The CIPD - The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development which is Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members issued the following Press Release on Wednesday 9th December 09 before the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling made his Pre Budget Report.
Measures to reduce risk of 'job loss' recovery must be priority for Pre-Budget Report
Commenting ahead of this week's pre-budget report statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the CIPD's Chief Economic Adviser, Dr John Philpott, says that fiscal policy must remain expansionary until the economic recovery is strong enough to support sustained growth in employment:
"Although the Chancellor should use the pre-budget report to demonstrate he has a credible medium-term plan for cutting the record fiscal deficit, now is not the time for aggressive austerity measures.
"The Chancellor's immediate priority must instead be to bolster economic confidence and offset the risk that a weak and uncertain recovery will trigger a further bout of redundancies in 2010. A 'job-loss' recovery would not only be a kick in the teeth to millions of workers who have accepted shorter hours or pay cuts in the hope of staying in work but might also cause the economy to fall back into recession.
"In order to bolster confidence the Chancellor should consider delaying the restoration of the rate of VAT to 17.5% until 1 April 2010. Mr Darling should also extend the Job Guarantee for long-term claimants of Job Seekers Allowance aged 18-24 - due to take effect in 2010 - to those aged 50 and over. The Chancellor could offset the cost of these measures by introducing a freeze on the public sector pay bill for all non-military personnel. This would be good for the public finances and make the employment consequences of unaffordable pay awards clearer to public sector managers and unions."
CIPD also calls for the Government to:
- Abandon the increase in employers' NICs planned for 2011
- Freeze National Minimum Wage in real terms in October 2010
The CIPD's Chief Economic Adviser, Dr John Philpot later said on the "People Management blog" Good, bad and ugly Darling in pre-budget report
Making his pre-budget report statement to the House of Commons this lunchtime, the chancellor of the exchequer, Alistair Darling, had the air of a reassuring public school headmaster. We’d all been rather overdoing it on the financial razzle and will have to make amends. But other than the kids with the biggest tuck boxes it’ll be a year before anyone gets caned.
It was one of the chancellor’s better despatch box performances. Sober, serious and almost entirely sensible. Yet while the package he delivered has much to commend it, Darling made one or two glaring policy errors that either he or his successor will have to rectify once the general election is out of the way.
On the positive side, the chancellor was absolutely right to introduce a set of measures that have a neutral impact on the public finances in 2010-11. With the economy not even yet officially out of recession, trimming – let alone slashing– the budget next year runs the risk of economic relapse. Things will look better from 2011 onward – albeit probably not the soar-away growth that Darling forecasts – making the necessary medicine of major spending cuts and hefty tax rises a little harder to bear.
The chancellor should also be congratulated on his one-off windfall tax on bankers’ bonuses. This is fair and will provide the treasury with around £0.5 billion if the banks decide to make big payouts to their staff. That sum helps provide support for groups like the young jobless and unemployed over-50s, who are suffering as a consequence of the financial crisis. Darling also announced some useful measures for small businesses – which are also struggling in the aftermath of recession – and is providing some worthwhile
investment in skills that will enable jobs to be created in emerging sectors, notably those linked to low-carbon technologies.
I was less convinced, however, by the chancellor’s plans for dealing with the fiscal deficit after 2011. It was no surprise that the pre-budget report gave little precise detail of where the spending axe will fall, other than admitting that the overall squeeze will be tight – growth in spending falling from 2.2 per cent next year to just 0.8 per cent a year thereafter. But what he did say indicates that he had made some wrong calls.
For example, limiting public-sector pay rises to 1 per cent for two years from 2011 might seem tough, but it is simply not tough enough. What’s needed is a freeze on the public-sector pay bill. Presumably Darling doesn’t want to alienate the public-sector unions this side of an election. But they won’t be happy anyway and the government would have shown greater mettle by confronting opposition head on.
Yet bad though that decision is, it is nothing compared with the ugliest aspect of the pre-budget report, the additional 0.5 per cent hike in national insurance contributions (NICs) for both employees and employers. This came almost at the end of Darling’s statement and spoiled what would otherwise have been a satisfactory package in the current economic circumstances.
