aim to help market participants prepare for success in a world after RDR.

He joins the company from the Financial Services Authority (FSA), where held the role of project manager for organisational development in its Human Resources department.

In his senior HR job with the FSA, he helped design a Technical Competency Framework, including a new induction course.

Mr Dickinson has also worked for Deutsche Bank and Axa on its people strategy.

Fiona Fry, partner and head of KPMG's RDR practice believes the appointment brings "invaluable" experience to the organisation and will be a great benefit to its banking clients.

KPMG employs 11,000 people across its 22 offices in the UK, including a number of HR staff.

Updated: 26 April 2010.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, finance-and-accounting, human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that the government is not doing enough to curb public spending, according to one expert.

Recent figures from the Charted Institute for Personnel and Development revealed that up to 500,000 public sector jobs could go in the near future and the body criticised the three main political parties for not making clear plans for managing public service costs.

Graeme Leach, chief economist of the Institute of Directors, has called for "appropriate steps" to bring public spending under control with what he called a "yawning gap" between it and the private sector.

Mr Leach highlighted the contrasting fortunes that have resulted with earnings in the private sector being half of that in public service jobs with equally dire fortunes in terms of job losses among privately-owned companies.

However, one point that may interest people in HR jobs is the suggestion that unemployment figures may have "peaked" and that confidence among recruiters and employers could be rebounding.

That is the view of Kevin Green, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, who pointed to the JobsOutlook survey which suggests 96 per cent of employers expected to grow their workforces in the coming months.

Updated: 26 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that the airline chaos disrupting most of western Europe has led to the last minute cancellation of a conference, which was due to start today (April 20th).

The International Federation of Training and Development Organisations' event is that the latest to be affected by the continuing volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, which has grounded almost all flights landing and taking off from the UK.

Nina Harman, the head of conference and exhibitions with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which was to host the event, said it was a "great shame" given the programme aimed at sharing worldwide perspectives on best practices in training and development among industry figures.

However, she said that delegates including senior figures in HR jobs would still be attending this year's CIPD Human Resources Development conference, which was unaffected by the widespread cancellations in air travel.

The two-day event, which features numerous seminars advising people in HR jobs about perspectives and approaches that may be applied to personnel practices within their organisations, takes place at London's Olympia, finishing on Thursday (April 22nd).

Updated: 23 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are being told that public sector cuts will dwarf any promises made in election manifestos, according to an expert.

John Philpott, chief economic advisor for the Chartered Insititute for Personnel and Development, warned that post-election public spending austerity will be "far greater" than any of the three main political parties are willing to admit.

Mr Philpott suggested a probable outcome of the public sector cuts will be the loss of around 500,000 jobs or around ten per cent of the workforce, including those in permanent placement.

However, he said that Conservative move to make cuts straight away, if the party wins the election, would not be good while managing the beginnings of an economic recovery.

"We are concerned that the Conservative plan to push ahead immediately with £6 billion of spending cuts would threaten the economic recovery and increase the risk of higher unemployment," he said.

The second televised election debate takes place on Thursday (April 22nd) with the latest YouGov poll putting the Liberal Democrats in a narrow lead on 33 per cent.

Updated: 23 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement.

People in HR jobs are learning that Labour's policy to introduce paternity leave may not encourage workers to take it up, according to industry experts.

As part of its manifesto, Labour plans to increase statutory paternity leave by two weeks if it wins the general election on May 6th.

Members of Personnel Today's HR election panel, including senior management in the sectors, said the introduction of "father's month" may make little difference to the amount of employees who use it.

Liz Bell, who occupies the senior HR job at home improvement store B & Q, said: "The challenge for most fathers is the loss of earnings when paternity leave is capped at a statutory minimum in many businesses."

Whether Labour will get to implement such a plan remains to be seen, as many polls show the party trailing the Conservatives by six per cent and many observers hailing Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg the winner of the first televised debate.

Updated: 19 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are learning that food manufacturer Kelloggs has appointed a new European HR vice-president on a temporary basis.

Karen McCormick will cover the maternity leave of predecessor Karen Meehan until January next year, Personnel Today reported.

She said: "I am delighted to take on this role at Kellogg's as it is a great company. As part of the leadership team in Europe and through the HR team I will be helping to build people capability from the strong base which already exists."

Before joining the firm in February, her wide-ranging background in HR jobs included senior roles at the GUS home shopping and The Reality Group.

She was formerly chief executive of Cheshire Building Society helping it become a mutual as well as occupying a senior HR role at Sainsbury's.

The company was voted one of the 100 best firms to work for by a Sunday Times poll this year and recorded more than $13 billion (£8.41 billion) in worldwide sales last year.

Updated: 16 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news, office-support.

People in human resources jobs might be interested to read about the significance of "employer branding" to recruiting the brightest talent to their organisations.

Speaking at a meeting of industry practitioners and leaders on Thursday (April 8th), Vera Janssens, vice president of corporate and marketing communications for south-west Europe at Siemens, admitted that previous "bouts of negative publicity" had affected relations with employees.

Ms Janssens commented that the technology giant, whose clients include the IT services of the BBC, was working to maintain a clear vision and strategy that employees and recruits could identify with.

She added: "The important thing is to explain the direction of the company, its core activities and focus for the future and how an employee's career will look in a new structure."

It seems many employers and leading figures in human resources are gearing up for fierce competition to secure talented individuals looking for work.

KPMG's UK head of people Michelle Quest recently told Personnel Today that the recruitment market has "exploded" in the last few months as companies battle to attract promising workers with greater numbers of positions available.

Updated: 13 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news, recruitment.

An expert says people in senior HR jobs should lead by example by making public sector performance more efficient

People in HR jobs are learning that bosses in the industry are being encouraged to take a lead on public sector job cuts.

Noel O'Reilly, a former editor of Personnel Today, said that human resources chiefs must respond after Alistair Darling committed the government to cutting £11 billion from public services in his Budget speech last week.

Mr O'Reilly also stressed that measures must be taken to address the fall in productivity within the public sector since Labour swept to power in 1997.

He recommended a remodelling of how people in HR jobs deliver services to organisations and advocated the sharing of HR services as suggested by the Local Government Association last week.

He added: "The profession must develop credible performance measures on absence and productivity and share good practice on leadership and organisational design."

Last week, Dr Ros Altmann criticised the government for its approach to cutting public spending and the measures it has taken in the Budget.

Dr Altmann said that rather than cutting expenditure, this Labour government had increased spending and was relying on economic growth to rescue the situation.

Updated: 12 April 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

HR role to nurture natural creativity, says expert - HR jobs

People in HR jobs have been told by an expert that their role in the future will be to "nurture the natural creativity" of each individual in their organisation.

Tony Buzan, one of the world's foremost experts on memory and "visual thinking", told the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's Scottish Conference that most people were not utilising their memory and creativity.

Mr Buzan said that most people only used one per cent of their memory power and creativity. He said that channelling that power will transform education and business in the future.

It was suggested that the role of human resources will be to develop various cognitive skills including imagination and mind mapping.

In his speech Mr Buzan claimed that "information overload is one of the biggest causes of stress" and called for business to move on the "age of information".

He also forecast the comeback of older people in the workplace as a sort of workplace "elder" or guru who will "increase in value" due to their vast experience.

People Management revealed that Mr Buzan has launched the latest development of his mind mapping techniques as a free iPhone application, called iMindMap.

http://www.thinkbuzan.com/uk

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/03/tony-buzan-tells-hr-nurture-your-own-creativity.htm

Updated: 15 March 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

More people in the UK have found permanent placement jobs recently than at any time in the last two and a half years, according to new research.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and auditors KPMG's Report on Jobs says that the number of permanent staff increased by its biggest monthly margin since July 2007 over the past month

Staff salaries also increased to a 20-month high during February.

