Category Archives: Labor Relations

Compensation, Compensation & Benefits, Conflict Resolution, Employment Investigation, HR Solutions, Labor, Labor Relations

Employment Law Reforms Announced to Shake Up the Work Place and Encourage Businesses to Hire Again, reports Thomas Mansfield

Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced reforms to the UK’s employment laws that make it easier for employers to dismiss under-performing employees. The amended laws include settlement agreements which will give employers the opportunity to pay-off under-performing staff to prevent future claims of unfair dismissal. Although workers are not obliged to accept a pay-off, if they do so it will be legally protected and as such cannot be brought up as evidence in a future court case or tribunal.

At the same time, the maximum limit for a pay out for unfair dismissal is being reduced. It currently stands at £72,300, but MPs want this reduced to a maximum of 12 months’ salary. The aim is to encourage employers, particularly small and medium sized firms, to employ more people.

Critics say the proposals only benefit employers and remove rights from workers, but many employers, particularly smaller firms, should find some benefits, including savings of time and resources, and greater security.

Thomas Mansfield, employment solicitors London based, points out these new settlement agreements are pretty much the same as the existing compromise agreement system. Currently employees and employers can come to a specific agreement over a financial pay out from the employer in return for the employee bringing no claims against the employer in the future. Free legal representation is offered as part of this package, and Thomas Mansfield predicts it will be included in the new settlement agreements too.

The UK’s legal system is a confusing one and often beyond the reach of the ordinary worker. Thomas Mansfield is well placed to provide advice, support and representation on matters relating to employment law, including unfair dismissal and employment tribunals. It predicts the new rules are bound to cause further confusion among both employers and employees and advises anyone confused by the new laws to seek out legal advice when necessary.

Via EPR Network
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John Lewis joins Capital Bonds network

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One of the UK’s leading retailers has joined the Capital Bonds network. John Lewis is now one of over 160 retailers where Capital Bonds are accepted.

Recipients can redeem the Bonds at a total of 37 John Lewis shops across the UK – 29 department stores and eight John Lewis at home shops.

Tim Ward, account manager, corporate sales at John Lewis comments: “At John Lewis we offer a vast choice of products for Capital Bonds holders with over 350,000 lines available in our shops. We feel this broad range ensures there is something for everyone and will appeal to a wide selection of recipients.”

Wayne Harrington, Head of Affiliate & Retail Partnerships at Edenred, adds:“It is a tremendous endorsement of our brand that such a major name in retailing has joined the Capital Bonds network.

“Capital Bonds are Edenred’s market leading multistore gift voucher, offering the greatest choice and convenience of all gift vouchers in the UK.

“They are easy to use as a business incentive, and the wide range of outlets where the vouchers can be redeemed make them perfect for employers who want to motivate their staff with a reward that suits them personally.”

Capital Bonds, administered by Edenred, has more retailers in its network than any other voucher of its kind, with 50 more retailers than any other multistore voucher as well as more than 450 independent retailers.

They are used by thousands of organisations throughout the UK in recognition of general performance and behavioural rewards, in employee recognition and reward schemes such as long service, in loyalty programmes, or as rewards in suggestion schemes, total rewards or sales incentives programmes.

Recipients can choose to use their vouchers at outlets that match their lifestyle requirements, and can purchase products for their home, enjoy employee discounts, experience fun days out with friends or use even their reward vouchers as part payment towards holidays and travel.

Via EPR Network
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Support For Working Parents To Address Cuts In Child Benefit

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Working parents can use salary sacrifice to reduce the impact of the recent cuts in child benefit announced in the Budget, according to Edenred, the UK’s leading provider of childcare voucher benefits.

The changes announced in the Budget will mean child benefit will now be withdrawn gradually from higher rate taxpayers earning between £50,000 and £60,000. The benefit will be reduced by one per cent for every £100 earned over £50,000 and completely removed for those earning over £60,000.