The 0.5 per cent increase in NICs already pencilled in for 2011 was a bad idea – doubling the increase could be a hammer blow to what is likely to be a “jobs-light” recovery. The prospect of an impending increase in employers’ NICs is bound to make organisations think twice about hiring additional staff, even before the hike comes into effect.
While the Chancellor has shown that he recognises the short-run risk to jobs from cutting the fiscal deficit too quickly, he seems to have overlooked the medium-term risk associated with what critics will undoubtedly call his “tax on jobs”. He should reconsider this before his final pre-election budget next spring.
John Philpott is Chief economic adviser, CIPD -Chief economic adviser at the CIPD and visiting professor of economics at the University of Hertfordshire. He has been an adviser to numerous UK and international bodies.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
jml Training now working with Housing Associations for Diversity Awareness Training
2nd December 2009 - A press release from jml Training has just been released entitled "jml Training Staff in Housing Associations on Diversity Awareness"
jml Training and Consultancy have recently added to their portfolio. We have developed a Leading Edge “Diversity and Inclusion” Training” programme for a large Housing Association in the south of England.
The present day nature of the role of Housing Associations is such that Diversity Awareness in delivering services to customers is of central importance. Both customers and staff come from diverse backgrounds, having a diversity of needs, unique to each. One size fits all will not do.
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.
Diversity is the freedom to be equally valued for our differences, the freedom to come together to create something more than any one of us could have done alone. The jml Training programme explores the rich mix of people we deal with every day and the complexity of meeting such a diverse range of needs. We see diversity as a resource, not a problem.
Ensuring diversity stays as a key organisational priority and does not get squeezed by other demands and requirements is essential. To achieve this requires a style of training that ensures the right leadership for diversity, one that can challenge and change values, beliefs and organisational behaviours and develop positive action initiatives. We have rigorously trained experts in experiential culture change work, highly facilitative & interactive, delivering inspirational, enduring and effective results
Housing Associations provide services to some of the most vulnerable sections of the community. Housing Association households contain higher than average proportions of people who experience discrimination and other social disadvantages. It is possible that discrimination in the housing or job market may be one of the reasons why they need Housing Association accommodation.
The course is being presented by one of jml Training’s highly experienced consultant trainers Irene Clarke who has worked for a major international airline for a number of years. She provided “Leading Edge Corporate Training”, including Diversity & Inclusion, and Customer Service Excellence, both sides of the same coin; treating people as individuals, NOT “do as you would be done by”. Irene was a key team manager, pioneering, developing and leading the largest culture change programme in Europe for the company and is now providing this service for Housing Associations and other organisations from the jml Training client base.
Irene comments “It is fascinating to explore how this type of organization operates and provide them with tools & skills to carry out day to day interactions more effectively, professionally & with compassion. It is exciting to be part of a dynamic change programme that explores the various drivers to attitudinal response with tools to enable participants to choose & change, becoming response-able.
jml Training has been providing “in house” Diversity training since 1997. The company designs and delivers training programmes to local government, universities, councils and companies - both small & multi-national. Established ten years ago, it provides training services in the UK, France, Ireland & Worldwide.
The specialist areas include bespoke Leadership, Team Development, Executive Coaching, Management Development Programmes, Diagnostic Assessment, Diversity & Inclusion, and Customer Service Excellence. More information at http://www.jml-training.com/Diversity.htm
jml Training and Consultancy have recently added to their portfolio. We have developed a Leading Edge “Diversity and Inclusion” Training” programme for a large Housing Association in the south of England.
The present day nature of the role of Housing Associations is such that Diversity Awareness in delivering services to customers is of central importance. Both customers and staff come from diverse backgrounds, having a diversity of needs, unique to each. One size fits all will not do.
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.
Diversity is the freedom to be equally valued for our differences, the freedom to come together to create something more than any one of us could have done alone. The jml Training programme explores the rich mix of people we deal with every day and the complexity of meeting such a diverse range of needs. We see diversity as a resource, not a problem.
Ensuring diversity stays as a key organisational priority and does not get squeezed by other demands and requirements is essential. To achieve this requires a style of training that ensures the right leadership for diversity, one that can challenge and change values, beliefs and organisational behaviours and develop positive action initiatives. We have rigorously trained experts in experiential culture change work, highly facilitative & interactive, delivering inspirational, enduring and effective results
Housing Associations provide services to some of the most vulnerable sections of the community. Housing Association households contain higher than average proportions of people who experience discrimination and other social disadvantages. It is possible that discrimination in the housing or job market may be one of the reasons why they need Housing Association accommodation.