Temporary staffing levels also increased but at a slightly lower rate over the past three months. However, the hourly pay rate also increased in the sector for the second month running.

Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, believes that whilst there are worries about the public sector "increasing employer confidence" was the key to the positive outlook.

"High-end sectors such as IT are showing particularly strong growth and we are also seeing significant increases in demand for admin and back-office support," he said.

KPMG partner Bernard Brown also believes that these new figures represent a good indication that the UK is "on the road to recovery".

Last July Personnel Today reported that the job market in human resources would start to pick up after a turbulent 2008.

Updated: 04 March 2010.
Categories: career, human-resources, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement, temporary-staffing.

People in HR jobs have learned that company employees in the UK are mixed in their expectations of a pay rise during 2010.

A Yougov survey commissioned by uSwitch found that 16 million people expected a pay freeze this year. However, nine million people in the UK expected a pay rise during the next year.

The price comparison site said that average pay across all sectors of work in the UK will rise over the next 12 months.

Ann Robinson of uSwitch admits that whilst the average salary has gone up, the Retail Prices Index and Consumer Prices Index have risen further leaving slightly tougher times for workers.

"When coupled with lower than anticipated salary increases, it can only mean we are in for a bumpy ride," she says.

However, people in HR jobs were, on average in the UK, earning more than £25,000 as far back as 1997. HR directors could expect to take home £120,000 on average 13 years ago.

Updated: 04 March 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news, office-support.

People in HR jobs have been told not to concern themselves too much with a recent proposal made by a European Parliament committee regarding maternity leave.

The committee has put forward a potential directive on the matter to a full vote of the European Parliament which recommends that maternity leave should be extended to 20 weeks on full pay.

In the UK at the moment, new mothers receive 90 per cent of their salary for the first six weeks they are off work, with a further £123 a week after that period expires.

Concerns about the new legislation have been raised, with a spokesman for the Institute of Directors telling the Daily Mail that the UK will face an annual bill of between £1.5 billion to £2 billion a year if the law is passed.

But Liz Gardiner, policy officer at charity Working Families, told Personnel Today that people in HR jobs should not be overly concerned about the law for the moment.

"It has to go through a number of processes in Europe," she said. "It's not going to happen here tomorrow, HR doesn't need to worry now."

Updated: 26 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

A new senior HR job is being created by a charity, it has been announced.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer is seeking to fill the role as director of people and organisational development within the next month as the body seeks to improve its levels of public recognition.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, told Personnel Today that the board-level HR job will be a challenging role.

"The remit of the new director will be more than simply line managing the HR department, it will be one of playing a leadership role within the management team," he said.

Mr Hughes added that whoever gets the HR job will have to ensure that the "people side" of the charity is central to everything it does.

Recent research contained in the Celre HR Salary Survey 2009-10 revealed that the average salary for HR directors is £140,000 a year, with bonuses pushing take home pay up to just over £185,000.

Updated: 26 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are likely to have to lead their company through significant changes as the UK emerges from recession, a new survey has suggested.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) 13th Annual CEO Survey, 85 per cent of chief executives in Britain are planning to make people management changes at their organisations.

Around 65 per cent want to increase investment in training and development, while 42 per cent want to hire more staff.

Michael Rendell, partner and leader of HR services at PwC, said that the survey shows a range of opportunities and challenges ahead of people in HR Jobs.

"Preparing for the upturn is a clear platform of opportunity for HR and . this will mean refocusing on managing through change and engagement programmes as talent gaps need to be closed and roles redefined," he said.

A recent poll of industry experts carried out by Friends Provident saw 83 per cent of respondents agree with the assertion that staff in HR jobs must adopt their working practices to make sure talented employees remain motivated and happy in the workplace.

Updated: 25 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have been advised that workplace bullying is a common problem throughout the UK.

Writing for the Telegraph, Charlotte Rayner, a professor of HR management at the Portsmouth Business School, stated that recent studies have suggested that around 13 per cent of employees feel they are the victims of "rude and disrespectful" behaviour on a weekly basis.

She advised professionals in HR jobs that incidents of bullying can often appear quite minor but can take their toll.

"If you look at each incident on its own, quite often one might be sceptical but when you take all the incidents together, what you're looking at is a pattern of behaviour," Ms Rayner stated.

She added that employers and people in HR jobs would be well-advised to treat workers in the best manner possible as this will encourage the most talented members of staff to remain with the company.

The issue of bullying in the workplace has hit the headlines in recent days following a series of allegations made against prime minister Gordon Brown.

Updated: 23 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The focus of human resources jobs is set to change in the next few years, a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report has predicted.

According to the study, human resources professionals will soon have to concentrate more on the underlying fundamentals of their organisations.

This will enable them to develop greater insight into the factors which determine how their company runs and to develop long-term solutions to the challenges they face.

Jackie Orme, chief executive of the CIPD, said the report outlined the extent to which human resources jobs would have to change.

"The danger for HR is that if it does not step up with sufficient urgency or credibility, it will be left behind as chief executives turn elsewhere for the solutions to the challenges we've identified," Ms Orme warned.

She added that some human resources professionals had already grasped the importance of being adaptable to the changing commercial environment, but most still lagged behind.

An earlier report by the CIPD advised professionals in human resources jobs that they need to get to grips with how to best implement performance management strategies in order to improve staff management within their organisations.

Updated: 16 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have learnt that the government's decision on whether to scrap the mandatory retirement age will take place in the summer.

Speaking at the Employers Forum on Age conference in London, Lord Young, minister for employment relations, said that if passed, the legislation would come into force in 2011.

He added that the government would not be rushed into a decision, reports Personnel Today.

"We will look at the weight of evidence and make a decision in the summer, alongside publishing a survey of employers' policies and practice with respect to age," Lord Young stated.

Earlier this week, Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, said it was important for those in HR jobs to recognise that staff aged 60 and over still had aspirations and goals in the workplace.

She said that employers, as well as society as a whole, need to change how they view the older generation. Click here for more HR jobs articles.

Updated: 15 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs should not forget about the aspirations and ambitions of staff aged over 60, a government minister has advised.

According to Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, the problem is not just limited to employers but society as a whole.

"The UK needs to make more progress in challenging the status quo and deal with the old-fashioned attitudes that still exist around this age group," said Ms Harman.

It is possible that the government may axe the mandatory retirement age at some point in the near future and many in HR jobs have welcomed the idea.

Research carried out by the EFA of people in HR jobs found that 85 per cent of companies that have removed the mandatory retirement age requirements from their organisation said that the move had allowed them to retain valuable skills, reports HR Magazine.

Earlier this month, Sandra Kerr, national campaign director at Race for Opportunity, told Personnel Today that people in HR jobs should not just focus on recruiting new employees who have attended the top universities in the country.

Updated: 11 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news, office-support.

People in HR jobs can boost employee morale at their business in a wide variety of ways, it has been suggested.

According to Charles Cotton, performance and reward adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the current economic climate makes it difficult for firms to offer financial rewards to staff for good performance.

But Mr Cotton told those in HR jobs that there are other ways to demonstrate to staff that they are appreciated, especially at smaller companies that cannot afford to run initiatives like pension schemes and share plans.

"Focus on the more relationship-building type of rewards, such as a Christmas party or a celebration to recognise achievements," he said.

"[This ensures that] employees feel that the organisation does care about their welfare and wellbeing."

According to recent research carried out by CIPD, job satisfaction levels hit their lowest point since summer 2009 last month, with 23 per cent complaining that their organisation has cut back on training in response to the economic downturn.

Updated: 08 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs should not just be concentrating on the top 20 British universities when it comes to recruiting graduates to their firms, it has been said.

