News - WorkScales

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

UK managers still check e-mails despite being on holiday
Line managers spend almost an entire working day of their holiday checking e-mails, according to a poll. The survey of 1,415 bosses, by employment law firm Peninsula, found they spend an average of six hours and 40 minutes

Balpa union faces strike action from its own employees over pensions
Employees of the union that represents airline pilots will stage a 24-hour strike after talks to resolve a pensions dispute broke down. GMB union members, who work for the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), are pro

UK skills chief wants your views to help shape national skills plan
UK skills tsar Chris Humphries, chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), wants Personnel Today reader

Employment tribunal case against Swale Council adjourned until October
A high-profile employment tribunal case involving a former council HR chief has been adjourned until October. Janet Mason, former head of HR at Swale Borough Council in Kent, is claiming breach of contract, sex discriminati

Michael Page shares soar after takeover by Adecco is confirmed
Michael Page shares soared by more than one-third yesterday after the recruitment firm confirmed a takeover bid from the number-one staffing group Adecco. The value of the company leapt to a nine-month high of £1.1bn, actin

Pension schemes drop more than £50bn in value over the past year
FTSE 100 companies' pension schemes dropped more than £50bn in value over the past 12 months, a study has revealed. The 15th annual Accounting for Pensions</

McDonald’s to create 4,000 jobs across the UK
Fast-food giant McDonald's is to create 4,000 jobs across the UK in response to soaring demand. The company, which is serving two million more customers every month in the UK than last year, this morning launched a recruitm

Sharp fall in demand for permanent staff as recruitment freezes bite
Demand for permanent staff fell at the fastest rate for seven years in July, according to a monthly study of the UK job market. The Report on Jobs, by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and professi

Brewery SABMiller expands HR director’s role to cover supply chain with new appointment
London-based brewery SABMiller group has appointed Tony van Kralingen as director of human resources and supply chain. Currently the managing director and chairman for the brewer's South African division, <A href="http://w

Police job ads should copy Armed Forces’ campaign says police improvement agency people chief
EXCLUSIVE Police recruitment should mirror that of the Armed Forces by advertising for the full range of career paths it has to offer, a senior policing figure has urged. <P

New Networking Group for Women in Business