Under the Chancellor’s Budget, around 1.2 million families will now have their child benefit payments reduced. Around 840,000 of those households will lose all of the benefit. The other 360,000 will lose a portion of the benefit through the new tapering rule.

However, Edenred is advising working parents to use salary sacrifice for benefits such as childcare vouchers in order to reduce their taxable income to below the threshold and therefore offer a little more staff rewards.

Childcare vouchers are usually offered by employers via a salary sacrifice scheme which means they are taken from a parent’s pre tax salary and, depending on the rate of tax payer, are free from tax and National Insurance up to £243 a month. Both parents can claim these vouchers if their employer offers the scheme. The benefit for the company is also a lower National Insurance bill.

They can then be used for children up to 15 years, or 16 years if disabled, and can be spent on a wide range of activities such as afterschool clubs, holiday clubs, breakfast clubs, as well as nurseries, childminders and nannies. The age range covered by the vouchers means that parents of older children can also benefit.

Laura Czapiewski, product manager at Edenred, comments:
“With the Chancellor’s recent cuts to child benefit, many will be looking at ways to address this loss. The provision of childcare vouchers via a salary sacrifice scheme has multiple benefits – it serves to save a working parent tax and NI and could also help reduce their taxable income below the threshold that will be affected by the changes to child benefit.

“Any type and size of business can implement a childcare voucher scheme and it’s worthwhile for companies of all sizes, even if they have just one qualifying parent within the organisation. Parents should investigate if their place of work offers childcare vouchers.”

Edenred is the UK’s leading provider of childcare voucher benefits and has a website dedicated to childcare vouchers explaining how they work, the benefits and where to use them. See: http://www.childcarevouchers.co.uk/Parents/Pages/default.aspx

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Edenred Calls On Firms To Help Make Sure All Parents Benefit From Childcare Vouchers

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Edenred, the world’s leading name in employee benefits, incentives and rewards, has urged businesses to help ensure employees with older children don’t miss out on the benefits of childcare vouchers.

Many companies have a habit of promoting their family-friendly policies towards young families or mothers going on maternity leave, and as a result, many parents mistakenly assume that childcare vouchers are only for young children.

In actual fact, they can be used to pay for the care of children until the first September after their fifteenth birthday. For children registered as disabled, childcare vouchers can be used until the first September following their sixteenth birthday.

Laura Czapiewski, Edenred Childcare Voucher Product Manager, said: “It isn’t just working parents with young children that need support. Working parents with older children need support too.

“The needs of working parents do not end when children start school, and many parents agree that the pre-teen and teenage years can be the most challenging – emotionally and financially. However, many parents of older children are unaware of what they are entitled to.”

Childcare vouchers can be used to pay for a range of things, from nursery care through to holiday and community play schemes. Edenred offers discounts at a range of day and residential holiday clubs, allowing parents to make significant savings.

According to Ms Czapiewski, the key to ensuring parents of older children are able to take advantage of the benefits on offer is good communication.

She said: “When launching a family friendly benefit, it is tempting for businesses to use images of babies and toddlers in the promotion. However, good providers should supply an array of materials designed to attract the interest of parents of older children, using images and messages relating to preteens and teenagers.

“Two way communication is also very important. Surveying employees to find out the ages of their children can be useful because this allows businesses to properly tailor the benefits on offer to each employee. Once businesses have promoted a specific benefit to their employees, it is imperative that HR departments and line managers are fully aware of the scope of availability of these benefits so they can advise employees how and where they can be accessed.”

Via EPR Network
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Edenred joins with Partech International to promote innovation

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In line with its Invent 2016 strategy to prepare its expansion into new territories, Edenred recently announced a partnership with venture capital firm Partech International.

The Group is investing €15 million in the Partech International VI fund, which is raising an initial €100 million. The fund will invest in young, fast-growing companies involved in the digital economy and offering new web-based, e-commerce and e-marketing services as well as new payment media solutions.

The investment will enable Edenred to explore new opportunities in adjacent sectors. Edenred will also be able to track emerging developments, with the goal of anticipating changes that impact its shareholders: client companies, employees and affiliates.

