http://www.personneltoday.com/en-gbFri, 16 May 2008 17:05:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45873/employer-relief-as-mandatory-level-2-training-threat-is-put-back-five-years.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45873/employer-relief-as-mandatory-level-2-training-threat-is-put-back-five-years.html The threat of employers having to provide mandatory training has been significantly delayed after the government pushed back the date by which the skills commission will report on the issue. Buried in the detail of WednesdaFri, 16 May 2008 17:05:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45897/automatic-enrolment-into-workplace-personal-pensions-gets-approval-from-ec-experts-and-ministers.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45897/automatic-enrolment-into-workplace-personal-pensions-gets-approval-from-ec-experts-and-ministers.html Experts and ministers have welcomed confirmation by the European Commission that automatic enrolment into workplace personal pensions will be allowed under EU law - but say more can be done to support employees. Secretary oFri, 16 May 2008 17:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45896/friday-podcast-imelda-walsh-on-flexible-working-queens-speech-latest-and-university-sleeping.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45896/friday-podcast-imelda-walsh-on-flexible-working-queens-speech-latest-and-university-sleeping.html HR news and analysis including: Imelda Walsh talks exclusively to Personnel Today on the flexible working review to extend the right to request flexbileFri, 16 May 2008 16:58:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45895/hr-outsourcing-provider-capita-to-double-india-workforce-in-2008.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45895/hr-outsourcing-provider-capita-to-double-india-workforce-in-2008.html HR outsourcing provider Capita plans to double the number of people it employs in India by the endFri, 16 May 2008 16:19:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45890/enforced-smiling-in-the-workplace-puts-health-at-risk.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45890/enforced-smiling-in-the-workplace-puts-health-at-risk.html Smiling too much at work can seriously damage your health, German scientists have claimed. Researchers at a university in Germany - where the right to be surly is almost a national pastime - now claimFri, 16 May 2008 11:46:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45884/call-to-set-up-timetable-to-scrap-statutory-retirement-age.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45884/call-to-set-up-timetable-to-scrap-statutory-retirement-age.html Calls for a formal timetable for the removal of the mandatory retirement age have come after a national survey found workers in the UK wanted to work longer. HSBC's Future of Retirement study, conducted by the OxfoFri, 16 May 2008 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45889/boffin-breaches-data-protection-act-and-gets-embroiled-in-family-drama.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45889/boffin-breaches-data-protection-act-and-gets-embroiled-in-family-drama.html Lancaster University reprimanded its head of economics professor Geraint Johnes for breaching data protection rules by telling a concerned mother about hFri, 16 May 2008 10:57:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45879/prison-service-teams-up-with-equalities-commission-to-tackle-sexual-harassment.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45879/prison-service-teams-up-with-equalities-commission-to-tackle-sexual-harassment.html The Prison Service has launched a crackdown on sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination as part of an action plan agreed with the equalities watchdog. <A href="http://83.137.212.42/sitearchive/eoc/Docs/Agreement_HMPrFri, 16 May 2008 10:51:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45887/nhs-workforce-director-general-seeks-hr-input-on-reforms.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45887/nhs-workforce-director-general-seeks-hr-input-on-reforms.html NHS workforce director-general Clare Chapman has called for fellow HR professionals to help her reform people management in the health service. She gave HR directors from across the nation a sneak preFri, 16 May 2008 10:09:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45886/friends-provident-offloads-pension-assets-in-350m-deal.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45886/friends-provident-offloads-pension-assets-in-350m-deal.html Insurance firm Friends Provident has offloaded part of its pension scheme liabilities in a £350m deal with Norwich Union. The buyout is the <A href="http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/02/20/Fri, 16 May 2008 09:59:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45853/weekly-dilemma-random-alcohol-screening.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45853/weekly-dilemma-random-alcohol-screening.html I am the HR manager of a large UK manufacturer and our employees use a lot of heavy machinery. I am concerned about the amount of lunchtime boozing that takes place regularly among staff and am considering introducing random tests for insuFri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45854/legal-qa-sex-discrimination-compensation-payments.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45854/legal-qa-sex-discrimination-compensation-payments.html The case of top City lawyer Gill Switalski, who won a record £13.4m in compensation for sex discrimination...Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45858/staff-disputes-the-employer-strikes-back.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45858/staff-disputes-the-employer-strikes-back.html What action can an employer legally take when a dispute escalates into industrial action? There is no right to strike under English law, but you wouldn't know it judging by the number of industrial actions over the past feFri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45859/case-of-the-week-enforcing-eu-law-against-public-sector-employers.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45859/case-of-the-week-enforcing-eu-law-against-public-sector-employers.html Impact v Ministry for Agriculture and Food (Ireland) and others A European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision has made it easier to enforce directly effective EU law against public sector employers where national legislation hFri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45885/employers-show-strong-interest-in-national-staff-dismissal-register-to-check-potential-workers-past-career-history.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/16/45885/employers-show-strong-interest-in-national-staff-dismissal-register-to-check-potential-workers-past-career-history.html A national blacklist of retail employees sacked for dishonesty is up and running, and could soon be extended to other sectors, Personnel Today has learnt. Mike Schuck, chief executive of campaign group Action AgainFri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45878/minister-admits-fit-for-work-recommendation-of-black-review-is-on-the-agenda.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45878/minister-admits-fit-for-work-recommendation-of-black-review-is-on-the-agenda.html The government is already looking into the feasibility of piloting a 'fit for work' service, one of the key planks of the Black Review. National director for health and work Dame Carol Black's <A href="www.workingforhealthThu, 15 May 2008 16:04:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45877/morrisons-saves-3.4m-by-energising-staff-to-reduce-carbon-footprint.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45877/morrisons-saves-3.4m-by-energising-staff-to-reduce-carbon-footprint.html Morrisons has trained more than 110,000 staff in energy awareness as part of drive to drastically reduce its carbon footprint, it was revealed last week. The supermarket giant's <A href="http://www.morrisons.co.uk/CorporaThu, 15 May 2008 16:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45866/government-to-extend-flexible-working-rights-to-staff-with-children-up-to-age-of-16.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45866/government-to-extend-flexible-working-rights-to-staff-with-children-up-to-age-of-16.html The government has announced that the right to request flexible working will be extended to staff with children up to the age of 16. Business secretary John Hutton has accepted the recommendations of Sainsbury's HR directorThu, 15 May 2008 15:19:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45876/staff-retention-levels-to-improve-at-royal-mail-as-credit-crunch-bites.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45876/staff-retention-levels-to-improve-at-royal-mail-as-credit-crunch-bites.html Royal Mail's HR director has predicted that the current economic downturn will be good for the organisation's retention levels. Dermot Toberty, diThu, 15 May 2008 14:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45871/national-work-from-home-day-could-see-five-million-workers-absent-from-office.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/05/15/45871/national-work-from-home-day-could-see-five-million-workers-absent-from-office.html National Work from Home Day today kicks off national Work Wise Week, with many employees taking the opportunity to work from home. Up Thu, 15 May 2008 10:30:00 GMT