jml Training & Consultancy

Women are suceeding better in the 2011 jobs market

2011-12-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has today issued a Press Release "Women do better than men in 2011 jobs market despite public sector cutbacks"

CIPD says that The recession of 2008-9 is sometimes referred to as a 'mancession' because men were hit relatively hard when it came to jobs. Women accounted for only around a fifth of the fall in employment during the recession and only around a third of the rise in unemployment.

But there is a widespread expectation that the opposite will occur in the wake of ongoing large scale public sector downsizing, given that two-thirds of public sector workers are women, and weak consumer demand in private sector services, especially retail, that employ lots of women in part-time jobs.

However, as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) highlights today in its latest Work Audit, official statistics show that while men benefited most during the initial post-recession jobs recovery in 2010, it's been tough for both sexes in the 2011 jobs market and women have actually fared slightly better than men despite public sector cutbacks and a sharp fall in part-time employment:

• The female unemployment rate has increased steadily from 6.5% to 7.5% since the end of the recession, with the number of unemployed women reaching a record level of 1.09 million, but in 2011 has fallen very slightly relative to that of men.

• The gap between the male and female unemployment rate narrowed from 2.5 percentage points to 1.4 percentage points in the first year following the recession but has since widened again to 1.5 percentage points as economic growth has stagnated, with the male unemployment rate (now at 9%) rising back to where it was at the end of the recession.

• The number of women in work has fallen steadily throughout 2011 but the number of men in work has fallen even more, with the result that by the third quarter of 2011 the number of women in work was still 32,000 higher than at the end of 2010 while the number of men in work was 86,000 lower. Men, not women, have been hit hardest by the substantial loss of part-time jobs in 2011.

• There has been a comparable rise in male and female unemployment in 2011 but for men this was dampened by a fall in the number of men participating in the labour market, whereas for women unemployment has been raised because more women have entered the labour market to look for jobs.

Dr John Philpott, Chief Economic Adviser at the CIPD, comments:

"As the economy weakens, private sector job creation dries up, public sector job cuts gather pace and unemployment continues to rise, it's far too soon to conclude what will happen to the relative fortunes of men and women in the jobs market in the coming months. Indeed our final view of 2011 may yet alter once we have a full year of data.

But what we do know is that the relative position of women has not so far worsened as much as commonly perceived or was widely anticipated given the high concentration of women workers in the public sector and in part-time jobs more generally. This might indicate that the impact of economic austerity will prove to be more gender balanced than at first thought, although it also underlines how tough things are becoming for both sexes in our increasingly depressed jobs market."

Source CIPD

Would your organisation benefit from some specialist training for Women? At jml Training, we offer an excellent Training Development for Women programme. Coaching for Women - Women's Management Development Programme - Confident Communication for Women + more

To find out more Click Here

Keeping Stress in Check

2011-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

November the 2nd is National Stress Awareness Day and Staysure the specialist insurance company ran a small article on their community news at the end of last week "Keep stress in check with regular exercise"

They were saying that "Exercising has a wide range of physical benefits, but it can also help psychologically, helping to keep stress under control. Keeping active helps to keep the body's emotional chemicals in balance, underlines Ann McCracken, chair of the International Stress Management Association."

"This means we think, behave and react more appropriately to the situation we find ourselves in; this in turn increases the resources we have to deal with situations we perceive as difficult or challenging," she explained.

Diet can also play a large role in lowering stress levels. Eating starchy foods such as rice and pasta along with plenty of fruit and vegetables, some protein-rich foods and milk and dairy has a positive effect on stress.

Ann McCracken also recommended that people trying to control stress should stay away from eating too much fat, salt or sugar.

They should also drink plenty of water, which nourishes the cells in the body, allowing all organs and functions to work better."

The International Stress Management Association UK is the UK's leading association for stress management professionals

According to the October 2011 CIPD survey "Stress has become the most common cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual employees" More information on this on jm Training blog 12th October

Are your employees feeling stressed.? jml Training & Consultancy offers an in-house Stress Management Course Information Here

Want to find out more about Staysure Insurance - Travel Insurance for the over 50s - Holiday Home Property insurance for the over 50s Find out more Here

Advancement of women in the workplace

2011-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

There has been a great deal of media activity around the arena of "women in the workplace".

Earlier this year Lord Davies report was published on the "Equalty in the boardroom" issue and the Prime Minister David Cameron was calling for more women to sit on the boards of UK companies.

Today the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has issued a press release "Entries now open for the Opportunity Now Excellence in Practice Awards"

The CIPD said "The Opportunity Now Awards recognise the advancement of women in the workplace through a celebration of outstanding examples of best practice, innovation and individual achievement. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is proud to partner with Opportunity Now for the Directing Diverse Talent Award for the fourth year running. The Award recognises the individual impact of an HR professional's ingenuity and determination in driving diversity forward in their organisation.

The opportunity to enter applications is now open and any employer with a UK presence is eligible to enter, the deadline for submission is Wednesday 7 December 2011. A panel of expert judges will review the applications and score individuals against a scale of best practice. The award winners will be announced at the Opportunity Now Awards Dinner in London on Wednesday 18 April 2012. Organisations that achieve the highest overall scores will be included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women list.

Last year's winner of the Directing Diverse Talent Award was Caroline Stroud, Employment Partner and Global HR Partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Ms Stroud succeeded in presenting the business case for a diverse talent strategy. She developed an action plan to improve gender diversity including an initiative to provide unconscious bias awareness training to all partners, which ensured a fair and open way to develop talent.

Dianah Worman, CIPD Diversity Adviser and expert on the judging panel, says: "In a difficult economic climate it is even more important for employers to sharpen up their approaches to recruiting and developing people from as diverse a pool of talent as possible. This is the only way to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Our research shows that personnel professionals are well placed to deliver useful insights into developing a sustainable agenda for diversity within the organisation and that they should use their influencing skills to do this.

"I hope HR practitioners that feel they are making a difference by engaging their organisations in driving the diversity agenda will enter the competition as a way of celebrating their successes."

Awards categories include:

• The Advancing Women in the Workplace Award

• The Agile Organisation Award

• The Champion Award

• The Directing Diverse Talent Award (in partnership with the CIPD)

• The Global Award

• The Inclusive Culture Award

• The Santander Award: Inspiring the Workforce of the Future

If you are looking for more information on "Training Development for Women" take a look at the specialist page on the jml Training Website Here

Stress and Appraisal Course details now on jml Training website

2011-10-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

jml Training has been providing Appraisal and Stress Management courses for a number of years and has recently updated the details on the jml Training website

Appraisal Training from jml Training and Consultancy

Two appraisal training courses are featured - Performance and Effective Appraisals and Managing Your Own Appraisal.

The Performance and Effective Appraisal skills course is an interactive workshop designed for people managing the performance and appraisals of employees.

It provides a combination of theory, skills development and practical exercises that will increase the professionalism, competence and confidence of the participants when conducting appraisal interviews and managing performance

Managing Your Own Appraisal - In many organisation appraisal and performance training is provided for people managing the performance of others. The idea of providing training to employees being appraised is much less common and this is a great mistake. Details of both these courses Here

As reported in this blog last week at "Stress Workplace hits the news again" This subject never goes away and is very important for organisations to provide this type of training for their employees.

Pressure is a part of everyday life. This can be positive when the pressure is a source of stimulation and creativity or negative when it becomes a source of worry or tension. If people experience an inappropriate amount of negative pressures over a period of time they will become stressed.
Find out more about this course Here

Managing Stress in Your Organisation

Stress in the Workplace hits the news again

2011-10-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk in the media in the last ten days around "Stress at work". The CIPD have issued a press release a few days ago saying that Stress is no. 1 cause of long-term absence - Stress is, for the first time, the most common cause of long-term sickness absence, according to the 2011 CIPD/Simplyhealth Absence Management survey. Public sector respondents identify organisational change and restructuring as the number one cause of stress at work.

Stress is number one cause of long-term absence for the first time as job insecurity weighs heavy on the workplace, finds CIPD/Simplyhealth Absence survey

Stress is, for the first time, the most common cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual employees, according to this year's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)/Simplyhealth Absence Management survey.

A link between job security and mental health problems is also revealed in the survey. Employers planning to make redundancies in the next six months are significantly more likely to report an increase in mental health problems among their staff (51% compared with 32% who are not planning redundancies).

For manual workers, stress is now level with acute medical conditions and has overtaken musculoskeletal problems to become the top cause of long-term absence. While among non-manual staff, stress has moved ahead of acute medical conditions.

There is a particular increase in stress-related absence among public sector organisations, with 50% of these respondents reporting an increase. Public sector respondents identify the amount of organisational change and restructuring as the number one cause of stress at work, highlighting the impact of public sector cuts to jobs, pension benefits and pay freezes. Job insecurity is also reported as a more common cause of work-related stress in the public sector this year (24%) compared with last year (10%) and is higher than in the private (14%) and non-profit sectors (14%).

Unsurprisingly, given the significant budget cuts, more than two-fifths (43%) of public sector organisations report they will be making redundancies over the next six months (compared with 17% in the private sector and 24% of non-profits).

Dr Jill Miller, CIPD Adviser, says: "The survey this year shows that stress is for the first time the number one cause of long-term sickness absence, highlighting the heightened pressure many people feel under in the workplace as a result of the prolonged economic downturn.

"Stress is a particular challenge in the public sector where the sheer amount of major change and restructuring would appear to be the root cause. To a large degree, managing stress is about effective leadership and people management, particularly during periods of major change and uncertainty.

"Line managers need to focus on regaining the trust of their employees and openly communicating throughout the change process to avoid unnecessary stress and potential absences. They also need to be able to spot the early signs of people being under excessive pressure or having difficulty coping at work and to provide appropriate support."

Gill Phipps, HR spokesperson for Simplyhealth, comments: "Stress can often have a negative effect on the workplace, which can result in loss of productivity and disengaged employees. It's therefore encouraging that almost half of employers have a wellbeing strategy in place, with 73% offering counselling services and a further 69% providing an Employee Assistance Programme. These benefits allow employees access to information and advice on workplace issues, as well as emotional, psychological and personal issues, and can be a huge help during difficult times. Employers need to ensure that benefits such as these are communicated effectively to staff in order for employees to get the most from them.

"With many organisations looking for ways to save money, employee health and wellbeing shouldn't be over looked and should remain at the heart of the company. Benefits that engage employees do not have to be expensive. By introducing a recognition scheme or equipping leaders with the skills they need to care for the health and wellbeing of their teams, employers can make small, affordable changes that make a positive difference."

Overall employee absence levels have remained static at 7.7 days per employee per year. Public sector absence has decreased from 9.6 days per employee per year last year to 9.1 days this year and private sector absence has increased from 6.6 days in 2010 to 7.1 days in this year's survey. The trends in absence levels appear to reflect the relative fortunes of these sectors. Although overall absence levels show little change, the proportion of absence that is stress-related has increased. Nearly four in ten (39%) employers report an increase in stress-related absence, compared to just 12% reporting a decrease.

Other findings include:

• Absence levels are lowest among manufacturing and production organisations at 5.7 days per employee per year (6.9 days in 2010) while among non-profit organisations absence has increased to 8.8 days (8.3 days in 2010)

• Over a quarter (28%) of employers report an increase in the number of people coming to work ill in the last 12 months

• Organisations that were expecting redundancies in the coming six months were more likely to report an increase in presenteeism (32% compared with 27% of those who were not expecting to make further redundancies). They were also less likely to report they had not noticed an increase (48% compared with 66%) and less certain (20% report they didn't know if there had been an increase compared with 7% of those not making redundancies)

• Organisations that had noted an increase in presenteeism over the past year were more likely to report an increase in stress-related absence over the same period (49% compared to 33% of those who did not report an increase in people coming to work ill)

• Over a quarter of organisations (29%) report they have increased their focus on employee wellbeing and health promotion as a result of the economic context. Over two-fifths of the public sector report an increase in focus compared with just over one-fifth of the private sector

Source: CIPD October 2011

Are your employees feeling stressed.? jml Training & Consultancy offers an in-house Stress Management Course Information Here

Amey is the overall winner of the 2011 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development People Management Awards

2011-10-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

Amey, a leading UK public service infrastructure provider, is the overall winner of the 2011 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) People Management Awards, according to a CIPD News Release issued today.

The winners across all categories were announced at the Awards ceremony, held in London last night. Amey also won the Building HR capability Award, having shown ingenuity and innovation in the rapid transformation of their HR function to deliver significant business benefit as well as improved employee communication and collaboration.

Amey is experiencing an extended period of growth from 10,000 employees in 2009 to a predicted 35,000 by 2015. With many employees transferring in from other organisations its HR transformation needed to not only simplify that complicated process, but also reduce costs. More important, though, was the HR function's capacity to build organisational capabilities in order to achieve business objectives and drive continued growth. An emphasis on the development of the HR function itself has built commercial capability and developed project management skills. Amey has successfully implemented a number of other changes, including self service systems for non-office and older workers, and started new graduate and apprenticeship schemes.

Further improvements have included the mapping of roles with CIPD competencies, clear career paths right across the organisation and succession plans. Within HR, these improvements have been delivered alongside a reduction in HR costs of £1.6m per annum. HR has also contributed substantially to savings from organisational restructuring - including a reduction of £15m in overhead employee costs and of £0.7m in temporary labour spend in 2011. Last year the organisation delivered an increase of five per cent in profit despite client spend reductions.

Stephanie Bird, Director of HR Capability, CIPD, and chair of the judging panel for the Awards, said: "Amey has shown great insight and innovation for the sector in its work to build its HR capability in an integrated way and to deliver against a clearly understood business agenda. They have developed people in creative ways by introducing carefully targeted training and career paths for employees spanning all areas of the business, ensuring no single area could become a 'second class citizen'. They have also developed mentoring and cross-business projects. Amey's pride in delivery and willingness to take people with them in their development journey for growth has really shone through.

The HR agenda is increasingly strategic and diverse in today's competitive environment. Investing in and up-skilling the HR function against a clear agenda will not only add value, but also help to create a sustainable and successful organisation for the future."

Hugh Hood, BT, comments: "Choosing a winner from entries packed with sparkling innovation and enthusiasm was truly difficult. Ultimately Amey's edge was their crystal clear understanding of their business strategy and an approach that proactively blazed a clear line of sight to the heart and soul of that strategy. Their comprehensive approach showed a sustainable change in mindset, behaviour and capability not just within the function, but in a way that role modelled the changes that Amey needed to make."

The CIPD People Management Awards also recognise good practice in nine specific people management and development categories, four of which are new this year, as well as the Michael Kelly Outstanding Student Award. An Award was given to the winner for each category below:

• Building HR capability - Amey

• Health & wellbeing - Police Service of Northern Ireland

• Employee engagement - DB Regio Tyne and Wear Ltd

• Organisational learning - Wm Morrison Supermarket PLC

• Change management - West Midlands Fire Service

• Excellence through technology - Unilever and Silverman Research

• Performance & reward - Institution of Civil Engineers

• SME HR initiative of the year - vine HR

• Talent attraction & management - Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Children & Voluntary Youth Services

• Michael Kelly Outstanding Student Award - Jessica Haglington, Rolls Royce plc

BT is the headline sponsor for the CIPD People Management Awards. Category sponsors include JMP, Simplyhealth and Hays.

In September Amey was Named as a Top 50 Company for Graduates. The company was listed in TheJobCrowd’s 2011 Top Companies For Graduates To Work For index, in recognition of how well the company looks after and values its graduates, as well as offering flexibility in career development.

Amey is a leading UK public services provider with more than 11,000 staff. The company works across three main markets - Inter Urban, Local Government and Built Environment, which are supported by their award-winning consultancy division.

Amey delivers services in the highways, roads, schools, waste, rail, fleet solutions, workspace, street lighting, commercial, housing and aviation sectors. By offering a complete life-cycle solution for services, they maximise efficiencies for their customers.

jml Training and Consultancy offers a range of Management Training Services for small to large companies and organisations. Find out more about jml Training at www.jml-training.com

Diversity in the Workplace

2011-10-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

Came accross this supplement from "MEDIAPLANET" in yesterday's (30-9-11) edition of "The Independent".

"Diversity in the workplace" is the tiltle of an in-house diversity training course that has been run by jml Training and Consultancy for many years now.

The Mediaplanet publication feature was a special issue promoting equality and had interviews with Jacqueline Gold the very successful Chief executive of Ann Summers, Chris Sullivan CEO of RBS Corporate Banking and other features and news reports around this subject.

There was a feature on Lord Davies discussing why having more women in the boardroom is not only about equality, but also about good business practice.

Back in February this year, jml Training issued a Press Release entitled "Equality in the Boardroom" and this blog featured the report "Lord Davies' review, Women in the Boardroom now published"

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have recently issue their report In response to the Prime Minister's call for more women to sit on the boards of Britain's biggest companies. See this blog here

If you would like more information on jml Training's customised in-house diversity courses find out more by following this link

Sex and Power 2011 report launched

2011-09-30T03:37:00.000-07:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have just sent out their monthly e-newsletter. One of the topics is the Sex and Power 2011 report.

In response to the Prime Minister's call for more women to sit on the boards of Britain's biggest companies, the EHR Sex and Power report revealed that more than 5,400 women are missing from Britain's 26,000 most powerful posts as they are still being passed over for top jobs.

"The progress of women to positions of authority in Britain has been tortuously slow. This year’s Sex and Power Report an index of women in positions of power and influence shows a trend which is not abating; while women make progress in some sectors, that progress regularly stalls or even reverses in other sectors. It is a trend of waxing and waning; not one of constant upward movement.

British women are better educated than ever before. They are attending university in ever increasing numbers and achieve better degree results than men . Intelligent, competent women are flooding the junior ranks of law firms, accountancies and medical practices" Follow this link to find out more

If you are looking for Equalities Training Services follow this link and make sure your organisation is up to date with it's training.

Maximising the true value of coaching in challenging economic times

2011-09-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

The CIPD - The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has today issued a News Release " Maximising the true value of coaching in challenging economic times involves focusing on key areas of people and business development, says CIPD"

The new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Coaching Climate, investigates how coaching and mentoring are developing in organisations and helps HR professionals and coaches to deliver the best possible value from their initiatives.

This year 77% report coaching activity, compared to 90% in 2009. However, the coaching landscape is far from bleak with more than four-fifths of those using coaching reporting that they're doing more of it than two years ago. Coaching is utilised most as a tool for improving performance and is used nearly as much to improve poor performance (43%) as to build on good performance (48%). Although the bulk of coaching, in keeping with previous data, is delivered by line managers or in-house coaches, the proportion by external coaches has nearly doubled (up from 14% to 20%).

When looking at the extent to which organisations work on specific agendas most coaching assignments were found to focus on developing skills and competence (67% always and frequently), with supporting career transition (54% always and frequently) another key area. The focus on improving understanding of business, commercial and financial issues (26% always and frequently) was low.

Coaching is continuing to develop within organisations despite budget cuts, although the type of coaching assignment is of greater importance. In a tough economic environment understanding business and commercial issues should be top of the list for HR professionals, however the report highlights just how low down on the agenda it actually is, with only 5% of organisations always doing this and 10% never addressing the issue.

Dr John McGurk, Adviser Learning and Talent, CIPD, says: "The report demonstrates the value of coaching, and the need to use it to improve performance and build capability. It is good to see so many firms boosting their use of this important part of the learning and development toolkit.

"Although budgets remain tight it is encouraging to see that a relatively small number of organisations report decreases in their coaching budgets, compared to the number reporting decreases in overall funding in our Learning and Talent Development survey earlier this year.

"The report also identifies areas for improvement, particularly in the development of HR capability around business savvy, the ability to apply business knowledge and understanding to key people and performance issues and to fulfil strategic objectives. Our Next Generation HR research project challenged practitioners to develop and trade upon their insight within the organisation and link this to the business, driving real insight about how good people management can make the difference."

Other highlights:
• Seven in 10 report either increasing or stable expenditure on coaching, while under a quarter reported decreased expenditure
• Just under two-fifths record evaluation around 'stories and testimony' as the method most used (37%), compared to under a quarter in 2009 (23%). The use of key performance indicators and business metrics (30%). The development of a set of evaluation criteria at the outset in the contracting phase (28%)
• Nearly three-quarters of respondent organisations have some sort of mentoring scheme in place (74%)

To see the "Coaching Climate report", please visit www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/survey-reports/coaching-climate-2011.aspx

jml Training and Consultancy has been offering coaching services for business for many years now. Gráinne Suter of jml Training is a Member of The International Coach Federation and jml Training are an Organisational Member of The Association for Coaching.

To find out more about jml Training's Coaching Services please visit http://www.jml-training.com/coaching.htm

New health authorities need to advance equality says Equality and Human Rights Commission

2011-07-23T02:20:00.000-07:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said on the 11th July 2011 that new health commissioning bodies should learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and take steps to meet their obligations under equality legislation to make a real difference to health outcomes.

The Commission undertook a study assessing the performance of a sample of Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts in England with regard to the race, gender and disability equality duties. It found that many bodies were not taking sufficient action to address the diverse needs of people in Britain and to protect the rights of disadvantaged groups.

The Commission concluded that without a major re-think by new health bodies on how they tackle discrimination and advance equality some groups will continue to experience poorer health.

For example:
Men are less likely to report health conditions than women, leading to worse implications for their health;
Infant mortality is higher than average among Black Caribbean and Pakistani groups;
Muslim people tend to report worse health than average; and
Women report higher incidences of mental health conditions.

The Commission’s recommendations include a requirement that health authorities collect data to ensure they have the right evidence base on which to make decisions, and provide guidance to the people making decisions about commissioning.

Until April 2011, health bodies in England were subject to equality duties regarding race, disability and gender. This meant that public authorities had to take steps to tackle discrimination and promote equality amongst the people they serve. The duties were replaced by the public sector equality duty in April 2011 which covers a wider range of groups such as age, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

Andrea Murray, Director of Policy at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“The introduction of the new equality duty and the reorganisation of the NHS is a good time for health bodies to re-think their approach to equality. Our research shows that many health organisations see equality as a box ticking exercise, and few were able to show they have used the duties to make a real difference to the health outcomes of particular groups.