Recent research by Race for Opportunity has revealed that ethnic minority students are underrepresented in percentage terms at the top universities in the country.

They are also finding it more difficult to get jobs once they graduate - with 56 per cent of those who completed their degrees in 2008 finding a job within a year compared to 66 per cent of white students.

Sandra Kerr, national campaign director at Race for Opportunity, told Personnel Today that people in HR jobs should be looking beyond where someone got their degree from when recruiting staff.

"It is often a cultural thing - 'this is how we have always done it' - but it shows employers are not moving with the times," she said.

Last week, research carried out by Microsoft revealed that 41 per cent of people in senior HR jobs have rejected a candidate for a position on the basis of what they have seen on their social networking profiles.

Updated: 08 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in senior HR jobs with banking firms have been warned they must prepare properly for the implementation of the forthcoming Finance Act, which is set to be introduced in April.

Included in its legislation is the banking bonus tax and despite the furore surrounding the levy among people in the City a recent survey has suggested many in HR jobs are not up-to-speed with the planned changes.

Research carried out by business consultancy Mercer interviewed 200 HR directors about the Finance Act and found that 39 per cent had failed to investigate how the new legislation will affect their staff, reports Personnel Today.

Hannah Perera, principal in Mercer's human capital division, said: "The impact that the Finance Act will have on executive pay, benefits and motivation hasn't been fully appreciated."

"Organisations should already be anticipating and responding to the changes."

Last month, Credit Suisse announced it was cutting its bonuses to UK-based managing directors by around 30 per cent in response to the one-off levy.

Updated: 08 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs should consider implementing talent management initiatives to ensure that their company's most talented members of staff stay happy in their roles, it has been suggested.

Earlier this week, a survey of people carried out by Speechly Bircham and King's College found that 29 per cent of respondents in HR jobs had noted an increased amount of employee complaints in 2009 - many of which were attributed to a breakdown in relationships between managers and their subordinates.

Reacting to the figures, Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said that people in HR jobs face a difficult challenge when it comes to keeping staff happy.

"Retaining and developing talented individuals is key to business success, so managers need to focus on creating a talent culture to ensure that employees are nurtured and developed to the advantage of the business," she suggested.

Ms Spellman added that it was vital for British companies to attract the right type of person for each job at their company in the first place.

Click the following link to find out more about our candidate services.

Updated: 04 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Businesses around the country may lose a combined total of £30 million today (February 1st 2010) as hundreds of thousands of members of staff call in sick.

The date has been dubbed 'National Sickie Day' by Employment Law Advisory Services, which estimates that up to 350,000 employees will take the day off work today - the highest amount in the entire year.

Peter Mooney, a spokesman for the company, said that many employers trust their workers enough to claim a day off through illness without having to speak to them directly - making it easier for staff to take advantage.

"The cost to the economy could soar," he warned.

"That is the last thing we need as we are slowly crawling out of the deepest recession for generations."

Under government legislation, staff who work four-day weeks or more and are paid more than £90 a week are entitled to statutory sick pay from their employer.

Updated: 01 February 2010.
Categories: human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

Many people in senior HR jobs have admitted to rejecting candidates applying for a position at their company after viewing an unfavourable social media profile of them.

According to research carried out by Microsoft, 41 per cent of HR managers have rejected an applicant because of this reason, while 64 per cent of people in HR jobs believe it is acceptable to consider what is on someone's Facebook or MySpace site when choosing potential employees.

Cliff Evans, head of privacy and security at Microsoft UK, said: "Reputation and information sharing as a privacy issue should be a major concern for individuals, particularly in a challenging economic environment where jobs are scarce."

The figures for those in the UK are far above our European neighbours.

In Germany, only 16 per cent of people in HR jobs believe such behaviour is allowable, while only 14 per cent of those questioned about the topic in France would reject a job applicant due to their online activities.

Last November, Labour MP Ashok Kumar tabled a motion in parliament calling for people in HR jobs to be legally required to provide a response to job applicants, whether they are selected for interview or not.

Updated: 29 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have been advised that fathers will now have the right to take six months off work under new paternity leave regulations.

The employment legislation change is set to be introduced from April 3rd 2011 and will allow fathers the option of taking over childcare for three months if the mother wishes to return to work six months after the child has been born and is willing to give up her maternity leave.

Those in HR jobs were told that parents will have to 'self-certify' themselves by providing details of why they are eligible to their employer.

Under the changes, new parents now have the legal right to 12 months off work between them.

Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, said: "We've doubled maternity leave, doubled maternity pay, introduced paternity leave, more than doubled good quality affordable childcare places and introduced [the] right to request flexible working."

Earlier this week, Dr Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chamber of Commerce, wrote to Lord Mandelson to call on the government to stop "the constant threat of tinkering to employment law".

Updated: 29 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs should think about running mentoring programmes within their organisations to boost employee engagement, it has been suggested.

Stevan Rolls, head of HR at professional services Deloitte, told Personnel Today that his company had already launched such an initiative to help motivate staff through the recognition of their achievements.

He said that new economic realities were forcing people in HR jobs to be more creative in terms of employee engagement now there is less money available for pay rises.

"Kudos doesn't pay the bills but at the moment you can't really be putting loads of money into massive bonus schemes, because that wouldn't be a sensible thing to do," he said.

Mr Rolls added that mentoring can make learning and development budgets more cost-effective as staff pass on their own knowledge to each other.

Earlier this week, research carried out by the Henley Business School suggested that people in HR jobs are growing more confident about the UK's economic future and are beginning to refocus their attention on hiring new employees.

Updated: 28 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Lawrence Churchill, the current chairman of the Pension Protection Fund, has landed another senior financial services job.

He has been appointed as chairman of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mr Churchill will take on his new financial services job from the start of February and his first responsibility will be putting together a team for the NEST Corporation, a body which will have the responsibility of ensuring that all British workers have pension arrangements in line with the Pensions Act 2008.

That agency is scheduled to come into being on July 5th 2010.

Mr Churchill said that he is looking forward to the "major undertaking" of setting up a trust-based occupational pension scheme for millions of people.

His appointment has been welcomed by Joanne Segers, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds, who said he was the right man for the financial services job.

"Lawrence Churchill is an excellent choice as the new chairman of NEST," she said. "His lifelong experience of the pensions sector will serve him well in this challenging role."

Updated: 27 January 2010.
Categories: career, human-resources, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement.

People in HR jobs believe the worst of the recession has passed and are now starting to refocus on attracting new employees, a survey has suggested.

The Corporate Learning Priorities Survey 2010 said that HR professionals are feeling more secure about the future of their companies.

"HR professionals . anticipate turning their attention to succession planning and attracting new talent into the business," it said.

Henley Business School, which carried out the research, questioned 119 people in HR jobs and found that 67 per cent of them believe that the development of managers was one of their top two priorities this year, reports Personnel Today.

It was added that so-called "softer skills", including training in leadership styles, would also be a priority for people in HR jobs this year.

But last week, Martin Tiplady, HR chief for the Metropolitan Police, warned people working in the sector that HR needs to shed its "cuddly image" and adapt to the changing economic realities facing the UK.

Updated: 27 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news, recruitment.

It may become harder to attract high-quality staff to senior banking jobs due to the UK's tough tax regime, a London-based HR chief has warned.

Robert Potter, chairman of the City HR Association, told People Management that the introduction of the 50 per cent tax rate for higher earners this April, combined with the 50 per cent levy on banking bonuses, may make banking jobs in London less attractive.

"These changes may well give a negative perception of the City as a place to work," he said.

"Coupled with a potential talent drain, this could lead the City to lose its competitive edge in global markets."

He added that HR jobs and other positions within financial institutions will also be affected if firms feel they are being forced out of London by over-the-top taxation.

