HR headlines from the UK

Union launches employment tribunal claim on behalf of Monarch staff

The UK’s largest union, Unite, said it would be launching legal action on behalf of around 1,800 engineers and cabin crew who worked for Monarch, arguing the airline failed to properly consult staff before making them redundant. It was announced Monarch, which employs roughly 2,100 people, was being placed in administration at the beginning of last week.

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Skills minister 'flabbergasted' at lack of understanding of apprenticeship levy

Speaking at a forum at the Conservative Party Conference, Anne Milton revealed she had had meetings with senior businesspeople who still didn’t know about the apprenticeship levy, despite it coming into force six months ago. Mark Dawe, head of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, later told People Management he was concerned the current system could work against younger employees and smaller businesses.

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Salaries for HR roles rising faster than any other sector

Research from Adzuna revealed the average advertised salary for HR and recruitment roles shot up to £34,001 in August, an increase of 12 per cent compared with £30,365 the year before. However, the number of HR vacancies on offer dropped to 14,319, down 40 per cent on the number recorded last August.

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Only a third of HR managers ‘confident they are not prejudiced’ when hiring

A survey, carried out by digital recruitment platform SomeoneWho, discovered that almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of HR professionals had seen discrimination in recruitment, while a quarter (25 per cent) said they experienced discrimination in recruitment processes on a regular basis.

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Almost three-quarters of employees ‘put in more effort’ when working from home

A study from Cardiff University found that 39 per cent of people who often worked from home regularly put in additional hours to get through their workload or to help out colleagues, compared with 24 per cent of those with a fixed workplace. Professor Alan Felstead suggested those who regularly worked outside the office might be tempted to put in long hours to prove “they are not in their pyjamas at home”.

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