Through its support for high potential companies, Edenred – in keeping with its pioneering spirit – has made innovation a priority driver of future growth.

Edenred UK

Edenred in the UK
Edenred helps organisations engage and motivate people for enhanced performance through the provision of flexible benefits, incentive and motivation solutions, expense management and communication services. It has 260 employees, 18,000 private and public sector clients, 1,000,000 users and 75,000 affiliates throughout the UK.

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Edenred gets into Christmas spirit with charity activities

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Three UK community projects received early Christmas presents thanks to employee benefits and motivation experts Edenred.

As part of the company’s ‘Eden for All’ day, all 243 employees across the three UK offices participated in a series of festive fundraising events to support community-based charities.

The London office donated food and clothing to St Margaret’s, a local drop in centre offering support for older people. Most of the elderly who attend the centre live alone and are on benefits.

The Pimlico-based office also collected toys for the Bayswater project in North London. The Bayswater project supports valuable families with housing issues or who are on a low income. They help and advise families in the local community to ensure their children are well cared for. The toys were then presented to the children as presents at their Christmas party.

Edenred’s office in Chester also held a toy collection in aid of the Cornel Clyd project, which meets the short term care requirements of young people whose needs cannot be met in a family environment.

Andy Philpott, Sales & Marketing Director at Edenred UK, comments:
“The Eden for All day is an established part of the calendar and a great way to support local charities and get involved in the communities near our offices. The day forms part of our year-long programme of CSR activity and is a valuable way to motivate our staff and encourage team working across different departments.”

‘Eden for All’ is an annual event held across Edenred offices worldwide, in 40 countries and is part of a wider programme of events and initiatives that support and encourage bonds with local communities.

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Edenred – The Only Employee Benefits Provider In The UK To Achieve Hat Trick Of International Accreditations

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Edenred (Employee Benefits) is the first provider of employee benefits products and services to earn three top ISO accreditations. These are the ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO27001 certifications.

It was recently awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2005, the international best practice framework, and is one of only 477 companies in the UK and 7346 worldwide to achieve this The certificate covers areas including; security policy, risk assessment, communications and operations management, access control, information systems acquisition, development and maintenance, business continuity management and compliance.

Andrew Watson, Information Security Manager at Edenred, commented:

“The security of our client information is critical to our future success and the ISO 27001 certification will play a crucial role in enhancing the trust and confidence in our services, people, processes and technology and deliver value to our customers and business partners.”

These accreditations with further boost the popularity and trust for the Edenred brand who provide a wide range of staff benefits, communication and incentives and rewards schemes for both employers and employees, these are particularly popular around the Christmas period when staff are looking to stretch their rewards and benefits for Christmas shopping with products such as multi store vouchers.

Via EPR Network
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Edenred Announce Christmas Selection 2011

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Employee benefits company Edenred has recently announced its new and improved line of Christmas reward products for 2011, which are guaranteed to be a hit with employers and employees alike.

Choosing the right gift for staff at Christmas can often prove to be a daunting task, as there are so many different options to choose from and so many people to choose a gift for. So this year, Edenred has tried to help its clients by framing its Christmas Reward options in a simple selection box. Now, customers can discover the options that are available, make their selection and enjoy their reward.

Edenred has included many of its most popular gift choices in the Christmas Reward selection, such as capital bonds, compliments cards, store gift vouchers, experience cards, total reward statements, wine and dine vouchers and Christmas hampers.

Andy Philpott, Marketing Director of Edenred said: “At Edenred we understand that, sometimes, the difficulty in selecting the right reward can be down to having too much choice. To tackle that, we’ve launched our great new reward platform, called Compliments Select, which will allow our customers to let their employees and clients choose their own Christmas gift.

“We’re really excited about Compliments Select and we’re confident that it will let our customers give their employees exactly what they want. It can allow you to issue almost any kind of reward to any recipient in any location instantly, so Compliments Select lets you give a reward to all your employees, channel partners and customers using a single online platform, all at the click of a button.”

