Employers need greater clarity on rules for furloughed employees under Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
New guidance published last night on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme contains welcome news for employers, but greater clarity is needed on issues such as the limits of permitted work by furloughed employees and who exactly is covered, says RPC, the City-based law firm. The Government has announced that it will cover the cost of National Insurance payments and minimum pension contributions, saving employers £300 a month per...
HR and the Coronavirus Challenge: A Wales HR Network Q&A
In a world facing a global pandemic, we are not yet able to determine the full impact across societies, industries and individuals. The challenges that COVID-19 has already presented have meant that businesses across all industries have had to change the way they work to protect their workforce and customers. Playing a crucial role in overcoming these challenges are HR professionals, from managing staff well-being to remote resources...
Taking business calls from home? You may want to re-think your phone etiquette
Having a conversation with someone else while on a call has been named the most annoying habit by UK office workers. With many UK office workers now operating from home, conference calls have undoubtedly become part of the daily routine. Business telecommunications provider, 4Com, investigated1 the nation’s thoughts on bad telephone manners, revealing the habits to avoid. According to the research, the five most annoying phone...
Hospitality sector suffers 76.6% slowdown in a month due to Coronavirus shut down
The hospitality sector has experienced a 77% slowdown in the past month according to new analysis which lays bare the impact of the coronavirus pandemic for the first time. The number of shifts available to workers in the hospitality industry has fallen 76.6% since late February, income streaming provider Wagestream can report. Wagestream, a platform that allows workers to access their pay as it’s earned without impacting...
Businesses are missing out on apprenticeship opportunities
Joe Crossley, CEO at Qube Learning, explores how companies can tap into Apprenticeship Levy transfers Most business owners and large companies are by now familiar with the Apprenticeship Levy, a UK tax on employers which can be used to fund apprenticeship training. Payable by all employers with an annual payroll of more than £3 million at a rate of 0.5% of their total pay bill, the levy monies are held in a ‘digital fund’ that...
5 Signs It’s Time to Relocate for Your Career
Relocating for a new job can be a daunting prospect. Is it the right move for your career? Can you sell your house fast enough? What if it doesn’t work out and you’ve gone through all the upheaval of moving for nothing? Whether you’ve been offered a new position with the same company or you’re taking on a completely new role, relocating for your career is a big step. If you spot any of these signs, now could be the time to take a...
How to land your dream job
Everyone has been there, stuck in a job that you hate, dreaming of the perfect job. The job that balances satisfaction with pay. The job where you wake up in the morning looking forward to going into work. Perhaps you have been hunting through different job sites or looking at vacancies on LinkedIn. Most of us quickly shrug it off, resigning ourselves to the fact that it isn’t realistic. Throughout the process you may have even...
The Coronavirus lockdown: an employer’s duty of care for remote workers
On 23 March, the UK Government implemented a ‘lockdown’ in response to the Coronavirus crisis. In light of these restrictive measures, employers will need to take a practical and flexible approach if their employees must now work from home. Employers still have a duty of care for employee well-being, so far as is reasonably practicable, even when they are working from home. Here are some important considerations for employers with...
Consultant urges people to adhere to physical distance guidelines
The UK is now being described as ‘in lockdown’ after the government introduced further rules to encourage physical distancing and stem the spread of the coronavirus. These measures came following concerning weekend scenes of people socialising in large groups and a US study has thrown light on why the Prime Minister has been so swift to react to people not heeding his advice. The study, based on initial research from officials around...
The 8 key issues businesses should know about redundancies
Change is an inevitable part of running a business. Organisations adapt and evolve to remain competitive, productive and meet strategic objectives. These changes mean reshaping the workforce and perhaps removing job roles or creating new ones as the business develops. Chris Parker, Managing Director of Renovo, the UK’s leading specialist provider of outplacement support, said: “Redundancy happens in practically every...
NHS and Retail job searches soar by over 4,000% as UK tackles coronavirus
There has been a 302% increase in job seekers looking for NHS positions in March according to the latest research by job search engine Adzuna. The interest in open NHS positions is welcome news for the UK, who are battling to fill 37,000 unfilled positions, including clinicians, volunteers and critical care nurses. The UK faced a 22% reduction in overall job vacancies in March. However job openings and country-wide interest in vital...
Why Education Is Important in HR Practice
Education is generally the avenue to securing a good job today, and it is always essential if you also have some experience in the field to increase your chances in the company of your liking. When you think of HR, the main thing that will come to your head as a scholar or non-scholar is that it is a people management career – after all, it is human resource practice. It is easy to believe then that as long as you have good social...
Importance of Learning Human Resource Management Strategies
Studying human resource management helps professionals to effectively assess the relevant candidates based on personal traits and critical skills required for the job. As such, students pursuing a course in human resource management stand a high chance of mastering the key attributes that a hiring manager should possess. Whether you are a college student pursuing a degree, diploma, or certificate in human resource management, it is...
Attacks on businesses as email phishing rises 667% since the start of March
Cyber criminals are cashing-in on the COVID-19 crisis by launching a wave of Coronavirus-related email attacks, according to new research from Barracuda Networks. Barracuda researchers have been monitoring global phishing activity around Covid-19 since the start of the year, recoding 137 incidents in January, 1,188 in February, rising to 9,116 in March so far, an increase of 667 per cent since the end of February. Between 1st March...
Global Teams Struggling to Feel Connected to HQ
According to new research from Globalization Partners Inc., more than 90 percent of employees who work for a global organisation describe their companies as diverse. However, a lack of understanding by the organisations themselves around how to manage this growing disparate and diverse workforce means that three out of ten respondents don’t feel a sense of inclusion or belonging. This negatively impacts employee engagement, trust,...
