The Work Clinic

I still remember how aggrieved a friend was when 'Abbey National' became 'Abbey'. She didn't feel that a girl's name was appropriate for an august building society. I haven't asked her yet about the latest news - that Abbey is to become 'Santander', reflecting its Spanish ownership - but I doubt she will be impressed. If a customer is annoyed, how will an employee feel when their place of work is rebranded?

For many people, it's about more than just a name. It's about the identity and the ethos of the organisation. And if a company has spent years building up a brand and a culture, what happens when it suddenly disappears, or is swamped by another, stronger, identity? Abbey has been subsumed by a brand that while well known overseas, has little profile here - so how will staff react? There's the potential impact on recruitment, too - regardless of the economic situation, applicants will be looking for a strong employer brand.  What part should HR play in establishing the new corporate identity - and how?

Much is said and written about diversity, but when it comes to people with disabilities, the focus tends to be on what they can and can't do. But a former worker is suing posh preppy clothes chain Abercrombie & Fitch over their reaction to how she looks.

Law student Riam Dean claims that she was sent to work in the stock room of the chain's Savile Row branch in London because wearing a cardigan (as suggested by a colleague) to cover a prosthetic arm was breaking the company's 'look policy'. Dean also claims that staff are issued with a guidebook outlining how they should look at work, from how they wear their hair to the length of their fingernails.  A spokeswoman for Abercrombie & Fitch has stated that Dean's version of events is inaccurate.

A tribunal is due to begin this week, and regardless of the rights and wrongs of the parties involved, the thought of someone being discriminated against because of any aspect of their appearance is a sobering one. Not only for the workplace, but for society.

Sequins, thigh-slapping, and innuendos aren't usually associated with professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), but it was high camp all the way at last night's panto.

Bizarrely, it was my first panto, so I approached it with some hesitance and not a little trepidation. But within 10 minutes I was singing along and within 20 I was shouting 'she's behind you' with the best of them.

And what a panto. Who knew that Cinderella sang Amy Winehouse numbers, that one of the seven dwarves was French (and one Welsh), or that Cinders' childhood nurse, Dame Doitall (pictured) had access to Madonna's wardrobe (namely the gold conical Jean-Paul Gaultier bra).

It had it all - familiar songs, sharp dance routines, great costumes, clever sets and gusto by the bucketful.

The only thing missing was a list of job titles on the programme - I would love to have known what those dwarves did for a living. Accountant, economist, auditor?

This was PwC's 24th panto season. And while the performers and stage-hands are all staff, the audience included 5,000 under 10-year-olds, drawn from inner city schools and charities across London.

I've already asked for an invitation for next year's ... 

One in three jobseekers believe the HR department of their previous employer mishandled their redundancy, according to a survey.

Findings from the survey, by careerplan4.me, which provides jobseeking support for professionals, include:

• 29% of respondents rated the handling of their redundancy as poor
• 22% of their ex-employers didn't have an HR department
• Just over half were given no extra support
• Just 20% were given outplacement services

Careerplan4.me's Richard Banks said: "Far too many HR departments aren't rising to the challenge of carrying out redundancies as well as possible, which potentially leaves those made redundant with damaging views about the organisation. Redundancy survivors may also dislike the way colleagues have been treated. It's a PR disaster waiting to happen."