The UK is suffering a massive skills and labour shortage. Whilst we hear a lot about the NHS, any manager in a technology-centric business will tell a similar story – we simply have too few engineers and scientists. Employing overseas workers can help. This article discusses how you apply for a visa sponsorship licence.

The crux of an article in The Guardian is that the woman author, a journalist, has found out that a man who reports to her and whose work she manages, is paid £20k a year more than her. She feels that she has been treated unfairly and that she should have held out for more when she negotiated her salary. And she describes how her emotional response has transitioned through the five stages of grief. Here we discuss the issues and ask, "Is £20k difference discrimination of just reasonable?"

The onus on a manager is not as burdensome as that required of a police officer. The manager’s right to act, to sanction or dismiss, is dependent on the manager having grounds for reasonable belief that the situation occurred. There is no need for proof beyond reasonable doubt or proof on balance of probabilities, just reasonable belief.

Many recruitment consultants and recruiting managers conduct interviews. But few optimise the selection process. This blog sets out the role of a very special selection instrument – the work sample or skills test. 'Work samples' is one of four tools, which when used together provide the highest predictive validity of all staff selection methods.

Discretionary behaviour contributes positively to overall organisational effectiveness, contributing to operational and organisational outcomes. We explain what discretionary behaviour is. Behaviour sits between motivation and performance. If we are motivated, we behave in a particular way. That behaviour causes performance.

The press is full of stories about flexible working. Normally, flexible working is considered as moving to part-time hours, working from home or perhaps converting to job share. But there is one tool that gets overlooked. It’s one that can really benefit both employee and employer – the introduction of annualised hours. Annualised hours contracts have been around for a long time. This blog gives the pros and cons.