The course is being presented by one of jml Training’s highly experienced consultant trainers Irene Clarke who has worked for a major international airline for a number of years. She provided “Leading Edge Corporate Training”, including Diversity & Inclusion, and Customer Service Excellence, both sides of the same coin; treating people as individuals, NOT “do as you would be done by”. Irene was a key team manager, pioneering, developing and leading the largest culture change programme in Europe for the company and is now providing this service for Housing Associations and other organisations from the jml Training client base.
Irene comments “It is fascinating to explore how this type of organization operates and provide them with tools & skills to carry out day to day interactions more effectively, professionally & with compassion. It is exciting to be part of a dynamic change programme that explores the various drivers to attitudinal response with tools to enable participants to choose & change, becoming response-able.
jml Training has been providing “in house” Diversity training since 1997. The company designs and delivers training programmes to local government, universities, councils and companies - both small & multi-national. Established ten years ago, it provides training services in the UK, France, Ireland & Worldwide.
The specialist areas include bespoke Leadership, Team Development, Executive Coaching, Management Development Programmes, Diagnostic Assessment, Diversity & Inclusion, and Customer Service Excellence. More information at http://www.jml-training.com/Diversity.htm
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
NHS report on employee wellbeing - highlights need for better absence management
23rd November 2009 - CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) issued a press release on Monday the 23rd November entitled "CIPD welcomes NHS report on employee wellbeing, but highlights need for better absence management"
Proposals to support employee health and wellbeing in the NHS announced today are welcome, however they miss a trick by not providing any specific recommendations on how to improve absence management policy and practice. This is the view of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on the launch of the NHS Health and Wellbeing final report.
Ben Willmott, CIPD senior public policy adviser, thinks the report contains positive recommendations that will help to support employee wellbeing and reduce absence levels in the health sector, which are the highest across the public sector at 11 days per employee per year*. He welcomes in particular the recommendation that all NHS bodies should ensure their management practices are in line with the HSE management standards on the control of work-related stress which is a major cause of absence.
Willmott says: "The report recognises that there is no point in providing employees with subsidised gym membership or advice on healthy eating and exercise if they dread coming to work because they have not received adequate training, are bullied by their manager or are drowning under their workload. The CIPD believes that people management skills must be included as a critical element of the development of all professions involved in the delivery of public services."
However, Willmott urges - together with an increased focus on improving people management skills - that all NHS bodies need to review how they manage absence if real progress on reducing employee absence levels is to be sustained across the health and wider public sector.
Willmott continues: "If high employee absence levels in the health sector are to be tackled effectively, NHS employers need to ensure their absence management policies and practices give the right balance between providing support to help employees stay in and return to work and taking consistent and firm action against employees that take advantage of organisations' occupational sick pay schemes.
"In addition all public sector employers should be able to say how much time working time is lost to absence and how much it costs. Unless you have good data on employee absence it is impossible to identify if you have a problem and how to address it."
CIPD research shows:
• Public sector employers are less likely than those in the private sector to discipline or dismiss staff for absence-related reasons than the those in the private sector
• Public sector employers are less likely than private sector employers to take account of employees' absence records as part of performance measures for individuals' appraisals
• Public sector employers provide more generous occupational health sick pay schemes than those in the private sector
• Public sector employers are less likely to restrict sick pay for unacceptable levels of absence
*CIPD 2009 Absence management survey
At jml Training we have trained NHS staff in the past and always welcome enquiries from NHS Trusts around the country. If you require further information please contact us
Proposals to support employee health and wellbeing in the NHS announced today are welcome, however they miss a trick by not providing any specific recommendations on how to improve absence management policy and practice. This is the view of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on the launch of the NHS Health and Wellbeing final report.
Ben Willmott, CIPD senior public policy adviser, thinks the report contains positive recommendations that will help to support employee wellbeing and reduce absence levels in the health sector, which are the highest across the public sector at 11 days per employee per year*. He welcomes in particular the recommendation that all NHS bodies should ensure their management practices are in line with the HSE management standards on the control of work-related stress which is a major cause of absence.
