Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Careers in HRLatest NewsEconomics, government & businessJob creation and lossesThe HR profession

HR staff redeployed internally rather than made redundant to retain skills

by Kat Baker 31 Mar 2009
by Kat Baker 31 Mar 2009

HR chiefs have doubled the number of HR staff they redeploy internally over the past year as a way of hanging on to key skills without making redundancies, research will reveal today.

The 2009 National Management Salary Survey, to be published by Personnel Today’s sister organisation Celre, in collaboration with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), shows that the ‘internal transfer’ rate within HR functions has practically doubled in the past year, rising to 8.1% – up from 4.3% in 2008, and 1.6% during the 1991 downturn.

The survey of 5,752 HR staff found that 5.2% of function heads had been transferred to work in crucial areas of the function, like talent management or restructuring, while just 1.2% had been made redundant in the past 12 months. The study also revealed that employers were particularly keen to retain junior staff, with 6.6% having been transferred, compared to the 1.3% made redundant.

Petra Wilton, director of policy and research at the CMI, said employers’ determination to retain skilled staff and focus on key services showed they were “growing up”.

“It is encouraging to see employers looking for ways to avoid redundancy rather than adding length to the dole queue without a second thought,” she said. “Perhaps it is because employers are finally beginning to recognise that retaining competence is a far more cost effective option than rebuilding a talented team from scratch.”

But the data also showed that the majority of employers are struggling to retain key staff, despite the global downturn, with just under half of the respondents blaming the salaries they can offer.

HR salary survey round-up

The median salary for an HR director now stands at £120,000, according to the Celre/CMI survey, while junior professionals can expect to take home just £21,112 (see salary barometer, left). Overall, however, take-home pay for HR practitioners has dropped by 1.8% on average to 4.8% (see chart above).

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Mark Crail, managing editor at Celre, said: “Employers are reacting quickly to the tough economic climate, with pay awards falling and many salary reviews this year resulting in pay freezes.

“Employers now need to move beyond pounds and pence to look at the other incentives they can offer within the overall remuneration package to motivate staff without breaking the bank.”

Kat Baker

previous post
How to deal with the holiday entitlement of an employee taking maternity leave
next post
HR directors to earn up to £156,000 in 2009

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+