Editors Blog

BNP list | No easy answers for CIPD to extremist question

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:01:41 +0000

Is being a member of a political party like the BNP compatible with the role of an HR professional? That, essentially, is the question the HR community is grappling with after it emerged a CIPD member was named as a British National Party activist "keen to help with resource management", on a leaked list.

Several HR directors contacted by Personnel Today insist the answer to the question is 'no' - and the institute must toughen up and be prepared to take action against members who hold such extreme views.

But others we spoke to stopped short of calling for the individual to be expelled as a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and that freedom of political choice should not be curtailed.

Redundancies | Christmas sack race will test HR

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:22:40 +0000

'Tis the season to make redundancies... if the massive job cuts of the last week or so are anything to go by. As the nightmare before Christmas becomes more of a reality by the minute for many firms, it's perhaps not surprising that 'redundancy' tops our list of search topics on Personneltoday.com

And it's the right season to swing the axe, according to one employment law expert, who controversially is claiming that making people redundant on Christmas Eve is the best time of year to deliver this unwanted news.

Max Bestley, of SAS Daniels, boldly asserts: "The best time for many people to be told they've lost their job, or for employers to make somebody redundant, is actually as close to Christmas as possible. Letting somebody go on Christmas Eve can be a massive blessing in disguise for all concerned," he says.

Gender Pay Gap | UK falls behind

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:38:24 +0000

What's going on in UK workplaces? Once again, it's lagging behind the rest of the continent.

The gap between men and women's pay has started to widen again, according to official government figures released on Friday.

Men are earning more than £2.33 per hour more than women on average, up 4.4% vs women's increase of 4.1%.

All the good work in the past few years is apparently now being undone.

NHS | HR chief Clare Chapman raises her profile

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:39:05 +0000

NHS HR chief Clare Chapman - in the news today for the controversy over her salary and pay rises of NHS management - has started to become more visible to the rest of the profession.

When Chapman first joined the NHS back in January 2007 after several years at Tesco she was exceptionally hard to pin down, with several requests for interviews filed (and seemingly ignored), and the odd speaking engagement here and there.

Her argument was that it's only worth talking when you've got something interesting to say. Fair enough - and we are starting to see Chapman boost her public profile and tell the HR profession - and the NHS workforce - what her vision is.

Top 10 HR tips for beating the recession

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:47:30 +0000

A survey of HR directors and business leaders by recruitment firm The MBS Group has produced what it calls 'Ten tactics for tough times'.

Those involved in the research were all at board or senior management level, within the retail, luxury, and consumer goods sectors. How useful these tactics actually are is open to debate, but they provide a useful barometer of the current thinking taking place in top firms.

Tactics For Tough Times

Ride the storm - preparing for difficult times but not currently planning large scale layoffs
See upside in downturn - the best business leaders see opportunities in turmoil
Show me the value - rapid response and appropriate price promotion are working for some
Pocket returns in pockets of growth - some sectors are positively booming, such as online, home entertainment and some luxury brands
Refocus on emerging markets - opportunities in Asia are attracting increased attention and investment whilst Europe and the US flounder
Keep up with customers - businesses must find a way to match or exceed customers' increasingly agile changes in behaviour
Hang on to talent - attracting the best talent is increasingly vital, but also becoming increasingly difficult
Empower your people - business leaders are recognising the value of experience, while also ensuring that their people have the right skills and training in place to survive and prepare for the upturn
Keep up morale - maintaining workforce morale will be a decisive benefit
Engage your staff - keep staff members on your side.

Unemployment | Just how many jobs will go?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:25:21 +0000

The publication of the latest UK jobs market figures has prompted renewed speculation of just how high unemployment will go.

Now standing at 1.82 million for the three months to September 2008, the prospect of two million out of work by Christmas is now very real. Earlier this week, 5,000 job cuts were announced in one day, with rumours that Vodafone is also preparing to swing the axe among its workforce.

CIPD chief economist John Philpott predicts that unemployment will hit at least 2.25 million by spring 2009, and potentially peak at near 3 million towards the end of the year. Combine this with the grim news that recruitment activity has virtually ground to a halt, and the outlook is bleak.

As my colleague Michael Carty on XpertHR's Employment Intelligence blog says, the next round of unemployment figures, due on 17 December, means that Christmas cheer could well be in short supply.

Politics | Dave 'magic' Cameron conjures up a tax treat

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:25:51 +0000

'Just call me Dave' David Cameron has got out his big gun and pointed it squarely at his own foot yet again by announcing a potentially vote-winning plan that he claims will boost jobs and cut unemployment and help employers by reducing their tax bill, all without impinging one iota on the lives of the many who are taxed (both financially and mentally) by the few egotists in prominent positions in UK politics.

Employers would get the tax cuts if they actively sought out the long-term unemployed, says Dovetail Dave, the workers' friend.

Of course, the Cameron tax miracle is not a new scheme - he's knocked it off some questionable fellows from Canada and the US - well known for their caring sharing treatment of long-term layabouts.

But ever the chancer-trying-to-look-important-when-he's-really-not-got-much-influence, Mystic Dave is calling on SuperGordo 'I'm not boring - just fiscally constrained' Brown to implement this idea RIGHT NOW. Which suggests that it's an ill-conceived mish-mash of a plan that's bound to land whoever implements it with egg on their face. Either that, or it's a true stroke of genius and Davo Cormorant really is a dodo and will shortly be walking around with a super-aerated foot.

But, of course, this is what's really known as toying with the lives of millions to score cheap political points. If only our politicians would grow up and start talking to each other, rather than spouting on to the media. Dangerous concept I know, but perhaps it's one that Dave 'concept' Cameron can claim as his own, before suggesting cross-party talks on all manner of pressing social subjects. But then that would be a sensible thing to do.