“Acting upon the equality duty will help health organisations to develop effective services that meet patients’ needs, improve the health of the population and tackle disadvantage faced by particular groups.”

Additional information:

In April 2011 the existing equality duty was replaced a new duty. The new duty covers the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientat.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act. It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals.

Source: Equality and Human Rights Commission

If you are looking for training services for your Hospital Trust, please contact jml Training and Consultancy HERE

News reports about The Equality and Human Rights Commission

2011-07-23T01:45:00.001-07:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission announced on the 2nd June 2011 the appointment of Mark Hammond as chief executive.

According to their press release "Mark Hammond joins the Commission after an extensive career in local and central government. He was previously chief executive of West Sussex County Council, a post he held from 2004 to 2010. He first joined West Sussex in 2000 as director of environment and development.

From 1985, Mark held a wide range of posts in the Civil Service including private secretary to the permanent secretary at the Department of the Environment; part of the UK team which negotiated the United Nations climate change convention; and the energy, environment and telecoms brief at the British Embassy in Washington.

Commenting, Equality and Human Rights Commission chair Trevor Philips said:

"Mark's appointment as permanent chief executive is a crucial step in the next phase of the Commission's life. We can already count many achievements to our name, including ground breaking legal cases and investigations, but we need to build on those successes - most of all in charting an inclusive path to economic prosperity.

"We've made much progress in modernising the organisation over the last 18 months, and we are now about to start consulting on a new strategic plan to deliver the Commission's vision of improving life for the whole of society. Mark will be leading the work to create an efficient, effective and creative organisation which can deliver that vision.

"His extensive experience of delivering large scale organisational change will be vital to us as we look to build on the progress made by his predecessors Helen Hughes and Neil Kinghan. The board is delighted that he will be leading the organisation into this new challenge."

Mark has also been appointed by the Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities as a commissioner and accounting officer.

Lynne Featherstone, Minister for Equalities added:

"It is vital that we have a strong, effective and independent equalities and human rights body. I congratulate Mark on his appointment and am confident that he will work towards delivering this.”

Meanwhile The Commission has launched the first of three phases of consultation to develop their next strategic plan.

The plan will cover our plans and priorities from April 2012 to March 2015 and is due to be laid before Parliament in April 2012.

They have designed a strategic planning process at the heart of which is consulting and involving all those interested in their work from start to finish.

If your organisation is looking for Diversity and Equalities Training services JML Training and Consultancy would like to help with an "in house" course. For further information contact jml Training Here

Further Education Colleges score under 50% in Equality on line

2011-07-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

According to a report at Diversitylink.co.uk on the 11th July 59% of Further Education Colleges scored less than 50% in a recent Equality analysis of their websites.

This is the main finding of a report out at the end of June, aimed at encouraging UK Further Education College HE staff to improve their websites.

‘Further Education Colleges: Recruitment Equality for the 21st Century?’ is the second report published this year by Anne Tynan. This report was commissioned and sponsored by R21Education, the leading job board for Further Education colleges.

Although the report highlights examples of Excellence – 14% of colleges scored above 60% - there are also areas for concern. A staggering 91% of colleges did not provide easily available information on their websites about building/venue accessibility.

One of the author’s main conclusions is that organisations need to adapt more of a marketing mentality if they are to be successful in embedding and disseminating Equality and Diversity ideas, practices and information.

The report has been welcomed by the European Commission’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Team, as it is an example of a small business putting CSR into practice. It has also received an enthusiastic reception from the US Task Force on Health Care Careers for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community; it will be used as a resource by the Task Force access subcommittee.

If the HR departments of FE colleges are to promote Equality of Opportunity in Employment, they need to develop more of a marketing mentality.

This is the main finding of a report out this week, aimed at encouraging UK Further Education College HE staff to improve their websites.

View the report Here

If you are requiring Diversity Training for your College or University, you need to contact jml Training and Consultancy. Their trainers have many years experince providing "in house" Diversity training.

Find out more Here:

Job seekers are not prepared for interviews – coaching would help

2011-07-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

A report in HR Review earlier this week focused on the fact that the majority of job seekers were ill equipped for an interview. This followed on from the REC’s Institute of Recruitment Professionals recently highlighting some of the feedback from recruiters confirming this fact.

There are some quite amazing stories which include:

Mobile phone use: One candidate left his mobile on and it rang and he had a chat with a friend in the middle of the interview, another asked for a minute to check his emails!

What to wear: Many candidates are too casual in what they wear for an interview.

Know what is in your CV: Candidates do not always remember the information they have submitted in their CV’s.

Drinking before the interview: Another amazing revelation was that some candidates were turning up drunk, or suffering the after effects of the night before.

Preparation for the interview: Many candidates know nothing or hardly anything about the organization they want to work for.

It is vitally important that a candidate for a job interview or entrance interview for higher education – University – College has some interview coaching. jml Training and Consultancy provide an “Interview Coaching“ service

jml Training can help a candidate develop the poise and confidence to present their skills, experience and personality in the best light.

The two hour one to one coaching session will be designed specifically to help them iron out any current interview concerns and enable them to make a strong impression at an interview.

For more information go to http://www.jml-training.com/coaching/

CIPD announce finalists of People Management Awards 2011

2011-07-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development -(CIPD) has just issued a press release saying that - This year's finalists for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development People Management Awards have been announced after one of the toughest judging processes to date. Four new categories and the Michael Kelly Outstanding Student Award have increased awareness and secured participation from a wide mix of public and private sector organisations.

The Awards acknowledge the valuable contribution that HR makes, particularly in difficult economic times, to the overall organisation's success and sustainability. A winner for each category will be chosen from the shortlist by our senior panel of judges on 7 September. The official announcement of the winners will take place at the Awards dinner on 11 October, to be celebrated in London at The Brewery.

Last year's winner, Nampak Plastics Europe Limited, had succeeded in increasing employee engagement levels through strong leadership - this year's winner will also need to have demonstrated unparalleled innovation and outstanding practice in the management and development of people.

Jackie Orme, CIPD Chief Executive, who will be helping to judge the Awards, says: "I would like to say thank you to the organisations taking part, for their drive and determination in pushing the boundaries of good practice management and development of people.

"The introduction of four new Awards has helped to broaden the scope of the Awards process and allow for greater recognition of expert HR practices across many more fields of work. This year's standalone Awards ceremony marks a new era for CIPD, I am proud of the success of our People Management Awards and I look forward to reviewing the inspiring work of the organisations taking part."

The finalists are:

Building HR capability
Amey, Burberry, City University London, D Young & Co LLP, Estee Lauder Companies, VSO

Change management
Broadway Homelessness & Support, Daisy Group plc, Everything Everywhere Ltd, Kier, Building Maintenance, NHS Leeds, West Midlands Fire Service

Employee engagement
Centrica Storage Limited, DB Regio Tyne & Wear Ltd, Hastings Direct, McDonald's Restaurants, Screwfix, Wm Morrison Supermarket PLC,

Excellence through technology
BSkyB, Cabot Financial (Europe) Ltd, Globoforce, Infosys Technologies Ltd, The University of Sheffield, Unilever

Health & well-being
American Express, Amnesty International UK, City University London, Office Depot UK Ltd
Police Service of Northern Ireland, Yorkshire Ambulance Service

Michael Kelly Outstanding Student Award
Jo Wright - Britvic Soft Drinks PLC, Anna Hobson - Bury Council, Megan Douglas - Lipsy,
Jo-Anne Tillie - John Lewis Partnership, Jessica Haglington - Rolls-Royce plc, Rebecca Watson - Total HR Limited

Organisational learning
McDonald's Restaurants, Mitchells & Butlers Plc, Olympic Delivery Authority, The Savoy, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Trident Housing, Wm Morrison Supermarket PLC

Performance and reward
Aviva UK Limited, Bhs, BSkyB, Centrica Energy, HSBC Merchant Services, Institution of Civil Engineers

SME HR business initiative of the year
Housing Solutions, People Puzzles Ltd, vineHR

Talent attraction and management
British Gas, InterContinental Hotels Group, Norton Rose LLP, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Santander Plc, Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Children & Voluntary Youth Services

BT is the headline sponsor for the CIPD People Management Awards. Category sponsors include JMP, Simplyhealth and Hays.

The Award recognises organisations that have managed positive changes through the effective implementation of innovative practice and is a joint venture between the CIPD and People Management magazine. Source CIPD

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jml Training sponsors Speen Festival 2011

2011-07-15T02:20:00.000-07:00

jml Training sponsors Speen Festival 2011

Unsuitable candidates, struggling to fill vacancies and talented individuals are staying put says CIPD

2011-06-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

The CIPD annual survey on recruitment finds return of war for talent and huge skills gaps in UK, despite widespread unemployment

Employers are being inundated with unsuitable candidates, struggling to fill vacancies, and talented individuals are staying put, concluding that the grass is greener on their own side of the fence in these volatile economic times. These are the top line findings from the annual Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Resourcing and Talent Planning survey, produced in partnership with Hays.

Three quarters (73%) of organisations have highlighted an increase in the number of unsuitable candidates for job vacancies, fuelled by the sheer weight of application numbers due to high levels of unemployment. However, more than half of employers (52%) believe that competition for talent is even greater, compared to 41% and 20% in 2010 and 2009 respectively.

This year, three-quarters (75%) of organisations experienced recruitment difficulties. As in previous years, the main reason for these recruitment difficulties is a lack of necessary specialist or technical skills (72% compared to 67% in 2010), with managers / professionals and technical positions (28%) the most difficult to fill.

One clear contributing factor to the talent shortage issue is that those who are in work are reluctant to leave in a volatile market. The median turnover rate has remained consistently low throughout the recession and beyond (2011: 12.5%; 2010: 13.5%; 2009: 15.7%; 2008:17.3%), with figures this year indicating slightly less will to leave than even at the height of the recession. Not surprisingly, the rate of voluntary leavers has increased slightly in the private sector (8.7% in 2011, compared to 7.4% in 2010) but decreased in the voluntary (7%% in 2011,compared to 10.2% in 2010) and public sector services (3.4% in 2011, compared to 5.8% in 2010), reflecting the Government's austerity programme.

Claire McCartney, resourcing and talent planning adviser, CIPD, says: "High levels of unemployment have boosted quantity, but employers are still struggling with quality. Headlines focus on high levels of unemployment, but those stark statistics mask an ongoing struggle for employers to find the skills and experience they need to drive their businesses forward. Shortages of specialist and technical skills run the risk of slamming an unwelcome brake on the long-term competitiveness of the UK economy.

"Skills shortages are undoubtedly being exacerbated by 'grass is greener on this side of the fence' syndrome. Free movement of talented individuals is being impeded by a reluctance to voluntarily change jobs in volatile economic times - and the problem is worse now than it was at the height of the recession. With more cuts in the public sector expected and only marginal private sector growth, we expect a continued 'safety first' approach from employees, with many wanting to stay put for the next couple of years at least, making it difficult for employers to really drive competitive edge through the recruitment of talented individuals."

With this backdrop of a weak recruitment market, four in 10 (39%) also cite increased tuition fees as a concern. Respondents are worried that this will affect the number of graduates coming into the labour market, affecting their access to yet another talent pool.

The survey also finds active engagement with Government policies aimed at supporting job seekers and bridging skills gaps. Strategies employers are adopting include increasing the use of apprenticeships (30%), increasing the use of interns (27%) and considering sponsoring students through university (10%).

Julie Waddicor, managing director of Hays Human Resources, says: "The rate of youth unemployment continues to soar, but employers are still complaining about the lack of talent on the market. It's crucial for organisations to communicate not only what skills they need now and in the future but also really sell themselves as an employer of choice in order to secure their talent pipeline in years to come. Equally, with university fees increasing there is a real need for more to be done to encourage businesses to take on apprentices and introduce other initiatives to help young people gain experience in the workplace. Only then will UK organisations really succeed in closing the skills gap."

Additional findings from the survey include:
• Just over half (54%) of survey participants report having a formal resourcing strategy
• Half of the organisations surveyed report the economic climate has had a negative impact on their organisation's resourcing budgets for 2011-12. This year, it is the public sector that is most severely hit, with four out of five (82%) reporting their resourcing budgets will be reduced (up from 59% last year).
• Changes in resourcing and talent practices in 2011 compared with 2010 reflect a stronger focus on costs and reductions in budgets. More organisations anticipate they will be focusing on developing talent in-house, retaining rather than recruiting talent and reducing their reliance on recruitment agencies and external consultants for resourcing and development
• Nearly half of public sector organisations will be implementing a recruitment freeze in 2011, compared with one-fifth of organisations overall. Two-thirds (66%) of public sector organisations and 29% of private organisations will be reducing the number of new recruits they hire.

Source: CIPD

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National Learning at Work Day

2011-05-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

National Learning at Work Day takes place on Thursday 19th May 2011. National Learning at Work Day is the biggest celebration of learning and development in and through the workplace. Why not join the thousands of organisations that take part each year and make a public commitment to learning and skills by putting on special events and activities.

Learning at Work (LAW) Day is an annual awareness campaign organised by the Campaign for Learning (CfL) since 1999 as part of Adult Learners' Week. LAW Day promotes and supports workplace learning events across the country. It aims to draw attention to the importance of workplace learning and skills. It encourages people to offer learning to all employees especially to those that may not participate in current learning opportunities.

A competition to encourage innovative working practices has been launched by British Airways to celebrate National Learning at Work Day.

The YouTube-based 'Winning Ways in the Workplace' contest, organised in collaboration with e-learning specialist Brightwave and video production partner Nice Media, is open to all BA employees. They are invited to create a short (maximum two minute) smart phone or camcorder video which demonstrates a technique, shortcut or attitude that helps them do their job more effectively.

BA is hosting an event at their Waterside HQ on May 19th to mark National Learning at Work Day. For those who are a little unsure of their video-making capabilities help will be on hand from the Brightwave team on the ground. This cutting-edge use of video sharing to capture soft skills and knowledge dovetails nicely with this year's National Learning at Work Day overarching theme of 'Future Matters'.

Wendy Stubbs, BA's Learning Innovations Consultant said: "This is the first time British Airways has taken part in the National Learning at Work Day. We are very excited about being able to celebrate adult learning and have some fantastic activities taking place throughout the day, including challenging peoples' creativity in a fun way using technology."

Charles Gould, Brightwave's Managing Director, said of the contest: "User-generated learning content is a perfect complement to more formal workplace training. The effective use of new technology allows all employees to capture and share knowledge, contributing to a positive learning culture and improved performance."

Source: Brightwave and Campaign for Learning

The Modern Workplaces Consultation

2011-05-17T07:57:00.001-07:00

Government proposes radical reforms for parental leave and flexible working - Creating a modern workplace

UK Government Home Secretary Minister Theresa May launched the "Consultation on Modern Workplaces" on the 16th May 2011. The Consultation, which runs until the 8th August 2011, intends to meet the Government’s stated aim of creating "a society where work and family complement each other” and where "employees no longer have to choose between a rewarding career and fulfilling family life”.

This is to introduce a new system of flexible parental leave from 2015 as part of its plans to create a modern workplace for the modern economy.

Under the proposals, once the early weeks of maternity and paternity leave have ended, parents will be able to share the overall leave allowance between them.

Unlike the current system this leave could be taken in a number of different blocks and both parents could take leave at the same time.

The three key proposed changes are: Flexible parental leave, Flexible working, Working time regulations and Equal pay

What is being proposed?

Flexible Parental Leave
18 weeks maternity leave and pay – in one continuous block around birth.
Four weeks of parental leave and pay exclusive to each parent to be taken in the first year.
30 weeks of additional parental leave available to either parent - of which 17 weeks would be paid and can be broken in blocks between parents.

Flexible Working
Extending the right to request for all workers who have been with their employer for 26 weeks.
The Government will consider publishing a statutory Code of Practice for businesses. It will propose that employers should be allowed to take into account employees individual circumstances when considering conflicting requests.
There are no plans to alter the current 8 business reasons for a business to turn down a request.
The Government recognises that legislation is not the only answer to promoting flexible working practices. Non-legislative measures are being developed to promote flexible working opportunities both for those with a job and for those looking for one.

Equal Pay
Employment Tribunals that have found an employer to have discriminated on gender in relation to pay, will order the employer to conduct a pay audit and publish their results (except in some circumstances, such as where an audit has already been conducted).

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“Our proposals will encourage greater choice by giving employees and their employers the flexibility to find arrangements to suit them both.

"New parents should be able to choose their childcare arrangements for themselves, rather than being dictated to by rigid Government regulation as is currently the case. And employers should be encouraged to come to agreement with employees on how work and family responsibilities can be met simultaneously.

“These measures are fairer for fathers and maintain the existing entitlements for mothers – but crucially give parents much greater choice over how to balance their work and family commitments.

“Of course I’m mindful of the need to minimise the costs, bureaucracy and complexities on businesses. This has been at the forefront of my mind throughout the development of our proposals. So we will ensure that businesses will still be able to take into account their needs when agreeing how leave can be taken. But I’m also confident that we have a good case to make on the wider benefits to business - not least from a motivated and flexible workforce and we will be making this case to employers over the next few years before these changes are introduced.”

The Consultation Document can be downloaded HERE More Information at BIS Website HERE

The CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) has just issue a Press Release yesterday afternoon saying:

CIPD welcomes direction of travel on shared parental leave, and commits to working with Government to improve the proposals

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) today gave a broad welcome to the principles and ambitions behind the Government's Modern Workplaces consultation, and committed to continuing to work with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through the consultation process to ensure the final proposals are workable and deliver the intended benefits for both employers and employees.

Arguing that the objectives of the Government's proposals - to reform parental leave to encourage greater sharing of caring responsibilities between parents - are achievable, but could be undermined by poor implementation, Jackie Orme, CIPD Chief Executive, said:

"We welcome the principles and ambitions behind these proposals. The phrase 'work/life balance' assumes that there is a clear and impermeable divide between work and life. In reality, working lives and home lives overlap in today's world to a greater degree than ever before.

"At the same time, traditional gender roles in relation to parenting are changing. That fact has been recognised, but not resolved, by policymakers and business leaders alike. And it is important in the context of this consultation. It is simply not possible for influential voices in the business lobby to be, at once, firmly in favour of getting more women on to boards and closing the gender pay gap, as I am; against crude instruments such as quotas and compulsory pay audits, as I also am; but simultaneously against light-touch measures to support change to cultural norms that force able women to make choices between careers that fully utilise their talents and their roles as parents. These are choices that men are not traditionally required to make in the same way. Although that fact is beginning to change, the inflexibility of existing maternity regulations and the way they support cultural norms acts as a brake on progress.

"Successive reviews of the impact of male dominated, monocultural boards on business performance and the intractable gender pay gap have concluded the problems are multiple and complex, and that long-term cultural change is required. Done right, these proposals offer the prospect of removing state-sponsored obstacles to those already noticeable long-term cultural changes, in a way that levels the playing field for talented, ambitious, successful women who also choose, with their partners, to become parents.

"Growing numbers of employers recognise these facts, and they tell us they're seeing significant shifts in attitudes to flexible working and the sharing of parental responsibilities. These proposals seek to remove regulatory obstacles that can prevent employers and employees from developing truly flexible, mutually beneficial solutions. They are a welcome contrast to the kind of prescriptive legislation that often militates against real cultural change. Instead, they are designed to give parents maximum flexibility to choose how and when to take parental leave, in the firm context of the need to protect the employers' ability to run their business.

"We retain some concerns about the workability of some of the details of the proposals in the consultation document as they currently stand. We believe that parents should be required to take leave in reasonable blocks of time - no shorter than two weeks - if the employer is not to be subjected to unreasonable burdens. And we'll be looking for reassurance about the adequacy of HMRC IT systems to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy that might be associated with the administration of these proposals.

It will also be important that, however parental leave is organised, the employer should have adequate notice of parents' intentions so that they have the opportunity to make alternative arrangements. We will continue to work with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through the consultation process, closely involving our members, to ensure that the final proposals are clear, simple and workable, and achieve their objectives.

"It is crucial that the Government takes time to get this right. A failure to establish a regime that both employers and employees are happy with could fatally undermine the Government's objective of giving effective support to parents, and of changing a culture that presumes women always hold the primary responsibility for childcare."

Extending flexible working to all:-

Jackie Orme added: "We welcome also the Government's intention to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. This move is overdue and will help to break down the perception of a growing workplace divide between those with caring responsibilities and others. Many of our members' employers already offer the right to request flexible working to all, in recognition of the high value many employees, regardless of their family situations, place on flexible working. Our evidence suggests that flexible working supports employee engagement and this has a positive effect on performance, benefitting both the employer and the employee."

Source: BIS & CIPD

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Developing organisational and individual resilience

2011-05-14T01:26:00.001-07:00

A combination of individual and organisational resilience is needed in today's tough economic environment if employees and the organisations they work for are to compete and prosper. This is the key message from a new guide, Developing Resilience, published jointly by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Business in the Community (BITC) and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

The guide has been developed in recognition that both private and public sector organisations are continuing to operate in challenging environments following the financial crisis of 2008, with pressure to reduce and manage costs or restructure to improve competiveness and efficiency. Employees are also under increasing pressure in the workplace as a result of downsizing, pay freezes, job insecurity and rising inflation eroding wellbeing and standards of living.