Earlier this week, Dan McNicholas, head of Asia financing sales at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told Bloomberg that those in banking jobs in London and New York may consider a move to Asia as western governments tighten up their regulation of the industry.

He said that his company is currently in the process of helping to establish a dozen new hedge funds in the region.

Updated: 26 January 2010.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, career, human-resources, market-and-industry-news, recruitment.

People in HR jobs must change the way they operate if the profession is to survive in today's economic climate, it has been warned.

Speaking at the European HR Directors' Business Summit in Birmingham, Martin Tiplady, HR chief for the Metropolitan Police, said that those in HR jobs could see their role within businesses reduced or removed if the sector did not evolve.

"We need to change what we do - reposition ourselves as a cheaper, but more effective strategic offering," he stated. "We need to start using our muscle to drive serious organisational reform."

He added that it was vital that HR jobs managed to shake off their "cuddly image" to play a more leading role within businesses and organisations, reports Personnel Today.

Last month, research by Income Data Services revealed that HR jobs have not been too badly affected by the recession.

While 42 per cent of HR departments have kept employee numbers stable during the downturn, 23 per cent have actually managed to increase staff levels, reported the Financial Times.

Updated: 22 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Those in HR jobs can pick up innovative ideas from staff within their company, an executive at one of Britain's most successful companies has said.

Therese Procter, HR director at Tesco, told the European HR Directors' Business Summit that it was not always necessary to look at other organisations for inspiration.

"In the same way we talk to our customers about what they want to see from Tesco, we never stop talking to our staff," she said.

Ms Procter added that people in senior HR jobs could not afford to stop innovating and should "keep pushing boundaries" within their company, reports HR Magazine.

She went on to say that that those in HR jobs should be able to demonstrate a return on investment from staff training programmes to ensure that their budgets are not cut.

Earlier this week, a poll carried out by law firm Salans and HR consultancy The Scala Group revealed that 59 per cent of British companies feel that their HR department had helped them cope with the effects of the recession on their business.

Updated: 21 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have predicted that employees working in the private sector can expect an average pay rise of about two per cent this year.

According to the results of research carried out by management consultancy Hay Group, 75 per cent of those in HR jobs with firms that froze salaries last year expect such caps to be lifted over the course of 2010.

Despite the optimism about remuneration, 90 per cent of those questioned said they believed the recession would get worse before the economy improved.

Claudia Canavesio, reward expert at Hay Group, said: "We are starting to see a cautious but growing optimism among UK organisations, reflected in a predicted recovery in salaries and bonuses."

"However, there remain significant challenges ahead."

Last month, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) predicted that unemployment will peak this summer - leaving around 2.8 million out of work at that point, reported Personnel Today.

Updated: 21 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

The work of those in HR jobs is more highly valued in the UK than in most other countries, a new survey has suggested.

According to the International Human Resources Barometer study, 59 per cent of respondents in British companies feel that their HR department has helped them cope with the effects of the recession.

In comparison, only 38 per cent of those polled outside of the country felt the same way.

The report was carried out by HR consultancy The Scala Group and law firm Salans.

Barry Mordsley, global co-head of the employment group at Salans, told Personnel Today that people in HR jobs were becoming more important to their organisations.

"Especially in larger corporations, the HR function is very sophisticated and at the centre of business strategy decisions, rather than being the afterthought as it once was, say 15 years ago," he said.

Last week, Fiona Czerniawska, joint managing director of Sourceforconsulting.com, suggested that HR jobs were undergoing a generational shift, with more focus being given to areas such as performance management.

Updated: 19 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have been told they should consider digitising their company manuals.

According to eServices provider Transversal, printing HR manuals costs British businesses around £300 million a year.

The company's report also suggested that employees in HR jobs could improve productivity by digitising content as staff will be able to access key information with greater ease.

Davin Yap, chief executive officer of Transversal, said that printed manuals were behind the times in our fast-moving age.

"A manual is out of date from the minute it is printed - as such the HR department need to embrace more innovative, web-based ways to communicate with employees," he stated.

He added that HR jobs were increasingly focused on providing cost-effective solutions rather than just personnel management.

Earlier this week, Fiona Czerniawska, joint managing director of Sourceforconsulting.com claimed that HR consultancy jobs are undergoing a generational shift as the industry adapts to changing economic circumstances.

Updated: 18 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

HR jobs are undergoing a shift in what they involve, it has been suggested.

The claim came after new research carried out by Sourceforconsulting.com was published, showing that the HR consulting industry shrunk by 20 per cent in the past 12 months.

Fiona Czerniawska, joint managing director of Sourceforconsulting.com and author of the report, said those in HR jobs should prepare for changes.

"Our research points to a generational shift in HR consulting, away from traditional areas to focusing more on performance management," she stated.

She added that the difficult year the HR consultancy industry had been through may lead to wider changes in how the sector operates.

Ms Czerniawska predicted that there will be an increased number of mergers - with more niche specialist companies having to collaborate with their larger, more traditional rivals.

Earlier this month, two people management consultancies, Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt, completed a merger.

The new company is to be known as Tower Watson and John Haley, chief executive of Wyatt Watson, is to become chairman and chief executive of the firm.

Updated: 18 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

HR jobs will benefit from the award of an OBE to a HR director at BT, according Caroline Waters, the woman who was honoured in the New Year list.

Speaking to Personnel Today, Ms Waters said she was delighted to receive the decoration and hoped it would highlight the good work done by many in HR jobs.

"Any recognition of the role HR has to play in industry is a good thing," she stated.

Ms Waters, who is director of people and policy at the telecommunications firm, said her goal for this year was to help BT maintain and improve its widely-praised and award-winning diversity and equal opportunities policies.

In 2009, BT was named as one of the most family-friendly companies by Working Families, the most race-friendly business by Race for Opportunity and as "the most gay-friendly organisation in the world" by the International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Updated: 07 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in top banking and financial services jobs could leave the UK once tough new taxes are introduced from April next year, a HR director has warned.

That is the date when income tax will rise to 50 per cent on earnings of more than £150,000 a year and staff in HR jobs have been warned they may have a fight on their hands to keep their company's top employees.

Daniel Kasmir, group HR director at Xchanging, told Human Resources magazine: "The implications could be significant. These senior, high-earning staff are the real brain-boxes of business."

"People who are earning salaries of £5 million or £6 million will attempt to go elsewhere."

The new rate will put the UK's taxes for higher earners above countries like the US, Germany and Australia.

Last month, Guy Lamb, an employment partner at law firm DLA Piper, told Personnel Today that those in HR jobs with banking firms would have to deal with staff wanting to change their contracts in the wake of the new 50 per cent levy on bonuses.

Updated: 06 January 2010.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, finance-and-accounting, human-resources, london, market-and-industry-news.

Some top HR jobs have been affected after two people management consultancies, Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt, completed a merger.

The new global professional services company is to be known as Tower Watson and the chief executives of the two companies have been given new job titles.

John Haley, chief executive of Wyatt Watson, is to become chairman and chief executive of Towers Watson.

Meanwhile, Mark Mactas, who held the equivalent HR job at Towers Perrin, is to become deputy chairman, president and chief operating officer at the new firm.

Mr Mactas said that the deal had helped to create a strong new organisation.

"With our combined experience and breadth and depth of skills, we will be able to provide greater insight as we work with our clients and greater opportunities for our people and our shareholders," he said.

Plans for the merger were originally announced in June 2009, with the implied equity value of the deal put at around $3.5 billion (£2.2 billion).

Updated: 05 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

A woman in a top HR job with BT has been awarded an OBE in the New Year's honours list for her services to diversity and equal opportunities.

Caroline Waters, director of people and policy at the firm, received the award after BT was named the most race-friendly company to work for in 2009 by equality campaign organisation Race for Opportunity.