Employees will be able to go online and redeem their reward by browsing the many options available to them and selecting exactly what they want. Compliments Select will deliver ease and convenience to Edenred customers and choice and value for employees, as well as improved performance and ROI for organisations, making it the ultimate reward.

If current or prospective customers of Edenred do face any difficulties in choosing the ideal gift, Edenred has a trained team of advisors available to help customers decide between the different options available. And, having chosen a reward product, customers will also be able to take advantage of the support that Edenred can offer when implementing incentives and rewards and employee benefits to ensure they deliver maximum ROI, whichever option is selected.

Via EPR Network
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Edenred Plans Two Major Launches For Employee Benefits Live

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Edenred will expand its range of online solutions by launching a major new employee incentives and rewards option and a state-of–the-art benefits platform for employees to visitors to Employee Benefits Live 2011.

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn how Compliments Select, an exciting new addition to Edenred’s highly successful Compliments range of incentive, reward and recognition vouchers, cards and e-cards, will provide the ultimate in employee choice in the run up to Christmas and beyond.

Edenred’s new Employee Savings portal will be the most user-friendly platform on the market. Extensive user-journey analysis and testing have ensured that employees can easily access and select the savings they want. This approach helps to maximise usage and savings and so helps employees to extend their spending power and the employer to maximise ROI.

Andy Philpott, Sales & Marketing Director of Edenred commented: “Online delivery is driving major change in the reward and benefits markets. While we already have superb online solutions such as Webcentiv, Total Reward Statements and our Flexible Benefits platform, these innovations will be further major assets to employers motivating and rewarding their staff pre- and post- Christmas and next year.”

Find out more about these innovations at stand 113 at Employee Benefits Live, or contact Veeraj Lutchman tel 0843 453 4406; or email sales@edenred.com.

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Edenred – The Only Employee Benefits Provider In The UK To Achieve Hat Trick Of International Accreditations

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Edenred (Employee Benefits) is the first provider of employee benefits products and services to earn three top ISO accreditations. These are the ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO27001 certifications. It was recently awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2005, the international best practice framework, and is one of only 477 companies in the UK and 7346 worldwide to achieve this The certificate covers areas including; security policy, risk assessment, communications and operations management, access control, information systems acquisition, development and maintenance, business continuity management and compliance.

Andrew Watson, Information Security Manager at Edenred, commented:

“The security of our client information is critical to our future success and the ISO 27001 certification will play a crucial role in enhancing the trust and confidence in our services, people, processes and technology and deliver value to our customers and business partners.”

Via EPR Network
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UK May Move Further Out Of Line With Most European Countries On Encouraging Workers To Eat At Lunch Time By Removing Tax Relief

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The Government may take the UK further out of line with virtually all major European countries by removing tax allowances to employers that can encourage workers to eat a proper lunch.

Employers can currently claim 15p (0.18 Euros) on luncheon vouchers they provide to staff. In Germany employers receive €3.10 per employee per day: the French Government allows € 5.21 Euros; in Italy the allowance is €5.29; in Switzerland€5.80; in Belgium it is €5.91 Euros and in Spain the allowance is a remarkable €9.00 per employee per day.

Country and Euro per day allowance
Austria = 4.40
Belgium = 5.91
Bulgaria = 1.46
Czech Republic = 2.00
France = 5.21
Germany = 3.10
Greece = 6.00
Hungary = 2.60
Italy = 5.29
Luxembourg = 5.60
Poland = 2.37
Portugal = 7.26
Romania = 2.00
Slovakia = 2.70
Spain = 9.00
Switzerland = 5.80
Turkey = 5.39
United Kingdom = 0.18

Following a Budget announcement by the Government in the Spring, there is at present a consultation period before UK tax relief is due to be reduced to zero in the 2012 Finance bill.

