News - WorkScales

Friday podcast - 8 Aug 08: McDonald's and police recruitment, and UBS poaching
Our weekly HR news and analysis audio programme includes: chief people officer Angela O’Connor tells Personnel Today how the Police Service should copy the Armed Forces in advertising better for the range of ca

UBS wins court order to stop ex-employees poaching clients for new firm
After a 'smash and grab raid' on its British business, Swiss bank UBS has recently won a court order temporarily preventing former and departing employees from poaching clients. The bank accused Vestra Wealth – an inve

Personnel Today Top 40 Power Players 2008: have your say
Personnel Today is calling on readers to tell us who you think should be included in the Top 40 Power Player list for 2008. Later in the year, Personnel Today will be publishing its annual list of the mos

Six-figure pay gaps exist between boards of listed and non-listed firms
Companies wishing to float on the Stock Exchange should first be prepared to pay an extra £100,000 per year to each member of their boards, according to research. A report by remuneration specialist Hewitt New Bridge Street

Tube Lines launches competition for staff with money-saving ideas
Tube Lines has called on its employees to help improve the way it operates after one idea stands to save the company £1.3m. Tube Lines – responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of the London Underground infrastruc

Axa to cut 500 jobs in bid to save £80m
Insurance giant Axa yesterday announced it would cut 500 jobs as part of a move to save £80m over three years. HR, finance, IT and marketing roles are among the jobs that will be axed, according to <A href="http://www.axa.

Illegal criminal record checks on staff being carried out by employers
Employers are making illegal criminal record checks on staff, amid calls for a review of the law. A BBC Radio 4 investigation has discovered requests to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for applicants to jobs such as train

New degree launched to help close IT skills gap
A new foundation degree will be launched at 12 colleges around the UK this autumn to address the nation's growing IT skills gap. The part-time <A href="http://courses.tvu.ac.uk/CourseDetails.aspx?CourseInstanceID=3453

Beijing Olympics of no real interest to most UK employees
As the Olympic Games get underway today (8 August) in China, employers closer to home can breathe a sigh of relief that the majority of workers seem uninterested in

Sellafield staff to vote on possible strike action over pay
Sellafield nuclear power station staff will vote on Monday whether to strike over pay. Talks aimed at solving the pay dispute broke down on Thursday with trade unions claiming that Sellafield Ltd had not made a significant

Unemployed recruitment target of 25% for Travelodge in coastal Local Employment Partnership scheme
Employment and welfare reform minister Stephen Timms has welcomed a hotel chain's pledge to create hundreds of new jobs for the long-term unemployed by building 55 ne

Driving skills under scrutiny as Derby and St Edmundsbury councils fit black-box monitors to bin lorries and other vehicles
Council bin men and other drivers could soon find themselves rated for how well they drive while working. Two local authorities are to install black box-style technology in council vehicles to monitor whether employees are driving safely an

Innovative graduate recruitment vital to future social care workforce
The chief of HR at a social care charity has voiced serious concerns about the lack of people choosing to work in the sector now, which could cause major staffing problems in 20 years' time. <A href="http://www.personnelto

TUC calls for apprentice entitlement to national minimum wage
Trade union leaders have called for all apprentices to be legally entitled to the national minimum wage. The TUC said too many people were dropping out of vocational training courses because they coul

Sickness absence can be reduced with employers' help with rehabilitation
The vast majority of workers with health problems can be helped back into employment with simple support, according to research. A review into vocational rehabilitation found that more than 90% people with health problems c

Woolworths HR director invests in more company shares as prices struggle
Woolworths group HR director Claire Tiney has upped her stake in the high street retailer as its share price struggles. Tiney has bought 172,000 shares at 5.68 pence each, lifting her holding to 212,0

Environmental consultancy launches pro bono scheme to benefit charities and staff
The HR chief at an environmental consultancy has spoken of the benefits to staff of being deployed on voluntary projects to help charities. Workers at WSP Environment and Energy are to give up five wo

Employers warned to prepare for new immigration laws
A fresh warning has been sounded for employers to prepare themselves for immigration laws coming into force later this year. Organisations wishing to hire workers from outside the EU have to sign up t

Management buy-in on staff engagement is crucial to success
Management buy-in is crucial to the success of measuring employees' contribution to a business, new research has revealed. A study by the Institute for Employment Studies published today found organis

New tax rules could add £400m to cost of hiring temps
New tax rules could add an extra £400m to the cost of hiring temporary workers in certain sectors, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has warned. The government announced plans in the

New Networking Group for Women in Business