Those in HR jobs with BT also helped to ensure that the telecommunications giant also received an award from Working Families for being one of the most family-friendly employers operating in the UK, reports Personnel Today.

Flexible working policies at the company have meant that 97 per cent of new mothers returned to the firm following their maternity leave, a figure that is around twice the national average.

The company said that the high retention levels of new mothers was saving BT around £6 million a year in recruitment costs.

Updated: 05 January 2010.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Those in HR jobs have been told to expect unemployment to peak in summer 2010 by industry body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Its latest report predicted that a further 250,000 people in the UK will lose their job by the second quarter of 2010, leaving the country with record levels of unemployment.

If the forecast is correct, around 2.8 million will be out of work, a lower amount than originally predicted by the government and financial experts at the start of 2009, reports Personnel Today.

John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the CIPD, stated that staff in HR jobs will be expected to introduce pay freezes at many organisations next year.

"Private sector employers will seek to contain wage costs and public sector employers will have to cope with the consequences of fast-shrinking budgets and mass job downsizing," he said.

Earlier this month, a study by Income Data Services reported in the Financial Times revealed that HR departments had escaped the brunt of the recession, with 42 per cent keeping staff levels stable and 23 per cent hiring more employees.

Updated: 30 December 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in human resources jobs can help to keep workers happy by coming up with alternative ways of rewarding good performance when pay rises are not available, a new study has found.

Salary freezes have been one of the features of the recession and the Confederation of British Industry recently warned workers to expect another year without a pay rise in 2010.

Research conducted by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that there are plenty of alternative incentives to cash that employees would appreciate.

However, it seems added responsibility is not among them.

A survey of employees found that only 37 per cent would appreciate being given a promotion that is not accompanied by a salary increase.

The numbers who would vale being fast tracked for promotion or given additional training were higher, at 67 per cent and 62 per cent respectively, but in the absence of a pay rise gifts are apparently more welcome than work-related incentives.

A £100 cash bonus was the most popular option, with 90 per cent of people saying they would appreciate it, ahead of £100 worth of gift vouchers (89 per cent), extra holiday entitlement (89 per cent) and electronic gifts such as a digital camera or iPod (80 per cent).

Jon Terry, head of reward at PwC, said the results showed how important it is for human resources functions to think of effective ways to thank staff for their hard work in the current climate.

"With bonus pools shrinking and many workers' wages frozen, employers need to find lower-cost, tailored ways of showing their staff that good performance is always appreciated," he added.

Updated: 23 December 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs are likely to have to deal with the fallout for the banking bonus tax, it has been said.

People working in HR jobs at banking firms could be in for a busy December after chancellor Alistair Darling proposed a 50 per cent one-off tax on banking bonuses, it has been suggested.

Guy Lamb, an employment partner at law firm DLA Piper, told Personnel Today that it was likely bankers would be looking for a way around the tax and would want those in HR jobs with their organisation to help.

"It is very likely - in fact I would say definite - that bankers will change their contracts," he predicted.

"In the financial services community, bonuses are an ingrained part of the culture and anything to change that will be resisted."

He added that people holding HR jobs in the banking sector would be well advised not to give out any specific assurances until the full legislation has been published by the government.

Mr Darling has said the planned tax could potentially raise £550 million for the Treasury to put towards schemes aimed at getting the UK's unemployed population back to work.

Updated: 14 December 2009.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Effective HR policies have helped businesses in London survive the recession.

People in HR jobs have played an important role in businesses operating in London during the economic downturn, a new survey has revealed.

Data collected by the Confederation of British Industry and KPMG showed that effective HR policies had been vital to the survival of many firms.

Staff in HR jobs have been employed to carry out a range of different strategies, ranging from cutting expenses (37 per cent) to focusing on only essential recruiting (63 per cent).

HR staff have had to walk the fine line between retaining a company's best staff and ensuring its financial survival, the study reported.

The survey also found that 86 per cent of senior executives believe London is a good place to do business, while 47 per cent of companies are optimistic about their future business prospects, the highest figure since April 2008.

According to recent findings from the TaxPayers' Alliance, the importance of those in HR jobs is also being reflected in their salaries.

It revealed that four senior public sector HR executives are currently being paid more than prime minister Gordon Brown.

Updated: 09 December 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, london, market-and-industry-news.

50 graduates will join Vodafone under its 2010 training scheme.

People looking for HR jobs may be interested to learn that new graduate jobs are to be created at mobile phone giant Vodafone, with HR training forming an important part of the apprenticeship.

The company will be hiring 50 graduates next year as part of its 2010 recruitment programme, with trainees spending time in its HR, finance and technology divisions, as well as on shop floors around the country.

Matthew Brearley, HR director for Vodafone UK, said: "We want to attract smart, internet-savvy people, who want to make a real difference by being part of our business."

The scheme will start in September 2010 with successful graduates being offered a £25,000 salary.

At the end of the one-year training programme, Vodafone will decide which of the graduates it will take on it full-time roles.

Earlier this month, IBM UK & Ireland HR director Jonathan Ferrar told Personnel Today that his company was planning to increase its graduate scheme from 94 places in 2009 to 150 next year.

Updated: 09 December 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

City firms have been warned about the potential legal dangers involved in headhunting staff from rival organisations.

People in HR jobs in the City have been urged to be cautious about poaching staff from rival firms by a legal expert.

Fiona Bolton, an employment partner at law firm Eversheds, told Personnel Today that while the practice was not illegal, those in HR jobs must acknowledge the conditions affecting the departure of their new employee from their previous firm.

"Businesses should be wary of embarking on team raids and should always consider any express or implied restrictions to which a departing employee may be subject," she said.

Ms Bolton added that the frequency of these headhunting manoeuvres appeared to be on the increase in the city.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that more than 1,000 former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) investment bankers had joined other City companies, while last week broker Tullett Prebon took rival BGC Partners to court after the latter company poached 50 of its top-earning brokers.

Last week, the RBS board of directors threatened to resign if the government did not allow them to pay their investment bankers around £1.5 billion in bonuses as it fears further departures will occur soon.

Updated: 08 December 2009.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, finance-and-accounting, human-resources, jobs.

Working in a public sector HR job can be more lucrative then running the country, a new report has shown.

Four executives in top HR jobs are earning more money than prime minister Gordon Brown, it has been revealed.

According to a list compiled by the TaxPayers' Alliance, the most lucrative public sector HR job in the country is held by Clare Chapman, the director general of the NHS workforce.

The report said her pay has increased by ten per cent in 2009 to leave her with an annual salary of £267,500.

In comparison, Gordon Brown is paid slightly more than £194,000 a year.

Two men in HR jobs with the BBC are also paid more than the prime minster, with John Vickerman, director of shared services, and Mike Goodie, director of employee relations, both taking home £205,000 each.

John O'Connell, policy analyst at the Taxpayers' Alliance, attacked the figures.

"Taxpayers want genuine transparency, accountability and restraint in setting top public sector pay," he said.

Last month, Lucy Adams, the fourth HR figure on the list paid more than Brown, told BBC in-house magazine Ariel that she understood people may be angry when they heard of her £320,000 a year salary as HR director of people.

Updated: 07 December 2009.
Categories: career, human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Neil Roden, the HR boss for the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), had admitted there are too few female candidates for top banking jobs.

Last week's Walker Review told banks that more women needed to be promoted to positions on their boards.

The report contended that there were not enough suitable female candidates for non-executive director jobs in other areas of the financial services sector, reports Personnel Today.

Mr Roden said he generally agreed with the findings.

"It is the case that when you try in any large company to recruit a female finance director, it will be difficult to do," he admitted.

But Mr Roden added that he thought the problem was not due to staff in HR jobs with financial services companies but with society in general.