This is despite Dame Carol Black, the Government’s national director for health and work, backing a recent YMCA report which criticised Britain’s ‘no lunch break’ culture and found that one in three people skip eating at work.

According to research by Bupa published earlier this year, UK companies are losing close to £50million a day in lost productivity as workers fail to take a lunch break. Bupa Clinical Director of Occupational Health, Dr. Jenny Leeser, also recently said: “In challenging economic times, the UK work force is in overdrive and the lunch break is falling by the wayside. Instead of taking a break to refuel, workers are using props including chocolates and sweets and caffeinated drinks to get them through the day.”

Andrew Adams of leading employee benefits and flexible benefits provider Edenred commented: “It is widely accepted that eating a proper lunch and taking a break are important for staff to be productive at work. Yet the Government is planning to go in the opposite direction to most European countries by removing the minimal level of tax relief it currently grants.

“Surely if the Government is truly committed to encouraging workers to eating properly at lunchtime and to supporting employers trying to maximise productivity in this tough economic climate, it should be increasing rather than removing tax relief on luncheon schemes?

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Major UK Retailers Added To Employee Savings Programme

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Four more major UK retailers have been added to Edenred’s extensive employee savings platform, enabling businesses to offer their staff even more opportunities to save money.

The latest retailers to offer discounts on their lifestyle products are award-winning hairdressers Toni&Guy; beauty retailer Crabtree & Evelyn; online wine retailer Naked Wines and Virgin Experience Days which offer gifts from fine-dining restaurants, spa breaks, theatre trips and holidays.

These companies boost the existing portfolio of discounted vouchers and reloadable cards to more than 50 major retail names, while at the same time helping employers to motivate staff with incentives and flexible benefits.

Each employee registers on a dedicated website and can tailor their requirements to ensure they receive discounts that fit their lifestyle and interest. These special offers can also be passed on to family, ensuring that the benefit is spread further.

Wayne Harrington, product manager at Edenred, comments: “We’re pleased to be working with these major UK retailers to add a wide range of discounts to our employee savings platform which in turn provides businesses with a valuable tool in their motivation and engagement strategy.

“In the current economic climate and with VAT increases and tax changes in full force, there is pressure on disposable incomes. Employers who join employee savings schemes can effectively give their staff a pay rise of almost £1000 a year pre tax, at minimal cost to the business.”

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Acas Releases 2009/10 Report

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Acas’ 2009/10 annual report shows that it dealt with more than 900 collective disputes in the past year. Ninety-four per cent of cases, including high profile disputes such as Royal Mail and Milford Haven Port Authority, were either resolved or the parties were moved towards a resolution.

The report also shows that Acas dealt with more than 85,000 (net) employment tribunal cases for individual conciliation, an overall increase of 13% from 2008/2009 and the highest number ever. While the figure was a record for the year as a whole the trend is now in reverse – the number of cases received for conciliation in the second half of 2009/10 was three per cent lower than the equivalent period in 2008/09.

Nearly 10,000 cases were referred to pre-claim conciliation in 09/10 – the early conciliation service which aims to resolve workplace issues before they escalate into costly and stressful tribunal claims. In 70% of completed cases where PCC was appropriate, tribunal claims have been avoided, saving time and money for taxpayers, employers and workers. It is estimated that completing employment tribunal paper work alone costs employers on average £2,000 a case.

With a million calls, it was also a record year for the Acas helpline which provides advice and guidance to employers and employees on workplace problems. Redundancy, dismissals and discipline and grievance were the most popular topics.

Acas continues to play a critical role in helping employers find more creative ways to avoid redundancy and boost economic recovery with more than 20,000 employers and employees attending an Acas training course during the year.

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Acas Launches Guide To Help Businesses Understand New Equality Act

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Acas, the employment relations service, has published new guidance to assist businesses in understanding and preparing for the changes to the new single Equality Act. The new Acas quick start guidance, ‘The Equality Act – what’s new for employers?’ demonstrates what these changes mean in practice.

