Latest Updates
CSR Awards - Entry deadline extended
26 July 2010
The entry deadline has been extended for the Worcestershire Ambassadors CSR Awards 2010. The awards are recognising businesses across Worcestershire who take CSR seriously and who endeavour to give something back to their community, and any business across the county, whatever size or type, can enter up to the extended deadline of 20 August 2010.
The categories are: ‘Community’, ‘the Environment’, ‘the Workplace and staff’, and then an individual award for excellence in CSR. The Worcestershire Ambassadors’ CSR Awards 2010 are being sponsored by Worcestershire County Council.
“The quality of entries we’ve received so far is impressive, and the interest in these CSR Awards has led us to extend the entry deadline to allow more businesses to get their entries in to us over this summer holiday period,” explains Worcestershire Ambassadors’ Chair Louise Hewett. “These Awards are a great way of shouting about the fantastic community work which goes on throughout Worcestershire – which so often goes unrecognized.”
The winners will be announced at a special black tie event on 25 November at Sixways.
For category information and entry forms, visit www.worcestershireambassadors.com/csr
Increase in part-time workers... a result of the recession or a step towards work-life balance...?
23 July 2010
By 2030 one in five UK workers will be mums, 25% of all families will be single parent and up to 10 million will be caring for elderly relatives.
The news last week that the numbers of part time workers has hit 7.82 million, the highest since records began in 1992, is not only due to the economic climate. Changing demographics and the availability of more flexibility in the workplace is catering for the different aspirations of the current workforce. The suggestion that the whole part time population of workers has suddenly been forced into this way of working is clearly not true. Many people choose part time hours as a lifestyle preference. In some cases flexible and part time hours becomes the only solution to enable people to keep working and manage domestic responsibilities.
There is no doubt that employers have been more creative about reorganizing hours and workload to enable them to hang on to the talent they need for the future. Businesses have also acquired the additional skills sets they need on a short term basis enabling them to meet fluctuating demands whilst keeping a tight control on budgets. Despite the gathering gloom of public sector job cuts, according to the ‘Work Foundation’, 187,000 ‘knowledge based’, predominantly part time jobs have been created in the last 3 months, including, professional and technical services, arts, entertainment and recreational services, business support and property services. If we look back to the 1990’s recovery, when the public sector was cutting back sharply, private sector jobs grew by 2m once the job market turned in 1993. So it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, although the fact that employers have been managing to retain labour on reduced hours this time round will stall things slightly until the slack is fully taken up again.
Corporate Social Responsibility Awards
24 May 2010
Integrating and adopting a Corporate Social Responsibility policy into the culture of an organisation can do much more than simply enhance its reputation and benefit the local community and its own employees. People want to buy from businesses they respect; effective CSR can help a business differentiate itself from the competition - over time it can even help them win business.
A good reputation makes it easier to recruit the best people, employees stay longer, morale and retention improves, reducing the costs of recruitment and training.
Involvement in the local community can be extremely rewarding and satisfying. Employees enjoy the team spirit they experience when they all pull together helping with a local project or fundraising for a chosen charity. Employees are often better motivated and more productive in this environment.
There are many great examples of businesses across the County who demonstrate CSR very effectively. Worcestershire Ambassadors are a group of influential business leaders and we are keen to recognise and applaud those organisations who take CSR seriously and give something back to the community. The aim is also to educate and advise those who are not currently participating and enlighten them on the benefits that can be achieved to their own business, employees and the wider community.
The Worcestershire Ambassadors CSR Awards, whose main sponsor is the Worcestershire County Council, will be launched shortly and open to any business in the Worcestershire area. The categories are ‘Community’, ‘Environment’ and ‘The Workplace and Staff’. There is also a special award for individuals within organisations who contribute above and beyond within their community.
The deadline for submissions is Friday 30th July 2010 and winners will be announced at an awards reception on Thursday 25th November.
Entry forms can be obtained by visiting: www.worcestershireambassadors.com/csr
HR Legal round up....
02 May 2010
Gordon Hay of GH Employment Solutions suggests that there’s more for employers to focus on than the Election;
There may well be electioneering mayhem all around us, but the machinery of Government continues to grind on in the background, pumping out virtuous legislation to control the masses, which invariably results in additional workloads for employers in adopting and/or adapting their procedures to comply.
At least 8 pieces of legislation have been enacted or approved since the 6th April, the day the Election campaign got started. All of them will have an impact, some more than others. Here is a brief run-down:
Fit notes
The system of sick notes is replaced by a fit-note system under which GPs can suggest adjustments to an employee's role and/or workplace to enable them to return to work. Although the recommendations are not binding and are likely only to be for the duration of the fit note, employers should carefully consider making adjustments. The four categories a GP may choose to suggest adjustments are a phased return to work, amended duties, altered hours or workplace adaptations. Do consider possible disability discrimination issues, and carry out a risk assessment where appropriate.