He pointed out that two decades ago there were very few women in senior management positions.

Last week, Mr Roden told People Management that he offered to quit RBS following the departure of Sir Fred Goodwin.

But new chief executive Stephen Hester persuaded him to stay in his HR job with the company.

Updated: 02 December 2009.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, finance-and-accounting, human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Staff working in local government HR jobs do not have the necessary experience and skills to deal with the union unrest that is likely to be caused by cuts in public spending, it has been said.

The warning came from Richard Crouch, who himself holds a HR job with a local council.

Mr Crouch, head of HR and organisational development at Somerset County Council, told Personnel Today that government departments lack the negotiation skills to deal with large-scale redundancies.

"If [union activity] really kicks off, we will have to buy in some expertise," he said.

"We could be looking to the private sector and then training them in terms of the local government."

Chancellor Alistair Darling has already committed to £15 billion worth of efficiency cuts by 2014, which are to be outlined in his Pre-Budget Report (PBR).

Mr Darling is due to deliver his PBR to MPs a week on Wednesday (December 9th) but recent media reports have suggested he has still not discussed the UK's economic growth forecasts with prime minister Gordon Brown.

Updated: 02 December 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The man in the top HR job at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) tendered his resignation following the replacement of Sir Fred Goodwin at the top of the company last year.

Neil Roden, head of HR, told People Management that he thought new chief executive Stephen Hester would want a clean sweep of senior executive figures from the organisation when he took over.

But, despite several others leaving their banking jobs with the firm, Mr Hester refused to let him leave RBS.

"I don't think he saw HR as being in the firing line - more as part of the solution," Mr Roden explained.

He added that he felt media criticism of banking reward structures had been unfair and maintained that the crash was "primarily a financial rather than a people issue".

Early this week, Personnel Today reported that RBS had hired two industry gurus to speak to its HR staff about how to deal with company restructuring.

RBS refused to reveal how much it was paying David Ulrich, co-founder of the RBL Group, and David McLeod, who recently carried out a report on employee engagement for the government, for their speeches.

Updated: 01 December 2009.
Categories: banking-and-financial-services, human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Two experts have been hired by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to speak to its employees in HR jobs as part of a drive by the bank to carry out a large programme of restructuring.

David Ulrich, co-founder of the RBL Group, gave a speech last week which was attended by more than 600 of the bank's HR employees, reports Personnel Today.

His talk is to be followed up by sessions from David McLeod, who recently oversaw a government report into employee engagement, who is to speak to the RBS HR team about how to deal with organisational change.

While RBS refused to reveal how much each man had been paid, Mr Ulrich was paid £30,000 for a two-hour speech at the Public Sector People Managers' Association's annual conference earlier this year.

The bank has announced plans to cut around 14,000 jobs this year following the massive taxpayer bailout it has received.

Earlier this month, RBS announced a third quarter operating loss of £1.5 billion following a £3.5 billion deficit in the second quarter.

Updated: 01 December 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People working in HR jobs have been warned that some non-Christian employees could view workplaces being closed in the Christmas period as a form of discrimination as they will be forced to use up some of their annual leave.

The Employers Forum on Belief advised those in HR jobs to sell office closures to staff as a cost-effective measure for their organisation, reports the Daily Telegraph.

While it advised "there was no need to panic" about the issue, the Forum did advise that it may be best to steer clear of specifically Christian decorations in the office.

"There is no need to stop on grounds of religion or belief, although - unless your organisation has a strong Christian culture or ethos - it may be more sensitive to use seasonal rather than religious imagery," said its guide.

Last month, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development warned staff in HR jobs about the behaviour of their staff during Christmas parties.

It reminded HR departments that companies still have a duty of care during parties and may be liable if cases of occupational bullying or sexual harassment occur.

Updated: 24 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

The woman in the BBC's top HR job has defended herself after details of her salary were made public.

Lucy Adams, HR director of BBC People, is paid £320,000 a year, making her one of the highest-earning executives at the corporation.

In an interview with BBC in-house magazine Ariel, Ms Adams admitted that her level of pay would cause anger to many people.

"I imagine that if I were earning the national average and my partner had just lost their job in the recession, and I saw a list of big salaries at the BBC, it would not feel very palatable," she said.

But she added that remuneration strategy should not simply be driven by public opinion.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that pay levels for staff in HR jobs have gone up, excluding bonuses, by an average 3.8 per cent.

HR directors have seen their pay climb by five per cent to reach an average £140,000, reported Personnel Today.

Updated: 20 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Top HR jobs with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have gone to some big names working in the sector.

CIPD revealed its nominations for a new president and two vice presidents in non-executive roles with the organisation.

Gill Rider, whose current HR job is as head of profession for Civil Service HR, has been nominated as president, while Alex Wilson, group HR director for BT, will become CIPD vice president for employee relations.

The third post, international vice president, has gone to Stephen Dando, chief HR officer for Thomson Reuters.

Jackie Orme, CIPD chief executive, said that she was delighted the three had agreed to take on new roles with the CIPD and was looking forward to tackling the challenges facing HR with them.

"We're on a journey to build the capacity and capability necessary for HR to contribute fully to sustainable organisational performance across the public and private sectors, in the UK and on a global level," she stated.

Last week, Personnel Today reported that CIPD was to replace its current Certificate in Personnel Practice with a new qualification.

The Certificate in HR Practice will be introduced from January 2010.

Updated: 18 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

According to the Celre HR Salary Survey 2009-10, HR directors saw their pay rise almost five per cent to reach an average £140,000.

Due to cuts in bonuses their take home pay fell slightly but remained at more than £185,000, reports Personnel Today.

Those in other HR jobs saw their basic salary, excluding bonuses, increase by 3.8 per cent.

Earlier this month, the salaries of those in HR jobs with the BBC were made public.

BBC People director Lucy Adams was revealed to have a £320,000 a year salary.

Despite the figures, the number of people resigning from their HR job has increased.

The number of resignations accounted for more than one-third of employee turnover in HR jobs.

There was a total 15.1 per cent turnover in the sector, with 5.2 per cent of it due to resignations, up from 4.5 per cent in 2008.

Updated: 18 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have been informed that the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is bringing in a new qualification from January next year.

Its current Certificate in Personnel Practice (CPP) will be replaced by a new Certificate in HR Practice, which the CIPD says has greater flexibility and puts business focus first.

Speaking to Personnel Today, Stephanie Bird, CIPD's director of HR capability, said that the CPP had reached the end of its natural life as it was based on old professional standards that were "slightly out of alignment" with the current experiences of staff working in HR jobs.

"We recognised we needed to reshape the qualification, building strategy insights and solutions in right from the early stages," she said.

Earlier this week, CIPD called for companies to introduce voluntary equal pay structures after government statistics revealed that men in the UK were paid 12 per cent more than women for doing the same job.

Updated: 16 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

A human resources (HR) director at Islington Council is facing charges of bullying and harassment, it has been reported.

According to Personnel Today, Maria King, who holds the top HR job with the council, has been accused of discrimination by her own team members.

It is reported that the investigation into her behaviour is also looking into financial irregularities, with a report into the accusations due in front of council chiefs within the next few days.

A spokesman for the council said: "We won't comment on allegations about confidential staff matters.

"Speaking generally, Islington Council takes staff complaints seriously and will investigate them thoroughly."

Earlier this month, a HR director at a North London school resigned after it emerged a headteacher had received around £600,000 in illegal bonuses.

Michelle Bishop left the Copland Community School in Wembley, along with shamed headmaster Sir Alan Davies, who received the money in addition to a £103,000 a year salary.

Updated: 12 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People in HR jobs have been given a warning about the prevalence of bullying in the workplace.