John Taylor, chief executive of Acas, said: “Fairness in the workplace is good business and motivates staff as well as improving effectiveness and productivity. Last year Acas received around 32,000 calls on diversity and discrimination related issues. Our new guide helps businesses and managers understand what the changes mean in practice and what action employers will need to take.”

Changes have occurred in the following areas: third party harassment, pre-employment health checks, power of employment tribunal recommendations and pay secrecy.

The new act means employers are potentially liable if their staff are harassed by people they don’t employ such as external suppliers or customers.

F r o m October employers should no longer send out pre-health questionnaires with employment application packs. There are some exemptions, for example around questions related to making reasonable adjustments for the person in the selection process if they are disabled.

Employment tribunals can require employers found guilty of discrimination to take steps to require them to change their policies and practices to prevent further discrimination.

If a contract of employment requires employees to keep pay secret, the Equality Act makes this requirement unenforceable. An employer can still require employees to keep pay rates confidential f r o m others outside the workplace, such as competitors.

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Acas Advises Businesses On How To Maintain Productivity During The World Cup

Acas has offered advice to employers in order for them to get the best from their employees and avoid absences during the football World Cup this summer.

Acas Advises Businesses On How To Maintain Productivity During The World Cup

Acas has urged employers to start talking to employees early to manage their expectations and minimise the impact on workplace productivity.

One of the main issues that Acas has offered advice to employers on is flexibility. Acas is encouraging employers to discuss the possibility of altering start and finish times in the workplace in order to offer the employee a longer lunch break to watch football.

Acas has also suggested being clear on what the employer expects from its employees in terms of attendance and performance throughout the World Cup. This not only helps to keep everyone in the know and assists the workforce in maintaining a high performance rate despite a possible altered attendance.

Honesty is also crucial in making sure everyone knows where they stand and, when combined with being fair and constructively responsive to any queries or questions regarding the changes or time off, any employment disputes will be prevented or at least minimised.

Being communicative is a vital area according to Acas, and the aforementioned points should be discussed by employer and employee as early as possible.

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Acas Reports Increase In Those Seeking To Avoid Employment Tribunal Claims

Acas, the employment relations service, has released new figures that reveal the number of businesses and employees which are trying to avoid employment tribunal claims continues to rise in recent months.

Acas Reports Increase In Those Seeking To Avoid Employment Tribunal Claims

Monthly calls to the Acas helpline which, have resulted in being referred to the early conciliation service - pre-claim conciliation (PCC), have almost doubled since September. The free service aims to settle workplace issues which could escalate to an expensive tribunal.

By the end of February 2010, 8,304 PCC referrals had been made from the Acas helpline since the service was launched to accompany changes to the Employment Act in April 2009. Acas estimates that over 5,000 employment tribunal claims have been avoided already.

Rising demand for the service has resulted in a steady increase in referrals culminating in over 2,700 in the last quarter of 2009. The first quarter of 2010 is on track to exceed this figure by at least 20%. At the moment around 300 referrals are being received every week on average, and Acas expects this number to rise to about 400 during 2010.

Commenting on the figures, Ed Sweeney, Acas Chair said: “This data indicates that workers and employers are increasingly taking steps to avoid employment tribunals. The current economic climate has created difficult workplace challenges for managers, HR professionals and employees. The earlier issues can be sorted out, the more likely people will remain in productive employment in the workplace.

“The service is quick. Over half of all resolved cases are completed in around three weeks instead of the six to nine months that most tribunal claims take We have a responsibility to support the economic recovery by resolving workplace disputes early on and in doing so, avoiding costly, stressful and time consuming employment tribunals.”

The PCC service was launched in April 2009 alongside the new Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures following the Government’s Dispute Resolution Review in 2007.

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Joe Kiedinger Launches Program To Help People Connect Better With Co-Workers, Spouses And Children

Joe Kiedinger, founder and Brander-in-Chief of Prophit Marketing of Green Bay, believes that the number one killer of employee job satisfaction and workplace engagement is tension caused by unhealthy relationships and perpetual misunderstandings.