Willmott says: "The report recognises that there is no point in providing employees with subsidised gym membership or advice on healthy eating and exercise if they dread coming to work because they have not received adequate training, are bullied by their manager or are drowning under their workload. The CIPD believes that people management skills must be included as a critical element of the development of all professions involved in the delivery of public services."
However, Willmott urges - together with an increased focus on improving people management skills - that all NHS bodies need to review how they manage absence if real progress on reducing employee absence levels is to be sustained across the health and wider public sector.
Willmott continues: "If high employee absence levels in the health sector are to be tackled effectively, NHS employers need to ensure their absence management policies and practices give the right balance between providing support to help employees stay in and return to work and taking consistent and firm action against employees that take advantage of organisations' occupational sick pay schemes.
"In addition all public sector employers should be able to say how much time working time is lost to absence and how much it costs. Unless you have good data on employee absence it is impossible to identify if you have a problem and how to address it."
CIPD research shows:
• Public sector employers are less likely than those in the private sector to discipline or dismiss staff for absence-related reasons than the those in the private sector
• Public sector employers are less likely than private sector employers to take account of employees' absence records as part of performance measures for individuals' appraisals
• Public sector employers provide more generous occupational health sick pay schemes than those in the private sector
• Public sector employers are less likely to restrict sick pay for unacceptable levels of absence
*CIPD 2009 Absence management survey
At jml Training we have trained NHS staff in the past and always welcome enquiries from NHS Trusts around the country. If you require further information please contact us
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Equal pay victory for women
The Equality and Human Rights Commission have just sent us their month email newsletter with this press release report.
It is entitled "Women in some jobs who have time off to raise children get pay equality boost after landmark ruling"
Commission welcomes equal pay victory for women at work
Women in some jobs who have time off to raise children received a significant boost today after a landmark case in the Court of Appeal in which the Equality and Human Rights Commission intervened.
Mrs Christine Wilson, an Inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, brought the case against her employer, claiming that its pay agreement with employees linking pay to length of service for up to ten years was unfair.
The Health and Safety Executive’s agreement with its employees meant that three male colleagues on the same level as Mrs Wilson were paid more than her for doing equivalent work.
The Commission argued that linking pay to length of service often disadvantages women who take time out of the workforce to raise children and so do not have the same continuous length of service as men.
The Court agreed with the Commission’s submissions. It found that although employers to not generally have to justify schemes linking length of service to pay, they will have to if there is evidence that this is having a disproportionate impact on women.
Susie Uppal, Director of Legal Enforcement at the Commission, said: 'Women should not be disadvantaged in the workforce because of they take time out for maternity leave or to meet caring responsibilities. Linking pay to length of service often does them a disservice. Direct discrimination, long hours, and a lack of flexible working options are some of the biggest barriers to achieving gender equality in the workplace.'
Research shows that the gender pay gap is narrower in the public sector than in the private sector, (a full-time gap of 13.8 per cent compared with 21.7 per cent) and that far more public sector employers are undertaking pay audits as one way of addressing the issue (43 per cent compared to 23 per cent).
The Commission believes that developing ways for employers to measure and report on their gender pay gap will be a crucial step towards reducing pay inequity by providing greater transparency. It is holding a consultation on how to develop a consistent way to measure the gender pay difference within organisations.
Gender pay gap reporting is intended to be voluntary, but could be made mandatory using a reserve power in the Equality Bill. A future Secretary of State could chose to use that power if progress on closing the pay gap has not been made by 2013.
Source: The Equality and Human Rights Commission 20th October 2009
Who are The 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.
Interventions
The UK Parliament has recognised the value of the Commission’s expertise, imposing on it the power to intervene in certain legal proceedings by virtue of section 30 of the Equality Act 2006. The Commission takes a strategic approach when deciding to intervene. It will generally intervene in cases where it can use its expertise to clarify or challenge an important element of the law. The cases generally involve serious matters of public policy or general public concern. The outcome of these cases often has a wide impact as they set precedents to be followed by the lower courts.
Take a look at the jml Training website section Promoting Equal Opportunities in Service Provision
It is entitled "Women in some jobs who have time off to raise children get pay equality boost after landmark ruling"
Commission welcomes equal pay victory for women at work
Women in some jobs who have time off to raise children received a significant boost today after a landmark case in the Court of Appeal in which the Equality and Human Rights Commission intervened.
