People professionals boosted their skills in response to pandemic challenges

People professionals boosted their skills in response to pandemic challenges

professionalsNearly two thirds (61 percent) of HR and people professionals strengthened their skills – through either upskilling or reskilling – as a result of their organisation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest People Profession survey report from the CIPD and Workday claims. (more…)

Employee experience is more important than ever

Employee experience is more important than ever

Work cafe by Boss and the employee experienceEmployee experience has never been so high on the corporate agenda; with recent figures finding that over 69 percent of businesses are currently concerned about talent shortages and difficulty hiring. With this in mind, organisations that want to grow must provide a market leading experience in order to remain competitive and attract and retain new talent. Companies that invest in their unique employee experience make four times more profit than those who don’t. (more…)

HR leaders’ number one priority for 2022 is building critical skills and competencies

HR leaders’ number one priority for 2022 is building critical skills and competencies

critical skillsNearly 60 percent of HR leaders reported that building critical skills and competencies will be their number one priority in 2022, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. The survey of more than 550 HR leaders in July 2021, claims the other top HR priorities for 2022 are: organisational design and change management (48 percent), current and future leadership bench (45 percent), the future of work (42 percent) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) (35 percent). (more…)

COVID-19 has contributed to the gender pay gap

COVID-19 has contributed to the gender pay gap

womenAccording to new research by the ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View, women are being left behind when it comes to being rewarded financially for taking on new roles or additional responsibilities to fill gaps left by COVID-19 related job losses. (more…)

Resilient companies need the trust of their employees more than ever

Resilient companies need the trust of their employees more than ever

Since offices reopened, there has naturally been a much greater focus on health and safety. Office managers everywhere have deployed one-way corridors, anti-viral disinfectant wipes, and daily temperature checks in order to ensure that those who have returned to the office feel safe. Globally, businesses have learned to cope with these adverse circumstances, but there are other lessons from the past year that we should use to refresh the workplace as well. (more…)

One in five employers have changed employees’ terms and conditions since pandemic onset

One in five employers have changed employees’ terms and conditions since pandemic onset

terms and conditionsOne in five employers (22 percent) have made changes to employees’ terms and conditions of employment between March 2020 and July 2021, according to new research from the CIPD. The most common changes were to location of work (49 percent), followed by hours of work (47 percent) and pay levels (44 percent), redundancy/terms pay (22 percent) and access to enhanced contractual entitlements/incentives (20 percent). (more…)

Over a third of UK adults have suffered discrimination at work

Over a third of UK adults have suffered discrimination at work

discriminationNew research into workplace discrimination, commissioned by CIPHR, claims just how widespread employment bias is in the UK. On average, one in six people (16 percent) report having suffered ageism, one in ten (10 percent) say they have been the subject of gender-based discrimination (12 percent of women and 7 percent of men), and around one in twelve feel that they have been on the receiving end of prejudicial treatment because of a disability, their race or sexual orientation (9 percent, 9 percent and 8 percent respectively), at some point in their careers. (more…)

UK workers expect to be oldest retirees in Europe

UK workers expect to be oldest retirees in Europe

UK workers have the oldest expected retirement age out of five European countries, according to new research from HR software provider SD Worx. When compared to other countries in Europe, the UK is at the top of the list for oldest expected retirement age, with people now expecting to retire at an average age of 66.67 years old. This is followed by: The Netherlands (65.94 years old); Belgium (65.33 years old); Germany (64.48 years old); and France (64.36 years old). (more…)

Changing workplace means a changing role for finance heads

Changing workplace means a changing role for finance heads

pwc workplaceThe CFO and Finance Director role is undergoing rapid change. Not only are they required to manage the traditional priorities of the job, but they must now also juggle a wide array of operational, transactional and commercial responsibilities. With added pressure from clients because of Covid-19 and a rapidly evolving workplace, the role is increasingly hard to navigate. To gain a deeper insight into this and the evolution and future planning of a department that is central to the success of modern businesses, Totum recently surveyed CFOs and Finance Directors from among UK headquartered legal firms with annual revenue of £20m or more. (more…)

Gig economy could lead to a labour shortage…but better off workers

Gig economy could lead to a labour shortage…but better off workers

gig economy workerThe long-term impact of COVID-19 on the economy (and the gig economy) will not be clear for some time. But in the UK, the easing of pandemic related restrictions has coincided with significant labour shortages and the driving up of wages. Statistics show that wages have risen 7.4 percent in the past year, and the number of job vacancies has continued to rise (up to 953,000 in July 2021). Those vacancies have appeared amid continued travel restrictions from abroad, and the prolonged furlough scheme, which is keeping over 1 million people tied to employers that don’t have work available for them. (more…)

Security careers come in many forms, but all are rewarding and challenging

Security careers come in many forms, but all are rewarding and challenging

security careersAre you considering a change in career paths? One sector that you may wish to strongly consider is the security industry. Whether a retail store, office block, or nightlife venue, most businesses will usually require security personnel. Therefore, this is an industry where there is always demand for new staff. Working in security careers can be thrilling, challenging and rewarding. There should be no doubting the fact that every day offers something completely different. Choosing a job that suits you is no simple decision with several different security career paths that you can go down.
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Labour market confidence surges to nine year high, claims CIPD

Labour market confidence surges to nine year high, claims CIPD

labour market looks upEmployers are indicating strong employment intentions for the third quarter of 2021, with confidence surpassing pre-pandemic levels to hit a nine year high. This is the key finding of the latest quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey, involving more than 2,000 employers and covering all sectors of the economy. The survey claims that its net employment intentions figure, which measures the difference between the proportion of employers expecting to add jobs and those planning to cut them, has risen for the fourth consecutive quarter. The figure now sits at +32, up from +27 last quarter, marking the strongest employer intentions seen since tracking began in Winter 2012/13. (more…)