You are currently browsing the Blog - EMS - Business Consultants weblog archives for January, 2010.
31/01/2010 by Geoff.
So you’ve just started a new job, you know what needs to be changed but you have no resource to implement the required change. The only route is to use outside resource - maybe use consultants! But you are concerned that this action will be seen as a sign of weakness and be criticised by your boss and subordinates so you do nothing.
This is a common dilemma but the action described is incorrect. You have used your expertise to identify the problem, not only that you’ve identified what is stopping you getting rid of the problem - what’s constraining the desired change. The correct action is to use outside resource ensuring it has a good brief - and maybe paid by results. Yes it will cost money but this will be far out weighed by your Company’s performance improvement. Not only that the cost of outside resource stops as soon as the brief is fulfilled.
Now not improving your Company performance when you know how to do it is a criticism!
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31/01/2010 by Geoff.
The earliest age for taking pension rises to 55 from April 2010. As of the 6th April 2010, the earliest age a member of a registered pension scheme can take their pension (other than on ill-health grounds) will rise from the age of 50 to 55.
However, a member may still be able to take their pension from the age of 50, if they have a “protected pension age”.
Written by our HR Expert Simone Greasley. Contact her if you need any help in this field.
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25/01/2010 by Geoff.
Having implemented a number of systems in companies - business, safety, environment, integrated (see Fitting them all together article) the most common obstacle to successful implementation is buy in. Staff in the Company has to do some work as well as their day job but its only initially how they fulfil their roles now. We have tackled the buy in obstacle and convinced people to use the system by pointing out the following benefits:
The challenge at the end of the day is can you show how you run your business to an outside agency?
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25/01/2010 by Geoff.
For your information from 1st February 2010, the maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal will decrease from £66,200 to £65,300. This reflects the decrease of 1.4 per cent in the Retail Prices Index.
Guarantee payments will also be affected. The maximum falls from £21.50 to £21.20.
Written by Simone Greasley - HR Consultant. Contact her if you new more help
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18/01/2010 by Geoff.
We have now helped a number of companies implement a range of systems within their business – business, safety, environment, integrated (see Fitting them all together article http://www.emseff.co.uk/fittingtogether.html). In wining this work our proposal is often compared to an off the shelf system. This might be cheaper but the client is left to fit the processes and procedures to their own business – not always easy! With our bespoke system, implementation is tailored to the way each individual business carries out its business and is a clear deliverable of ours. The first step of their journey is to get to know how they run their existing paper based system (it provides a good training tool). We might appear to be a little more expensive than the off the shelf systems, but the actual cost of such a system in £’s does not reflect the total price paid in terms of the hidden costs of implementation. Our approach means that effective implementation is achieved earlier, enabling the benefits of improved business performance to be achieved earlier too.
By the way both approaches need internal commitment to be successful!
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18/01/2010 by Geoff.
On 12th November 2009 the Government’s proposals regarding training and apprenticeships received Royal Assent. One of the provisions of the Act, is to allow employees to have the right to request time off for training. This new right will be introduced in April 2010. However there is to be a one year exemption for small businesses (a firm employing fewer than 250 employees). The new right is a right to request time to train, not a right to insist on time off; there is no statutory right to remuneration for the time spent training.
Further details are to be published by the Government in due course.
Witten by Simone HR
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12/01/2010 by Geoff.
First of all let me say we’re not website experts but we are believers that they add real value to a business and have the potential to increase sales revenues.
We have an expert that helps us with our website and blog perhaps he can help you - mark@launchrooms.co.uk
You probably have lots of information on visitors to your site - number of visitors, how many pages they view in a visit, where they come from etc. Take time to interpret the data and make changes that will increase your exposure.
For example you might have a new product you want to promote. In this case its essential that all visitors get to the details of the product easily. Make this possible on your site, you’ll reach potential customers and may be sell more.
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12/01/2010 by Geoff.
Recently published research results, from the Department of Work and Pensions, show the extent to which employers discriminate when sifting job applications. Between October 2008 and May 2009 duplicate job applications were made for over 1,000 vacancies. The applications were identical except for the names; one had a traditional white British name, the other was a name associated with ethnic groups. The research results show that there was discrimination in favour of applicants with white British names over their ethnic equivalent, by 29%.
These findings will be used to assess if any changes in discrimination law are required.
Wriiten by Simone - HR
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03/01/2010 by Geoff.
Back in July ‘09 I wrote a blog contribution entitled “Its quicker to do it myself”. This week I experienced the same syndrome with a client.
The management team were devoting lots of energy trying to solve a problem. In principle there is nothing wrong with having some ideas to solve the problem from this source but someone else in the business is paid to address the problem and finally solve it. Trust them to do it and get them report back when they’ve done it.
Put simply the role of most management teams is to manage people that will help them deliver the goals and strategy of the business. Manage the people dealing with the problem.
If your reaction to these lines is “I do that” then I suggest you read the contribution from July ‘09 or contact us enquiries@emseff.co.uk.
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03/01/2010 by Geoff.
Contrary to recent Press Reports, environmentalism has not been given status as a religion – but instead as a valid ‘philosophical belief’ – this means it attracts protection against discrimination. Employers must be aware that this does not mean that employees can refuse to undertake tasks which conflict with their beliefs, or can foist their beliefs on others. However care needs to be exercised before disciplining or dismissing in these circumstances.Written by Simone - HR
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