Mrs Christine Wilson, an Inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, brought the case against her employer, claiming that its pay agreement with employees linking pay to length of service for up to ten years was unfair.
The Health and Safety Executive’s agreement with its employees meant that three male colleagues on the same level as Mrs Wilson were paid more than her for doing equivalent work.
The Commission argued that linking pay to length of service often disadvantages women who take time out of the workforce to raise children and so do not have the same continuous length of service as men.
The Court agreed with the Commission’s submissions. It found that although employers to not generally have to justify schemes linking length of service to pay, they will have to if there is evidence that this is having a disproportionate impact on women.
Susie Uppal, Director of Legal Enforcement at the Commission, said: 'Women should not be disadvantaged in the workforce because of they take time out for maternity leave or to meet caring responsibilities. Linking pay to length of service often does them a disservice. Direct discrimination, long hours, and a lack of flexible working options are some of the biggest barriers to achieving gender equality in the workplace.'
Research shows that the gender pay gap is narrower in the public sector than in the private sector, (a full-time gap of 13.8 per cent compared with 21.7 per cent) and that far more public sector employers are undertaking pay audits as one way of addressing the issue (43 per cent compared to 23 per cent).
The Commission believes that developing ways for employers to measure and report on their gender pay gap will be a crucial step towards reducing pay inequity by providing greater transparency. It is holding a consultation on how to develop a consistent way to measure the gender pay difference within organisations.
Gender pay gap reporting is intended to be voluntary, but could be made mandatory using a reserve power in the Equality Bill. A future Secretary of State could chose to use that power if progress on closing the pay gap has not been made by 2013.
Source: The Equality and Human Rights Commission 20th October 2009
Who are The 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.
Interventions
The UK Parliament has recognised the value of the Commission’s expertise, imposing on it the power to intervene in certain legal proceedings by virtue of section 30 of the Equality Act 2006. The Commission takes a strategic approach when deciding to intervene. It will generally intervene in cases where it can use its expertise to clarify or challenge an important element of the law. The cases generally involve serious matters of public policy or general public concern. The outcome of these cases often has a wide impact as they set precedents to be followed by the lower courts.
Take a look at the jml Training website section Promoting Equal Opportunities in Service Provision
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Coaching Development Coach Training
Participants' Feedback - London Spring 2009
Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy - Commented
How would you sum up your experience of the whole programme?
Very professionally organised, both prior to and during the course. A valuable and rich learning experience that met all the objectives. Range of learning styles/ material/ methods.
What is your appraisal/evaluation of the trainers?
Very able. Brought different perfections and a breath of experience that facilitated learning. Supportive, encouraging and enabling – trained in a coaching way.
Source: Coaching Development
Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy - Commented
How would you sum up your experience of the whole programme?
Very professionally organised, both prior to and during the course. A valuable and rich learning experience that met all the objectives. Range of learning styles/ material/ methods.
What is your appraisal/evaluation of the trainers?
Very able. Brought different perfections and a breath of experience that facilitated learning. Supportive, encouraging and enabling – trained in a coaching way.
Source: Coaching Development
Government 'faces uphill struggle' to promote effective action on the gender pay gap
The CIPD The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Europe's largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members, issued a press release on the 12th November 2009 entitled "Government 'faces uphill struggle' to promote effective action on the gender pay gap, despite today's ASHE results"
With the latest Office for National Statistics showing that the equal pay gap across all measures has narrowed, the CIPD today reports survey evidence of employer practice and attitudes to measuring the gender pay gap in the workplace. The figures show that the equal pay gap between men and women has improved from 12.6% to 12.2% for full-time work, while the equal pay gap between men and women has also narrowed from -3.7% to -2.0% for part-time work.
The CIPD argues that the results strengthen the case for voluntary equal pay reporting given the complexity of the problem, as illustrated by the fact that hourly earnings for women are higher than men's for part-time work.
The autumn 2009 CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey, conducted by IPSOS Mori, finds that fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) private sector employers measure their gender pay gap, the vast majority, and especially smaller employers, considering this unnecessary for their business. In the public sector, where equal pay monitoring is a statutory requirement, 2 in 5 (43%) employers only complete audits to tick the necessary bureaucratic box rather than as part of an underlying effort to advance gender equality.
