http://www.personneltoday.com/en-gbMon, 01 Dec 2008 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/12/01/48533/business-big-wigs-heap-praise-on-motivational-role-of-hr-in-tough-times.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/12/01/48533/business-big-wigs-heap-praise-on-motivational-role-of-hr-in-tough-times.html A trio of business leaders have spoken of the crucial role HR professionals have to play in keeping employees motivated during the economic crisis. <A href="http://www.diageo.com/en-row/NewsAndMedia/PressReleases/2000/PauMon, 01 Dec 2008 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/28/48537/finance-sector-admits-top-talent-could-now-shun-city-jobs.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/28/48537/finance-sector-admits-top-talent-could-now-shun-city-jobs.html The finance sector's image has been scarred, and it could be years before it becomes attractive to applicants again, a leading HR professional has warned. <A href="http://www.ibb.ubs.com/Meet_our_mngmt/maria_bentley.shtmlFri, 28 Nov 2008 10:09:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/24/48481/unison-loses-somerset-county-council-outsourcing-tribunal-case.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/24/48481/unison-loses-somerset-county-council-outsourcing-tribunal-case.html Unison has lost a tribunal case over allegations that Somerset County Council failed to consult properly with staff as part of a £400m shared-services deal. The trade union took the council to an employment tribuMon, 24 Nov 2008 11:08:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/21/48460/bradford-bingley-boss-praises-staff-commitment.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/21/48460/bradford-bingley-boss-praises-staff-commitment.html Bradford Bingley's chairman last week gave a glowing review of the crisis-hit bank's people culture. Richard Pym told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that staff had proved their commitment on the weekend the bankFri, 21 Nov 2008 08:43:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/20/48443/front-line-nhs-staff-asked-for-views-on-improving-healthcare-service.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/20/48443/front-line-nhs-staff-asked-for-views-on-improving-healthcare-service.html Doctors, nurses and other NHS staff are being called on to develop new standards to measure and improve the quality of care in the health service. Local NHS organisations are being encouraged to engage with staff to help dThu, 20 Nov 2008 13:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/19/48413/benetton-embraces-talent-management-to-drive-global-ambition.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/19/48413/benetton-embraces-talent-management-to-drive-global-ambition.html Clothes retailer Benetton has made talent management one of its top priorities as it aims to become "truly international", an HR manager has revealed. Gabriella Valentinotti,Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:47:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/19/48409/wtd-opt-out-axe-could-force-hotels-to-use-unpaid-labour-to-fill-gaps.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/19/48409/wtd-opt-out-axe-could-force-hotels-to-use-unpaid-labour-to-fill-gaps.html A luxury hotel chain will use work experience students to make up the overtime hours currently worked by permanent employees if the UK loses its opt-out to the <A href="http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/employment-legislWed, 19 Nov 2008 07:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/18/48411/talent-management-rethink-required-and-hr-needs-to-take-leading-role.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/18/48411/talent-management-rethink-required-and-hr-needs-to-take-leading-role.html HR practitioners have been advised to rethink how to get the most out of employees during a period of economic uncertainty. Lars DalgaTue, 18 Nov 2008 09:53:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/17/48389/uk-jobs-on-the-line-as-citigroup-axes-52000-jobs.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/17/48389/uk-jobs-on-the-line-as-citigroup-axes-52000-jobs.html More than 2,000 UK jobs could be on the line as US banking giant Citigroup looks to axe 52,000 jobs. A 25-page document posted on the bank's websMon, 17 Nov 2008 16:26:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/17/48375/flexible-working-doubts-grow-as-government-fails-to-commit-to-walsh-review.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/17/48375/flexible-working-doubts-grow-as-government-fails-to-commit-to-walsh-review.html The government has been urged to stop dithering and make a quick decision on the new flexible working laws as employers look for grains of certainty about 2009. The conMon, 17 Nov 2008 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/14/45730/friday-podcast-flexible-working-christmas-redundancies-and-tribunals-for-line-managers.