The guide, which is based on a literature review of the evidence, sets out the interventions that support individual and organisational resilience:

Individual resilience can be supported by:
• Cognitive behavioural therapy which enables individuals to see life and problems from a more positive perspective
• Coping skills underpinned by social support, relaxation, nutrition and exercise
• Adapting job demands for the individual, for example, by adjustments to reward, level
of decision-making control and working hours
Organisational resilience can be enhanced by:
• Developing organisational cultures that are underpinned by ethical behaviour which engenders trust
• A focus on developing leaders that support employee engagement and wellbeing
• Adapting job design to support employee resilience
• Risk assessment using employee surveys to identify satisfaction or dissatisfaction with job demands, roles, relationships, level of support, level of autonomy or involvement in change

Ben Willmott, Senior Public Policy Adviser, CIPD, says: "Organisations face ongoing pressure to reduce or manage costs and in many cases to restructure to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Against this background, organisations need to remain agile which will depend on their ability to bring their people with them and support their wellbeing. This guide highlights what leaders need to focus on to build the organisational and individual resilience to compete and grow in tough times."

The guide's author, Emma Donaldson-Feilder of the wellbeing consultancy, Affinity Health at Work, comments: "Resilience is now recognised as an important factor in the workplace. In the increasingly and endlessly turbulent context of today's working world, the resilience of both individuals and organisations becomes paramount in order to survive and thrive."

Louise Aston, Workwell Director, BITC, comments: "Taking a proactive, holistic and strategic approach to building organisational resilience, by creating the right conditions for the whole person to flourish in the workplace, is mission critical for driving sustained performance."

Dr Luise Vassie, Executive Director of Policy for IOSH, comments: "This guide recognises that ensuring health and safety at work increasingly requires employers to focus on supporting the psychological wellbeing of their staff. This will give employees the resilience to perform under increasing pressure and against a background of constant change."

Business in the Community stands for responsible business. They are a business-led charity with a growing membership of 850 companies, from large multinational household names to small local businesses and public sector organisations. They advise, support and challenge our members to create a sustainable future for people and the planet and to improve business performance. Their members work with us to define what responsibility looks like in the workplace, marketplace, community and the environment - and we share what we learn about driving performance through responsible business practice.

IOSH is the Chartered body for health and safety professionals. With more than 39,000 members in 85 countries, they are the world's biggest professional health and safety organisation. They set standards, and support, develop and connect their members with resources, guidance, events and training. We're the voice of the profession, and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people. IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status.

Source: CIPD

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Government launches fund to create new private sector jobs

2011-05-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

A series of road shows have been launched by Lord Heseltine on the 12th May in a bid to promote the second round of the Regional Growth Fund.
Companies and organisations are being encouraged to compete for a share of £950m.

The fund has been designed to support projects which drive sustainable economic growth, create new jobs and help communities which are currently heavily dependent on the public sector.

The first road show takes place in Margate, Kent, where Lord Heseltine will speak about the importance of economic growth and the role of the Regional Growth Fund. He will then take questions about the process of submitting high-quality bids that offer the potential to create new jobs.

More than 150 businesses and organisations are expected to attend the event at Margate’s Winter Garden and more than 1,000 are expected to attend the series of road shows over the next few weeks.

The Regional Growth Fund has been designed to:
• provide support for projects that can drive sustainable economic growth and create new private sector jobs; and
• particularly help communities that are currently dependent on the public sector make the transition to private sector-led growth and prosperity.
Lord Heseltine is Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel, which will consider all bids for funding and make recommendations to Ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, about which should be supported. He is supported by Deputy Chair, Sir Ian Wrigglesworth and a team of academics, business and civic leaders.

Lord Heseltine said: “The Regional Growth Fund was exceptionally popular in the first round, and we received many bids that demonstrated strategic thinking on how to create jobs and contribute to local economies.
“I hope businesses and public-private partnerships are inspired to think about innovative and creative ways of making a difference to growth and shaping their economic future, and that we will see results of this thinking when we are assessing bids.
“The road shows are an excellent opportunity for potential bidders to find out more information about ensuring bids meet the objectives and criteria. I urge all those interested to ask questions, and get as much out of these events as possible.”
The second round of the Regional Growth Fund opened to bids on April 12 and will close at midday on July 1. The second round will aim to allocate around £950m – the bulk of the £1.4bn fund.

Ministers announced in April that there were 50 successful bidders from the first round of the Regional Growth Fund. These bidders will share £450m if they pass a process of due diligence

Source: NDS

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Employee Engagement

2011-05-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

A new Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report published on the 11th May 2011 delves deep into the issue of employee engagement. It acknowledges that employee engagement is an important driver of sustainable organisation performance, but goes further by exploring 'what' employees engage with and 'where' in the organisation their focus of engagement is located, or what is their 'locus of engagement'.

Locus of engagement: Understanding what employees connect with at work, produced for the CIPD by the Kingston Engagement Consortium, finds that despite the plethora of research around the issue of employee engagement, very little attention has as yet been paid to what exactly it is employees engage with. An analysis of their research data provides evidence not only that employees engage with a variety of different aspects of their work, but that these vary both in depth and intensity over time and can impact on organisational performance.

Engagement was identified as a major driver of performance in the CIPD Shaping the Future research programme, but evidence was also suggesting that over-engagement with particular facets of the job could impact negatively on organisational agility and flexibility. And data collected from the organisations taking part in the Kingston Engagement Consortium reveals interesting variations in the locus of engagement, defined as that particular location in which engagement exists for a person while at work:

• Highest engagement - with the job: variety, autonomy and meaningfulness are important
• Engagement with line manager and colleagues - high: ability to voice concerns and working with good colleagues are critical factors
• Engagement with the organisation - moderate: being well treated and company reputation were positives, but for some the motivation was financial
• Lowest engagement - with individuals outside the organisation: highly dependent on specific jobs

The data reveals that higher engagement with any locus correlates positively with higher task performance and citizenship behaviour, although there is a significant degree of variation.

Angela Baron, engagement and organisational development adviser, CIPD, says: "Organisations currently face a number of challenges stemming from the ongoing economic difficulties following the recent financial crisis and subsequent squeeze on public sector expenditure. Our Shaping the Future report identified that engagement of employees will be crucial to organisations facing the economic challenges ahead while maintaining organisational functioning, but that an important aspect of engagement had been largely overlooked - the locus.

"Managers need to get behind the engagement score to really get to grips with what button to press to trigger employee engagement if they are to truly drive competitive advantage through their people. They need to understand that engagement is not static and occurs in a context that will impact on perceptions of fairness and the ability to harness engagement and translate it into sustainable organisation performance. This research is an important first step in understanding how to engage and energise employees to reap organisational benefits."

This is the third in a series of reports for the CIPD from the Kingston Engagement Consortium research programme. Formed in 2006, the consortium brings together organisations which are actively implementing engagement management programmes to raise engagement and establish a culture where engagement can flourish.

Source CIPD

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CIPD launches consultation on revised code of conduct

2011-05-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has published a revised code of professional conduct, which has been issued for consultation on the 11th May 2011 - CIPD consults on revised Code of Professional Conduct

They state that clear expected standards of ethics, integrity, behaviour and competence lie at the heart of a revised Code of Professional Conduct issued for consultation by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) today (11th May 2011).

The consultation process on a revised Code, designed to better reflect the world as it is today, post-financial crisis, comes at a time when there are widespread questions being raised about confidence in business as a whole. The CIPD maintains a Code of Professional Conduct to ensure members are held to account for behaviour and actions that fall below the standards it contains. The CIPD's existing Code of Conduct remains in force during the consultation on the revised draft Code. Hearings on alleged breaches of the Code are heard by a panel of experienced HR professionals, drawn from the Institute's professional conduct committee.

Launching the consultation, Jackie Orme, CIPD Chief Executive, said:
"CIPD membership is a trusted and respected benchmark of HR professionalism. We've already completed thorough reviews of professional standards and entry requirements. The time is now right to review and update our Code of Conduct, to ensure it remains relevant to the world as it is today, particularly in the context of an ongoing crisis of confidence in business as a whole, post-financial crash.

"We're clear that HR has a central role in delivering the sustainable performance organisations strive for. But to fulfil that role, we need to be confident we have a responsible HR profession, capable of safeguarding its own standards of ethics, integrity, behaviour and competence. A revised CIPD Code of Professional Conduct will give us the tools to support the profession in that task.

"We've already consulted closely with the profession in developing the new draft Code. We've drawn on detailed focus groups to incorporate extensive feedback from HR professionals. Over the coming months we'll be consulting on the current draft, ready to approve a final, revised Code in the autumn. We look forward to receiving feedback from the profession to help us complete our review."

Responses to the consultation are invited by 15 July. A revised Code of Conduct is due to be approved by the Board of the CIPD in the autumn of 2011

Source CIPD

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Local Government elections results in England means new Councillors need training

2011-05-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

On Thursday May 5th 2011 local elections took place in England. The results mean that there are hundred of newly elected councilors up and down the country, many have no experience in Local Government and need professional training. Read the rest of this report by following the link below

Local Government elections results in England means new Councillors need training

Employers less likely to cut jobs during the recent downturn, but curtailed wage budgets

2011-05-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

ILM - Institute of Leadership and Management's newsroom has run a report on the 3rd May 2011 "Companies 'struggling to offer pay rises"

Employers were less likely to cut jobs during the recent downturn, but this is now having an impact on the salaries of their workers, according to the Higher Education Careers Services Unit.

Charlie Ball, deputy director of research at the organisation, said in previous recessions, companies cut staff numbers and then struggled to recover once economic conditions improved.

"They have learned their lessons from that period; when the recession ended many of them found they didn't have the talent to capitalise on improved conditions, so their own corporate recoveries were quite slow," he explained.

In contrast, during the recent downturn, companies aimed to avoid large scale redundancies, but Bell added that this has "curtailed wage budgets and training opportunities".

His comments come after research by XpertHR found that pay awards fell in the first quarter of 2011, despite increased pressure on salaries.

The number of pay freezes also rose in April and accounted for 24.7% of deals in the month, up from 9.2% in March

The Institute of Leadership and Management is the UK's premier management organisation.

Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) bring you news and information about research and development in career-related learning and career guidance in Higher Education.

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Visit http://www.jml-training.com for the UK or http://www.midas-training-france.com for areas outside the UK

Business Management Training in France from jml Training

2011-04-30T02:58:00.000-07:00

jml Training is now increasing it’s coverage of Business Management training for companies in France and other European countries with the additional service of the training being delivered in French and other languages.

Read all of this news relaese from jml Training by clicking on the link below

Business Management Training France from jml Training

Unemployment figures bring further good economic news so carry on training your staff

2011-04-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

The CIPD has just issued a Press Release following the official labour market statistics published earlier today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the 13th April 2011.

Unemployment figures bring further good economic news - but jobs outlook remains uncertain, says CIPD - Dr John Philpott, Chief Economic Adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) commented below:

"It's clearly good news week for the UK economy. The inflation rate is down, unemployment is down, and pay pressure is down. However, while the jobs figures are apparently signalling green for go, they reflect an improvement in the labour market at the turn of the year and don't tell us anything much about the road ahead. Indeed, the most up to date figures for vacancies and claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance suggest that labour market conditions softened again in the early spring and it remains likely that unemployment will start to rise again later this year.

"Especially welcome in today's figures is a substantial rise in the number of people working full-time, although this was still insufficient to prevent a further increase in the number of people working part-time who would prefer a full-time job.

"The easing in pay pressure suggests that fears of an inflationary pay-price spiral remain unwarranted. This may be bad news for workers who are suffering a big squeeze on real earnings but is very good news for interest rate setters at the Bank of England and for the wider economy."

Above info source CIPD

So it is good news that there is a substantial rise in people working full time. Regardless of course whether employees are working full time or part time they should still be properly trained to ensure they are working efficiently.

Money spent on training and development and coaching is essential to an organisation's growth. For information on jml's Training Service Click Here

Local Government Councillor Training and Development

2011-04-13T03:32:00.001-07:00

Local Government elections in England take place on Thursday 5th May 2011. There will bound to be a lot of changes of councillors and jml Training and Consultancy can offer in-house traing services for these new representatives.

jml Training has a long and successful history of working with local government. We deliver bespoke training that is relevant, results oriented and cost-effective. Our trainers and coaches work with members from across the political spectrum and with officers, from junior to the most senior level. This experience enables us to deliver first class training and support across local government.

The aim of all our training with councillors is to increase their confidence, competence and personal effectiveness as a result of our training input.

We recognise that councillors have very busy and demanding lives and that training and development has got to be responsive to this. We have a flexible approach to workshop duration and timings, recognising that afternoons and evenings or Saturdays are most suitable for council members.

Training and support for council members
• New councillor induction training
• Facilitated workshops and team building for individual council groups
• Skills training courses and workshops
• Developing women leaders programme
• One to one coaching to address specific development needs identified in individual development plans

We provide a wide range of skills training:
• Organisational skills – planning, time and meeting management
• Enhancing communication skills including listening and interpersonal skills
• Developing influencing and negotiating skills
• Resolving conflict and personal safety skills
• Presentation, public speaking skills and media skills
• Equalities and diversity awareness
• Building positive working relationships with officers
• Overview and scrutiny skills
• Running successful surgeries
• Understanding Council finances

Our approach

Self-awareness - we aim to build a level of self-awareness and reflection into all our work to enhance the effectiveness of the training.
Practical Solutions - we try to ensure that positive action and change occur as a result of our input. We use concepts and strategies that operate in the real world - not just in handouts.
Communication - we believe that effective communication is a key issue underlying the success of any organisation and try to build an appreciation of this into all our work.

Our training style

Our aim through out all our training is to enable participants to feel empowered by the process. We hope the training is enjoyable, energising and empowering. Our training approach is highly interactive. We base our training on experiential learning and take into account personal learning styles when designing all our courses and programmes. We also believe that learning is most successful in a relaxed environment; our trainers are highly competent at creating a supportive learning environment that ensures attendance is worthwhile and an effective use of time.

Recent participants have said about us…

“Has had a real impact on how confident I feel dealing with issues”

“Feel so much more confident about how to influence my colleagues”

“Brought home the importance of thinking and planning my workload, and now I have the tools to do that!”

“Gained confidence and how to pace and deliver effectively”

Email: enquiries or call us on 01494 488787 to discuss your requirements or visit http://www.jml-training.com/local_government_training.htm

BNU - Bucks New University and Premier IT announcePRINCE2 Project Management Residential Programme

2011-03-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

On the 31st March 2011 Premier IT was delighted to announce the introduction of residential PRINCE2® training to its project management certification portfolio, delivered in partnership with New Buckinghamshire University (BNU) as part of a new PRINCE2 Project Management Residential Programme.

The Programme offers delegates the opportunity to attain a PRINCE2 qualification without a daily commute and outside distractions. The partnership combines the skills of Premier IT trainers with the stunning venue and prestige of the University to deliver unrivalled PRINCE2 training with the additional incentive of receiving an academic Project Management Award.

Once delegates have passed their PRINCE2 exams they are offered the opportunity to receive the University's Project Management Award by writing and submitting a reflective log for a project they have conducted after their course. This unique combination of professional certification and academic award sets us apart from other residential project management training providers.

The residential PRINCE2 courses will take place at the University's stunning Missenden Abbey Conference Centre in 2011.

The Premier IT residential PRINCE2 training courses include the same excellent, comprehensive and high quality material as a non-residential PRINCE2 training course. The added bonus is that they have a higher first time pass rate owing to a more intensive learning experience, where learners and trainers have additional time to collaborate and share real world examples of implementing the PRINCE2 methodology. Alternatively delegates are still able to attend the course on a non-residential basis.

Ian West, Chairman, Premier IT says: "we are delighted to form a solid partnership with a prestigious University to offer our delegates that little bit extra when it comes to attaining their PRINCE2 qualification.

More information about Premier IT

Premier IT is a workforce performance improvement specialist. We deliver a wide range of IT and learning solutions to over 500 clients across London and the UK. These include:

• Professional Development Software We are a market leader of professional development software solutions to professional institutes, Royal Colleges, membership bodies and educational establishments. We currently enable tens of thousands of members and employees, across more than 40 clients, to conduct their professional development online through the use of CPD, e-Portfolio and Multi Source Feedback systems

• IT & Business Skills Training We have a wealth of experience in providing first class IT and business training solutions to a wide variety of organisations throughout the UK. In the past two years alone we have delivered almost 25,000 student training days!

• NHS Training & Development We are a highly experienced provider of training and development solutions to the NHS. Our services are in use at NHS Trusts all over London and nationwide.

• Cloud Computing & IT Support We specialise in providing IT network support and security services to organisations in London and across the UK. Our in-house team of qualified and experienced IT engineers can assist with your strategic IT planning, as well as take ownership of your day to day IT issues.

More Information about Bucks New University

It is the only publicly-funded higher education institution in Buckinghamshire. The main university is in High Wycombe, Bucks with the Nursing Division located in Uxbridge, Middx. See also: Feedback on evaluation forms from Bucks New University (BNU) Equal Opportunities in Selection Interviewing Course delivered by jml Training and Consultancy

Institute of Directors poll shows Budget has boosted business confidence

2011-03-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

26th March 2011 - Following the UK Budget on Wednesday 23rd March, The IOD - Institute of Directors issued this News Release - The survey for the News Release below of 620IoD members was conducted from 23 March until 25 March.

Business confidence in the UK’s economic outlook has been boosted significantly by the Budget, according to a survey of 620 members of the Institute of Directors (IoD). 58 per cent of company directors say they are now more confident about the long-term economic outlook of the economy as a result of the Budget, with only 9 per cent feeling less confident. The poll also reveals that a large majority of IoD members believe the Government’s economic leadership is sound and that the Chancellor’s Budget will have a positive impact on their businesses, as well as the wider economy. Key points from the survey of 620 company directors Business confidence in the Government’s economic policy:

•58 per cent are more confident about the long-term economic outlook of the economy as a result of the Budget, with only 9 per cent feeling less confident. •69 per cent believe George Osborne is doing a good job running the economy as Chancellor. 14 per cent do not think George Osborne is doing a good job.

Positive impact on wider economy:

•70 per cent believe the Budget will have a positive impact on the economy, with only 6 per cent believing it will have a negative impact.

Positive impact on IoD members’ companies:

•55 per cent believe the Budget will have a positive impact on their business, with only 8 per cent believing it will have a negative impact.

Views on some specific Budget measures:

•93 per cent believe that reducing the main corporation tax rate to 26p this year and 23p by 2014 will be positive for the economy, with 74 per cent stating that it will be positive for their businesses. •43 per cent think the increase in the lifetime limit for entrepreneurs’ relief from £5m to £10m will be positive for their businesses. •48 per cent think the improvement to the capital allowances for short-life assets will be positive for their businesses. •81 per cent think that increasing the limits for investment under the Enterprise Investment Scheme is a positive step. •65 per cent think moving an increase in fuel duty to an increased tax on North Sea oil production when the oil price is high is a positive step.

Commenting on the survey, Graeme Leach, Chief Economist and Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors, said: “The economic recovery is fragile so it is good news that business leaders have responded so positively to the Budget. At a time when confidence could make the difference between recession and recovery, the IoD’s Policy Voice survey suggests that the Budget has improved the outlook for business investment. And at a time when international developments are making people worried, the Chancellor has helped steady nerves at home.”

Source: IOD Now the budget has taken place, have you arranged your training for the next financial year? At jml Training and Consultancy we offer an excellent selection of "in-house" training courses designed for your organisation. For more information visit jml -training courses and if the course you are looking for is not there, just let us know and we will try to assist.

UK Government U-Turn on Equality Duties

2011-03-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Diversitylink.co.uk published this in the last few days - "Government U-Turn on Equality Duties may reduce need for Diversity Specialists"

In a surprise announcement Theresa May Minister for Equalities and Women has commissioned a policy review on the specific equality duties that were due to come into force on April 6th. Of note fundamental changes have been proposed to draft legislation published on January 12th 2011.

The policy review proposals suggest organisations with more than 150 staff may no longer be required to publish data demonstrating • Engagement they have undertaken when determining their policies;
• Engagement they have undertaken when determining their equality objectives;
• Equality analysis they have undertaken in reaching their policy decisions; and Information they considered when undertaking such analysis. Many equality practitioners are left questioning how policy decisions can be fair let alone inclusive without the need for transparent engagement.

If these changes are approved this would potentially see a dramatic drop in public sector bodies conducting equality impact assessments, and monitoring of how diverse workforces or service users are. Much of the work historically to meet the considerations has been performed by Equality and Diversity Managers, or Consultants.

The Telegraph estimates the cost of the compliance reaches a figure of around 29.8 Million, potentially a huge saving for a Coalition Government tasked with reducing the deficit. At the same time many diversity practitioners contracted or employed in this field may say their roles disappear. The past decades policies have favoured diversity practitioner work strongly, Consultants and specialist Diversity roles have been in abundance. Now much of that may be undone within a year of the Coalition Government’s tenure. Practitioners in the field may feel like their worlds have turned upside down.

Many may have hoped that they would be heavily involved in formulating the data required for public scrutiny. This does not appear to be the case anymore Speaking about the proposals Theresa May said “We have considered the draft regulations further in the light of our policy objective of ensuring that public bodies consider equality when carrying out their functions without imposing unnecessary burdens and bureaucracy.

As a result, we think there is room to do more to strip out unnecessary process requirements.” Linda Bellos of the Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners has slammed the proposals as going back to the 80’s, commenting on the changes she said: “In my view these proposals especially those in paragraph 14 will, if implemented, take us back to days when the loudest voices prevails. These changes go beyond reducing bureaucracy they are both ideological and regressive to the point of hostility to equality” Was the U-turn fuelled by the governments embarrassing defeat in the courts?

The Infamous Building Schools for the Future case hinged on the government not undertaking the correct equality impact assessments when scrapping plans to build new schools. If more Austerity measures are to come this could be a welcome loss of a legal obstacle. The Coalition argue that by removing the administration and analysis public bodies will deliver better on equalities, and they will be better able to comply with the specific duties. Those working in the field seem sceptical. Are Diversity Practitioners merely gatekeepers clinging onto their positions or could the coalition be making a huge mistake with its equalities agenda leading to an 80’s style era of widening inequalities? If the policy review is approved we will surely find out the hard way.

