Collective Memory and its Place in Work

14 / 11 / 2014

On the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, the Acts of Remembrance that have taken place across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world have been particularly moving this year. The beautiful display of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, and the shower of paper poppies at Westminster Abbey are just two of the most...

Watch Out for Your Conflict “Auto Pilot”

12 / 11 / 2014

A few years ago I was training a diverse group of 12 people from different organisations on improving conflict management strategies. We got to the stage of the course when we ask the group to look at themselves and consider what they bring to a conflict and what they find particularly difficult. What first emerged was that almost everyone rarely...

The Employment Treasure Trove

10 / 11 / 2014

My partner and I had lunch yesterday with an old friend. Judy appointed me to my first HR role, about 30 years ago now. We had a lively lunch; she told us she’s had to give up her dancing because an injury to one of her tendons hasn’t recovered well enough, but she walks now to get the exercise and...

What the Holiday Pay Case Means for Businesses

07 / 11 / 2014

Following the ECJ decision in Lock v British Gas earlier this year, employers were faced with the prospects of adding commission earnings to holiday pay. This week HR websites and newspapers alike have been awash with stories about the EAT’s ruling in Bear Scotland v Fulton, which has ruled that holiday pay calculations must include extra payments such as commission...

Employee Self-Service – Too Good to be True?

05 / 11 / 2014

A quick sum will tell you that if you employ 50 people and each person books holidays six or seven times a year (and rings you several times to ask how many days they have left),it will cost your organisation (in time lost) about two working weeks. What’s more, as it is usually done during working hours, in effect...