The survey findings are likely to disappoint the government which has included provisions in its Equality Bill to require private and third sector organisations with more than 250 employees to report on gender pay gaps if too few are doing so voluntarily by 2013.
Dianah Worman, CIPD Diversity Adviser says: "Judging by these survey findings the government faces an uphill struggle in its efforts to change employer attitudes to closing the gender pay gap, which the latest ONS figures will undoubtedly show still remains far too wide.
The bulk of private sector employers appear complacent about the gap - especially smaller employers who won't in any case be affected by the reporting provisions of the Equality Bill - while many public sector employers seem more concerned about complying with their statutory reporting duty than driving genuine gender equality in the workplace. The findings overall suggest that compulsory pay audits are at best a blunt instrument for promoting effective action on closing the gender pay gap and highlight the need for government to instead focus on helping employers in all sectors understand the business benefits of tackling unfair treatment on pay."
Employers that do measure their pay gap report that it provides useful insights and benchmarking data (60%) and helps inform pay reviews before they take place (43%). However, the survey finds that the average cost of conducting a gender pay audit is more than £5,000 - fifty times higher than government estimates.
Ingrid Waterfield, KPMG Head of Reward says: "We would encourage all employers to investigate their pay structures from the perspective of fairness and equality whether or not legislation is introduced to this effect. Equal pay audits can help to tangibly measure the achievement of fairness, and we believe that a fair approach to reward and recognition has a positive impact on employee engagement. Leading businesses examine their pay gaps not because of Government, but because they understand the reputational and legal damage in not getting it right."
The Equality Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will introduce provisions to enforce gender pay reporting on private and third sector organisations of more than 250 employees. The Government says it will not make reporting compulsory until 2013 if voluntary progress is deemed to be insufficient.
The gender pay gap as measured by median hourly pay of full-time employees, excluding overtime, was 12.8% in April 2008. The latest figure, for April 2009, will be published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday 12 November alongside other results from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
The cost of reporting on the gender pay gap was estimated to be £5,105 in the CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook. This is higher than the Government's estimation.
Source CIPD
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Equality in the workplace: how is the UK doing?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a new report into how a range of UK organisations have established equality policies encouraging employees from diverse backgrounds to participate fully in the workplace.
The report looks at eight employers – including BT, Asda, the British Library and North Wales Police – to see what policies and practices they have adopted to encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and older employees and those with differing religions or beliefs to take up recruitment, promotion or advancement opportunities in the workplace. All eight organisations adopted a variety of equality programmes aimed at making employees feel accepted and preventing discrimination based on age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.
The report will be used by the Commission to develop guidance for employers on implementing effective equality policies.
Andrea Murray, Acting Group Director Strategy from the Commission, said: 'This research provides us with an understanding of how effectively implemented equality policies in the workplace can lead to employees from diverse backgrounds feeling confident and able to fully participate in the organisation. We know that workplace integration for employees is important to allow them to progress in their careers. This report will be used to develop guidance to assist employers in positively engaging with staff from diverse backgrounds.'
Download their report: Integration in the workplace (pdf),
Looking for Diversity / Equal Opportunities Training + for your organisation?
Visit Diversity & Inclusion at jml-training for more information
The report looks at eight employers – including BT, Asda, the British Library and North Wales Police – to see what policies and practices they have adopted to encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and older employees and those with differing religions or beliefs to take up recruitment, promotion or advancement opportunities in the workplace. All eight organisations adopted a variety of equality programmes aimed at making employees feel accepted and preventing discrimination based on age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.
The report will be used by the Commission to develop guidance for employers on implementing effective equality policies.
Andrea Murray, Acting Group Director Strategy from the Commission, said: 'This research provides us with an understanding of how effectively implemented equality policies in the workplace can lead to employees from diverse backgrounds feeling confident and able to fully participate in the organisation. We know that workplace integration for employees is important to allow them to progress in their careers. This report will be used to develop guidance to assist employers in positively engaging with staff from diverse backgrounds.'
Download their report: Integration in the workplace (pdf),
Looking for Diversity / Equal Opportunities Training + for your organisation?
