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If there is one thing that is certain to differ at each company, it is the practice of performance appraisals. Some companies favour the thorough 360 performance reviews, that canvas opinions from senior staff, junior staff, clients and sometimes even suppliers. This method can be great at formulating a clear picture of an employees strengths and weaknesses. The issues that many people have however is that the time taken to conduct these reviews is not always relative to the output of the data. Is a development plan put in place? Are objectives and timescales made clear? Is performance against these …
After the recent scandal which saw many armed forces employees notified of their redundancies via email, you would have thought that the top military brass would be keen avoid further controversy. Not so it seems, if a recent report in The Telegraph is true.
It has been alleged that the British army has made a raft of experienced soldiers redundant recently, to avoid triggering additional pension payments.
Under the present rules, armed forces employees aged 40 or over with either 16 or 18 years of service, are entitled to claim a pension and a tax-free lump sum when leaving the British Army. …
The new French President, François Hollande, recently bucked global trends by announcing that the pension age would be reduced from 62 to 60. With the retirement age sliding in the opposite direction in many other countries, this will be seen as something of a shock, but France are renowned for valuing their work life balance, even introducing a 35 hour working week in 2000.
So what does this mean for the French economy?
Whilst this is seen by much of the French labour force as a welcome change, many economists and politicians alike are hugely sceptical that France can afford this change. Already …
The London Olympics are fast on their way, and many employers will now be turning their attentions to how they will deal with the event in the workplace. As well as a need to accommodate employees who may want to watch the Olympics, employers will also need to think about the logistics – particularly if they work in London or other areas that are likely to see increased traffic and pressure on public transport systems as a result of the Olympics travel.
Here are some of the ways in which employers can act to accommodate the Olympics.
Flexible working …
It used to be that if you wanted to attract staff away from your competition, you had to offer them a bigger salary. Now, particularly in the more competitive industries, it isn’t always a simple case of “we’ll pay you more than the other guys”. Highly sought-after employees often attract competition from employers that extends far beyond the basic salary.
Employee benefits are increasingly seen as something to look for in a job, and employers that are looking to attract the best talent might well like to consider the benefits that they could offer to their staff. For example, research carried out …
- Single Parent Families
There are many reasons for flexible working becoming more popular – and in some cases, more necessary – than ever before. The increase in the number of working single parent families is just one example, as is the fact that many people combine working with caring for elderly, sick or disabled loved ones. The changing demographics of our population also mean that there is a greater range of needs to cater for and so for many people, the traditional ‘9-5’ is no longer as convenient as it once was.
There are quite a few signs to suggest …
So 7 years after the announcement that London would be the host city of the 2012 Olympics, the games are nearly upon us. There has been a steady build up of anticipation over those years, and excitement is ready to burst, with millions of the British public being involved in the Olympics in one capacity or another.
With huge events like this, there is always debate within the business community about how best to deal with staff demands for additional time off, or flexible working hours, and London 2012 has been no different. Anecdotal evidence has shown that many companies are …
Having a child is a wonderful moment in anyone’s life, but it is a constant struggle to balance the demands of your employers and your family.
I am often asked by employees about their entitlement to paternity leave, as there is not much written about it and advice is often conflicting. I have recently returned from paternity leave myself, and was lucky enough to spend a whole month at home with my wife, Stacey, and son, Logan. That experience was (to quote Catweazle) “Truly Wondrous”, and something that every father should have the right to experience. So what is …
Jill Evans, Writing for People Management wrote an article recently about the Beecroft Report and its recommendations on parental leave. Sadly for the reformists, the Beecroft report recommends putting the parental leave reforms on hold.
Going one step further, the report also makes recommendations that would remove responsibility from employers in cases where staff are harassed by fellow employees or customers. This is being put through a consultation progress, with an update expected later in the year.
One to keep an eye on!
n.b. For those interested in Paternity Leave, Dave is in the process of writing a post …
- Want to be a doctor?
I’ve just read an excellent article in Personnel Today about accessibility in certain professions it got me thinking. Is it really the case that in 2012, people from a poorer background still have to fight tooth and nail to become a Doctor, Journalist, Lawyer or perhaps Architect. Statistics seem to show time and again that the vast majority of people in these professions come from wealthier backgrounds, but what are the reasons for this?
My view is that the traditional hirer bias is largely a thing of the past, with people now more willing to …
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