A month is a long time in HR. We look back at the highs and lows of May
HIGH
2 May
Big news for those of you bogged down in trying to prove return on investment on recruitment, training, etc. Leading measurement buffs at the Royal Bank of Scotland admit that its multi-million pound leadership school was an “investment in a belief”. Throw away your calculators and just go with it.
RBS invests in belief that staff development will bring returns
LOW
5 May
John Rutherford has his case for sex discrimination on grounds of age thrown out of the House of Lords, meaning businesses are free to treat older staff unfavourably until October. Are some companies so awash with staff they feel content to fire older workers just for being old? Could they point the rest of us to this secret stash of candidates?
House of Lords ruling paves way for pre-October cull of older staff
LOW
16 May
Three out of four companies still ignore the impact a loss of staff will have on their business in the event of a crisis, according to research. Technology is still the number one concern, with little thought about who is actually going to run it in the aftermath of a disaster. “Sneezing swan brings UK industry to its knees.” You have been warned.
Staff still ignored in crisis planning for disasters: business continuity plans ignore impact of losing staff
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LOW
23 May
All the methods you use to pick staff are rubbish. Two-thirds of HR think one-to-one interviews are no good, 78% said psychometric testing was nonsense, and almost all (90%) thought panel interviews were drivel. Tarot reading, astrology and Ouija boards are set to take over – at least that’s what it says in Personnel Today’s crystal ball.
HR’s role in recruitment called into question by shock survey
HIGH
25 May
The long-awaited White Paper on pensions reform means employers will pay billions into pension funds. But if it averts future mass poverty in retirement, even the toughest boardroom Scrooge should feel a tinge of relief for the Tiny Tims in their workforce.
Government releases White Paper on pensions reforms