Visit Diversity & Inclusion at jml-training for more information
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Unmissable offer Train to Gain - Leadership & Management
We have just added "Train to Gain" information to the jml-training.com and midas-training-france.com websites.As is most important that training programmes continue throughout the current recession, there are grants available off training courses.
An organisational that is interested in having one of the jml Training and Consultancy bespoke "in house" courses can find out more at this page on our website.
The information is provided by Business Link and
with up to £1000 to put towards training to develop leadership skills. It is funded by Train to Gain's Leadership & Management programme which also includes coaching.
You have to ensure that staff are continually trained, despite economic cutbacks and there has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in Training Now
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Increase in number of women in work helps curb rise in unemployment
Following the CIPD’s press release “Men not at work - Male employment rate heads toward record low in UK” that was posted on the jml Training blog on the 14th October 09, The CIPD have issued the following press release on the 14th October
Figures published earlier today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a smaller than expected rise in unemployment, with the headline survey based measure of joblessness remaining below 2.5 million in the three months ending in August.John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), says that this is due to a quarterly increase in part-time employment for women which, although good news, further highlights the degree to which men are being much harder hit than women by the recession, as demonstrated by CIPD analysis earlier this week.
Dr Philpott comments: "The latest official jobless figures show that conditions in the UK labour market continue to weaken, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year. This is consistent with independent employer survey evidence, including the CIPD's, and suggests that the jobless total is now crawling rather than rushing toward a peak of around 3 million in 2010.
"The relative improvement in the labour market is due to a rise in part-time and temporary jobs, with employers who need to recruit remaining wary of hiring full-time staff given uncertainty over the strength of economic recovery. Women are the main beneficiaries of a labour market where part-time work is rising while full-time jobs continue to be cut. This explains why the CIPD expects the rate of male unemployment to rise well above 10% in 2010, with the proportion of men in work set to fall to a record low."The shift from full-time jobs for men to part-time jobs for women has also resulted in a further sharp quarterly fall in the total number of hours being worked in the economy. This is a better indicator than headline employment and unemployment of the underlying toll the recession is continuing to take on the labour market. When combined with figures also released today showing a further slowdown in growth in average earnings - especially in the private sector - the fall in hours suggests that working people who manage to stay in work are nonetheless experiencing a big squeeze on their earned income."
Source: CIPD
At jml Training and Consultancy we run specialist “in house” training courses for Women. If you are an employer and would like to find out more on at http://www.jml-training.com/Training_Development_for_Women.htm Remember there has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in training now
Figures published earlier today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a smaller than expected rise in unemployment, with the headline survey based measure of joblessness remaining below 2.5 million in the three months ending in August.John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), says that this is due to a quarterly increase in part-time employment for women which, although good news, further highlights the degree to which men are being much harder hit than women by the recession, as demonstrated by CIPD analysis earlier this week.
Dr Philpott comments: "The latest official jobless figures show that conditions in the UK labour market continue to weaken, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year. This is consistent with independent employer survey evidence, including the CIPD's, and suggests that the jobless total is now crawling rather than rushing toward a peak of around 3 million in 2010.
"The relative improvement in the labour market is due to a rise in part-time and temporary jobs, with employers who need to recruit remaining wary of hiring full-time staff given uncertainty over the strength of economic recovery. Women are the main beneficiaries of a labour market where part-time work is rising while full-time jobs continue to be cut. This explains why the CIPD expects the rate of male unemployment to rise well above 10% in 2010, with the proportion of men in work set to fall to a record low."The shift from full-time jobs for men to part-time jobs for women has also resulted in a further sharp quarterly fall in the total number of hours being worked in the economy. This is a better indicator than headline employment and unemployment of the underlying toll the recession is continuing to take on the labour market. When combined with figures also released today showing a further slowdown in growth in average earnings - especially in the private sector - the fall in hours suggests that working people who manage to stay in work are nonetheless experiencing a big squeeze on their earned income."
