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ISSUE 863

A great new service for IRS subscribers

Welcome to the first electronic edition of Employment
Review. By following the links in this email you can
access new surveys, case studies and law reports
published by IRS, and search a vast archive of
practical HR business intelligence built up over
many years. This first edition kicks off with a look
at some key HR metrics. Our fifth annual IRS
HR Roles and Responsibilities survey has detailed data on the size, shape and areas of responsibility of more than 120 HR departments.

We also deliver fresh research on recruitment outsourcing, a detailed analysis of Chancellor Gordon Brown's pre-Budget report, and a look at some of the key employment cases expected before the courts during 2007. All this is provided on the massive XpertHR website, to which you
– as an IRS subscriber – now have access. Have a look at what the site offers; we think you'll be impressed.

Mark Crail, Editor, Employment Review
 

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QUICK LINKS:

  >> EMPLOYMENT TRENDS  >> PAY AND BENEFITS  >> RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION  >> EMPLOYMENT LAW

EMPLOYMENT TRENDS

Benchmarking HR: new figures for 2007

Two-thirds of employers surveyed by IRS have an HR presence on
the board, according to new research. But is this enough to guarantee
an efficient and effective HR department? Our research reveals that
HR directors who have to juggle other responsibilities may be taking
their eye off the ball. The HR Roles and Responsibilities survey, based
on responses from 128 HR practitioners, also shows that fewer than
half of HR departments appear to be able to measure their own effectiveness. More…

  

Options:

>> Go to full article on XpertHR

>> Take part in our HR Prospects
focus group

Related articles on XpertHR:

>> Our 2006 report

>> Financial metrics for HR

>> Benchmarking the benchmarkers

PAY AND BENEFITS

Inflation set to fall as economy roars ahead

Chancellor Gordon Brown was upbeat in his final pre-Budget report. He highlighted faster-than-expected growth in the UK economy – thanks in
part to an upturn in business investment – and predicted inflation levels
would fall back to target by the middle of 2007. But there are some serious
savings targets to be met in civil service budgets. More…

Earnings outpace price rises

Median gross weekly earnings rose by 3.7% in the year to April 2006,
racing ahead of inflation, according to the latest Annual Survey of Hours
and Earnings. By the end of the period, median gross weekly earnings
for adults in full-time work stood at £447.10, with those in utility firms and financial services heading the pay league, and hotel and restaurant
workers faring worst. More…

Pay reports

>> Three-year deal for heating and ventilation industry. More…
>> Alliance & Leicester basic increase worth 3%. More…

  

Options:

>> Go to full article on XpertHR

Related articles on XpertHR:

>> Economic indicators

>> IRS Budget analysis 2006

>> Pay prospects for 2007

>> How to… deal with pay and benefits

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Should you outsource recruitment?

Employers that outsource recruitment can get satisfying results. But according to research by IRS, the main benefits are linked to quality
not cost, and most HR outsourcing has been limited in scope. Here, we weigh up the pros and cons of outsourcing, provide case studies based
on the experiences of global communications firm Verizon Business, pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline and construction firm
Taylor Woodrow, and supply an HR checklist. More…

 

  

Options:

>> Go to full article on XpertHR

>> Tell us about your absence management initiatives

Related articles on XpertHR:

>> Shared services in local
government HR

>> Outsourcing legal issues

EMPLOYMENT LAW

Cases to watch in 2007

Important appeal cases are due to come before the courts this
year, including:
• the sex discrimination claim brought by a British Airways pilot who
wanted to work part time;
• an appeal by a Muslim teaching assistant who wanted to wear her
full veil in class; and
• an employee seeking to take a disability discrimination claim relating to
his or her responsibilities as a carer. More…

Casenotes

>> Covert recordings of panel's deliberations are inadmissible. More…
>> Union to pay £17,000 to member unjustifiably disciplined. More…

  

Options:

>> Go to full article on XpertHR

Related articles on XpertHR:

>> Legal timetable 2007

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