News In Brief
Ikea managers face axe
Ikea is cutting 300 managerial jobs in the UK in a restructuring plan designed to reduce the layers of management and encourage co-workers to take on more responsibility. Ikea said in a statement that its UK operations needed to become "more productive, efficient and flexible".
The positions will go by January 2008, but a spokeswoman said affected staff could apply for replacement jobs.
Government department tackles staff stress
Thirteen per cent of sick leave taken by workers in the last 12 months at the UK's Department of Culture, Media and Sport was stress related, it was revealed during a parliamentary question in the House of Commons in July. As a result, staff will undertake a stress audit at the end of the year, as well as being offered yoga classes and counselling services.
BBC staff to receive ethics training
The BBC is sending all of its 16,500 broadcasting staff on ethics training. The decision comes after an internal review found the corporation had repeatedly falsified the results of phone-in competitions. The training is an opportunity for the BBC to remind its staff of the corporation's values of accuracy and honesty.
Participation in team sports leads to greater staff satisfaction
A survey conducted by Standard Chartered Bank has revealed that employers that encourage their staff to play team sports have higher levels of employee satisfaction. Ninety-two per cent of those surveyed believe that team events help build rapport with fellow colleagues.
HR features prominently in Gordon Brown's first legislative programme
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has revealed three planned Bills on HR. The Education and Skills Bill, Employment Simplification Bill and Pensions Bill demonstrate the government's commitment to providing training for young people and lower-skilled workers, and improving benefits for employees.
Health Secretary tackles low staff morale at NHS
Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health, has announced a major review of the NHS following an admission of the 'gloomy mood' among frontline staff. The wide-ranging review will be carried out by Professor Ara Darzi, the leading surgeon who was appointed a health minister by Gordon Brown, and is due to be presented before the NHS' 60th anniversary in July 2008.
E-bullying on the rise in the workplace
A recent survey by Unite found that one-fifth of the UK workforce has experienced bullying by email in their current or previous jobs. The research found that cyber bullying was more prevalent in the sales, media, marketing and telecoms sectors. Unite estimates that workplace bullying costs companies £2bn a year in sick pay, staff turnover and loss of production.
6.6 million job searches made in one week
Jobcentre Plus has reported that 6.6 million people in the UK looked for new positions over a one-week period in June. Increasing use of the internet by both employers and employees has boosted the figures, along with rising employment. The Department for Work and Pensions released figures in July 2007 that indicate the number of people in employment was higher than the same period last year.
Three quarters of employees do not understand their company-provided benefits package
After interviewing 4,000 employees in the UK about benefits offered to them by their employers, YouGov discovered that only one in four employees are aware of the benefits on offer to them.