Source: CIPD
At jml Training and Consultancy we run specialist “in house” training courses for Women. If you are an employer and would like to find out more on at http://www.jml-training.com/Training_Development_for_Women.htm Remember there has never been a better time to invest in your organisation's future than investing in training now
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Men not at work - Male employment rate heads toward record low in UK
That is the theme of a press release that has today been issued by the CIPD - Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Apparently 1 in 10 UK men will be unemployed by 2010 as male employment rate heads toward record low. The latest official UK unemployment figures due to be released tomorrow, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) today highlights the impact of the recession on jobs for men and warns that, with a 'jobs light' recovery on the cards, the proportion of men in work is set to fall to a record low.The CIPD's analysis of official statistics, 'Men not at work', finds that:
The male unemployment rate currently stands at 9 per cent (higher than the female unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent). The number of men unemployed has increased by almost 50 per cent during the recession, the number of women unemployed by 33.4 per cent, with unemployment rates rising by 3.0 percentage points and 1.6 percentage points respectively. The deterioration in the labour market position of men has been felt particularly acutely by young men and black men.
At present 1 in 5 18-24 year old men are unemployed and almost 1 in 5 black men are unemployed, more than double the unemployment rate for white British men. The rise in unemployment for black men during the recession has been greater than for white British men and men from other ethnic minority groups.By summer 2009 the employment rate of men of working age had fallen to 75.8 per cent.
Only two years in the post-World War II era (1993 and 1994) have registered a lower proportion of men in work. The low point was 75.0 per cent in the second quarter of 1993 just as the economy began to emerge from recession (the previous low point, following the 1980s recession. was 77.4 per cent in the second quarter of 1983).
The male unemployment rate is forecast to rise above 10 per cent by the start of 2010 before peaking at around 11 per cent (1.9 million). Although depressingly high, the peak in the male unemployment rate should be less than the 12.4 per cent and 12.8 per cent peaks following the 1980s and 1990s recessions respectively.
Dr John Philpott, CIPD's Chief Economist, made this comment: "A focus on the relatively hard impact of the recession on men should not detract from the absolute deterioration in the labour market situation facing both sexes. Indeed, it is likely that the relative position of women will itself deteriorate in the coming decade as real cuts in public expenditure have an adverse impact on public sector employment. However, it is important to highlight the current plight of men in the labour market, not least because once the impact of recession and a 'jobs-light' recovery is fully felt the proportion of UK men in work will probably have fallen to a record low."
Source: CIPD Press Release.
Apparently 1 in 10 UK men will be unemployed by 2010 as male employment rate heads toward record low. The latest official UK unemployment figures due to be released tomorrow, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) today highlights the impact of the recession on jobs for men and warns that, with a 'jobs light' recovery on the cards, the proportion of men in work is set to fall to a record low.The CIPD's analysis of official statistics, 'Men not at work', finds that:
The male unemployment rate currently stands at 9 per cent (higher than the female unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent). The number of men unemployed has increased by almost 50 per cent during the recession, the number of women unemployed by 33.4 per cent, with unemployment rates rising by 3.0 percentage points and 1.6 percentage points respectively. The deterioration in the labour market position of men has been felt particularly acutely by young men and black men.
At present 1 in 5 18-24 year old men are unemployed and almost 1 in 5 black men are unemployed, more than double the unemployment rate for white British men. The rise in unemployment for black men during the recession has been greater than for white British men and men from other ethnic minority groups.By summer 2009 the employment rate of men of working age had fallen to 75.8 per cent.
Only two years in the post-World War II era (1993 and 1994) have registered a lower proportion of men in work. The low point was 75.0 per cent in the second quarter of 1993 just as the economy began to emerge from recession (the previous low point, following the 1980s recession. was 77.4 per cent in the second quarter of 1983).
The male unemployment rate is forecast to rise above 10 per cent by the start of 2010 before peaking at around 11 per cent (1.9 million). Although depressingly high, the peak in the male unemployment rate should be less than the 12.4 per cent and 12.8 per cent peaks following the 1980s and 1990s recessions respectively.
Dr John Philpott, CIPD's Chief Economist, made this comment: "A focus on the relatively hard impact of the recession on men should not detract from the absolute deterioration in the labour market situation facing both sexes. Indeed, it is likely that the relative position of women will itself deteriorate in the coming decade as real cuts in public expenditure have an adverse impact on public sector employment. However, it is important to highlight the current plight of men in the labour market, not least because once the impact of recession and a 'jobs-light' recovery is fully felt the proportion of UK men in work will probably have fallen to a record low."
Source: CIPD Press Release.
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