Trade union Unison has revealed that more than one in three workers have suffered from workplace bullying in the past six months, a figure that is double the amount that was recorded in 1997.

In worrying news for staff in HR jobs, every single one of the 7,000 people interviewed for the poll said that they believed bullying is embedded in workplace culture.

Dave Prentis, Unison general secretary, said: "The fact that bullying has doubled in the past decade is shocking".

"It makes sound moral and financial sense to look after your workforce."

Unison is now calling for employment law to be changed to include an anti-bullying policy in the current Dignity in the Workplace Bill.

Last week, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence told businesses they could save up to £250,000 a year by tackling work-related stress more effectively.

Updated: 09 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Staff working in HR jobs have been warned that discrimination laws may be open to abuse following a landmark ruling.

Earlier this week, a judge ruled in favour of man hoping to pursue an employment claim against his former employers on the grounds that his views on climate change should be subject to the same protection as religious beliefs.

Tim Nicholson, a former head of sustainability at property company Grainger, is claiming he was sacked from the firm because of his environmental beliefs.

Speaking after the ruling, Mr Nicholson's solicitor Shah Qureshi said that the judgement meant belief in man-made climate change can be classed as capable of being a philosophical conviction.

Helen Giles, HR director for homeless charity Broadway, told Personnel Today that the rules were preposterous as "belief is a totally subjective thing."

"The way they have been drafted and the way legislature is interpreting them is leaving the field wide open for people to abuse them left, right and centre," she claimed.

Updated: 06 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Jobs in HR have remained fairly resilient during the economic downturn and now the industry is now starting to show signs of recovery, according to the HR Society.

Andrew Mayo, chairman of the HR Society, said he was not surprised there had been a reported increase in HR vacancies last month.

According to an Ashdown Group survey, HR vacancies rose by more than 11 per cent in October.

Mr Mayo said that HR jobs had suffered during the financial crisis as companies sought to cut back, but the industry had not been as badly hit as other sectors.

"There is often more HR work to be done when organisations are contracting," he explained.

"Compared to IT over the last year, the HR market has been relatively resilient for permanent positions, being less dependent on sub-contractors."

Mr Mayo said he expected to see the encouraging signs of recovery continue in early 2010, when companies would begin post-holiday hiring and set their budget agreements for the year.

Updated: 03 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Those in human resources (HR) jobs should be helping employees in their care to control their stress levels, according to one medical expert.

The Health and Safety Executive has recently revealed that work-related stress is the UK's second biggest occupational health problem, with almost 500,000 workers suffering from the issue during the 2007/08 financial year.

Speaking to the Guardian, Dr Jenny Leeser, a clinical director at Bupa, said that stressed-out workers should turn to those in HR jobs for help.

"The important thing is to have a word with management, HR or occupational health," she suggested to workers who may be suffering from the experience.

"Discuss how any work-related issues - whether it's too much work, not enough work or problem relationships - can be improved."

Last month, Stephen Overell, associate director of the Work Foundation, told Personnel Today that another thing HR staff could do to help employees was to better inform them about their employment rights regarding issues such as holiday entitlement.

Updated: 02 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Human resources (HR) workers should be forced to respond to every job applicant, according to a Labour MP who has tabled a motion in Parliament on the issue.

Ashok Kumar, who represents Middleborough South and Cleveland East, said it was extremely demoralising for job applicants not to receive replies and HR staff should take time to acknowledge all jobseekers who have sought a position at their company.

"Employers should be legally compelled to contact all applicants both to acknowledge receipt of application and again after selection has been made to notify applicants whether they have been successful," he said in a motion presented to the House of Commons.

Mr Kumar, who lost his parliamentary seat in 1992 before being re-elected in 1997 when the party returned to power, is a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party Trade and Industry Committee.

But his Early Day Motion has only received support from seven other MPs so far.

Updated: 02 November 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Staff in human resources (HR) jobs need to do more to promote employment rights among workers under their jurisdiction, according to an employment thinktank.

Speaking to Personnel Today, Stephen Overell, associate director of the Work Foundation, said: "Ensuring people know their rights is a simple, straightforward bit of good that HR can do that is more practically useful than creating stacks of new policies and procedures."

Earlier this week, a report from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed that more than 20 per cent of workers did not feel they were fully aware of all their employment rights, especially in relation to issues such as holiday entitlement and working hours.

The study also stated that, in the past five years, around 30 per cent of workers had been involved in an employment rights issue at work.

Under UK employment law, people working five-day weeks are entitled to 28 days of holiday leave per year.

Updated: 29 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Those in human resources jobs on charity and voluntary boards get paid almost ten per cent more than other directors, according to new research.

Human resources and personnel directors took home an average annual salary of £75,000, almost £7,000 more than the average pay for directors of all kind in the sector.

More than 175 organisations and nearly 30,000 employees were interviewed for the 2009 Annual Voluntary Sector Salary Survey conducted by salary analyst CELRE, reports Personnel Today.

The study also revealed that the average pay of chief executives at organisations whose turnover was more than £50 million each year was close to £100,000 a year.

Those chief executives also received annual bonus payments equivalent to 9.5 per cent of their annual salary.

Last week, another CELRE survey revealed that almost one-quarter of employees face a pay freeze this year, a large rise on the six per cent of companies that carried out pay freezes

Updated: 29 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Staff should be warned about their conduct at the Christmas party by their employers, according to an industry expert.

Human resources managers have been told that they should warn their staff about how they behave at the Christmas party, especially as employers still have a duty of care to their employees during such events.

Ben Wilmott, senior public policy advisor for The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said human resources departments needed to be aware that their company could fall foul of the law if cases of occupational bullying or sexual harassment take place during a party.

"Employers need to remind staff of their responsibilities before the Christmas party just to make sure those sorts of issues hopefully don't arise," he said.

He added that employers should try to ensure their staff did not drink on an empty stomach by providing food and soft drinks at the party.

According to legal firm Dickinson Dees, employers should issue clear guidelines to staff before any such event in order to protect themselves from potential compensation claims.

Updated: 28 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People looking for permanent and temporary jobs in London could be set to benefit from rising optimism among business leaders.

Research by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry found that more than half of company bosses in the British capital are feeling more optimistic than they were three months ago.

Speaking to BBC News, chief executive Colin Stainbridge said this has been partly fuelled by growing confidence in the wider economy.

However, he added that the overall level of optimism is still relatively low in comparison with surveys in previous years.

"Things are still nowhere near back to where they were before the recession took hold," Mr Stainbridge commented.

The findings coincide with news that the economy continued to contract between July and September, shrinking by 0.4 per cent.

Chancellor Alistair Darling said this shows the economy is "not out of the woods yet", although he added that he believes confidence is on the rise.

Updated: 23 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Human resources and IT jobs in Whitehall could be privatised, according to media reports.

The government is considering outsourcing back office functions for the Civil Service, reports Sky News.

Around 30,000 IT and human resources jobs would be affected in a move that could have the potential to save taxpayers millions, as the new companies would provide a cheaper service.

The government believes that privatisation could also be highly lucrative for the public purse as the new companies would be floated on the stock market.

Mark Kleinman, Sky's City editor, said: "These companies would essentially take over traditional Whitehall back office functions like human resources, IT and potentially part of the government's vast property portfolio."

The rumoured move would form part of Labour's attempts to cut the UK's budget deficit.

Earlier this week, Gordon Brown announced a £16 billion asset sale would take place in an attempt to begin combating the deficit.

Updated: 13 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Human resources bosses have struck back at a journalist who used his weekly column to claim that 90 per cent of human resources jobs should be got rid of.

Sathnam Sanghera said in the Times that human resources work is not worth the number of salaries, conferences and job created by the industry.