To see the consultation Click on this link

Source: Diversitylink which is the only specialist job board on the internet for Equality and Diversity practitioners

For information on Diversity and Equalities training from jml Training Click Here

Public bodies have duties to demonstrate that they are taking action on aspects of equality in policy-making

2011-03-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

The March 2001 Equality and Human Rights News arrived in our email in box today.

One of the topics is - "New regulations coming into force early!" Public Sector Duties - Public bodies have duties to demonstrate that they are taking action on aspects of equality in policy-making, delivering services and employment. Under the Equality Act, previous duties will soon be replaced by one new Equality Duty Changes to commencement of PSED general and specific duties On the 18 March 2011 the Government Equalities Office (GEO) has announced that the government’s draft regulations on the specific duties for England (and non-devolved bodies in Scotland and Wales) are to be revised and therefore will not become law on 6 April, as originally envisaged.

The specific duties – which are different for all three nations – are intended to help public authorities meet the general equality duty. GEO has also announced that the commencement date for the new general equality duty for England, Scotland and Wales will be 5 April 2011. You can read the full announcement on the GEO website. The general duty requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations across all of the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.

These include the existing characteristics of race, disability and gender as well as some new characteristics, including age, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Commission has published guidance that includes advice about meeting the general equality duty. It is essential that all public authorities understand the effect of their policies and practices, to assist them to comply with the general equality duty. This revision of the specific duties may create a degree of uncertainty for public authorities.

The Commission previously set out its views on the previous draft regulations and we will review the new proposals before submitting our views to the GEO. We support the aim to reduce bureaucracy and we will need to examine the new proposals closely to make sure that they offer organisations certainty; without that certainty public bodies will simply replace bureaucratic procedures with legalistic overprotection to guard against every possible source of challenge. Our focus remains on providing public authorities with the information and guidance that they need to prepare for the new equality duty.

In light of the new proposals we will be reviewing our non-statutory guidance on the equality duty as soon as we can. Further queries from public authorities in England (and non-devolved bodies in Scotland and Wales) should be directed to our helpline for England: 0845 604 6610 The Scottish Government is currently reconsidering its proposals for specific duties in Scotland, and so it is not yet clear when these will come into force. Read Scotland's interim advice on the Equality Act Scottish Specific Duties for more information.

Regulations to bring in the Welsh duties have been laid. If passed by the Assembly, they will come into force on 6th April 2011. Further queries from public authorities for Scotland or Wales should be directed to the relevant national helpline: Scotland: 0845 604 5510 Wales: 0845 604 8810

More News from The Equality and Human Rights Commission -Government consults on the Commission’s powers and duties

22 March 2011

In response to the Government’s consultation on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s powers and duties, its chair Trevor Phillips, said: “The Commission began its own review of its role and focus around 18 months ago, before the review of non-departmental bodies by government. We are already talking to our stakeholders about our vision for the Commission’s future and will continue to do so during this consultation and beyond.

“Our priorities reflect changes in the equality landscape and the evidence we have been gathering about where our work is most needed, such as those identified in our review of equality 'How Fair is Britain'. We are confident that this will allow us to deliver maximum impact and value for public money.

“We plan to respond quickly to this consultation on our powers and duties so that other organisations are aware of our view of our future. While it is too soon to comment on the Government's proposals in detail, we are concerned that the removal of our good relations mandate may prevent us from being able to do many practical things at a time when community relations are under particular strain.

"A critical aspect in our move to becoming an effective, high-impact regulator will be updating our approach to threats to equality such as the English Defence League. Now is the moment for us to focus and intensify our efforts in this area, not to abandon them." Source: Equality and Human Rights Commission

See also:Government U-Turn on Equality Duties may reduce need for Diversity Specialists

Looking for Equality Training? Visit www.jml-training.com Today

Reforms for Equality and Human Rights Commission

2011-03-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Government Equalities Office issued a press statement on the 22nd March 2011 saying:

Radical reforms to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will make it a stronger, more focussed and more efficient organisation, Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Theresa May said today.

The Government Equalities Office has published detailed plans for major changes to the way the EHRC operates. The reforms will correct mistakes of the past and increase transparency, accountability and value for money.

The proposals are contained in a consultation that will run for three months from today. Ministers plan to make changes in three key areas:

1) Clarifying the EHRC’s remit.The government will amend the legislation that established the EHRC, the Equality Act 2006, to clarify the Commission’s core functions. This will allow the EHRC to focus on the work that really matters, where it alone can add value. At present, vagueness in the Equality Act, for example, the duty to “promote understanding of the importance of equality and diversity” has led to the EHRC undertaking a wide range of activities that are not regulatory in nature, including running summer camps for young people.

2) Stopping non-core activities. One of the causes of the Commission’s difficulties was the breadth of its remit – extending beyond its core role to, for example, operating a helpline and grants programme. The Commission has struggled to do these things well in the past, so we have decided that we should not fund it to do them in the future. The evidence suggests that this work could be done better or more cost-effectively by others.

3) Improving transparency and value for money.Problems with financial controls mean that each set of the EHRC’s accounts have been qualified since its creation, and it has struggled to deliver value for money. Today’s proposals include a legal requirement for the EHRC to publish an annual business plan in Parliament, and comply with the same rules as all other public bodies when spending money. Where the Commission fails to show that it has spent taxpayers’ money wisely, financial penalties will apply.

Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality Theresa May said:“It’s vital that we have a strong, effective and independent equalities and human rights body, but since its creation the EHRC has struggled to deliver across its remit and demonstrate that it is delivering value for taxpayers’ money.

“We want the EHRC to become a valued and respected national institution, championing effective implementation of equality and human rights laws and holding government and others to account for their performance, while delivering maximum value for money for taxpayers. The proposals being published today are intended to make that happen.”

The EHRC covers England, Scotland and Wales. It was set up in 2007 and took on the responsibilities of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

The EHRC is chaired by Trevor Phillips, who was reappointed in 2009 for a second three year term. The body’s interim Chief Executive is Helen Hughes.

Looking for Equality Training? Visit www.jml-training.com Today

New research by CIPD shines a light on the management behaviours that drive employee engagement

2011-03-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

18th March 2011 - News from The CIPD - The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development which is Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members, supporting and developing those responsible for the management and development of people within organisations.

The extent to which managers provide guidance, feedback and the appropriate level of autonomy for staff is key to whether employees go the extra mile for their organisation, new research for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests.

The research was commissioned to help organisations develop practical guidance for use in promoting better line management performance amongst managers.

Ben Willmott, CIPD Senior Public Policy Adviser, says:
"The central role of managers in boosting individual and organisational performance is well recognised - with the recent government commissioned MacLeod review of employee engagement making the point particularly well. But managers need more specific, tried-and-tested guidance on what they can do on a day-to-day basis to fulfil this key role well. Our new research is designed to fill that gap.

"The research findings may seem on the face of it simple, common sense recommendations. But it is precisely that kind of plain-speaking common sense that managers need. Our findings shine a light on what managers can really do on a day-to-day basis to ensure employees will go the extra mile.

"In today's tough economic environment how managers manage is even more important in supporting employee commitment and motivation in the face of job cuts, pay freezes and cuts to training and development budgets."

Emma Donaldson-Feilder, research author and Director of employee wellbeing consultancy Affinity Health at Work, which conducted the study, says: "We hope this research will help employers and HR practitioners support managers in enhancing employee engagement. The framework, and particularly the specific behavioural indicators, can help managers understand what they need to do. They can be used in learning and development, performance appraisal and even assessment and selection to ensure that those with people management responsibilities behave in ways that will best engage those they manage."

The research asked employees what management behaviours supported them in:
• focusing on what they do
• feeling good about themselves in their role
• acting in a way that demonstrates commitment to their organisation's values and objectives

The most frequently mentioned management competencies for supporting employee engagement were:
• reviewing and guiding
• feedback, praise and recognition
• autonomy and empowerment
• level of interest the manager shows in employees as individuals

The research, Management competencies for enhancing employee engagement, is a pilot study based on interviews with nearly 50 employees working for the emergency team call centre of a large global energy provider.

The research was co-funded by the CIPD and a consortium of other organisations, including employers from a range of sectors. Consortium membership provides a range of benefits including being involved in cutting-edge research.

More information HERE

You have read the CIPD News Release now you need training for your management team. Take a look at the the jml Training website and arrange some in-house training HERE

Age Equality Exemptions consultation launched

2011-03-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

The website Diversitylink.co.uk has the following report under it's News section.

With new Single Equality Duties set to kick in from April 2012, the government has launched a consultation on how exemptions may apply in practise on age as a protected characteristic. Older people are entitled certain concessions such as cheaper car insurance, it was feared certain age related concessions may have become illegal. Holidays aimed at under 25 may become a thing of the past for example.

Age discrimination in the workplace has been illegal since 2006. The decision to extend this ban to the provision of goods and services follows the announcement earlier this year that the government plans to phase out the default retirement age, which can be used to force people to retire at 65 even if they don’t want to.

Speaking about the proposals Lynne Featherstone, Minister for Equalities said it was important to have certain exemptions such as free bus passes for the elderly, whilst banning all forms of age discrimination.

“It’s high time we put an end to outdated stereotypes based on age and recognised the valuable contributions that people of all ages can make to our society and economy. When older people are turned away from the market place through unfair treatment, the economy misses out on increased business and revenue.

These proposals will ensure that doesn’t happen, providing new protection and support for people of all ages. However, we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, which is why we will allow businesses to continue to provide the age-specific services that many people of all ages benefit from every day.”

The new rules will apply to services provided by the public sector as well as by private companies.

Source: Diversitylink.co.uk

For information on Diversity and Equalities training from jml Training Click Here

Age discrimination - The Equality Act 2010

2011-03-09T00:06:00.001-08:00

Direct Gov posted the following on their website on the 8th March 2011.

"It will soon become unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their age when providing goods and services, when the Equality Act 2010 takes effect. However, a number of exceptions to the Act have been proposed. Read the proposals in full and have your say.

Proposed exceptions to the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act was signed into law in 2010 and is due to take effect in 2012. Before that happens the government has to decide what kind of organisations will still be allowed to treat people differently because of their age.

In summary the proposed exceptions are:

•age-based concessions such as free or reduced cost travel rights for older or younger people
•group holidays organised around age, such Saga and Club 18-30 holidays

•immigration: age is a factor taken into account in allocating visas

•sport: age-restricted competitions, such as championships for the under-21s
•residential park homes: admission rules

•financial services and insurance products, but only when age is an important factor

If you would like to comment on the consultation, visit the Government Equalities Office website. The consultation runs until 25 May 2011. At http://www.equalities.gov.uk/equality_act_2010/age_consultation_2011.aspx "

The Equality Act 2010 - Is your organisation compliant? jml Training have a course that will help you - Details Here

Investing in High Performing Managers with jml Training

2011-03-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

"If organisations don't invest in developing high-performing managers, they
may find better managed competitors racing past on the road to recovery…." CIPD 2011 1st Quarter Survey

To deliver the services that people expect, in the face of a challenge to do more with less, managers need to be skilled at increasing employee engagement and improving performance.

Middle managers are the powerhouse of any organisation or business. They need to be skilled in developing, motivating, and securing a high level of performance from all their employees in a changing environment.

The jml Training management development programme recognises that middle managers are the conduit between the senior strategic team and the front line services. It is designed to develop in managers a robust and pro-active approach to change; highly effective influencing and communication skills; the ability to focus on the things that matter and to get things done.

The programme strongly emphasis:

Close involvement with senior managers to ensure the content is integrated to organisational priorities.
Managers and participants agree personal development goals prior to the programme and review on completion.
'On-the-job' opportunities to practice new skills and techniques.
Application of a range of practical techniques and tools that the participants can immediately apply in their work situations.
A strong focus on delivery, producing results and customer service.

Programme content in four modules

Effective communication, influencing and relationship management
Management/leadership skills to develop high performing teams
Developing skills of personal effectiveness - planning, prioritising, delegating and productivity
Leading and delivering successful change - including behavioural change, team learning and collaboration.
The four modules are best run over a period of four/five months, allowing time for application of learning back in their workplace.

As with all jml Training, the material and the practical exercises will be adapted to meet the needs of your organisation very precisely. Additional modules can be added to the programme.

Guided learning

The participants will develop a Personal Portfolio of course materials, references, group work check lists and their own notes and personal action plans. The results of group work exercises will be typed up and circulated to participants where appropriate.

All participants will be provided with extensive Reading Lists to support their learning and they will be encouraged to reflect on their practice and application of new learning and experiences using Learning Diaries. The participants will leave with a Management Toolkit to use and share with their teams.

Impact on work practice - Each session will end with an Action Planning activity related to work practice.

Working with difference - Individual coaching and the use of diagnostic assessments, for example, Myers Briggs or Firo B instruments can be included in the programme if required.

Programme outcomes

Confident and self-aware managers prepared to lead and manage
Greater collaboration and consistency of message between levels of management and across departments or directorates.

Where does your organisation go from here to start this programme of "in house" training modules?

CLICK HERE

Equality and Human Rights responds to the Davies Report

2011-02-28T07:34:00.000-08:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has responded to the release of the report of Lord Davies on women in the boardroom.

24 February 2011

In response to the release of the report of Lord Davies on women in the boardroom, Stephen Alambritis, Commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“At the current rate of change it will take 73 years for women to achieve equal representation on the boards of FTSE 100 companies. We need to speed up progress. This is not just a moral issue. Our businesses are paying a penalty; there is evidence that more diverse boards take better and more responsible decisions.

“Clearly, we agree with Lord Davies that business needs to put its house in order. We also agree that it would be better for companies to take action themselves without government having to impose quotas upon them. We do, however, need them to demonstrate real progress on this issue – and not just in relation to women but in terms of diversity of all kinds.

“The Commission will make this a priority for our investigations over the next two years. We hope that our work will show that companies are really taking action.”

See also:

Lord Davies' review, Women in the Boardroom now published HERE

and Equality in the Boardroom - jml Training News Release 28th February 2011 HERE

Equality in the boardroom in the UK coming soon?

2011-02-28T03:25:00.000-08:00

"Whilst the Davies Report is reporting on inequality in the boardroom it is important not to lose sight of the level of inequality at other levels in organisations as well", says Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy.

In both public and private sector representation in senior positions does not reflect a gender balance. But where organisations have put in place the right type of positive action initiatives change happens and those organisations reap benefits.

See the JML Training News Release of the 28th February 2011 here http://www.jml-training.com/Equality_in_the_boardroom_PR_Feb_11.htm

Lord Davies' review, Women in the Boardroom now published

2011-02-24T05:04:00.001-08:00

Lord Davies' review, Women in the Boardroom, which calls for firms to adopt voluntary targets in order to achieve a minimum of 25% female representation on boards by 2015 has been published today 24th February 2011.

Jackie Orme, Chief Executive at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), has today welcomed the publication. In the CIPD Press release - Jackie Orme said: "We welcome Lord Davies focus on a voluntary approach. His review marks the start of a process. It is the right start, but everyone involved in the governance of British firms now needs to step back and recognise that there needs to be a fundamental shift in established perceptions of what a great board member looks like. That is the only way we will ensure we get to and beyond the 20% target swiftly and in a sustainable way.

"That means far more than setting internal targets and filling them in a tick-box way. From my own experience in business, I know that a range of opinions, backgrounds and perspectives is always better than what is often referred to as 'group think'. But I also know that we face a challenge to some severely entrenched attitudes in many boardrooms. I was once told a startling story by a woman who, being interviewed for a non-executive director role at a FTSE 100 firm, was told: 'Don't worry; we're not interviewing you because you're a woman. We've already got one of those'. It is precisely that kind of tokenism and numbers game we need to avoid.

"Meeting Lord Davies' objectives must be about more than skirts on seats. It needs to be about a concerted challenge, lead by chairs of boards and headhunters themselves, to the established views of the skillset, background and range of experiences that make great board members.

That board members should be appointed on merit is a truism - but the definitions of what constitutes 'merit' have been allowed to become too comfortable and too static - to the detriment of corporate performance. We need to get better at drawing from non-traditional sources - and the benefits of that approach will extend far beyond getting more women in the room. It holds out the prospect of generating a vibrant new generation of board members, capable of challenging orthodoxy, banishing group think, and generating more sustainable growth for their firms.

"By seizing this opportunity to challenge established norms, we'll do so much more than just ensuring women are allowed to make up the numbers. Lord Davies has created a platform we can build on - but everyone involved in the governance of our biggest firms now needs to step up and play their part."

Commenting on the publication of ‘Women on boards – Independent Review by Lord Davies of Abersoch’, Miles Templeman, Director-General of the Institute of Directors, said: “We are pleased that the report stops short of advocating gender quotas for the boardroom. Quotas would have been incompatible with a meritocratic approach. However, it was unhelpful that Lord Davies did not rule out quotas once and for all. With only 11 per cent of the respondents to Lord Davies’ consultation – of which 88 per cent were women – supporting the idea of quotas, I question why he thinks the threat of quotas should remain.

Mr Templeman added: “A greater diversity of people on boards in general is necessary, and this clearly means we need more female directors. The way to do this is to increase the pool of female senior executives from which directors can be recruited. Improving flexible working opportunities for aspiring female executives will be central, with companies rather than Government taking the lead in creating these opportunities.

“We also believe that Lord Davies is right to argue that a combination of entrepreneurs, existing providers and individuals needs to come together to consolidate and improve the provision of training and development for potential board members. This is an area in which the IoD is ready to make a major contribution through its Chartered Director programme and other professional development activities.”

Key IoD points on the substance of the Davies Review:

•We are pleased the report stops short of advocating gender quotas for the boardroom. It is striking that only 11 per cent of the respondents to Lord Davies’ consultation (of which 88 per cent were women) supported the idea of gender quotas.

•However, we are concerned that Lord Davies continues to threaten gender quotas at a later date if “the recommended business-led approach does not achieve significant change”. This attitude is unhelpful. Gender quotas for boards should have been rejected once and for all as being incompatible with a meritocratic approach to senior level appointments. Furthermore, they would be demeaning and undermining for female directors and aspiring female directors

•The report recommends that listed companies should establish policies and new reporting requirements for female participation on boards and amongst senior executives. These measures are not desirable as they distract companies from establishing a board and management structure that best reflects their specific needs.

•Adding further requirements to the UK Corporate Governance code in respect of gender diversity would not be a positive development. The Code already states that “The search for board candidates should be conducted, and appointments made, on merit, against objective criteria and with due regard for the benefits of diversity on the board, including gender”. Further requirements in terms of gender diversity policy will increase the risk that the Code becomes viewed as a list of political requirements for listed companies rather than a guide to improved effectiveness.

•We agree that non-executive director appointments should be more widely advertised. Furthermore, Lord Davies is right to argue that “A combination of entrepreneurs, existing providers and individuals needs to come together to consolidate and improve the provision of training and development for potential board members”. This is an area in which the IoD is ready to make a major contribution through its Chartered Director programme and other professional development activities.

•A greater focus on director development would also assist in the achievement of one of the reports other recommendations; that women from “outside the corporate mainstream, including entrepreneurs, academics, civil servants and senior women with professional service backgrounds” play a greater role on boards. Appropriate development and mentoring activities – tailored to the specific needs of women – could contribute a great deal to the achievement of this objective.

The CBI today welcomed Lord Davies’s report, Women on Boards.

Helen Alexander, CBI President, said: “The lack of women at board level needs addressing urgently, and the best way of achieving this is through companies reporting on their progress.

“We believe firms should report against internally-set targets that reflect different starting points, the nature of particular sectors, and the size and structure of the board.

“Lord Davies’s report rightly proposes that chairs of FTSE 350 companies should set the percentage of women they aspire to have on their boards, based on the characteristics of their business.

“A Government-set target for FTSE 100 directors would not reflect the different circumstances of individual companies. It should be for companies, not the Government, to set an appropriate target.

“The report contains good ideas to develop and sustain the talent pipeline to the boardroom, including harnessing the role of investors, executive search firms, and mentoring. The review has also been wise to avoid quotas, which would not have addressed the real issue of how we bring about a cultural change.”

Source: CIPD,IOD,CBI

For the past ten years jml Training has been delivering specialist training programmes for women in management. For further information follow this link http://www.jml-training.com/Training_Development_for_Women.htm

Are managers confident and competent in managing underperforming staff

2011-02-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

A report on the 21st February 11 on the Personneltoday website had this headline "Managers lack confidence when dealing with underperformance"

It went on to say..... Six employers in 10 do not believe that their managers are confident and competent in managing underperforming staff.

This is according to the 2011 XpertHR managing underperformance survey, which also found that four-fifths of organisations think that underperformance is a problem in their workforce to some extent.

However, the survey of 165 employers found that many employers are optimistic about their overall ability to deal with underperforming employees. Six employers in 10 say that their organisation is quite effective at tackling low performance levels and a further one in eight say that it is very effective.

The five main performance problems employers faced were:

high levels of sickness absence;

the capability of the individual;

poor attitude or behaviour to colleagues;

poor standard of work;

and failure to meet set objectives.

Employers considered the most effective strategy in managing underperformance to be providing regular informal feedback and guidance to the individual.

Despite the lack of confidence in line managers' ability to deal with unsatisfactory performance, more than nine organisations in 10 said that management take principal responsibility for dealing with it.

Rachel Suff, author of the report, said: "If line managers are going to be up to the task of effectively managing performance - and underperformance - they need the support to discharge this responsibility. Appropriate training in the necessary skills is the bedrock of that support."
Source; Personneltoday

Appropriate training in the necessary skils is essential and as an employer you should be considering some in-house specialist training.

jml Training have an excellent selection of courses available and if you require something that is not on this list at http://www.jml-training.com/Training_courses.htm ,then you only have to contact us.

Unemployment levels are now up and it is so important that organisations get the best from their employees. If they are not properly trained, or being kept up to date then the employee will under perform. There has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in training now

Expert says Make sure the job feels right at interview

2011-02-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

A news article on the Women in Technology website issued on Tuesday 22nd February 11, says "When heading to an interview, one expert has advised candidates to make sure that the working environment feels right and to trust their instincts when choosing whether or not to take the job.

