The last 12 months have seen a 25 per cent increase in the number of employment cases being referred to the conciliation service Acas to avoid a tribunal hearing.Disputes over equal pay were the most common among those handled, followed by unfair dismissal, the body’s annual report shows.Some 58,513 equal pay claims were received by [...]

Employers seeking to achieve high levels of recruitment and retention in today’s globalised world need to adopt cross cultural assessment strategies, new research suggests.According to a study by the human resources group Penna, almost six out of ten organisations do not have any means of effectively assessing workers from other countries.It revealed that while two-thirds [...]

One in every five UK employees feels frustrated in their job, according to new research from the global management consultancy Hay Group.A survey of over one million workers revealed that inflexible management structures coupled with poor support services are creating a negative working environmentHalf of those questioned said they felt they did not have the [...]

Initiatives designed to improve the health and wellbeing of employees can have a positive impact, according to the results of a new government-funded pilot scheme.The Well @ Work programme, which is run by the British Heart Foundation, has put to the test initiatives such as free fruit in workplaces, regular employee health checks and weekly [...]

The right to apply for unpaid leave in the event of a family emergency has been extended to enable an extra 4.5 million parents to benefit.Current employment legislation states that only parents of children aged six and under are entitled to take unpaid leave from work if their son or daughter is sick.But under a [...]

Failure to tackle workplace bullying costs UK employers almost £14 billion a year in absence and lost productivity, new research shows.According to the Unite union, 33.5 million working days were lost through absenteeism as a result of bullying at work last year as well as almost 100 million days worth of productivity.The report also found [...]

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is calling for a review of proposed changes to the dispute resolution process, claiming the reforms could "make a bad situation worse" for small employers.Replacing the current mediation process with a new code of practice from the employment relations service Acas will simply add to the regulatory burden already [...]

The last year has seen an increase in the number of candidates lying on their CVs, new research from pre-employment screening company Powerchex has revealed.Analysis of 3,876 applications submitted to financial services employers between June 2007 and May 2008 highlighted discrepancies on 17 per cent of documents, up from 13 per cent the year before.The [...]

While there have been some big improvements to the way in which employers approach childbirth and maternity leave, some are still "childbirth-unfriendly", the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has claimed.Under legislation introduced last April, women are entitled to take statutory maternity leave for up to 52 weeks and receive maternity pay for 39 weeks, providing [...]

Taking time out from work can help employees de-stress and allow them to be more productive at work, a life coach has suggested.According to Lynette Allen, Britain’s non-stop working culture can cause stress and anxiety and is not a productive way to attain success.Better working performances can be achieved if employees take time off work [...]