While acknowledging there was some truth in his observations on the self-obsession of the sector, human resources experts said there was another side to the story he presents.

Alan McGillivray, human resources group director at house builder The Gladedale Group, told Personnel Today: "The economic turmoil has had a positive impact on the perception of human resources, but only for those human resources leaders and teams who have risen to the challenges presented by the seismic shifts across UK Plc."

Neil Morrison, group human resources director at publisher Random House Group, agreed with Mr McGillivray and said that there were good and bad human resources professionals, just as there were good and bad journalists.

Updated: 13 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Human resources challenges will face some top companies in the next decade as once-powerful brands struggle to attract top talent, according to research.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey found that trust between employees and employers had been damaged by the effects of the recession on some companies.

Jon Terry, head of reward and a partner at PwC, which won employee benefits consultant of the year at the FT pensions and investor provider awards, said: "Pay and promotion freezes, changes to pension schemes, cuts in recruitment and slashed training budgets, combined with poor communication, have eroded the bonds of trust."

But he said those companies which had managed to retain the trust of their employees during the recession would face fewer human resources challenges in the future.

He said businesses which had offered their employees new opportunities and engaged their workers were set to be the long-term winners when the UK escapes the economic downturn.

More than 700 workers were interviewed for the survey, with almost half saying they understood their employers had to make tough decisions in the recession.

Updated: 13 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People working in human resources jobs have received new guidance on how to deal with Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) issues.

The guidance has been launched by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) with the aim of helping human resources workers involved in business transfers and service provison changes.

It believes that although TUPE guidelines already exist, there is a lack of practical information available for those in human resources jobs.

The guidance sets out minimum standards that should be met by all parties during the preparation and transfer of staff between businesses.

Ben Willmott, senior public policy adviser at CIPD and editor of the guide, said: "In too many instances managers have to rely on trial and error which creates real risks that service delivery will be compromised."

TUPE regulations have existed since 1981 to provide employment rights to employees when their employer changes.

The powers of TUPE regulation were revised and broadened in 2006 by the government.

Updated: 13 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

People looking for permanent jobs in London have been advised to tailor their CV to the role they are applying for.

According to London South Bank University, jobseekers need to make a "real effort" to alter aspects of their CV
                               each time they send it out.

Margaret Holbrough, careers advisor at the institution, said this would make it obvious to recruiters that they have written it specifically for that company or industry.

"They should try and identify and emphasise their unique selling point with reference to that industry," she commented.

Ms Holbrough urged applicants to ensure their CV fully reflects the requirements of the organisation as described in the job advert or company website.

She added that people seeking permanent jobs could also research whether the firm they are applying to has specific values or policies, such as a firm stance on the environment.

Applicants could then mention on their CV or covering letter that they want to work for an organisation which shares their own values.

This comes after the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development forecast a gradual increase in net job creation in the UK.

Updated: 08 October 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news.

Britons looking for permanent jobs in London will welcome further news that the economy may be recovering from its recent slump.

Official figures this week revealed that between April and June, the rate of economic contraction fell to 0.6 per cent.

Analysts had widely expected a 0.7 per cent decline, which means the economy performed better than some had forecast.

Alastair Darling, the chancellor of the exchequer, has already expressed optimism that the UK's economic recovery will be underway by the turn of the year.

"Germany, France and Japan are showing signs of growth," he said at the Labour Party conference in Brighton.

"Many independent forecasters believe the UK too is coming out of recession."

Meanwhile, chief secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne has commended the government for saving thousands of permanent jobs during the economic slump, BBC News reports.

However, he told delegates at the conference that Labour should not ease its support for the economy when it begins to pick up again.

Updated: 30 September 2009.
Categories: human-resources, international, market-and-industry-news.

People looking for permanent jobs in London have been boosted by further forecasts of improving economic conditions.

According to prime minister Gordon Brown, signs of growth in the economy are likely to be seen before the end of
this year.

However, he said that the government will continue with its current policies until it is certain that the economy has fully recovered from its recent slump.

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, Mr Brown said: "We will continue to maintain the fiscal stimulus, as all other countries are doing around the world."

Unemployment in the UK is currently at 2.47 million - the highest level in 14 years.

However, Mr Brown's optimistic assessment that the recession may be over is in line with other views that have been expressed in recent weeks.

Earlier this week, the CBI predicted that in the third quarter of 2009, gross domestic product in Britain will go up by 0.3 per cent.

Updated: 29 September 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Human resources professionals need to use long-term thinking when developing staffing solutions during the recession.

That was one of the conclusions of a study conducted by the Henley Human Resources Centre of Excellence to discover what businesses consider the most important issues for their human resources function to focus on in the current economic conditions. Researchers based at the Henley Business School found company directors expect to be able to rely on their human resources staff to find the right balance between cutting costs and recruiting and retaining talented workers.

They also discovered that companies want human resources departments to improve their own efficiency, to develop support structures to help workers deal with the pressures of the economic downturn, and to give more consideration to the business's reputation when making decisions. The findings come just weeks after the European Leadership Programme published the results of a survey which showed that 42 per cent of employees believe their company's chief executive needs additional human resources support.

Updated: 28 September 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

 People looking for permanent jobs in sectors such as human resources have been advised that a gradual increase in net job creation is likely to occur.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the British economy is beginning to show signs of picking up following its recent slump.

The organisation is therefore forecasting a "jobs-light recovery", which means there will be a "slow grind" back towards the pre-recession rate of unemployment over the next six years.

John Philpott, chief economist at CIPD, has therefore advised the government to "maintain expansionary fiscal and monetary policies for as long as necessary".

This, he stated, is of "vital importance" to the UK economy and the permanent jobs market.

The forecast comes shortly after KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reported a marginal increase in permanent and temporary job appointments in Britain during August.

Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, hailed this as a sign that the UK jobs market is improving.

"When speaking to clients they are more receptive to our calls and they are all feeling slightly more positive, a lot of clients are commenting once we get in to the New Year this will move even quicker." Comments Susan Guthrie, Human Resources General Manager at Poolia

Updated: 25 September 2009.
Categories: human-resources, jobs, market-and-industry-news, permanent-placement.

Businesses cannot afford to stop investing in Human Resources (HR) during the recession, experts have insisted.

According to the European Leadership Plan (ELP), chief executives must consider three factors in equal measure to ensure their company survives the downturn - finances, strategy and people.

Ashley Ward, founder of the organisation, said this means that businesses must invest in their workforce, as they are their "number one asset".

"Your team may not recognise the role that HR plays within the company every day but they do realise when it's lacking and their motivation wanes," he commented.

The comments came after a poll by ELP found that only five per cent of employees consider HR to be an important skill for chief executives to possess in the current economic climate.

This coincides with a separate poll by Talent2 and Ipsos Mori, which found that more than half of HR directors in the UK expect the economic situation to improve over the next year, reports HRMagazine.

Updated: 24 September 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.

Two London authorities are to merge their human resources departments to boost efficiency and cut costs.

The human resources departments of two authorities in London are to be combined as part of a money-saving exercise.

Merton and Sutton Borough Councils are expecting the merger to save them a combined total of £500,000 a year.

According to John Drage of Sutton Council, this is the first time such a project has been undertaken in London.

"By working together, we can pool our resources, leading to service improvement and significant cost savings," he commented.

This, he said, would represent a very good deal for taxpayers living in the area.

Meanwhile, Samantha George of Merton Council noted that bringing the two teams together would make working processes more efficient.

She said the merger could "transform" the way human resources departments work in the long term.

"We'll ensure we can provide even better services at a price residents can afford," Ms George added.

This comes after Personnel Today reported that Tower Hamlets is looking to save £1 million a year by centralising its human resources transactional services.

Updated: 24 September 2009.
Categories: human-resources, market-and-industry-news.