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/14/45730/friday-podcast-flexible-working-christmas-redundancies-and-tribunals-for-line-managers.html HR news and analysis including: as the consultation on whether to extend the right to request flexible working to parents with kids aged 16 or under closes, employers' groups have called for clarity on what exactly wiFri, 14 Nov 2008 15:26:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/14/48359/microsofts-hr-chief-aims-to-inspire-new-breed-of-it-girl.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/14/48359/microsofts-hr-chief-aims-to-inspire-new-breed-of-it-girl.html Microsoft's new HR chief has vowed to get more women into IT jobs at the software giant as one of her first priorities. Sarah Fisher, <A href="http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/11/04/48195/microsoft-wins-over-toFri, 14 Nov 2008 07:56:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/13/48356/ppma-teams-up-with-scots-for-joined-up-approach-to-people-policies.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/13/48356/ppma-teams-up-with-scots-for-joined-up-approach-to-people-policies.html The Public Sector People Managers' Association (PPMA) is teaming up with its Scottish equivalent, the Society of Personnel Directors Scotland (SPDS) to co-operate on the development of consistent policies. The new partnersThu, 13 Nov 2008 11:12:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/13/48355/productivity-hit-by-personal-finance-stress.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/13/48355/productivity-hit-by-personal-finance-stress.html More than a third of workers are suffering from stress due to problems with personal finances, research has found. A poll of 200 HR professionals by insurance giant AXA also found that respondents in almost a quarter of fiThu, 13 Nov 2008 11:08:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/13/48338/100000-whitehall-hr-scam-leads-mps-to-slam-weak-controls-at-treasury.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/13/48338/100000-whitehall-hr-scam-leads-mps-to-slam-weak-controls-at-treasury.html A group of influential MPs has criticised the Treasury for a weak internal control system that led to a senior official paying his wife almost £100,000 for HR consultancy work. David Partridge, former chief operating officThu, 13 Nov 2008 07:34:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/12/48310/prime-time-tv-ads-aim-to-boost-take-up-of-train-to-gain-initiative.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/12/48310/prime-time-tv-ads-aim-to-boost-take-up-of-train-to-gain-initiative.html The government has launched a TV advertising campaign to encourage employers to continue training staff during the economic downturn. Costing £2.4m, the prime-time ad blitz will highlight its Train to Gain support service iWed, 12 Nov 2008 08:32:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/11/48304/boat-manufacturer-cuts-staff-hours-to-stay-afloat.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/11/48304/boat-manufacturer-cuts-staff-hours-to-stay-afloat.html Luxury yacht builder Fairline Boats has drastically cut the hours of hundreds of workers due to the economic crisis. The Northamptonshire firm has announced that four of the its five production lines will work jTue, 11 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/10/48265/sloppy-hr-costs-government-4.3m-in-staff-fraud-cases.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/10/48265/sloppy-hr-costs-government-4.3m-in-staff-fraud-cases.html HR blunders were partly to blame for staff fraud and theft, costing government departments £4.3m last year. An official study out last week found that <A href="http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/11/04/48197/goverMon, 10 Nov 2008 07:43:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/10/48286/city-hr-undermined-as-non-exec-directors-exploit-crisis-to-take-charge.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/10/48286/city-hr-undermined-as-non-exec-directors-exploit-crisis-to-take-charge.html The global financial crisis has caused City HR professionals to lose their grip on making key bonus decisions, experts have claimed. Sophie Black, director, performance and reward at accountancy firm Ernst Young, saiMon, 10 Nov 2008 07:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/07/48274/recruitment-industry-marks-a-record-year-with-27bn-turnover.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/11/07/48274/recruitment-industry-marks-a-record-year-with-27bn-turnover.html Turnover in the UK's recruitment industry hit a record high of more than £27bn between 2007 and 2008, according to its annual report. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) <A href="http://www.rec.uk.com/aboFri, 07 Nov 2008 07:44:00 GMT