HR practice
IR35: HMRC’s defence of status tool is like ‘climate change denial’
Campaigners have accused HM Revenue & Customs of acting in a manner “akin to climate change denial” in its defence...
Bullying in the workplace:setting unrealistic targets
Bullying in the workplace does not need to be aggressive or overt to cause real distress to employees, and sticky legal situations for employers. Setting unrealistic targets can also be interpreted as bullying, warns Kate Hilpern.
Amazon investors told to press for better working conditions
Investors have been urged to put pressure on Amazon to improve working conditions at its UK warehouses, following reports that...
Employee relations
Court of Appeal to hear unlawful inducements case
An employer that was found to have breached trade union regulations by directly approaching workers with a pay deal and...
RMT union secures two-year pay deal with Network Rail
The RMT Union has won an above-inflation pay deal with Network Rail and has written to the track and infrastructure...
Outsourced government workers strike over pay
Outsourced workers at two government departments are striking over low pay and changes to pay cycles which a union has...
Diversity and equal opportunities
Oxford University’s retirement age not discriminatory, tribunal finds
A former Oxford University academic who was forced to retire at 67 has lost his claim for unfair dismissal and...
Culture shift needed to tackle discrimination against visibly-different staff
A significant culture shift, driven by leadership teams, is needed to tackle...
A third of BAME employees asked to westernise their name
Almost one in three ethnic minority employees have been asked to adopt a ‘Western’ work name by a manager –...
Learning and development
Employees keen to get to grips with future of work
Companies need to do more to prepare employees for the future of work – but employees have a “keen sense...
MPs urge radical improvements in apprenticeships
MPs have strongly criticised the government’s apprenticeship programme, in particular its focus on higher level placements and failure to meet the needs of smaller employers.
Introduce a social purpose to business and reap the career rewards
A programme that seeks to introduce the know-how and vision of business leaders with charities found that the businesses experienced gained as much as the charities in terms of recruitment, skills and development.
Pay and benefits
IR35: HMRC’s defence of status tool is like ‘climate change denial’
Campaigners have accused HM Revenue & Customs of acting in a manner “akin to climate change denial” in its defence...
Academic staff suffer ‘epidemic’ of poor mental health
There is an “epidemic” of poor mental health among higher education staff, according to Freedom of Information requests gathered from...
Pay awards overtaken by inflation
The recent jump in the retail prices index (RPI) to 3% means that pay awards are falling slightly behind inflation,...
Recruitment and retention
Recruitment: how overconfidence can suppress social mobility
Confidence may be a welcome attribute in a job applicant but overconfidence, suggests new research, can drive inequalities, stifle social...
Young people critical of lack of diversity and social mobility
Two-thirds of young people feel they have to conceal or change who they really are in order to make a good impression and find a job at many businesses.
Why ‘talent’ is no longer a useful term for business
As the requirements for future leaders change, is it time to do away with the concept of focusing only on a select few?
Strategy
A third of BAME employees asked to westernise their name
Almost one in three ethnic minority employees have been asked to adopt a ‘Western’ work name by a manager –...
Employees keen to get to grips with future of work
Companies need to do more to prepare employees for the future of work – but employees have a “keen sense...
Outsourced government workers strike over pay
Outsourced workers at two government departments are striking over low pay and changes to pay cycles which a union has...
Technology
Blurring of work and home life is the tip of the tech iceberg
New technology is often hailed as the UK’s economic saviour. But have we appreciated AI’s potential for radically altering workplace...
Turning up the heat on employees who tweet
In the aftermath of Danny Baker's sacking from the BBC this week Kirsty Cooke investigates how employers should handle their employees’ use of social media.
Future jobs will require the human touch, says Amber Rudd
More automation will allow employers to offer roles that require distinct “human sensibilities” and allow workers to be more creative
Global
Whistleblowing culture ‘firmly entrenched’ in the UK
Although 35% of UK businesses have no system in place for whistleblowing, a comparison with other economically similar nations in Europe shows that the UK is ahead of the curve.
Delta Airlines under fire over anti-union poster
American airline Delta, which operates 13 daily flights from the UK, has been heavily criticised in the US over posters encouraging workers not to spend money on union membership.
‘Extend whistleblowing protections in line with new EU law’
The government is being urged to adopt new EU whistleblowing legislation, to avoid the risk of UK whistleblowers being left behind.