Additional paternity leave
There is a new right to additional paternity leave allowing the father or adopter (as applicable) of babies or matched for adoption after 3 April 2011, to take up to 26 weeks' paternity leave in the first year of a child's life. This will, in effect, allow fathers to share maternity leave with the mother, who will be able to return to work after six months, leaving the father to take what is left of the 12 months' maternity leave.
Statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay
The standard rates of statutory maternity pay, statutory paternity pay and statutory adoption pay will increase from April 4 from £123.06 to £124.88. Statutory Sick Pay will continue at the rate of £79.15 per week.
Requests in relation to study or training
Employees have a legal right to make a request in relation to study or training - for example, time off work to study. The right is modelled on the procedure allowing parents and carers to make a request for flexible working and applies to employers with 250 employees or more. A refusal of a request must be on one or more grounds specified in the legislation.
Data protection
The Information Commissioner has the power to fine organisations up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Pensions
The minimum pension age increases from 50 to 55 unless retirement is on the grounds of serious ill health, the member has a protected pension age, or the member started taking benefits before 6 April 2010. Meanwhile, the number of years needed to receive a full basic state pension reduces to 30. The state pension for women born on or after 6 April 1950 will rise to 65 between 2010 and 2020.
Whistleblowing
Employment Tribunals have a new power to forward details of whistleblowing claims to prescribed regulators, provided that the claimant has given express consent in the revised Tribunal claim form.
Equality Bill
One of the last Bills to have been approved by the previous Parliament, the Equality Bill, should receive Royal Assent imminently. It will become known as the Equality Act 2010. The Act will consolidate, simplify and (to an extent) expand existing discrimination law, with most of its provisions expected to come into effect in October this year. Employers will need to review current policies, practices and procedures as there are important changes.
Bribery Act
This received Royal Assent last week and is likely to come into force on the 1 October 2010, but will depend on the incoming Government.
If bribes are paid by or on behalf of an organisation, the company can be automatically prosecuted for the new strict liability offence of failing to prevent bribery. Its only defence will be to demonstrate that it has 'adequate procedures' in place to prevent corrupt business practices. Guidance on these procedures is likely to be issued by the Ministry of Justice in June or July but will not be prescriptive. The guidance is likely to cover a range of issues including anti-bribery policies, training of staff, corporate entertainment and gifts and better due diligence on agents and business partners.
So, as the politicians get on with their canvassing, employers just have to get on with making sense of all the changes they have left for us to implement in the meantime, and wait with anticipation for a new Parliament’s roll-out of even more legislation!
For further information on any of the above, you should contact Gordon Hay on info@ghemploymentsolutions.co.uk as his web site is currently being updated.
The information and or comments contained in this blog does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Hewett Recruitment.
For further information on any of the above, you should contact Gordon Hay on info@ghemploymentsolutions.co.uk as his web site is currently being updated.
Words of encouragment mean more to employees than money or bonus......
27 April 2010
Words of encouragement and appreciation mean more to employees than money or bonus payments, according to a new book hot off the press by David Russo, (reportedly one of the world’s leading experts in Workforce optimisation.) ’17 RULES SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES USE TO ATTRACT AND KEEP TOP TALENT’.
Presuming people are being paid fairly, “it’s wrong to think that all people want is more money” advises Russo, he suggests that we shouldn’t set up our organisations so that the only way we can express appreciation for an employee’s value is with money….. because it’s never enough. Employees crave a little encouragement and this encouragement can be quickly translated into higher levels of commitment and productivity.
It’s important that a manager or business owner shows genuine enthusiasm and celebrates milestones achieved by employees, but it must be authentic. Employees will be sensitive to hypocrisy and in danger of feeling patronised if it isn’t genuine. If we consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.... the fourth need is ‘ego stroking’ - we all need it and there is no shame in recognising that need…. it sends a message that the recipient is someone who is important and valuable to the business and it is recognition for a job well done.
There are very simple ways to show warmth, caring and appreciation to employees. Congratulating them face to face, maybe in front of their team, writing about them on the intranet or in the company newsletter, creating an ‘employee of the month’ or perhaps simply taking the employee out for a bite to eat - they will appreciate the time dedicated just to them.
In Russo’s book, he calls this heartfelt meaningful encouragement for employees ‘cheerleading’, now that may sound somewhat ‘American’, but he explains that making a workplace a pleasurable and positive environment helps retention of talent. Bearing in mind that it costs one and a half times the salary of a talented person to replace and train that replacement, being attuned to the needs of our teams and cheering them on can also prove to be extremely cost effective for the business!