TV presenter and life coach Georgina Burnett explained that it is important to make sure a job is the right one as that candidate will be in the role for longer and will be good at it.

She also advised jobseekers to be prepared before heading into an interview. (see below) XXX

"There may be a question that they ask where the immediate answer that comes to your mind isn't necessarily the best answer – quite often, questions asked in an interview are actually leading somewhere else - they have an agenda," she remarked.

"So going with your gut instinct rather than the first thing that comes out of your mouth will actually be far more successful."

Job hunters could even find that their salary expectations will be exceeded after TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady recently called for better pay for workers."

XXX If you are applying for a new job / Place at University have you considered Interview Coaching?

Many organisations employ jml Training to coach their staff before they apply for new positions within their organisation. If you would like more information on Coaching Services provided by jml training follow these links http://www.jml-training.com/coaching.htm and http://www.jml-training.com/coaching/

No Equality or Diversity information on 97% of recruitment websites

2011-02-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

The diversity website has stated on the 20th February 11 that 97% of recruitment websites provide no Equality or Diversity information

The websit reported that "The UK recruitment industry needs to take urgent action to improve recruitment websites to make them accessible and welcoming for all users.

This is the main finding of a report published recently, aimed at provoking the recruitment industry into ‘getting its Equality Act together’.

‘Recruitment Equality – Accessibility, Equality and Diversity on Recruitment Websites’ is the outcome of a study by Anne Tynan, an HR Equality & Diversity specialist. Over a three-month period, Anne screened a cross-sectoral selection of 300 recruitment websites and analysed the results.

Several of the report’s findings suffice to set the scene:

•54% of websites offered no Accessibility features for disabled people and provided no Equality or Diversity information
•97% of websites – remember that these are recruitment websites – provided no Equality or Diversity information within their Application & Recruitment procedures or Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
‘Recruitment Equality’ provides an insight into the recruitment industry’s standpoint on equality issues. To say that there is room for improvement could possibly prove to be one of the greatest understatements of 2011.

Is your company / organisation looking for Diversity training? jml Training and Consultancy have been offering in-house Diversity and Equality training for over 14 years. To find out more visit http://www.jml-training.com/Diversity.htm

Housing associations shortlisted for awards

2011-02-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

Almost 20 new home developers and housing associations have been shortlisted for an accolade at this year's First Time Buyer Readers' Awards 2011.

The nominated housebuilders and housing associations are A2 Dominion, Affinity Sutton, Catalyst Housing Group, Circle Anglia, Dandara, Family Mosaic, Great Places, Hyde Group, Metropolitan Home Ownership, Miller Homes, Moat / Affinity Sutton, Newlon Home Ownership, Octavia Housing, Orbit Homes, Origin Housing, Southern Housing Group, Sovereign Living and Taylor Wimpey.

Sarah Garrett, managing editor of First Time Buyer Magazine, says: "We are really happy with our 2011 shortlist, as it is filled with very exciting schemes and initiatives. These awards are a great opportunity for developers and associations to be congratulated for the important work they do in our communities and we are confident this year's event will be even more successful."

The First Time Buyer Readers' Awards, sponsored by the Daily Express and Complete Media Group, will take place on Friday 8th April at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, London, where the winners will be announced.

Source "What House"

jml Training has provided training services for major Housuing Associations in the UK and if you are working for a Housing Association and are looking for in-house training contact us today - Follow this link http://www.jml-training.com/contact.htm

New qualifications launched by Institute of Sales and Marketing Management

2011-02-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management (ISMM) has launched new qualifications as part of a long-term national framework initiative to raise the parity and esteem of vocational training.

The notion that sales people are only as good as their last year's sales is starting to disappear," said Denise Edens, the ISMM's Director of Education, "and, with the sluggish economy and the emergence of sales academies, employers are looking for sales people who have something over and above the average. Those who can show that they've invested in their professional development, on top of a great track record and excellent references, stand a better chance of moving up the career ladder."

The ISMM's new qualifications fit into a framework, called the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). The QCF is a database of qualifications mapped to a grid showing on one axis the level of difficulty and on the other axis the 'size' of the qualification.

The levels go from one to eight, and the size is determined by name, with 'small' qualifications being called Awards, 'medium' ones Certificates and 'large' ones Diplomas. Qualifications comprise units which different awarding organisations, such as the ISMM, share, and each unit is worth a certain amount of 'credit', based on the size of the unit.

The ISMM's level 1, 2 and 3 qualifications are now open for registration.

"There are Awards at level 1; Awards and a Certificate at level 2 and Awards, a Certificate and a Diploma at level 3," said Denise. "We'll be introducing level 4, 5 and 6 Awards, Certificates and Diplomas on 1st April."

The ISMM's qualifications have been written by practising sales trainers and reviewed by companies, colleges and universities to make sure they cover all the up-to-date content needed to succeed in a sales role today. They contain some theory, such as understanding the sales cycle and the '7Ps of marketing', as well as skills such as negotiating and closing sales.

ISMM qualifications are recognised by Ofqual, the UK Government qualifications regulatory body, which ensures that qualifications are of the highest standard through its rigorous quality assurance procedures.

Denise Edens added: "ISMM qualifications can be taken full or part-time, by classroom, blended or distance learning. At levels 1 and 2, students don't need any experience of working in sales but it helps to have more experience at level 3 and above.

"QCF qualifications are designed to fit around work and family, consisting of small bite-size units which can be taken one by one, banked and built up over time. Learners are entitled to their own nationally recognised Learner Record where they can bank all of the credit they've achieved. "

Most of the ISMM's new qualifications involve assessment via assignment or work-based evidence of achievement, although learners attempting level 1 will sit a multiple choice exam.

"Training providers - called 'Open Centres' - offering these qualifications can be found on the ISMM website under 'Education'," said Denise. "All of our training providers have been through a quality assurance process to make sure that their delivery is of high quality.

"In addition, to help learners, we're writing study guides to support their learning. These guides have been tailored to each unit's assessment criteria, so learners can use the guide for self-study or as part of their course."

Who are the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management? - According to their website - The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management (ISMM) is the UK's only professional body for salespeople. Founded in 1911 to promote standards of excellence in sales and sales management and to enhance the status and profile of sales as a profession, the ISMM has been the authoritative voice of selling and the custodian of sales standards, ethics and best practice for over 35 years.

If your organisation is involved with sales and yes most people in business today are, whether they are selling a product, selling themselves as individuals for promtion in the organisation then jml Training has specialist in house courses. They also provide coaching services including "interviewing coaching". Follow this link for more information http://www.jml-training.com/Training_courses.htm

Public Procurement proposals are welcome

2011-02-15T07:39:00.001-08:00

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and The IoD (Institute of Directors) have both issued Press statements in the last few days welcoming the proposals published by the Cabinet Office on a radical overhaul of public procurement procedures and for opening up contracts to small busines.

On the 11th February the IOD issued the following news release - "IoD reaction to Public Procurement proposals"

Commenting on the package of measures announced by the Government today which are designed to open up the public procurement process to SMEs, IoD spokesman Alexander Ehmann, said:

“The IoD welcomes today’s announcements on public procurement. Making procurement easier for small and medium-sized businesses is long overdue. We are particularly pleased that the Government is abolishing the pre-Qualification Questionnaires for all procurement bids under £100,000. That will help SMEs by removing a layer of complex paperwork and assessment requirements. However, it remains to be seen whether today’s changes will benefit small businesses or whether risk-averse bureaucrats will soldier on with ‘safe’ choices of big brands

On the 13th February The REC issued the following news release - "REC welcomes public procurement proposals"

The Cabinet Office has published proposals for a radical overhaul of public procurement procedures and for opening up contracts to small businesses.

This is a significant development for recruiters looking to supply into the public sector and comes after several years of REC lobbying on procurement issues.

Discussions earlier this month with senior officials from the Office for Government Commerce (OGC) underlined the concerns of recruiters and the need for tendering procedures to be streamlined. Specific measures announced today include removing some of the pre-screening requirements in order to speed up the procurement process.

Underlining the implications of for recruiters, REC Chief Executive Kevin Green said:

“At long last, we are starting to see action instead of just words. The REC has consistently argued for tendering procedures to be made more efficient. We seek a competitive and dynamic market place where recruitment businesses compete on their competence and capability. We also need to find the right balance between streamlining procedures and verifying quality standards.

“The Government has been very clear in its commitment to help SMEs gain access to public sector work. Its announcement is a tangible outcome of this. The REC will monitor how the measures are implemented on the ground and will continue to work constructively with Cabinet Office and OGC.”

Key measures announced include:
• The launch of the Contracts Finder website; available immediately, it identifies contracting opportunities over £10,000. Organisations will be able to specify online, all contracts they are interested in. Details will be provided free of charge.
• The creation of SME (Small Medium Enterprise) product surgeries will give SMEs the opportunity to pitch innovative products and services direct to a panel of senior procurement and operational professionals from central government and the wider public sector.
• The removal of PQQs (pre qualification questionnaires) for all contracts under £100,000.
• Firms will be able to submit their pre qualification data once, avoiding repeat submissions.
• The Cabinet Office’s LEAN Review into procurement processes will show what the Government is doing to reduce waste, tackle bureaucracy and lower the cost of doing business with Government.

Despite the downturn of the economy employers continue to train their staff

2011-02-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

9th February 2011- jml training services PRESS RELEASE

When economies have to be made why do some organisations immediately think of cutting their training? If there are cutbacks then the standard of staff motivation will go downhill together with productivity.

Despite the recession some organisations are recognising that learning plays a vital part in ensuring organisational success.

"It is very gratifying to hear this", says Grainne Suter from jml Training and Consultancy, "as it's very shortsighted to believe that cutting the training budget, even in the short term, won't have a negative effect."

More Here....

Are Housing Associations Compliant with the Equality Act Legislation?

2011-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE from jml Training - Tuesday 8th February 2011

Housing Associations have not only a legal, but also a service-led and moral obligation to respond to the wide social diversity in contemporary Britain.

Most Housing Associations will have a section in their website stating under Equalities and Diversity that they are committed to ensuring that all their customers have equal access to all their services. They will usually have a section with a list of statements confirming this commitment to Equality.

Read the Press Release in full at Are Housing Associations Compliant with the Equality Act Legislation?

English housing associations re-let around 5 per cent of their total stock last year

2011-02-05T01:35:00.000-08:00

According to a news report on Inside Housing

English associations re-let 5 per cent of homes

English housing associations re-let around 5 per cent of their total stock last year, according to data released by property information company Hometrack.

The data, which was collated using figures from the Tenant Service Authority’s continuous recording of lettings and sales database, shows 137,817 homes were re-let in 2009/10.

The highest re-let rate was in the north east, where more than 7 per cent of homes were re-let. The lowest turnover was in London at 3.54 per cent. The data shows a wide disparity between re-let rates between different local authority areas.

jml Training and Consultancy has been providing training services to Housing Associations in England for a number of years.

Take a look at the information pack HERE

Recognise and capitalise on your potential with training from jml

2011-02-03T00:01:00.001-08:00

jml Training and Consultancy is a bespoke training and coaching company established in 1997 and working in the private and public sector offering in-house training for your organisation.

Find out further details by following this link to increase the size of the wording in the image above

New public sector equality duty guidance

2011-02-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published guides for public authorities on the new public sector equality duty, which comes into force on 6th April 2011.

The guides are for public authorities in England and for bodies with non-devolved functions in Scotland and Wales. Separate Codes and guidance on the equality duty will be available from the Commission for public authorities in Scotland (Mid-February) and in Wales (April) to coincide with the publication of the specific duty respective regulations.

More information at: http://www.jml-training.com/Framework_for_a_Fairer_Future_The_Equality_Bill.htm#New_Guidance

The Equality Act 2010 - Are you compliant? - Find out more at http://www.jml-training.com/Equality_Act_2010.htm#Course

Executive Coaching Programmes

2011-01-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

Executive Coaching Programmes

jml Training for 2011

2011-01-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the old and bring in the new - or even up to date.

20011 is here and this is time to review your training for your organisation.

On the left is a screen shot from the original 2004 jml Training Services website. Click Here to visit the original site.

Training was important to any organisation then and the site focused very much on Diversity and Equality...an area that we cover today in far greater depth.

Today jml Training offers numerous in house courses for companies and organisations in the private and public sector. Even though jobs are being cut in the UK's public sector in 2011, it is so important that your staff are kept fully trained in the competitive environment they work in.

Some staff might be considering promotion and before they go for their interviews, consider having them coached. jml Training offers a selection of individual one to one coaching courses. We are an Organisational Member of The Association for Coaching and Gráinne Suter of jml Training is a Member of The International Coach Federation.

You want to develop your staff's potentiat to the full, so consider a management development programme. A combination of training, coaching and feedback helps each participant identify a highly effective, personal management style. They learn new techniques, skills and strategies and most importantly, how to make them work in practice.

We have complied a list of courses we offer at http://www.jml-training.com/Training_courses.htm If the subject matter is not included in this list, please contact our office and we will see if we can assist you.

A very Happy New year from jml Training and Consultancy

Equality and diversity in the face of adversity - What happens?

2010-12-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

What happens to equality and diversity in the face of adversity? -Tuesday 21 December 2010

Latest research suggesting that women, ethnic minority groups and disabled people are being hardest hit in the recession was under discussion at a major equality summit held at Queen Mary, University of London last week.

Some 35 scholars, charity bosses and activists from across the UK, Europe and the US attended to discuss how to keep equality and diversity standards and legislation from slipping down government agendas, as public spending cuts bite.

“Decisions by the present UK coalition demonstrate the kind of negative attitudes towards equality legislation that come to the fore in an economic downturn,” says Dr Hazel Conley, member of international research network Promoting Equality and Diversity through Economic Crisis (PEDEC), which organised the event.

“In December, Lynne Featherstone MP announced the Government’s decision to shelve part of the Equality Act 2010 that required large companies to publish the pay gap between their male and female employees.

“When not in office, Ms Featherstone argued that equal pay would not be achieved without further regulation, but now a Cabinet member she advocates a voluntary approach to pay reporting, which research suggests is ineffective, especially during recession.”

Guest speakers on the day included Professor Jill Rubery, of the University of Manchester; University of Cambridge’s Professor Simon Deakin; Dr Iyiola Solanke, of the University of Leeds, and Anne Phillips, Professor of Political and Gender Theory at LSE.

Key papers were delivered on issues such as the realities of gender equality in times of economic downturn; the ongoing struggle for work-life balance, particularly for women who make the greatest compromises to fit paid work around family; and whether tough financial choices will have to be made when it comes to tackling societal problems like poverty, inequality or discrimination.

“Women will bear a disproportionate burden when it comes to welfare cuts, with a negative knock on effect for them and their dependents, according to the gender audit of the July 2010 Budget," explains Professor Lizzie Barmes, co-member of PEDEC.

“Beyond this study, as women make up more of the public sector workforce they will be more heavily hit by the public sector pay freeze and the projected 600,000 public sector job losses.

"It is issues like this which need addressing to progress equality and diversity standards. Following on from this successful conference, our aim is to continue bringing together like-minded equality experts to showcase research that can help the formulation of new policies and strategies for tackling exclusion."

Source: Queen Mary, University of London
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Looking for Diversity / Equal Opportunities Training Equality Act Training Diversity Training? Then the website to visit is jml Training.com at http://www.jml-training.com/Diversity.htm
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The Importance of Leadership Development Programs

2010-12-20T06:38:00.001-08:00

Just came across this article on "Manage Your Business" website. "Importance of Leadership Development Programs"

Leadership development programs prove to be advantageous to companies as they maximize the output of the company’s entire workforce.

Leadership development programs particularly help trainees in providing an overview of the operational system of the company as well as train for the required skill needed by the company to increase their productivity. This training helps the trainees to become more efficient and productive leaders and managers.

Leadership training is based on the company and the leadership development training differs from one company to the other. It should be very industry specific, however with certain foundations that cross borders.

There are benefits that an organization can acquire from leadership development programs:

◦Improves confidence – Working on their skills will help the employees to get more confidence about their performance.
◦Increases employees stay time in the company – If the employee gets a perk from the organization, he/she feels they are a vital and respected member of the community which increases the chances of the employee staying for a longer time in the organization.
◦Increases productivity – Leadership development program helps in enhancing the skills of the employees, which further enhances the productivity of the employees assisting in employee retention, better customer service and lessened revenues spent for training of new personnel.
◦Provides employees with company’s vision in a tangible way by teaching them the skills that the company requires – Through the leadership development program the employees realize the skills being taught to them, they have a clear vision of what the company is expecting to work on and how to achieve success within the company.
◦Helps in training leaders and managers to generate new ideas and creativity in their work.

If your company / organisation is looking for a Leadership Development Programme, we at jml Training and Consultancy have been delivering these now for many years.
To enter our site to find out more follow this link http://www.jml-training.com/

Successful organisations of the future, will be those that invest in their staff.

2010-12-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

17th December 2010 - Mark Rose, Training Director of Creativedge Training & Development explains why successful organisations of the future, will be those that invest in their staff.

Organisations are going to find it more of a challenge to hold onto key members of staff as the perception of work and employment changes. By using training and development as a tool for retaining staff, organisations can also benefit from increased staff attendance, greater company loyalty, improved skills, innovation and production.

Organisations that invest in their staff also tend to be happier and more productive places to work and have far lower employee turnover. Staff also pay greater attention to individual needs in both clients and co-workers. Although training costs time and money, so does the lack of it - and usually far more!

Since 2002 Creativedge Training and Development has been working closely with Travis Perkins on its Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP). As the leading supplier to the UK building and construction industry, Travis Perkins has approximately 1200 stores and branches nationwide and employs approximately 16,000 members of staff across its seven brands.

The SMDP, designed and delivered by Creativedge , was established to develop experienced branch managers for future wider roles including key support roles and regional director appointments.

Brendan Melvin, Group Manager - Management Development at Travis Perkins says "Travis Perkins is actively preparing today's supervisors and managers to fill the key positions of tomorrow. The SMDP, one of many learning interventions, has achieved true group wide representation and support involving employees within Travis Perkins, Keyline, C.C.F., City Plumbing, Wickes and Benchmarx " The SMDP target group is a mix of those colleagues who are considered ready for the "next step up" including those for future regional & group roles."

The SMDP programme has already proved to be very successful since it launched in 2002. So far, Travis Perkins has appointed a Managing Director and 27 Regional Directors from this target group and 30 plus promotions for other regional & group roles, as well as larger grade branch and store roles.

By having ongoing training programmes for employees, organisations are better able to fill vacant positions by recruiting from within which is both cost-effective and practical for an organisation. Internal or current employees can make the best available candidates because they are already familiar with the company and already successful within the organisation.

Giving current employees more opportunities for advancement can be a win-win situation for everyone. Not only does it promote employee loyalty but more importantly, it reduces any risk from hiring externally. A failed external senior hire can be one of the most expensive costs a business can face, with the cost of lost productivity and lowered morale from employees who feel they have been 'bypassed' for promotion and have missed out on an opportunity to progress within the organisation.

However, training and development isn't just about 'one-offs' but rather a continuous journey so that employers and employees can keep up with the constant market changes.

A positive organisational culture only comes through a respect for and an investment in your people, not only in terms of financial rewards but by offering them the best working experience, one that offers security as well as progression and personal growth.

About Creativedge Training & Development- Creativedge specialises in high-performance management, leadership and personal development training and provides a unique range of creative, yet highly pragmatic development solutions that underpin employee engagement.

The Creativedge Portfolio of training solutions, offers enormous flexibility for developing people and includes Rapid Result® 90-minute bite-sized training sessions, an online resource centre, blended ILM qualifications, bespoke development programmes and personalised coaching, plus lots more. Source: Training Press Releases

If your company / organisation is looking for a Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP), we at jml Training and Consultancy have been delivering these now for many years.

Listed below are a few comments from participants at jml Training SMDP training:

Feedback from a Senior Managers Development Programme

'The biggest benefit has been the improvement in my IPS skills and the impact this has had on my team'

'It has provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my approach to work and I am making the time to relate the learning to further improve my work practice'

'I feel I have grown and positively changed during the course of the programme'

'I was most surprised by how much all the participants changed and blossomed over the duration of the programme'

'I find I am really listening to people now and my level of self awareness has increased'

'I feel so much more self-confident and feel I have much more presence'

'I now feel much more able and confident to work towards a win-win situation at work not a win-lose'

'I am most pleased that I attended the full programme despite work pressures, it was well worth juggling all the demands'

'I delegate much more now and can see an increase in the confidence and ability of my team to deliver'

Find out how jml Training can help your organisation develop in 2011 by visiting our website at http://www.jml-training.com/

Young people are being coached to expand career opportunities

2010-12-10T09:59:00.001-08:00

Younger people are accessing coaching to expand career opportunities, reports new ICF (International Coach Federation) study.

Professional coaching has found its place among the younger generation which is a promising sign for the growth of the industry and other industries that will now experience the benefits of coaching through these young, developing leaders.

The new ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study found that, overall, 25- to 34-year-olds are more aware of professional coaching, more aware of the ICF, more satisfied with their coaching experience, and more likely to recommend coaching to others than their older counterparts.

“The findings show that younger people are more receptive and attuned to coaching than we may have expected,” says ICF President and Master Certified Coach Giovanna D’Alessio. “This is promising not only for our industry in terms of growth and sustainability, but also for many other industries that could benefit from the coaching experiences, principles and culture that this younger generation may bring to organizations as they move up in their careers.”

The study indicates younger people see coaching as a viable resource to help them with their professional goals as they are faced with economic downturn and high unemployment rates early in their careers. According to the study, nearly half (46.5 percent) of people ages 25 to 34 selected "expand professional career opportunities” as their top reason for working with a professional coach, followed by “optimizing individual/team work performance” (41.6 percent) and “improve business management strategies” (41.6 percent). All other age groups analyzed (35–44, 45–54, 55-plus) chose optimizing individual/team work performance as their top motivation for partnering with a coach.

