HR Advice from the HR Girl
Welcome to HR Girl, the site where I discuss HR related issues and developments that I have come across in my work, as well as current news stories from the world of employment. I hope you find it interesting and useful.
Click on the categories above to find blog posts that I have added relating to different subjects. The site covers a variety of HR subjects, so whatever you’re looking for, chances are you’ll find something of interest here. If you have any thoughts on any of the blogs, I’ll be really happy to hear them. Just fill in the comments box at the bottom of the post.
Latest HR Articles
Flexible working makes healthier staffFebruary 17, 2010 / filed under Employee Relations, Health and Well being, Reward/Benefits
Research has indicated that employees that are able to influence their own working hours are more likely to have good mental and physical health. The study, carried out by researchers from the Cochrane Library looked at a number of studies carried out on 16,000 people, and found that people who had flexibility around their working hours may have better blood pressure and a healthier heart. Importantly, it was when the workers themselves controlled... Read more »
How do you deal with corporate gifts to employees?February 10, 2010 / filed under HR Practice
Employees often ask me what they should do if a client or supplier sends them a gift or offers them tickets to an event. Whilst corporate gifts are often a positive way for companies to show their appreciation for each other, it can sometimes cause difficulty for employers when trying to ascertain where to draw the line on allowing employees to accept gifts. A good way to deal with this is a policy of open communication, and taking each case individually.... Read more »
Engagement is key as we come out of recessionFebruary 5, 2010 / filed under Employee Relations
ACAS is publishing a discussion paper this month which is based on the MacLeod report carried out last year, which highlights four key areas or ‘enablers’ that are important in achieving high levels of employee engagement. ACAS are highlighting employee engagement as something that should be a high priority for businesses as we prepare for a potential upturn in the economic climate, as engaged employees are more likely to remain with the business... Read more »
Christmas PC gone mad!December 8, 2009 / filed under Equality and Diversity
It’s that time of year again where some HR departments start to get a bit twitchy about the forthcoming celebrations around our most widely and loudly celebrated festival – Christmas. Not only are we worrying about what behaviour will happen at the Christmas party (actually I’m more worried about the fact that we are having Karaoke at ours this year!), but in the last few years many organisations have taken the bizarre step of actually banning... Read more »
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Recruitment and Retention
Jobcentre Plus; helping businesses and long term unemployed
September 14, 2009 Recruitment and RetentionWith the grim news today that unemployment could continue to increase, and potentially not recover to pre-recession levels until 2015, there are millions of people relying on the services of Jobcentre Plus to help them return to employment. The numbers of people who are classed as long term unemployed... Read more »
Staff retention is not any easier during recession
July 27, 2009 Employee Relations, HR Practice, Recruitment and RetentionDue to the uncertainty surrounding the economy, and therefore job security and the labour market, it is likely that employees are not as mobile as usual in most organisations. Some employers may be thinking that they don’t have to worry about staff retention at the moment because there aren’t as... Read more »
Employment Law
The option to reallocate holidays if sick
September 15, 2009 Employment Law, Health and Well beingA recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has determined that if employees are sick whilst on scheduled annual leave, they may ‘re-allocate’ the days to another time, even if this means they cannot take the days in that holiday year and have to carry them forward to the next year. This... Read more »
Short term sick note measures to help control swine flu
July 9, 2009 Employment Law, Health and Well being, News/GeneralDaily news reports have been keeping us updated on the dramatic spread of swine flu over the last few months. Each day thousands more people are being diagnosed, and increasing fatalities are also occurring where people with existing medical problems are contracting the virus. Because of the threat of... Read more »
Learning and Development
Speed training
July 12, 2009 Learning and DevelopmentI’ve recently been discussing a particular type of training delivery with a colleague, which he is going to try out with a series of sessions over the coming weeks. The concept is based around a short, sharp presentation of ideas on a specific topic within a limited time frame. There are a number of... Read more »
Everyday learning
June 12, 2009 Learning and DevelopmentAs we all know, budgets for things like benefits, recruitment and training are currently a lot smaller than this time last year in many companies, so HR professionals are having to be more strategic and clever with the cash they have in order to keep their organisations healthy during the recession and... Read more »