To help employers reduce tension and ultimately increase the level of employee satisfaction with their lives at both work and at home, Kiedinger is launching the About Me Card Program, an employee engagement system combining breakthrough communication approaches with supporting software.

The core of the About Me Card Program involves a practical personal assessment that reveals individuals’ fundamental motivations that are most essential to their happiness. With this information, human resources staff, business owners and managers can better understand what drives employees at the deepest level and can assist them with performing their jobs in a more meaningful and productive way.

Kiedinger is holding a premiere event for the launching of the About Me Card Program at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, at the Meyer Theater in downtown Green Bay. The event is free and open to the public and is being held in partnership with Junior Achievement. The event will include a presentation by Kiedinger, a demonstration of the software, a panel discussion, and live entertainment featuring Let’s Be Frank Productions.

Appearing on the panel will be Mark Skogen, President/CEO of Festival Foods; Dan Swift, General Manager of Dahl Automotive Group; Angela Owen, President of TBL Leadership Partners; Tom Thibodeau, Director of the Servant Leadership Program at Viterbo University; Chris Elliott, Managing Director of About Me International; and Kiedinger.

At the event, attendees will get a glimpse of two About Me Card Programs that will be released in 2011, About Me Kids and About Me Teens, as well as several technological enhancements involving social media.

According to Kiedinger, the About Me Card Program offers important benefits for employers. “When this program is applied to a business, it allows people to communicate clearly without misunderstanding, reduce conflicts, cut tension, hire right and match employees to jobs that fit their talents. In short, this tool creates a whole new level of cooperation and connection between people at work,” he says.

Kiedinger adds that “while all of these factors contribute to increased profitability, what is special with this program is that it helps employers do the right thing—make life better for their employees.” In addition, he says the program is also unique in that it helps facilitate the development of leaders across organizations.

Kiedinger says the most notable feature of the About Me Card Program is its simplicity. “I like to call it a ‘Monopoly’ property card except that instead of being about property it is about a short list of rules to help people successfully connect with one another. The software enhances the experience by allowing people to communicate effectively at the click of a mouse. No other assessment offers this level of immediacy and practicality while providing relevant individualized information,” he says.

Kiedinger says the About Me Card Program is an ideal culture-building tool that can easily become a company’s training program or be integrated into an existing training program. He also says the program can help improve employees’ personal lives by minimizing if not eliminating workplace tension that they would typically bring home with them at the end of the workday.

The About Me Card Program is already being used by a wide array of organizations, and the initial results have been very positive, according to Kiedinger. Organizations that are currently using the program include the United Way of Brown County, Festival Foods, Trig’s, Dahl Automotive, Al Huss Auto & Truck, The Selmer Company and TBL Leadership Partners. In addition, the program is scheduled to be used by a Campbell’s Soup Company plant in Texas in May.

Kiedinger notes that the About Me Card Program continues to draw inquiries from a variety of interested parties, including some organizations from China.

A white paper on the About Me Card Program is available. “How to Produce Highly Motivated and Engaged Employees in the Face of Today’s ‘What’s In It For Me? Workforce’ ” is available at www.aboutmecard.com.

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Acas Urges Businesses To Improve Employee Engagement

Acas, the employment relations service, is encouraging UK businesses to prepare for the potential economic up-turn by focusing on employee engagement.

In its new discussion paper Acas highlights the simple procedures that can increase employee engagement in the workplace, to improve staff retention, increase morale and encourage greater productivity.

It also indicates that there is a good case for focusing on employee engagement as a business priority. Employees who are committed to their work are much more likely to behave in a positive, cooperative way. Engagement is therefore a benefit to both employees and the business.

Ed Sweeney Acas Chair said: “The recession means that a lot of businesses have experienced a challenging period. Inevitably, this has had a knock-on effect on employees and morale. As we approach what might be the beginning of the end of the downturn, business leaders and managers have a responsibility to encourage an open business culture.