The 25- to 34-year-olds also reported a 92 percent level of satisfaction with an ICF Credentialed coach. Moreover, more than half (55 percent) stated they were “very satisfied.”

“To learn that younger people are more aware of the ICF and even more satisfied with coaching done by a coach who has been credentialed by the ICF reinforces the important role the ICF has in setting a global standard for coaches to ensure professionalism and to protect the public,” D’Alessio says.

The Global Consumer Awareness Study, which surveyed 15,000 individuals representing 20 countries, was conducted independently by the International Survey Unit of PwC. Learn more about this groundbreaking research at Coachfederation.org/works.

ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaching is a distinct service and differs greatly from therapy, consulting, mentoring or training. Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision-making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles.

The International Coach Federation is the leading global organization for coaches, with over 17,000 members in more than 100 countries, dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high ethical standards, providing independent certification, and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches. The ICF is the only organization that awards a global credential which is currently held by more than 6,900 coaches worldwide. For more information about how coaching can help your employees, please visit the jml Training website at http://www.jml-training.com/coaching.htm

Source: ICF

Gráinne Suter of jml Training & Consultancy is a Member of The International Coach Federation

Historic fall in the pay gap between men and women

2010-12-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

The gender pay gap has narrowed significantly in the last year as women’s pay packets increased relative to men, official figures have shown. Gap for full-time employees falls from 12.2 to 10.2 per cent.

Commenting on the historic fall in the pay gap between men and women announced in today's Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Charles Cotton, Adviser on Performance and Reward at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said

"We should treat the findings with an element of caution. The smaller gap is a reflection of the state of the economy between April 2008 and April 2009, when many men were impacted by pay freezes and cuts. Between these dates, by contrast, women saw their pay rise relatively faster, as they are more likely to be covered by public sector deals or increases linked to the national minimum wage. The fear is that this gap could widen as the private sector starts to power ahead in 2011.

"That is not to say that employers are absolved from trying to reduce the pay gap. When significant amounts of investor or tax payer money is being spent on salary and wages it's important to ensure that pay reflects employee performance, behaviours and skills, rather than prejudice and bias."

Source: The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) which is Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members, supporting and developing those responsible for the management and development of people within organisations

Equality & Human Rights Commission to assess the Spending Review’s compliance with Equality Law

2010-12-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission on the 25th November 2010 started a process to carry out a formal, independent assessment of the extent to which the Treasury has met its legal obligations to consider the impact on protected groups of decisions contained in the Spending Review.

The assessment is to be conducted under powers granted to the Commission under section 31 of the 2006 Equality Act.

Under the public sector equality duties, covering race, gender and disability, the Treasury, like all public bodies, has a legal duty to pay 'due regard' to equality and consider any disproportionate impact on protected groups when making decisions, including decisions about the budget. Where decisions are found to have a disproportionate impact on a particular group protected by the legislation, public bodies must consider what actions can be taken to avoid, mitigate or justify that impact.

The Commission’s role is to ensure that the Treasury has complied with its legal obligations; the start of this assessment should not be taken as an indication that the Treasury has not done so. The assessment is an opportunity for the Commission to continue its ongoing constructive work with the Treasury to evaluate what steps it has undertaken to comply with the legislation and identify any potential opportunities for improvement. This process will enable lessons to be learnt across Government to improve outcomes for protected groups by putting fairness and transparency at the heart of difficult decisions.

In practical terms, the assessment will be governed by terms of reference, which will be published shortly after consultation with HMT, as required by the 2006 Act. As the assessment unfolds, the Commission will have access to all the relevant information it needs to make a conclusive assessment. Once the assessment is complete, the Commission will report its findings and may make recommendations. If the assessment finds a breach, the Commission can serve a compliance notice, or enter into a binding agreement with the Treasury for it to take steps to avoid further breaches. If a public authority such as the Treasury fails to comply with a compliance notice or the binding agreement, the Commission can apply to a court for an order compelling them to comply.

The Commission aims to publish its final report next Summer

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Looking for Training Services regarding Equality - Equal Opportunities - The Equality Act 2010? Find out more at http://www.jml-training.com/

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As a result of public sector duties on race, disability and gender, policy makers have a legal obligation to pay 'due regard' to equality when exercising their functions, including making decisions in relation to spending and proposed budget cuts.

When 'due regard' is applied in practice, it means that they must assess the equality impact of proposed changes to policies, procedures or practices, such as decisions which result from a desire to make savings. This could include decisions such as reorganisations and relocations, redundancies and service reductions programmes. 'Equality Impact Assessments' are a useful means for policy makers to meet this obligation.

The law does not prevent government officials from making difficult decisions. Nor does it stop them from making decisions that may affect one group more than another. The law simply requires that such decisions are made in a fair, transparent and accountable way, considering the needs and the rights of different members of the community. Where decisions are found to have a disproportionate impact on a particular group, authorities must consider what actions can be taken to avoid or mitigate the unfair impact.

Source: The Equality and Human Rights Commission

Disability equality forty years on featured on BBC

2010-11-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

Forty years after the first Disability Act was introduced, a new BBC survey has shown that people with disabilities still face discrimination.

The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act proposed ideas such as help at home, the right to proper assessment of people's needs, and the idea that making the environment accessible to disabled people was the responsibility of local councils.

A new BBC survey has shown that 40% of people believe that people with disabilities turn down jobs, even when they are physically able to do them.

What needs to be done to end disability discrimination? by By Peter White the BBC Disability Affairs Correspondent appeared on the BBC website today. A week of BBC features looking at the issues facing people with disabilities. To see this story visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11857490

To find out more about The Equality Act 2010 and how jml Training can help your copmay follow this link http://www.jml-training.com/Equality_Act_2010.htm

REC offers Equality Act 2010 tips for employers

2010-11-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

Latest REC Legal bulletin focuses on Equality Act - 19th November 2010

The introduction of the Equality Act 2010 provides recruiters with a useful opportunity to look over their processes and procedures to make sure all is well. The recruitment process must be free from unlawful discrimination and since the recruitment will often start with a job adverts, it is crucial that recruiters are aware of the dos and don’ts when it comes to advertising client roles.

The REC’s new Legal bulletin takes an in-depth look at what the new provisions of the Act mean for both recruiters and clients, and how discrimination in adverts can be avoided.

Only in special circumstances can adverts now be worded to invite applications from female jobseekers and the bulletin lists these exceptions in detail.

The REC’s Legal Helpline currently deals with around 300 inquiries a week from members on a wide range of topics. In the current bulletin, Emily Neal, one of the helpline’s team of legal advisors, looks at some of the frequently asked questions and answers which have been received of late.

For example, how do you deal with temps who demand holiday pay for leave they have not taken during the year and what is the procedure if a candidate asks to see copies of documents and other information, such as references, which a recruitment agency holds on them.

The legal round-up includes a plan by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to name and shame employers who fail to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage and new guidance which is now available from the UK Border Agency on preventing illegal working.

Source REC

More information about the REC - The Recruitment & Employment Confederation is the representative body for the UK’s £19.7 billion private recruitment and staffing industry with a membership of more than 8,000 corporate members (including recruitment companies and their branches) comprising agencies and businesses from across all sectors and 5,500 members of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP) made up of recruitment consultants and other industry professionals. All members must abide by an REC Code of Professional Practice.

More information about the Equality Act 2010 Visit jml Training Here

Implications of the Equality Act for Letting agents accepting Landlord instructions

2010-11-22T00:26:00.000-08:00

The November/December 2010 edition of "Agreement" magazine (the official magazine of ARLA The Association of Residential Letting Agents) has a very good two page feature on the Equality Act 2010

The Don't discriminate - Know the new rules has a page on employers needing to comply with the wider resoinsibilities in the new Equality Act and this is also repeated in "The Estate Agent" (the magazine of the NAEA - National Association of Estate Agents).

This covers the main issues - Disability discrimination, discrimination by association, Perceprion discrimination, pre-emplyment health checks and Dual discrimation etc - areas covered on the jml-training website at information_Employers

The other page asks "What are the implications of the Equality Act for letting agents when accepting instructions from landlords?"

Issues covered in the article focus on popular areas that many landlords want when they let their property out - Students - Pets - People on housing benefit. According to the article, if you declined to let a property to students, "there is no possibility of anyone challenging this on the basis that this discriminates on the grounds of age.

This is because Part 4 of the Equality Act 2010 which deals with lettings does not apply to the protected characteristics of age, or marriage and civil partnership. It is therefore not unlawful to discriminate, whether directly or indirectly, on the grounds of age when you let, sell or otherwise dispose of, premises.

Pets is an area that often comes up in the lettings business. Although more and more landlords now generally accept pets, because there are a lot more people renting these days and therefore more pet owners.

The article says "refusing to let properties to people with pets is more problematic, as it could clearly adversely affect tenants who have guide dogs or assistance dogs"

" It would be unlawful not to let to a blind person because they had a guide dog, unless you could justify it. The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for person A to treat a disabled person (B) unfavourably because of something that is a result of B's disability unless A can show that the treatment was justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim."

It is suggested that if landlord does not want pets then they could say "except assistance dogs". Of course many blocks of flats will not allow pets and this fact is written into the head lease.

Tenants on Housing Benefits Many landlords do not want to accept tenants whose rent or a large part of it is paid by the local authority in the form of housing benefit. First of all if the landlord has legal expenses / rent guarantee insurance the proper reference checks cannot be properly done by the insurance company. This means they might not issue cover in the event of a claim.

Then there is the "clawback rule" If a tenant has not be entitled to the housing benefit, then the local authority can claim this back from the landlord (or letting agent if it was paid to the agent) many months after the payment had been made. Some landlords and agents suggest the payment therefore has to be made to the tenant direct. However if the tenant decided not to pay it over to the landlord and spend it on something different, the landlord does not get the rent.

The ARLA Agreement "Legal Update" page says"For a landlord to stipulate no tenants on benefit is much less straightforward. The danger here is the possibility of a challenge on the grounds of indirectly discriminating against disabled people - the assumption being that someone on benefits is more likely to have a disability than someone not on benefit.

For a claim to succeed, there would have to be statistical proof that disabled people are significantly more likely to be on benefits than people who are not disabled.

The landlord or agent would then have to demonstrate that refusing to let to benefit claimants is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. That would be virtually impossible to prove, so there could be a breach of the Equality Act"

Solicitor Richard Jones argues that in view of the furore surrounding Local Housing Allowance, the landlord might be able to justify excluding housing benefit tenants. The landlord could say that he or she does not want to get involved with all the hassle and run the risk of arrears, as LHA is paid to the tenant.

Richard Jones is a Solicitor and Partner in Bury & Walkers LLP. He is the Senior Partner at the Leeds Office.

Richard Jones has had a long and varied career and has considerable experience of most areas of the law. Richard now concentrates on residential landlord and tenant matters. Richard’s particular speciality is acting for Landlords Associations representing landlords in the private rented sector.

Richard is the Secretary of the Residential Landlords Association. This Association is one of two landlords associations representing landlords throughout England and Wales. It is based in Sale in Manchester. This work involves campaigning on behalf of landlords particularly in relation to legislative and regulatory affairs. This work includes scrutinising legislation, responding to Government consultations, appearing before Parliamentary Select Committees, as well as considerable work with various local authorities. Richard is an acknowledged expert in this field nationally.

Source of this article: ARLA Agreement Magazine - Bury & Walkers - Philip Suter FNAEA MARLA

Looking for Equal Opportunities Training Equality Act Training Diversity Training? Then the website to visit is jml Training.com HERE

Equal Pay Day 2010

2010-11-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

Equal Pay Day 2010 marks the day of the year when women in effect stop getting paid because of the pay gap between women and men of 16.4 per cent. 40 years after the Equal Pay Act, an unprecedented coalition has come together to publish a new report identifying how to close the UK’s persistent gender pay gap once and for all.

The Fawcett Society, UNISON, the TUC and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have together produced ‘Equal Pay: Where Next?’, a report showcasing the latest thinking from business, unions, employers, policy makers, campaigners and more on how to close the pay gap between women and men once and for all, with key recommendations for government and others on tackling one of the largest inequalities still remaining between UK women and men. (1)

The reports advocates that action is needed in four key areas to have any real impact on the pay gap:

1) Debunking the myth that equal pay is bad for business, showing that, actually, equal pay ‘pays.’
2) Making equal pay law ‘fit for purpose’ – starting by implementing the 2010 Equality Act, with its measures to improve employer transparency on pay rates for women and men, in full.
3) Changing working practices to reflect the modern workforce and support families, for example, increasing flexible working and job shares.
4) Tackling outdated and stereotyped ideas about men and women’s roles – in particular through education.

Welcoming the report, Ceri Goddard, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, said:

“With job losses in the public sector and spending cuts already threatening women’s overall economic independence, robust action on equal pay is more not less important. Given the pay gap in the private sector is even wider than the public sector, it’s particularly key that government fully implement the Equality Act 2010. This will give them powers to require big business to measure and publish any gaps in their male and female pay rates if voluntary progress is not forthcoming. The Government must send a clear signal to all employers that unequal pay has no place in the 21st century workplace, whatever the economic context.”

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of Unison, said:

“It is an utter disgrace that women are still getting paid a significant amount less than men. The fear is that progress will be turned back, rather than built on, in the coming years. Drastic, ideologically motivated, public sector cuts are set to deal the biggest blow to women, who make more use of, and find more jobs in, the public sector. The government should be taking steps to give women their full protection – starting with overhauling the law. The time it takes for women to challenge unequal pay is a major hurdle. We have members who have sadly died in the time it takes to resolve an equal pay case. Allowing unions to take group action would also help more women challenge unfair pay.”

Sarah Veale CBE, Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC, said:

“The recession forced many employers to rethink working practises in order to keep valuable staff. This flexibility needs to continue so that work can be remodelled to fit the skills of all workers, whatever their gender. The dearth of talented women in senior jobs and the endless gender pay gap is as much an economic failing as a social injustice.”

Source: The Fawcett Society: 2 November is Equal Pay Day.
The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading campaign for equality between women and men. Where there's an inequality gap between women and men they are working to close it.

Looking for Equal Opportunities Training Equality Act Training Diversity Training? Then the website to visit is jml Training.com HERE

Staff cuts 'could leave public sector open to fraud' ILM news report

2010-11-05T09:53:00.001-07:00

04 November 2010

Spending constraints and staff cuts in the wrong places could leave the public sector open to fraud, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has said.

Employees affected by redundancy, as well as suppliers faced with contract termination, could seek to maximise their benefits before leaving, potentially putting the public sector at risk of fraud, a report by the firm found.

The study, Navigating Your Way Through Stormy Waters, notes that the increased threat of scams will impact on various parts of the public sector at different times as the cuts take effect.

Ian Elliott, partner at PwC, said: "In good times, loss through fraud is less visible as delivery of services is still possible, even with a certain level of misappropriation. Things are tightening now and businesses everywhere are seeking to reduce loss through waste in all its forms."

The news comes just weeks after a study by Badenoch & Clark found that many public sector workers are worried that their skills will not be useful to private companies.

Looking for Equal Opportunities Training Equality Act Training Diversity Training? Then the website to visit is jml Training.com HERE

Gender pay gap

2010-11-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Institute of Leadership and Management - ILM issued a news article earlier this week - 3rd November 2010 "Gender pay gap 'needs to be addressed'"

According to the organisation, women earn 16.4% less than their male counterparts.

Equal Pay Day, which took place yesterday (2 November), marked the day of the year when women stop getting paid because of the pay gap, it said.

Ceri Goddard, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said that with spending cuts and job losses already threatening women's economic independence, the need for equal pay is even more important.

"Given the pay gap in the private sector is even wider than the public sector, it's particularly key that government fully implement the Equality Act 2010," she added.

Her comments were echoed by Beverley Skeggs, a professor at Goldsmiths, University of London, who said that women are less likely to be paid as well or promoted as quickly as men.

Looking for Equal Opportunities Training Equality Act Training Diversity Training? Then the website to visit is jml Training.com HERE

Race discrimination campaign stepped up by Unite

2010-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Unite the Union for Life today issued the following "News Release"

Unite races forward to tackle discrimination
21 October 2010

With concern mounting that the coalition cuts will give rise to greater social inequality, Unite – the UK’s biggest union – is stepping up efforts to deal with race inequality in UK workplaces.

Unite says that there is already a 15 per cent gap between the employment rates of black, Asian and ethnic minority workers and their white colleagues (see ONS - Disadvantaged groups in the labour market). And last year, nearly 6,000 race discrimination cases were heard by Employment Tribunals, with countless more being settled before that stage, reflecting the extent of race equality issues at work today (see Employment Tribunal and EAT statistics 2009-10). The union says that, using the provisions of the new Equality Act, union reps can make real improvements in the treatment for minority ethnic workers.

Collette Cork-Hurst, Unite national officer for equalities, said that, with black workers more likely to join a union than others, Unite is determined to improve workplace race equality for its members: “Unfortunately, discrimination against black workers at work continues to blight today’s labour market. Black, Asian and ethnic minority workers find it harder to find decent employment and sadly, too many then encounter discrimination once at work.

“Black people and their families will be particularly hurt by the coalition cuts but Unite is determined they get the fairer treatment they deserve at work.

"October is Black History Month so while we celebrate the contributions black, Asian and ethnic minorities have made and continue to make to our society, it is also fitting that we continue to press forward on equality.

"Unite’s ‘Race Forward’ campaign will help us take real action. We are determined that our union reps are equipped to take discrimination issues up with employers, if need be using the legal backing of the new Equality Act to ensure the decent treatment of our members.”

Unite’s ‘Race Forward’ action pack guides workplace union representatives through a five-point action plan on key employment issues facing black people such as racial discrimination in recruitment, promotion and pay, as well as dealing effectively with racial harassment and bullying.

Notes about the Unite News Release:

The Race Forward campaign concentrates on 8 key priority areas and the Action Pack with 5 action points for each area:

Closing the ethnic minority employment gap
Tackling the pay gap for black workers
Fighting for equality of opportunity in promotion
Dealing effectively with Racial Harassment, Discrimination and bullying
Promoting fairness for black women workers
Negotiating for Union Equality Reps
Ensuring fair treatment of migrant workers
Organising and recruiting black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAEM) workers into Unite the union
If your organisation is looking for Equality Training please visit the jml Training website/equality-act

Equality Act Codes of Practice published

2010-10-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published the statutory guidance that will help employers, lawyers and courts to interpret the Equality Act. Three Codes of Practice were laid before Parliament on the 12th October 2010.

The Codes address employment; services, public functions and associations; and equal pay. They cover each of those three areas in relation to the Equality Act, using case law to outline exactly what each clause of the legislation means, the EHRC said.

The Codes are designed to provide detailed guidance to organisations about what the Equality Act means. Courts and tribunals must take the Codes into account in cases involving areas they cover.

The Codes are drafts but will come into force when a Government minister issues an order to that effect. This will happen if there is no opposition to them in Parliament.

The Codes have been prepared in consultation with stakeholders. The codes remain in draft form until such time as they have laid before Parliament for forty days without objection and the Government makes the Order bringing them into force.

Code of Practice on Equal Pay

Code of Practice on Employment

Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations

If your organisation is looking for Training on the Equality Act 2010 - Click Here

Comprehensive Spending Review The CIPD responds

2010-10-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

The CIPD issued a press release at 2.30 Wednesday 20th October 2010 saying - CIPD responds to Comprehensive Spending Review: Excellent people management will be crucial in determining whether public services can survive the cuts

The unprecedented scale of change set out in the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) cannot be delivered without a concerted and committed focus on supporting, bolstering and improving public sector management capability, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Although employee morale and engagement is bound to suffer in the face of this scale of cuts, the CIPD is urging those with responsibility for public sector management - up to and including ministers - not to lose sight of the possibilities and opportunities to genuinely engage and enthuse public sector workers about new ways of working and to secure buy-in to new means of service delivery.

Research published by the CIPD on Monday, exploring public attitudes to possible post-CSR industrial action in the public sector, highlighted that striking workers would quickly lose sympathy amongst the wider public. However, Mike Emmott, employee engagement adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) warns that ministers cannot afford to take solace in these findings if the end result is a demotivated and disengaged public sector workforce:

"Our research shows unions cannot rely on public sympathy to face down the Government's cuts through sustained strike action. But equally, ministers cannot rely on limited enthusiasm for strikes to deliver their vision of reformed, streamlined and diversified public service delivery. The reality is more complicated. Front-line commitment and industrial harmony can only be delivered by persuasive messages about why the cuts are needed, and an unswerving focus on excellent day to day management of the 'survivors'. Effective and sustained change will only happen in organisations where senior leaders show a sustained commitment to building staff engagement to ensure there is buy-in to change and new ways of working."

Warning that the way people are engaged and managed will be the critical factor in determining whether the scaled back public sector set out in the CSR is still capable of delivering on ministerial and public expectations, Mike Emmott, says:

"Proposals to improve the autonomy and empowerment of front-line service workers will fail if front-line managers are not equipped with the skills to support these behaviours. Radical plans such as employee-led public sector co-operatives and a step-change in co-ordination and collaboration between local public service providers can only succeed if there is a sustained focus on building management capability. Our research consistently shows a high degree of loyalty amongst public service workers to the services they seek to provide, and the people they provide them to. That loyalty cannot be taken for granted over the next five years. Instead, it will need to be carefully nurtured and harnessed by inspiring managers, focused wholeheartedly on their management responsibilities if the promise of wholesale changes to methods of service delivery is to be realised.

"As an example, the success of government plans to transfer health service commissioning powers from Primary Care Trusts to GP consortiums in the face of 45% cuts to management will hinge on whether GPs are equipped with the leadership and management skills that will be so important to their new roles. GPs will need to have leadership skills to take charge of service commissioning, as well as the people management skills to manage and motivate employees and partners in other services to work collaboratively and deliver for patients.

"How these changes are managed and the extent to which employees feel they are consulted and have a voice will also be fundamental to whether they understand and buy-in to new ways of working."