Personnel Today | Top 10 stories

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:04:16 +0000

Here's another of my infrequent lists of the Top 10 most visited stories on Personneltoday.com over the past week.

Unsurprisingly, our story about Ernst & Young running 'what not to wear' image workshops for its female staff topped the list. Guy Logan's story was also picked up by the Daily Mail and several other websites.

The list is the usual mix of tribunal cases, employment law, plus a bit of celebrity scandal thrown in with the Russell Brand / Jonathan Ross radio show furore. This is for the week commencing 3 November.

(due to technical probs the links aren't working on all stories, apologies).

Ernst & Young encourages image workshops for female staff
Muslim twins' discrimination case could lead to record payout
Job cuts at Leeds brewery leave Carlsberg staff crying into beer
CBI calls for MEPs to keep working time opt-out
MEPs vote to axe Working Time Directive opt-out
Staff put health at risk by working extra hours to beat credit crunch
Compulsory mediation could be used to curb rise in tribunals
Delay over Ross and Brand radio fiasco damages BBC reputation
Government departments lose £4.3m to staff fraud
Agency workers all-clear gives UK temps same rights as permanent staff

Social networks | An easy way out to cut staff?

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0000

A disturbing trend is emerging among companies looking to cut staff during the economic downturn.

It appears employers are cracking down on staff voicing their opinions online, saving money and avoiding all the redundancy red tape in the process.

Barack Obama | Proof of the real power of leadership

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:58:17 +0000

The race for the White House has been an intriguing study of leadership, with every action and every word judged and analysed for its meaning.

Barack Obama has been described as a leader with vision, who ignites passion, brings people together and wins hearts and minds.

A survey conducted by the leadership network Leaders in London found that out of 1,024 managers nationwide, 85% backed Obama over his rival John McCain. There's no doubt that Obama has the passion and ability to engage an audience, but being visionary is as much a desirable leadership trait as it is risky.

Economic crisis | HR's ability to lead will be closely scrutinised

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:23:19 +0000

The antics of Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were enough for many papers to shift the economic crisis off the front page last week, but for the HR community the challenges persist.

Talking to senior HR professionals at Personnel Today's HR Directors Club event in Oxford last week, it is evident they are battening down the hatches for a full-blown recession. That is, apart from the HR director at one leading tea manufacturer. Tea is, apparently, the ultimate recession-proof product, with people likely to drink more cuppas as they tighten their belts and make cutbacks elsewhere.

For those of you currently tasting something a bit more bitter than tea, this week's Personnel Today has articles examining the real nitty-gritty of HR's job.

Flu season | Return of the Man-Flu

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:12:42 +0000

With last week's frosty weather, a sense of foreboding has gripped the UK

The curse of 'man-flu' is right around the corner.

Often a point of comedy, experts now say that there is a case to be made for a male-only version of the flu.

Brand, Ross, Radio 2 | Where's the leadership?

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:16:52 +0000

The media-generated madness that has seen Russell Brand resign from his Radio 2 show and cost Jonathan Ross more than £1m in lost salary serves as a good example of how a lack of leadership has led to the BBC looking more like a pumped up, fat and feeble broadcaster, lacking in spine, editorial judgement and a sense of humour, rather than the pinnacle of broadcasting excellence that we all hoped it was.

Aside from the Brand/Ross skit not being particularly funny, and the moral outrage of actor Andrew Sach's granddaughter, the burlesque stripper and Satanic Slut 'Voluptua' - AKA Georgina Baillie what the debacle most clearly demonstrates is a complete lack of understanding of her role by the controller of Radio 2 Lesley Douglas who has now resigned.

Her resignation should be rejected and she should be forced to confront the issues the whole sorry affair has brought to light - including the fact that the programme ever got on air without proper scrutiny of anything resembling an editor. She presumably knows who gave the programme the nod or who avoided getting official approval and she should deal with them in the appropriate way.

And presumably, if she was such a great manager - as suggested by the tearful national irritant that is Chris Evans (which kind of confirms that perhaps she wasn't) - then she would have stuck around to deal with the problems, not run away.

Her jumping ship demonstrates how ineffective many managers are. And it's to BBC director-general Mark Thompson's credit that he's determined to stick around and sort things out, rather than bowing to the baying media mob.

Yet only last month, Peter Block, executive director of the Broadcast Training & Skills Regulator said in Personnel Today that the BBC had responded to changing needs and the phone-in scandals of the past year by "establishing a staff training programme, technical protections... and a strict code of conduct".

Presumably that code of conduct didn't stretch to broadcasting offensive prank phone calls.

England expects: legal aid

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Some solicitors in East Anglia - well three apparently - have banded together to form a legal unit at the English Lobby (EL) - a campaign group which, it says, promotes England and Englishness, a task worthy of Hercules, some would say.

The aptly named Alan England, of Norwich - or could it be Alan Norwich of England?- who heads the unit said: "For too long the protections provided by race relations legislation have not been enforced by English people. The English Lobby aims to right that wrong by providing access to free legal advice and assistance for all those aggrieved by anti-English discrimination."

Britishness | Gordon Brown's plans dropped

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:12:59 +0000

Plans for a 'Britishness Day' have been dropped by the goverment, probably to much relief from employers and anybody who doesn't like being told what, how and when to celebrate something.

The day was one of Gordon Brown's first ideas when he came to office and aimed to 'celebrate Britishness'. Whether that is actually something that us citizens should celebrate is another question altogether.

What is it to celebrate Britishness? A recognition of all things mediocre? A celebration of the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the developed world? To most it would be an excuse for an extra day off and a chance to rejoice in what we do best, sitting on our bottoms doing nothing.