“There is plenty of evidence which suggests strong employee engagement can help boost the bottom line. Our advice to businesses is that by engaging properly with staff, organisations will put themselves in a better position to emerge from the recession in a healthy position.”

The discussion paper also highlights the important role played by line managers but argues that they should not work in isolation. It also suggests that to be effective, they need good teams around them and senior managers who support the same values and demonstrate the same kind of behaviours. These include open communication, regular positive feedback and an emphasis on personal skills and development.

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Acas Helps Businesses Avoid Employment Tribunal Claims

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Acas, the employment relations service, has revealed it has helped businesses avoid more than 2000 employment tribunal claims in just seven months since the introduction of the Pre-Claim Conciliation (PCC) service. Due to its overwhelming success, Acas recently expanded the service to include all major types of workplace issues.

The PCC service aims to save businesses time, money and stress by tackling workplace issues early to prevent costly and stressful employment tribunals. On average employers spent just over three days using the PCC service, compared to nearly 14 days on a claim which escalates to an employment tribunal hearing.

Since the introduction of PCC, Acas has handled 3500 PCC referrals from the Acas helpline and 70 per cent of these were resolved without going to an employment tribunal. In fact, even when the PCC service was not able to settle a workplace dispute, only four in ten referrals progressed into a claim by the end of August.

Ed Sweeney, Acas Chairman, said: “It’s reassuring that Acas’ PCC service has already helped businesses save a great deal of money – particularly in this economic climate.

“Furthermore, the new Code of Practice should also help encourage better communication and relationships, ultimately making businesses and employees happier and more productive.

“Over time, as managers, HR professionals and employees become further accustomed to resolving workplace disputes internally, savings will be even more significant.”

In addition to the expansion of the PCC service, Acas has also expanded its helpline to ensure impartial information on employment relations issues is more readily available to employers and employees.

The PCC service was launched in April 2009 alongside the new Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures following the Government’s Dispute Resolution Review in 2007. There are also a number of workplace training courses, which aim to help businesses manage conflict in the workplace and update on employment law.

About Acas:
Acas’ aim is to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations. It provides information, advice, training and a range of services working with employers and employees to prevent or resolve problems and improve performance. It is an independent statutory body governed by a Council consisting of the Acas Chair and employer, trade union and independent members.

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Acas Urges UK Businesses To Tackle Mental Health In The Downturn

Acas, the employment relations service, is encouraging UK businesses and managers to prepare for the longer term effects of the recession and implement policies and procedures to help cope with mental health issues in the workplace.

In a recently published policy discussion paper, Acas looks at some of the lessons that can be learnt from tackling workplace stress. It advises business and managers to look at how they can anticipate and identify mental health problems in the workplace and what steps should be taken to respond to them.

Figures show that mental health problems cost UK organisations around £26 billion each year*. The latest figures also reveal that the total number of unemployed has now reached 2.47 million**, which could have a further adverse impact on employees’ wellbeing.

Ed Sweeney, Acas Chairman, said: “The economy may hopefully have seen the worst of the recession but the impact on workplaces will be felt far into the future.

“Implementing procedures to effectively deal with mental health issues in the workplace has strong benefits for individuals and organisations. Early intervention can play a critical part in reducing the problem of ill health at work and this ‘prevention over cure’ approach will ultimately help businesses and employees save time, stress and money.”

Measuring the impact of the recession on employees’ mental wellbeing can be difficult as the stigma associated with mental health creates barriers to measuring the true extent of the problem.

Acas is urging organisations and managers to implement effective policies and procedures to help managers deal with the long term impacts of the downturn and safeguard the health and wellbeing of employees. This might include:

- workplace training – to raise awareness of stress and
mental health so that line managers, in particular, can tell if an employee is
suffering from additional or excessive pressures

– Good interpersonal skills – to help nurture trusting relationships with staff who
may be anxious about disclosing their mental health problems

– A supportive organisational structure – that guides managers by providing clear
policies and procedures for managing mental health

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