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This week in HR
A round-up of the top HR and management stories
Mon 24 Jan to Fri 28 Jan 2011
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Government launches
tribunals consultation LINKS
The government has opened a public  Workplace dispute reforms proposed by government
consultation on the reform of employment BIS www.bit.ly/fmRHEt
tribunals and published a new employers’
charter. As part of its comprehensive review Employment law changes expected in ‘employer’s charter’
of employment law, the coalition is seeking People Management www.bit.ly/hE5fxO
views on how workplace disputes can be
resolved at an earlier stage and how the Government ponders unfair dismissal change
tribunal service can be made as “user- People Management www.bit.ly/chbakO
friendly and effective as possible”.
Imposing an up-front fee for employees to
bring a case, and doubling the length of service to claim unfair dismissal are
suggestions which are floated in the consultation document. Meanwhile the
employer’s charter document spells out a number of existing rights that employers
have, such as the entitlement to dismiss a worker for poor performance, reject
flexible working requests and have discussions with staff surrounding maternity
leave and retirement. The CIPD welcomed the launch of the charter, backing plans
to give Acas a greater role in keeping disputes out of the courts.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/eAeeQp
Also in employment law
Volunteers are not protected by employment laws preventing discrimination at  Employers fail to support volunteers, survey finds
work, a court has ruled. In a test case backed by the Equality and Human Rights People Management www.bit.ly/fa2fqf
Commission, a disabled woman who performed an unpaid role for the Mid
Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau took the employer to a tribunal alleging The Equality Act
discrimination on the grounds of disability. But the Court of Appeal ruled that the People Management www.bit.ly/igAx1Y
Disability Discrimination Act and European framework directive did not cover X,
because she did not have a contract with the CAB and was unpaid. Lord Justice
Elias confirmed that the definition of worker “was restricted to persons who are
remunerated for what they do”.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/e4vA0Z
Health and safety
Staff and contractors at Network Rail failed to report over 500 accidents in the  Network Rail given prohibition notice over safety fears
five year period to 2010, in many cases because of pressure from managers, People Management www.bit.ly/fLUR31
according to an independent review. The Rail Safety and Standards Board
presented its findings to Network Rail management on Tuesday, concluding that Network Rail approves £2.35 million bonus payments
many workers failed to report the incidents because they did not understand the People Management www.bit.ly/gdYCu8
rules or were afraid of the consequences. The review criticised the organisation’s
target-driven culture for reducing accidents, but found no link between failure Network Rail staff ‘fear’ led to false safety records
to report and management bonus incentives to improve health and safety. BBC http://bbc.in/g00zh6
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/gOYhaf
Comment: Parental leave
The government’s plans for shared parental leave – announced by Nick Clegg  Employers’ concern over shared parental leave
last week – may be complicated for employers to implement, but promoting the People Management www.bit.ly/ha4hZe
flexible working agenda should be at the heart of every HR leader’s engagement
strategy, writes Susanne Jacobs. The new proposals should not be seen as a New fathers could take 10 months off under shared leave plan
policy and a set of rules and processes but as a state of mind and an embedded People Management www.bit.ly/gShKIj
approach to work.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/fOIPDn ☛ MORE NEWS ON NEXT PAGE

2. ☛ PEOPLE MANAGEMENT ‘THE WEEK IN HR’ CONTINUED...
LINKS
Comment: Employer-led qualifications
Hewlett-Packard has become the latest company to create an employer-  Hewlett-Packard uses masters degree to retain top talent
sponsored qualification as a tool to recruit, retain and motivate its people. Such People Management www.bit.ly/hXhER3
initiatives should be welcomed, but employers should recognise that such a
course of action is no quick win, writes Valerie Todd.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/gBUTho
Leadership and HR strategy
Most HR leaders spend a relatively small proportion of their time on “strategic”  Mercer 2010 EMEA HR Transformation Survey
work, despite describing themselves as strategic business partners, according to www.bit.ly/gplRap
consultants Mercer. In the survey of around 500 HR directors, 65 per cent
considered themselves to be strategic partners, but said the average proportion of CIPD factsheet on strategic HR management
time spent on strategic work was only 15 per cent. Unsurprisingly, the largest www.bit.ly/guSNr9
proportion went on delivering HR services (27 per cent). Transacting and record-
keeping accounted for 18 per cent and compliance and auditing 12 per cent.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/gwoexl
Employee relations
The leader of the pilots’ union Balpa has warned  British Airways cabin crew vote for new strike action
of a growing rift between pilots and cabin crew People Management www.bit.ly/i2was0
at British Airways over ongoing industrial action
at the airline. Jim McAuslan, Balpa’s general
secretary, said that pilots had been vilified for
crossing picket lines in the dispute and admitted
receiving hate mail on the issue.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/fk5Ow8
Around 900 staff at Aberdeen City Council are facing compulsory redundancy  Unions meet to plan fight against city moves for
after a plan to cut employee pay by 5 per cent was rejected by unions. Under the compulsory redundancies
original offer, council leaders had hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies by Aberdeen Press and Journal www.bit.ly/e2fG4I
asking workers earning more than £21,000 a year to take a voluntary one-year
5 per cent pay cut. The move was part of the council’s plans to cut £120 million
from its budget over the next five years.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/dHX9ST
Recruitment and jobs
The number of graduate jobs has increased for the first time since the start of the  www.agr.org.uk
recession,says the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). There was an 8.9
per cent rise in vacancies in the 2009-10 academic year, showing the graduate Blog: Gen Y is dead – long live Gen Y!
market “has turned a corner”, the biannual report said. The survey also found People Management www.bit.ly/hQYPZw
that the average starting salary remained static at £25,000.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/dREGUi
The government plans to extend the time young people under the age of 21 can do  Work experience skills to count towards university degree
work experience without losing their benefits. Currently, people risk losing their People Management www.bit.ly/gfO41m
benefits if they work for more than two weeks. The proposal would extend this to
eight weeks. Moreover, under a new Jobcentre Plus scheme, unemployed people McDonald’s to offer work experience qualification
aged between 18 and 21 will be matched with employers looking for people to do People Management www.bit.ly/i4RCUj
work experience. The initiative has gained the backing of large employers including
Homebase, Hilton Hotels, McDonald’s, Skanska, Carillion and Punch Taverns.
Read the full story on www.bit.ly/e7kiNM
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