Forward to a colleague View as a webpage Add us to your white list Quick Links »   International   Effective selection   Flexible working   Pay prospects   Surveys   News   Blogs   XpertHR innovation XpertHR launches international service XpertHR International is an exciting new addition to the XpertHR portfolio. If you are an employer with staff based outside the UK, the new service makes it easy for you to comply with employment law in the countries where you operate. Top Effective selection Effective selection tools: what works for employers Our survey of selection tools finds that the face-to-face interview remains the cornerstone of the process, with most employers also rating this method most effective. Top Flexible working B&Q embraces flexible working culture Since realising the value that flexible working can bring to the organisation, B&Q has enhanced and promoted its flexible working policy, and seen take-up rise to more than 60% of the workforce. Top Pay prospects 2011 Outlook video: Pay prospects 2011 In the latest Outlook video, XpertHR's pay and benefits editor Sheila Attwood and group editor David Shepherd discuss the prospects for pay awards in 2011. Private sector pay prospects 2010/11: 2% rises forecast We present findings from our annual survey of pay prospects, looking at the factors that will determine the value of awards in the year ahead, as well as employers' intentions. Benefits and allowances survey 2010: key findings Our survey of 443 organisations details the benefits and allowances provided by UK employers. We summarise the key points and explore the findings on salary sacrifice and flexible and voluntary benefits. Top Take part in XpertHR’s research surveys Managing underperforming employees Take part in our brief survey and you will be provided with an insight into the methods used by organisations to deal with underperforming employees. Absence and labour turnover rates survey Take part in our confidential research on absence and labour turnover rates to ensure you receive the most up-to-date figures. Completing it will also mean you get a complimentary copy of our findings from last year. Top News from XpertHR › Half of managers would prefer Christmas bonus to promotion › Government scraps gender pay audits › Firms urged to use online training to avoid skills shortage › Forecast for public sector job cuts reduced by 160,000 › Government must delay scrapping default retirement age, says CBI › Employers urged to help disabled workers Top From our blogs Peter Lanc: If I could change one thing about HR... Peter Lanc - a highly experienced HR executive with a "unique talent for seeing 'the art of the possible' in people, teams and organisations" - has written a direct and to-the-point post in our ongoing series. CPI inflation rises to 3.3%, exceeding government target for 12 months Consumer prices index (CPI) inflation has notched up 12 consecutive months above the Government's target rate of 2%, according to latest official data released on Tuesday 14 December. Gender pay gap narrows from 12.2% to 10.2% The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2010 has been published by the Office for National Statistics. The most striking headline finding is that the full-time employee gender pay gap has fallen from 12.2% in April 2009 to 10.2% one year later. Industrial relations: now is the winter of our breathless tranquillity? Has the UK workforce lost its appetite for strike action? Michael Blastland investigates the frequent use of headlines warning of a possible "winter of discontent" when reporting on the current state of UK industrial relations and the risk of strike action. Top Editor's message INTERNATIONAL SERVICE We end the year with the announcement of another new addition to our portfolio: XpertHR International. This is relevant to those employers with staff based outside the UK. The new service makes it easy to comply with employment law in the countries where you operate. Our country guides are commissioned and edited by the team behind European Employment Review, a leading publication in the field of international HR for more than 25 years, now part of the XpertHR Group. Countries covered include France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Poland, with new countries being added regularly. XpertHR International is available only to XpertHR subscribers. Interested? Find out more. We also feature results of our research into the most effective selection tools, as identified by 181 employers. How many of you will be surprised to read that, once again, face-to-face interviewing tops the list? Watch out for our first newsletter of 2011, which will feature results of in-depth research into the use and effectiveness of selection interviews. Wishing you all season’s greetings. Noelle Murphy Employment relations, XpertHR XpertHR calendar Keep up to date with all the major events and dates with our HR calendar. XpertHR Liveflo Guides you step by step through procedures to comply with the law, with an interactive flowchart setting out the steps in each process. Get more out of XpertHR › Model policies › Good practice guides › Line manager briefings › Salary surveys Tools for subscribers › My XpertHR › User guide › Advanced search › XpertHR feeds Customer services › Password reminder › Email the helpdesk or call 0845 671 1110 › Read previous newsletters Forward to a colleague xperthr.co.uk This email has been sent to luke.smith@rbi.co.uk Unsubscribe from future employment relations emails. 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