Source: CIPD / The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development who are Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members, supporting and developing those responsible for the management and development of people within organisations.

New CIPD Survey

2010-10-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

The CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) issued a Press Release yesterday, 18th October 2010 in which they said:

Striking public sector workers will quickly lose public sympathy if they cause disruption to essential services, says quarterly CIPD survey of employee attitudes

Nearly three quarters of employees (74%) agree that, in light of the tough times endured by private sector staff through the recession, striking public sector workers will quickly lose sympathy if they cause disruption to the general public.

This is one of the headline findings from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) latest quarterly Employee Outlook survey. The survey, based on a representative sample of 2,000 UK workers, shows six in ten public sector workers (59%) also believe they will lose support if they cause disruption to the public through strike action.

The survey suggests that, in advance of Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review announcement, the working public accepts the overall case for cuts. Almost two thirds of respondents (64%) agree with the statement that 'these are tough times and the deficit needs to be reduced through cuts to public spending', in contrast to 16% disagreeing. There is a marked difference in sectoral attitudes, with 69% of private sector staff agreeing with this statement compared to only 50% of those in the public sector.

Almost half of public sector workers (49%) agree with the statement 'workers have to do what's necessary to protect their jobs and if that disrupts public services, that's the price of living in a democratic society', compared to just 27% of those in the private sector.

Overall, just under half of respondents (48%) agree they are more concerned about the damage strikes would cause than about the impact of spending cuts, with 26% disagreeing. More than half (53%) of private sector respondents agree, compared to 36% of public sector staff.

The survey also shows:
• Half (49%) of employees agree that most people today are not willing to lose pay to go on strike, rising to 54% among public sector staff
• 36% of respondents agree unions provide essential protection for employees from bad management
• 43% of employees agree unions are 'good at pursuing their own political agendas rather than simply looking after the interests of their members'
• 28% of respondents agree unions are more relevant than ever during a time of recession and increased redundancies
• 37% of respondents agree that industrial action in essential services should be banned

Mike Emmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, commented: "These findings show that it is not just the government that has to tread softly in terms of how spending cuts are implemented. The trade unions too must understand that many private sector employees have already suffered pay freezes or cuts, job losses and cuts to pension entitlement and will be sensitive to any rhetoric by union leaders threatening strike action which does not appear to appreciate the sacrifices already made by those in the private sector.

"However, the Government too must understand that it also has a key role to help prevent major public sector disputes though the language it uses and how information and messages are timed and communicated.

"The Comprehensive Spending Review announcement will create a lot of anxiety and uncertainty and it is essential that, as the details of job cuts and any changes to pay or pension provision are announced over the next few months, public sector employers are allowed the necessary time to communicate and consult on what changes are being planned, and just as crucially - why. People are much more likely to accept tough messages if they are given the right information at the right time and feel that their views have at least been heard and taken into account before decisions are made.

"When the private sector went through the recession there were many positive examples of how employers and unions worked together in partnership to keep people in jobs. Examples included making compromises over pay and increases in flexible working, as well as things like extended leave. Partnership working already flourishes in many parts of the public sector but the extent of the changes in the pipeline may well stretch this to the limit in some cases. However, effective partnership between unions and employers can make a powerful contribution to ensuring that the government's public sector reform agenda will be successful."

Other findings from the survey show:

• Union members are most likely to support strike action against a reduction in pay, with 8% saying they would strike regardless of whether all other remedies had failed and 41% saying they would strike only if all other remedies had failed
• In all 7% of union members say they would strike regardless of whether all other remedies had failed in protest at plans to reduce their pension entitlement while 35% say they would strike for this reason only if all other remedies had failed
• 5% of union members say they would strike regardless of whether all other remedies had failed in protest at plans to cut jobs while 33% say they would strike for this reason only if all other remedies had failed
• 3% of union members say they would strike regardless of whether all other remedies had failed in protest at plans to freeze pay while 26% say they would strike for this reason only if all other remedies had failed.

Motivating Europe’s Workforce

2010-10-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

The Ken Blanchard Companies have just issued this News Release "Getting Engaged: A Masterclass in Motivating Europe’s Workforce"

It seems the vast majority of workers - and especially middle managers - have been getting more and more disengaged from their work during the recession. Surveys suggest performance management scores have fallen by 14%, a sharp drop that inevitably takes its toll on national productivity and profitability.

Scott Blanchard, Executive Vice President of The Ken Blanchard Companies and co-author of best selling books Leading at a Higher Level and Leverage Your Best, Ditch the Rest, will help organisations tackle this engagement deficit at a seminar on the issue in Frankfurt on December 9th.

"People who are disengaged might not actually quit, as they still show up for work every day, but they are sabotaging their organisations nonetheless," says Scott Blanchard. "When people join companies they're excited about their jobs and willing to work hard. Then over time motivation wanes, often because of poor relationships with their managers."

"In Germany alone, only 13% of employees are actively focused on their jobs, and 20% are completely disengaged ," he adds. "These are shocking statistics that must be tackled. I want to show businesses how to identify, invest in and motivate their high potential employees, so they stay on board and make active contributions."

Scott Blanchard will be joined by Gordon Pitman, Global Development Manager for AkzoNobel, who is rolling out a leadership management programme in more than 30 countries and 15 languages; and Ben Tiggellaar, the acclaimed author, entrepreneur and management guru, who will reveal how to discover and unleash your personal potential. Scott's father, 'One Minute Manager' Ken Blanchard will also make a video presentation.

The Engagement seminar will be held at Le Méridien Park Hotel in Frankfurt on Thursday 9th December. The cost is €150 Euros per person if booked before 31st October 2010, and €195 Euros thereafter. The seminar will be conducted in English.

The Ken Blanchard Companies provides leadership training programmes such as Situational Leadership® II - the world's most-widely taught leadership programme - executive coaching, change management consulting, and team-building solutions in more than 30 countries worldwide. The company was founded in 1979 by the best-selling business writer and co-author of The One Minute Manager®.

Want to get your Management team Motivated? Take a look at the selection of in-house courses available from jml Training. If we have not course displayed on the list, contact us and we can talk to you about how we can help. More Information HERE

Microsoft to be IT Training Awards Sponsor In February 2011

2010-10-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

The IITT announced on the 14th October 2010 that Microsoft is the latest sponsor of the IT Training Awards, which are set to be held at the prestigious Dorchester Hotel, London on 3rd February 2011.

With 2011 marking the ceremony's 14th anniversary, the IT Training Awards recognise outstanding examples of high standards, best practice, innovation and excellence in Learning and Development.

Next year's ceremony will see Microsoft sponsor the award for 'Learning Technologies Solution of the Year' and according to Microsoft's Partner Channel Training Manager, Garry Corcoran, the Awards are pivotal in driving learning innovation. He said: "Microsoft Learning is excited to be supporting the IITT through the annual IT Training Awards. Engaging learning practitioners in developing innovative content and delivery methods is a requirement of us all to ensure that learners are provided with learning that is easy to access and as effective as it should be. These awards recognise the effort that goes into engaging with business and learners to identify and develop the most appropriate formats that provide learners an opportunity to interact with their learning and to be able to use that new knowledge effectively."

Microsoft is amongst a host of leading names supporting next year's ceremony. Colin Steed, Chief Executive, IITT, said: "Microsoft's involvement in the IT Training Awards is testament to the ceremony's success in recent years. The Awards are now firmly established as the benchmark for excellence throughout the IT training industry.

"Having been involved with the awards for a number of years it's always pleasing to see the quality of entries improve year on year, and this year is no exception. The judges will have great difficulty in picking the winners which makes for an exciting ceremony."

The IT Training Awards are free to enter and successful entrants will have their award stylishly presented at the Dorchester Hotel, London, in front of over 450 top industry professionals. The deadline for entries is Friday 29th October.

More information about the Institute of IT Training

The Institute of IT Training hosts the annual IT Training Awards to recognise outstanding examples of high standards, best practice, innovation and excellence within IT training.

The awards are presented at The Dorchester, Park Lane, London, at the Institute's prestigious Awards Dinner, held in the first Thursday of February each year.

The awards are now firmly established as the benchmark for excellence throughout the IT training industry. So if you are proud of your achievements and would like to win the recognition you deserve within the IT training profession, submit your entry and put your team in the spotlight at the IT training industry's night of the

The Institute of IT Training is a self-governing, not-for-profit professional body for training professionals. It was established in 1995 and since then has grown on an annual basis. In February 2010 the Institute completed a management buyout from membership and research organisation, the National Computing Centre and is now a self-governing body.

Today, the organisation has circa 3,500 individual members and 400 accredited corporate members.

Through a range of membership, certification, accreditation, events and bespoke consultancy services, the Institute focuses on enhancing and recognising the skills and professional status of individuals and organisations engaged in training activities, and assessing the quality of training services.

Is your company looking for Leadership and Team Building Training - Management Development Training - Coaching - Equality Act - Managing Projects Successfully? and a lot more...Then you need to look at our courses at http://www.jml-training.com/Training_courses.htm and if there is not a course there that you need, you only have to Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Opel/Vauxhall and Raytheon win International German Training Award

2010-10-14T05:21:00.001-07:00

13-Oct-2010 Raytheon Professional Services LLC (RPS), a subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), has received the Bronze International German Training Award from the Association of German Sales Promoters, Trainers, Consultants and Coaches (BDVT). RPS won the prize for the retail sales consultant curriculum it designed, deployed and delivers on behalf of Opel/Vauxhall in Europe. The BDVT International German Training Award recognizes the best in innovative, cutting-edge training initiatives.

"The sales curriculum is an important element of the training services offered to the Opel/Vauxhall dealerships in Europe," said Opel/ Vauxhall Europe Training Manager Benoit Presle. "It is designed to improve the performance of sales consultants and support implementation of Opel/Vauxhall's European sales strategy. The program also helps our retail network successfully address the challenges of the current automotive market."

The sales curriculum is delivered in 34 countries and 22 languages across Europe. "In the highly competitive world of automotive retailing, it is imperative to provide sales consultants with high-quality, engaging training that leverages the cost efficiencies of a centralized solution," said RPS Account Director Neil Johnson.

More information: General Motors is one of the world's largest automakers. In Europe its vehicles are sold in more than 40 markets. It operates 10 vehicle production and assembly facilities in seven countries and employs about 50,000 people. Opel/Vauxhall is General Motors' leading brand in Europe.

Raytheon Company, with 2009 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 88 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 75,000 people worldwide.

jml Training - International Training Here

EHRC: Work towards equal pay halts

2010-10-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the Equality Act theme on the jml Training blog, we have today come acroos the following article on the "Women in technology" website.

EHRC: Work towards equal pay has 'halted'
13/10/2010
Work among businesses and the government to close the gender pay gap "appears to be grinding to a halt", the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has concluded.

It has published a new report, titled How fair is Britain?, compiling evidence on discrimination and disadvantage in the UK.

Among its findings, it revealed that long-standing inequalities such as equal pay between men and women have not yet been resolved.

This comes as the Equal Pay Act marks its 40th anniversary and while the new Equality Act is still in its first month.

Pay gap widens with age

According to the EHRC's figures, the average pay gap between the sexes in 2009 was 16.4 per cent, while women over 40 years earn 27 per cent less than their male counterparts.

However, the report did find that in some areas the gender divide is lessening, most notably in managerial and professional roles, although women are more likely to be employed in the public sector (40 per cent of women compared to 15 per cent of men).

One in three managerial roles in the UK is occupied by women, the report found.

Trevor Phillips, chair of the EHRC, commented: "This review holds up the mirror to fairness in Britain. It is the most complete picture of its kind ever compiled.

"It shows that we are a people who have moved light years in our attitudes to all kinds of human difference, and in our desire to be a truly fair society, but that we are still a country where our achievements haven't yet caught up with our aspirations."

He added that in the 21st century there is still a danger of "a society divided by the barriers of inequality and injustice".

Factors affecting the pay gap

What the report does stress, however, is that there are factors that contribute to the pay gap, including "lower pay in sectors where women are more likely to choose careers, the effect of career breaks and limited opportunities in part-time work".

"The level of earnings penalty is strongly mediated by levels of education but is not eliminated, even for the best-qualified women," it added.

This has led Tracy Corrigan, assistant editor of the Daily Telegraph, to suggest that lower pay is down to the choices women make and could now reflect the right level when periods away from work are considered.

Ms Corrigan suggested that a smaller gender pay gap still exists because women "aren't very good at asking for money".

In an article for the newspaper, she commented: "In my experience, men are much better at negotiating their pay, partly because they are healthily unembarrassed about asking for more, and partly because they tend to overestimate how much they are worth."

womenintechnology has a dedicated careers advice service for women, graduates and experienced professionals looking for technology and IT jobs.

See more of their Equal Opportunities articles and news reports HERE

Looking for Equal Opportunities Training? Find out more HERE

Green Marketing at The Riviera Business Club

2010-10-12T23:56:00.000-07:00

The autumn / winter season is now in full swing at the The Riviera Business Club -RBC south of France.

On the 30th September they held a meeting at Saint Peters Chapel, Top floor, Port de la Sante,in the picturesque village of Villefranche-sur Mer east of Nice.The subject was "Facebook as on-line marketing tool" presented by Nick Thain. Nick is one of the hottest Facebook marketeers in the UK and shared some of his insights how to be effective with your company on Facebook.

Next meeting on the agenda is "Green Marketing" on Thursday 21st October at Banque Populaire Côte d'Azur, 457 Promenade des Anglais, Main Building Arénas, Nice Aeroport.

If you have a Green Marketing strategy, attitude and behaviour, it will position you not only better in the market, but your customer's loyalty will grow as well. Petra Steinke will present recent examples how Green Marketing can work for your business AND how to use this in your PR communication.

Petra Steinke has 15 years multicultural experience in Journalism, Public Relations, Sales and Marketing. Her experience with corporations in media, publishing, consumer goods and pharmacy, positions her to execute in a wide variety of industry sectors. With unique experiences that cover international markets such as German, Italian, Austrian, French and North American Markets, her detailed skills at developing the right PR campaign is incomparable.

Petra is founder of NEWSBROKER® Public Relations provides international PR services. Since 2005, NEWSBROKER® specializes as a pioneer in the promotion of sustainable lifestyles and the success of eco-friendly enterprise.

Entrance fee for Members: 30 € euro. Non members: 40 € euro

Then on Tuesday November 9th 2010 the meeting is "Rachel Elnaugh is coming to town!"

This is a co-hosted event with the EPWN, the European Professional Women's Network. They are proud to welcome Rachel Elnaugh: Entrepeneur, Writer & Author, Business Speaker, Consultant & Mentor. 'Inspiring, motivating and helper entrepeneurs achieve business success. This evening is hosted by SKEMA Business School in Sophia Antipolis business park.

Rachel Elnaugh is the entrepreneur who created the market leading experiences brand Red Letter Days at age 24 - which grew from nothing, on a shoestring budget, into a £multi-million turnover household name. Red Letter Days' fall into administration in 2005, after the over-expansion of the business in 2002, gained much media exposure and Rachel wrote about her experiences of adversity in business in her 2007 book "Business Nightmares". The book has since become the handbook for business survival for many struggling entrepreneurs.

Rachel won an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2002 and she was shortlisted for the 2001 Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year Award along with Barbara Cassani, Jo Malone, Sly Bailey and Chey Garland.

Rachel's appearance as a "Dragon" on the first two series of BBCTV's Dragons' Den in 2005 secured her celebrity entrepreneur status, which has resulted in over 300 engagements as a speaker and celebrity guest in the Enterprise Sector over the past five years.

Rachel Elnaugh is currently

Non-Executive Chairman of market leading children's mural company Walltastic, which she has helped take from front room start-up to a £1million + turnover company, now exporting to 28 countries
Non-Executive Director for the social enterprise The Small Business Company CIC, which empowers disadvantaged youths through enterprise
Non-Executive Director of Sustainable Bakewell CIC, which drives awareness and initiates projects connected to sustainable living in Bakewell and the Peak District

If you are in business in the south of France and want to meet international colleagues for very imforative meetings then you should consider joining the Riviera Business Club.

Originally The British Chamber of Commerce which was started in 1994 by a group of young British business people wishing to promote exchange with their French counterparts. Although "British", the Chamber sought to encourage not only British and French companies and sole traders - already well represented in the area, but also other nationalities present on the Côte d'Azur who can join and take advantage of the business facilities and contacts they can offer.

jml Training and Consultancy are members of the Riviera Buisinnes Club.

For more information go to their website at http://www.bccriviera.com/ or see the summary page Here

Employers need support to adapt to Equality Act

2010-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Press Information from The Employers' Forum on Disability "Employers need support to adapt to Equality Act, EHRC report reinforces"

A report out today (11 October 2010) from the Equality and Human Rights Commission reinforces how the statutory Codes of Practice for the Equality Act are needed to support employers in employing disabled people and serving disabled customers.

The EHRC's How Fair is Britain report is the first major study of its kind into the state of Britain's equality landscape. It brings together all available evidence about equality issues into one review.

The report shows that:

•Disabled men are substantially less likely to be in employment than in the past.
•Disabled people are twice as likely to report harassment in the workplace as non-disabled people.
•Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are substantially less likely to achieve 5 GCSE A-Cs as children without SEN.

Susan Scott-Parker, Chief Executive of Employers' Forum on Disability, said: "The statistics in this report make sobering reading. In many ways, they reinforce what we already know: the way the law is applied needs to make it easier for employers to get it right when employing disabled people.

"Otherwise, legal and regulatory frameworks will not address the causes of the inequality outlined in this report. Employers see the role of EHRC as being to ensure the quality of the law, and that is applied credibly and consistently

"Employers are still getting used to the very recent change in equality law. We look forward to the swift publication by EHRC and the Government Equalities Office of the Equality Act's statutory Codes of Practice on employment and access to goods, facilities and services.

"These Codes will support employers in employing disabled people and serving disabled customers. That is what will make a practical difference to the experience of disabled people.

More information about Employers' Forum on Disability

Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 400 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers

See also: EFD says Employers need help with Equality Act

The Equality Act 2010 - Are you compliant? Find out here how jml Training can help your organisation

EFD says Employers need help with Equality Act

2010-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

The HR Review has today reported on the fact

The Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) has called on the government to do more to help businesses adapt to the provisions contained within the recent Equality Act to ensure that more disabled people find work.

Responding to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's How Fair is Britain report, EFD chief executive Susan Scott-Parker suggested that companies are struggling to come to terms with the legislation and need additional assistance.

"The way the law is applied needs to make it easier for employers to get it right when employing disabled people," she explained. "Employers are still getting used to the very recent change in equality law."

Ms Scott-Parker added that the impending publication of statutory codes of practice relating to the Equality Act should help to clear up some of the confusion and reduce discrimination in the workplace.

Earlier this month, Brethertons employment solicitor Michelle Morgan warned that businesses may experience teething problems in the early stages of the Equality Act's introduction.

Source:HR Review

The Equality Act 2010 - Are you compliant? Find out here how jml Training can help your organisation

How fair is Britain? Equality Commission launches landmark report

2010-10-11T07:23:00.001-07:00

11th October 2010

Commission launches landmark report: 'How fair is Britain?'

A landmark report released today by the Commission paints a picture of a largely tolerant and open-minded society, in which some equality gaps have closed over the past generation.

But ‘How fair Is Britain?’, the most comprehensive compilation of evidence on discrimination and disadvantage ever compiled in Britain, also shows that other long-standing inequalities remain undiminished; and that new social and economic fault-lines are emerging as Britain becomes older and more ethnically and religiously diverse. The Review also identifies recession, public service reform, management of migration and technological change as major risk factors in progress towards a fairer society.

The first in a series of reports laid before Parliament every three years, ‘How fair is Britain?’ draws on a range of major datasets and surveys, as well as the Commission's own research reports, to build a portrait of Britain in 2010. The 700-page report provides the independent evidence and benchmarks for reviewing the state of social justice.

And it identifies five critical ‘gateways to opportunity’ which the Commission says can make the difference between success and failure in life: Health and Well-being: Education and Inclusion; Work and Wealth; Safety and Security; and Autonomy and Voice

The Commission's findings cover all seven areas of formal discrimination set out in law: age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation and transgender status. For the first time, it analyses the gaps in treatment and achievement of these seven social groupings beyond solely economic outcomes - by including factors such as personal autonomy and political influence (‘voice’) alongside education, health, standard of living and personal safety.

The three yearly assessment in the Review, mandated by the Equality Act 2006 will:

provide an evidence base to ensure that action to tackle inequality and ensure fairness is properly targeted
ensure that scarce resources are used in order to protect the vulnerable and disadvantaged from the worst effects of recession, deficit reduction and public service reform
set objective benchmarks to assess the ‘fairness factor’ in public policy

The report finds that over recent years, public attitudes have become much more tolerant of diversity, and much less tolerant of discrimination. This can be seen in relation to most of the major equality characteristics, including race, gender and sexual orientation.

Opposition to working for an ethnic minority boss or inter-ethnic marriages has dropped; stereotypical views about the roles that men and women should play in family and society have become less prevalent. And perhaps the most dramatic change is in relation to LGB people: a gap of less than 20 years separated the parliamentary debates about Section 28 and civil partnership.

Evidence suggests that the public is strongly in favour of the generic principles of equality, dignity and respect for all. This consensus was reflected by each of the main political parties, which went into the 2010 General Election with some form of explicit commitment to equality.

However, the Review also highlights areas of anxiety. There is evidence that the public thinks that both racial and religious prejudice are on the increase, though this may reflect heightened sensitivities. British people are broadly positive about the economic contribution of many immigrants, but the ‘immigration paradox’ remains: about three quarters of the public say that they are concerned about the scale of immigration at a national level - but about the same proportion feels that immigration is not a problem for their own communities.

The Review also highlights significant gaps in knowledge and data about particular groups - for example, transgender people - and the impact on our ability to tell whether the ideals of equality and fairness are being translated into a practical change for the better in these people’s real lives.

Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said:

“This Review holds up the mirror to fairness in Britain. It is the most complete picture of its kind ever compiled. It shows that we are a people who have moved light years in our attitudes to all kinds of human difference, and in our desire to be a truly fair society - but that we are still a country where our achievements haven't yet caught up with our aspirations.

“Sixty years on from the Beveridge report and the creation of the welfare state, his five giants of squalor, disease, ignorance, want and idleness have been cut down to size, though they still stalk the land.

“But in the 21st century we face a fresh challenge - the danger of a society divided by the barriers of inequality and injustice. For some, the gateways to opportunity appear permanently closed, no matter how hard they try; whilst others seems to have been issued with an ‘access all areas’ pass at birth. Recession, demographic change and new technology all threaten to deepen the fault lines between insiders and outsiders.

“Our Review has identified the five ‘great gateways’ to opportunity that could open the way to millions.”

The ‘gateways’ identified in the report are

1. Health and Well-being:

Men and women from the highest social class can expect to live up to seven years longer, on average, than those from lower socio-economic groups (based on life expectancy at birth).
Black Caribbean and Pakistani babies are twice as likely to die in their first year as Bangladeshi or White British babies.

2. Education and Inclusion:

Girls achieve better results than boys at age five in England, and at age 16 in England, Scotland and Wales, and in every ethnic group. In 2009 female university students outnumbered men by a ratio of roughly 4:3. Women are also more likely than men to get first-class or upper second-class degrees.

Girls and women tend to be concentrated in some courses which tend to lead to relatively poorly-rewarded jobs.
Forty-four per cent of Black, Indian and Pakistani students are at ‘new’ universities compared to 35 per cent of others. Eight per cent of Black students are at Russell Group institutions, compared to 24 per cent of White students.

Seventeen per cent of children with special educational needs get five good GCSEs including English and Maths, compared to 61 per cent of children without identified special needs.
At age five, 35 per cent of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals achieved a good level of development, compared to 55 per cent of pupils not eligible for free school meals.

Apart from Gypsy and Traveller children, the performance of White British boys on free school meals at GCSE is the lowest of any group defined by gender, free school meals status and ethnic group; by contrast the highest performing group at sixteen are Chinese girls, with those on free school meals outranking every other group except better-off Chinese girls.

3. Work and Wealth:

The mean gender pay gap for women and men working full-time in 2009 was 16.4 per cent; and progress today appears to be grinding to a halt. Women aged 40 earn on average 27 per cent less than men of the same age. Women with degrees are estimated to face only a four per cent loss in lifetime earnings as a result of motherhood, while mothers with no qualifications face a 58 per cent loss.

By the age of 22-24, figures suggest that 44 per cent of Black people are not in education, employment or training, compared to fewer than 25 per cent of White people. One in four Bangladeshi and Pakistani women work, compared with nearly three in four White British women, and only 47 per cent of Muslim men and 24 per cent of Muslim women are employed.
Pakistani and Bangladeshi men’s earnings fall 13 per cent and 21 per cent below what might be expected, and Black African Christian and Chinese men experience pay penalties of 13 per cent and 11 per cent.

Fifty per cent of disabled adults are in work, compared to 79 per cent of non-disabled adults.

4. Safety and Security:

Two-thirds of lesbian, gay and transgender secondary students report that they have been victims of often severe bullying (17 per cent of those bullied reported having received death threats). Homophobic bullying also seems to be more common in faith schools.
Domestic violence is associated with a higher rate of repeat-victimisation than any other kind of violent or acquisitive crime: in 2009/10, 76 per cent of all incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales were repeat offences.

The number of women prisoners has nearly doubled since 1995 in England and Wales, and since 2000 in Scotland.

On average, five times more Black people than White people are imprisoned in England and Wales and there is now greater disproportionality in the number of Black people in prisons in Britain than in the USA.

5. Autonomy and Voice:

One in eight people in England provide unpaid care to adults.
One in four women and nearly one in five men in their fifties are carers.
The number of people aged 65 and over with care and support needs is estimated to rise by 87 per cent between 2001 and 2051.
It is projected that due to the increasing age of the population, nearly 1.3 million disabled older people will require informal care by 2041 up by around 90 per cent.
175,000 people under 18 have caring responsibilities and a disproportionate number of young carers are from certain ethnic minority backgrounds (including Bangladeshi, Black African, Black Caribbean and Pakistani backgrounds).
Women represent less than a quarter of Westminster MPs and barely three in 10 councillors in England. Four per cent of Westminster MPs are from an ethnic minority background.

Source: Equality and Human Rights Commission

More information about Equality and Human Rights Commission

The Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act. It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals .

Looking for Diversity and Equality Training services for your organisation? Find out More Here

Pay gap between Men & Women halts

2010-10-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Institute of leadership and Management - ILM has reported a news story today "Gender pay gap progress has halted"

The gap between the amount women and men earn has stopped closing, according to a new report.

According to the How Fair is Britain report, women aged 40 earn on average 27% less than men of the same age.

Motherhood also impacts on women's earning potential, with females with a degree facing a 4% loss in lifetime earnings. Mothers with no qualifications face a 58% loss, the report also shows.

The news comes just months after the charity Gingerbread found that a lack of family-friendly jobs is stopping single parents from returning to work.

Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "In the 21st century we face a fresh challenge - the danger of a society divided by the barriers of inequality and injustice."

However, the report also found that public attitudes have become much more tolerant of diversity and much less tolerant of discrimination.

Stereotypical views about the roles that men and women should play in family and society have become less prevalent, while opposition to working for a boss from an ethic minority has dropped.

Source: ILM

For More information See our Blog "Equality Commission launches landmark report: 'How fair is Britain?'"

Looking for Diversity and Equality Training services for your organisation? Find out More Here

Large companies must embrace diversity

2010-10-08T10:59:00.001-07:00

8th October 2010 - A week after the Equity Act became law there is a headline on the politics.co.uk website "Corporations 'must embrace diversity'"

The report goes on to say "Large companies must embrace diversity if they are to cut costs and improve their products, according to business leaders.

The comments came at an awards ceremony for supplier diversity in which Pepsi scooped the 'corporation of the year' award, narrowly beating ExxonMobil.

"Despite significant progress over the last few years, the volume of business won by ethnic minority owned businesses in the UK remains small," said Sara Todd, chair of Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) and executive director at Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD).

"In the US, companies have been far quicker to embrace supplier diversity and the resulting commercial benefits."

Ms Todd also encouraged minority-owned businesses to improve their professionalism and better understand the needs of large corporations.

Mayank Shah, Director of MSDUK, added: "Given the changing make up of the UK's population and the need to build a sustainable economic recovery, it's critical that diversity is debated at a national level.

"Discussions at the conference around the impact of the new Equality Act, the business case for diversity and processes to extend the supplier base were all keenly attended."

The Equality Act, which brought together nine separate pieces of equality legislation together, came into force last week.

Ethnic minorities were largely unaffected by the new law, which consolidated and cleared up various strands of legislation from previous decades.

Aspects relating to audits of firms in a bid to narrow the gender pay gap are still under review by the government, however, with an eye to avoiding placing any new demands on British business as the economy emerges from recession."

politics.co.uk is the leading specialist UK politics news website. Each month more than 300 new and original articles are written by our in house team of journalists attracting more than 100,000 unique visits from MPs, journalists and politically aware members of the public.

politics.co.uk's strength lies in its unique blend of breaking political news and useful reference content covering everything from the workings of the political system to the key people and organisations in the world of politics.

politics.co.uk is politically neutral. It provides objective, factual and balanced political information. It is governed by an editorial policy that ensures all major arguments about a political issue are represented and that material is based on clearly identifiable sources.politics.co.uk is owned and run by Adfero Ltd, the UK's leading dedicated provider of online news

The Equality Act 2010 - Are you compliant? Find out here how jml Training can help your organisation

Equality Act 2010 implementation welcomed by charity

2010-10-08T00:23:00.000-07:00

"Charity welcomes implementation of the Equality Act 2010" 1st October 2010

The new Equality Act starts to come into force across Britain today.

Although it may seem like a lot of small changes, together they will make a big difference; helping Scotland too to become a fairer society, improving the public services we all use and helping business perform well.

The new Act, aimed at creating a society built on equality and fairness, will cover everyone; it simplifies our laws - consolidating over one hundred pieces of legislation into one practical act - and makes it easier for us to treat other people fairly.

The new legislation protects everyone to some extent, as people have several of the characteristics it covers, namely age, race, religion and belief, sex (meaning gender) and sexual orientation; and some people also have the protected characteristics of disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

Under the Act, people are not allowed to discriminate, harass or victimise another person because they belong to a group that the Act protects, are thought to belong to one of those groups or are associated with someone who does.

Age Scotland spokesperson Lindsay Scott says: "We know that despite the great leaps forward in terms of tackling discrimination and changing attitudes over the last thirty years, many old inequalities remain and new and emerging challenges exist.

"A fixed date for implementation has yet to be determined for protection from age discrimination in access to goods, facilities and services and the public sector equality duty, and we would like to see this happen sooner rather than later. However, we welcome this additional tool for building a fairer society."

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has released an online starter guide to the legislation for employers and service providers. The guide contains nine bite-size modules which set out the essential.

Source: Age Concern Scotland

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40 Years after “Made in Dagenham” employees get a new weapon in the fight for equal pay - The Equality Act 2010

2010-10-07T04:59:00.000-07:00

Press Release from Government Equalities Office - 1st October 2010

"Equality Act: Four decades after the “Made in Dagenham**” pioneers, employees get a new weapon in the fight for equal pay"

On the day a new film is released that tells the story of how a group of 1960s women fought for equal pay, today’s workers have won new rights that will help to stamp out pay discrimination.

Most provisions of the 2010 Equality Act take effect from today (1 October), including a measure to stop pay secrecy clauses being used to hide unfair differences between what men and women are paid.

The change in the law coincides with the release of “Made in Dagenham,” a British film about the women of the Ford assembly plant in East London who, in 1968, launched a campaign to demand equal pay. Their actions led to the creation of the 1970 Equal Pay Act.

Around 90 per cent of the Act comes into force today, making the law simpler by bringing together nine pieces of legislation under a single banner. The Government will announce in due course its plans for the remaining parts of the Equality Act not due to be implemented on 1 October.

Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality Theresa May met four of the original strikers last week .

She said: “Thanks to pioneers like the women who feature in “Made in Dagenham,” the workplace is much fairer than it was in 1968. But there is still plenty of room for improvement.

“In these challenging economic times it’s more important than ever for employers to make the most of all the talent available. When a company reflects the society it serves, it’s better for the employer, the employees and the customers, so being a woman should never be a barrier to being treated fairly at work.

“From today the gagging clauses that stop people discussing their pay with their colleagues will be unenforceable, allowing women – and men – to find out if they’re being paid unfairly.

“This move towards transparency is just one part of the Equality Act, which also makes it easier for businesses to comply with discrimination law by streamlining the equality laws, and provides more protection to disabled people.”

The Act brings together nine different laws – including the Equal Pay Act – into a single piece of legislation, simplifying the law and reducing the administrative burden on businesses.

More information about The Equality Act 2010

1. The nine pieces of legislation being brought together under the 2010 Equality Act are:

•Equal Pay Act (1970)
•Sex Discrimination Act (1975)
•Race Relations Act (1976)
•Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
•Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations (2003)
•Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (2003)
•Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (2006)
•Equality Act (2006)
•Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (2007)

2. Key changes to the law being introduced today include:

•Making pay secrecy “gagging” clauses unenforceable. This will protect employees who choose to discuss their pay with each other for the purposes of uncovering discrimination.
•Extra protection for disabled people. The new law restricts the circumstances in which employers can ask job applicants questions about disability or health prior to offering them a position, making it more difficult for disabled people to be unfairly screened out.
•New powers for employment tribunals. Where an employment tribunal finds that an employer has discriminated against an employee, the tribunal will be allowed to make recommendations that could affect the whole workforce – for example, calling for harassment policies to be more effectively implemented – instead of being restricted to measures that will benefit the employee who brought the action.
•Extending protection from third party harassment to all protected characteristics, meaning employers have a responsibility to protect their staff, where possible, from harassment by customers.

Source: Government Equalities Office
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** Made in Dagenham - Is a dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. This walkout was instrumental in the Equal Pay Act 1970. The film stars Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike and Jaime Winston. It is directed by Nigel Cole with Screeplay by Billy Ivory.

Equality & Human Rights Commission make a statement on new Eqality Act

2010-10-07T02:55:00.000-07:00

The new Equality Act became law from the 1st October 2010. The act replaces most of the previous discrimination legislation.

The objective of the act is promoting equality for all by preventing discrimination under several protected characteristics Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion or Belief, Sex and Sexual Orientation. The Act applies to the provision of services as well as employment.

The Equality & Human Rights Commission issued a Press Release on the 1st October. "Commission statement on the implementation of the Equality Act 2010"

The majority of the Equality Act 2010 comes into force today, bringing together existing equality law into one place so that it is easier to understand and extending protection to some groups so that they are treated more fairly.

The Commission’s role, given to it by Parliament, is to help people understand equality law and to enforce it.

The new law protects everyone in Britain to some extent as people have several of the characteristics it covers, namely age, race, religion and belief, sex (meaning gender) and sexual orientation; and some people also have the protected characteristics of disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

Under the Act people are not allowed to discriminate, harass or victimise another person because they belong to a group that the Act protects, are thought to belong to one of those groups or are associated with someone who does.

Helen Hughes, interim Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “It’s more than just an Act. Simplifying equality legislation and extending protection to a wide range of groups that face discrimination will help Britain become a fairer society, improve public services, and help business perform well.

“For example, banning the use of pre-employment questionnaires under the new Equality Act could make it easier for veterans who have been recently disabled in the line of duty to get work; and protecting young mums from discrimination in school or college could mean they finish their education rather than drop out.

“It is also a reminder that treating people fairly protects organisations from costly discrimination claims.”

Detailed guidance to the new Equality Act is being rolled out by the Commission. The Commission is producing statutory guidance (“Codes of Practice”) for legal professionals and can be referred to in legal cases; and other guidance (“non-statutory guidance”) aimed at people who want to know how the law applies in different settings.

Source: The Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Who are a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights.

The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act. It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals.

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Equality Act may take employers by surprise

2010-10-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

"Employers may be taken by surprise by Equality Act" is the headline on the 30th September on the British Chamber of Commerce website.

British business owners have been told to prepare for the impact of the Equality Act, due to come into force on Friday October 1.

Companies of all sizes will be affected by the legislation, which has been more than five years in the making, as it will raise a range of practical points for employers to consider to avoid the risks of discrimination claims by employees.

Rachel Dineley from law firm Beachcroft LLP, said: “The new Act has been a long time coming. Its fundamental purpose is to bring together all existing discrimination protection into a single Act, with a view to ensuring consistency and clarity over how employees and job applicants are protected against incidents of discrimination in the workplace.”

Some of the key issues of the Act include: an extension of discrimination law, the prohibition on employers asking job applicants questions about their health, and new laws that allow employees to freely discuss their pay with one another.

Beachcroft LLP has informed employers that any action they take against workers discussing pay will be unlawful victimisation.

They have warned that with the recent changes in government and current focus on cost cutting, employers may be taken by surprise as job applicants and employees take advantage of the revised protection provided by the Act.

Source: British Chamber of Commerce / Crimson Business Ltd

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nebusiness.co.uk - News - Features - Women can now make a NEWW move

2010-10-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

nebusiness.co.uk - News - Features - Women can now make a NEWW move

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Will the Equality Act to spark employee demand for pay rises?

2010-10-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

According to "The Grapevineonline" 6th October 2010..."Equality Act to spark employee demand for pay rises"

The newly enforced ban on pay secrecy gagging clauses could result in a wave of employees demanding salary increases.

The Equality Act, which came into effect last Friday (1 October 2010), prevents organisations from enforcing contractual agreements that stop employees from discuss their pay with colleagues as long the conversation is intended to uncover instances of discrimination.

According to research from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), almost half (49%) of UK employees would demand a pay rise or quite look for a new job if they found out that colleagues which held positions at the same level were paid more than them.

Michael Rendell, Head of HR Consulting, PwC comments: “Although the provisions in the Equality Act banning gagging clauses were watered down considerably in the final drafting of the legislations, the new rules are put of the growing culture and regulatory drive for greater disclosure around pay.

“A further step in this direction will be the requirement also contained in the Equality Act for private sector employers with more than 250 employees to report their gender pay gap. This obligation is due to come into force in 2013, although it is possible it may happen sooner.”

Source: Grapevineonline - The Grapevine Magazine is published every month providing an insight into the world of talent management. It is the only publication dedicated to this unique and growing part of the HR market. Packed with features, case studies and specialist columns it is essential trade reading for both Practitioners and Supplier to this industry

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Increase in discrimination claims when Equality Act comes into force?

2010-10-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

"Businesses fear increase in discrimination claims when Equality Act comes into force" - Press Release - 1st October 2010

•Equality Act becomes law on 1 October 2010
•Three quarters of HR professionals predict increase in discrimination claims

According to new research from international law firm Eversheds, 75% of HR professionals surveyed fear that the Equality Act 2010, which comes into force on 1 October 2010, will lead to an increase in claims.

The research, which canvassed the opinions of over 200 HR professionals, also reveals that many employers (57%) have responded to these concerns by implementing training on the Act for managers or staff, or intend to do so. However, nearly a third (29%) had no plans to implement training.

Audrey Williams, head of discrimination law at Eversheds, comments:

“While the Equality Act is designed to streamline existing discrimination law, it also expands it in some areas. This explains why employers are concerned that they will see an increase in claims after the Equality Act becomes law on 1 October 2010.

“Most employers seem to recognise that one important way to protect themselves against claims is to train managers and staff so that they understand what is and isn’t considered acceptable. For example, the Act imposes new restrictions on what questions employers can ask about job candidates’ health. Anyone involved in the recruitment process needs to know about this change. Those employers who have yet to consider training should do so immediately.”

Nearly half (49%) of those who responded said their internal policies will be changed ahead of the Act coming into force in October, while a third (33%) didn’t intend to change their policies.

Audrey Williams comments:

“Many employers will have had to change their equality policies to reflect the fact that the Act increases the scope for organisations to be held liable if one of their employees is harassed by a third party, such as a customer, service user or supplier. Such policies should tell staff what to do if they feel they have been harassed and reassure them that their concerns will be taken seriously. For those who said they hadn’t changed their policies, it may be that they don’t have to as they already cover the relevant areas. That said, we would still recommend they check their existing policies to ensure they deal with the changes made by the Act.

“Depending on the nature of the employer’s activities, it might also be appropriate to specifically bring to the attention of clients, customers and commercial contacts that inappropriate behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated.”

The research also gives an insight into some of the more controversial aspects of the Act that are still under review, such as the provision for ‘positive action’

Audrey Williams comments:

“Perhaps the most contentious aspect of the Act is a provision for ‘positive action’ that would allow employers to recruit or promote employees because of their sex, race etc if they are 'as qualified as' other candidates. The coalition has, so far, declined to implement this part of the Act, and refuses to be drawn on when, if ever, it will take effect. Other types of positive action will, however, be allowed where it is aimed at remedying perceived disadvantage or underrepresentation. However, Eversheds’ survey suggests there is little appetite for this amongst employers, with only 7% saying they will definitely adopt some form of positive action.”

Another aspect of the Act that the coalition has held back from implementing concerns the publication of pay data. Under the Labour Government there was talk of requiring larger private sector employers to publish information about their gender pay gap, i.e. the difference in pay between male and female employees. With that in mind, the Act contains a section that would give Ministers power to introduce new regulations, at some future date, to make reporting compulsory.

Neither the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats were happy with this provision, albeit for different reasons. One option available to the coalition would be simply to bring the relevant section of the Act into effect without ever using the power to introduce regulations. By declining to implement this provision the coalition appears to be sending out a message that it does not think forcing employers to reveal what they pay to men and women is the solution to the stubborn problem of the gender pay gap.

Audrey Williams comments:

“Labour ministers had hoped that employers would voluntarily reveal information about their gender pay gap, promising further regulations only if voluntary reporting did not take off. However Eversheds’ survey suggests this may have been something of a pipe-dream, with only 13% of employers saying they will publish the data voluntarily.

The drive for pay transparency is also behind a provision in the Act that limits the effect of so-called ‘pay gagging clauses’, which are contract terms that seek to prevent employees discussing their pay. The Act limits the effect of such clauses by making them unenforceable against employees who discuss pay within the workplace with a view to finding out if there has been any unlawful discrimination in pay rates. However, Eversheds’ survey reveals that few employers are likely to be affected by this part of the Act. Less than one in 10 organisations surveyed by Eversheds currently has some form of contractual provision in place purporting to ban the discussion of pay, and of those, only a fifth (21%) say they intend to keep it post 1 October.

Audrey Williams concludes:

“So called ‘pay gagging clauses’ tend to be found in sectors such as financial services. Whilst there is no need for employers to abandon such clauses, managers do need to be aware that it won’t always be appropriate to take action against someone who has revealed details about their pay.

“This is an important piece of legislation, and employers need to fully up to speed with all the changes to avoid potential claims.”

The research was conducted in September 2010 among 237 HR professionals.

Tips for preparing for the Equality Act 2010

Employers can follow a number of simple steps to ensure they are prepared:

· Review existing policies in all areas of discrimination to ensure they are still relevant

· Ensure all employees with line manager and interviewing responsibilities have attended training so they know when to recognise discrimination and ensure they comply with the law

· Ensure all staff are trained so that they know what to do if they experience harassment or discrimination

· Depending on the nature of the employer’s activities, it might also be appropriate to specifically bring to the attention of clients, customers and commercial contacts that inappropriate behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated.

Source: Eversheds LLP: - Eversheds LLP and its world wide offices have over 4,500 people who provide services to the private and public sector business and finance community. Access to all these services is provided through 47 international offices in 29 jurisdictions. Eversheds combines local market knowledge and access with the specialisms, resources and international capability of one of the world’s largest law firms.

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