Dear Subscriber,

Following on from the question ‘to blog or not to blog?’ in our last edition of e-news & views, the answer is now a resounding ‘Yes’!

By popular demand, we are delighted to say that you can now follow both Exclusive Human Resources and me on Twitter. We intend to build a network of HR and business professionals across the North of England that are interested in stimulating debates, new opportunities and general discussion on all things related.

You can now follow and tweet me at: http://twitter.com/MarkIons & Exclusive Human Resources at: http://twitter.com/ExclusiveHR

You may also have noticed that over the last two weeks that we have appeared extensively in both regional and national press as we celebrated our second anniversary and have bucked the trend by continuing to grow our HR Services offering.

Please click HERE to read more

We are also very proud to announce that we have relocated our Newcastle office to a prestigious new location @ Quorum Business Park.

Please note our new phone number is: 0191 2155 400

Our new address is:

Exclusive Human Resources
Quorum 16
Quorum Business Park
Benton Lane
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE12 8BX

A map to our new office can be found here.

If you can update your records to ensure you have our correct details that would be very much appreciated.

We look forward to welcoming you to Quorum 16!

Kind Regards as always

Mark Ions
Managing Director

Each month we run a series entitled 'HR Doctor' where we invite one of our HR Consultants, Fiona Ward from our HR Business Services Division to answer a series of HR related questions.

A member of my team wants to take a couple of days off each month to work on a masters degree. Her studies may help with her job, but they are mainly for her own benefit. What, if any, study leave am I obliged to give her?

The right to request time off for training is to be introduced either later this year or earlier next. As with flexible working requests made by people with dependents, the legislation will give employees the right to request time off, rather than giving them an automatic right to time off.

Can you manage with her for a couple of days per month? Allowing her unpaid time off work could reduce your costs, while at the same time allowing her to pursue her interests. I know of a few employers who are extending their flexible work policies in a bid to minimise labour expenditure without the need for redundancies.

To discuss your HR Consultancy requirements and the potential of obtaining Business Link funding for your project, please call 0191 2155 400 or 0113 243 0900. Alternatively, please check out our dedicated HR Business Services website page.

To read Fiona's profile please click here.

Leadership is a hot topic for business today and we explore in this month’s section of Leadership & Management Doctor what Inspirational Leadership looks like.

For most inspirational leaders, is their ability to quickly enthuse, appreciate and give growth opportunities to followers. Other leadership research (Collins, Gallup, Alimo-Metcalfe, Goleman et al) has also found the ability to engage with people to be the key feature of effective leadership.

In a recent survey, and extracts from the DTI Website, of more than one and a half thousand managers, people were asked what they would most like to see in their leaders. The most popular answer, mentioned by 55% of people, was ‘inspiration’. The stereotype of the inspirational leader as someone extrovert and charismatic tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

What is Inspirational Leadership?

The starting point is the definition within the Glossary of key words of the Investors in People Framework:

A quality attributed to leaders who are able to create a culture (the organisation’s beliefs, behaviours, and values) of motivation and commitment. They tend to:

• Have a sense of purpose
• Inspire others to achieve their potential
• Be honest and trustworthy
• Have passion
• Encourage others to share their vision and follow their lead willingly.

Ask yourself some key questions:

Have you a clear set of core values (the principles that determine how people work around here) that support the purpose of the business and your vision?

Can your managers describe the values and what this means to the way they are expected to manage?

Can your people describe the Values and what this means to the way they are expected to work?

Could your people describe how Manager’s inspire and motivate them to achieve their full potential?

And - do they believe the organisation has a culture of openness and trust?

Margaret Jewell - Leadership & Management Consultant (MinstLM, MIBC)

To discuss any Leadership, Coaching or Development requirements with Margaret, please call 0191 2155 400 or 0113 243 0900 or send an email HERE.

As summer draws to an end (did it ever start?!), holidays are returned from and tans begin to fade, the autumn months are traditionally the busiest in the recruitment calendar.

With that in mind, it is always comforting to know that your organisation has an expert recruitment team in place and importantly that they are properly rewarded for a job well done.

This month, we are looking at salaries of recruitment specialists in both the private and public sector, split across levels of seniority and job title.

Recruitment Co-ordinator/Officer
Private Sector
Low 16000
Average 20000
High 27000

Public Sector
Low 16000
Average 19000
High 25000

Recruitment Manager
Private Sector
Low 25000
Average 30000
High 38600

Public Sector
Low 25000
Average 29000
High 33000

Head of Recruitment
Private Sector
Low 45750
Average 52500
High 60000

Public Sector
Low 45000
Average 50000
High 56000

We will also be sending out the most comprehensive and up to date salary survey in the North of England in the coming days to all those that have requested thus far. We apologise in the slight delay but the survey has been updated once more with our new Newcastle office details to be completely current and up to date and is being transferred into a professionally produced PDF file as we speak.

For those that haven’t yet requested one, please e-mail Gareth Harrison, Senior Consultant to receive your copy free of charge.

Written Exclusively for 'HR News & Views':

Length of Service in Redundancy Selection

The Court of Appeal has decided in the recent case of Rolls Royce plc v Unite that length of service can be used as part of redundancy selection criteria and would not amount to unlawful age discrimination.

The company and the union entered into collective agreements for two groups of staff under which redundancy selection would be based on a points scoring system. Each employee would be assessed against criteria such as expertise and versatility, and would also receive one point for every year of continuous employment. The parties could not agree on whether this length of service criterion complied with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 and the matter was referred to the High Court. The Court initially held that length of service was age discriminatory but that it was objectively justified under regulation 3.

Discriminatory criteria can be allowed under regulation 3 if they are a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The collective agreements between Rolls Royce and the union were designed so that redundancies could be carried out fairly and in the Court's view, this was a legitimate aim. The High Court further held that the collective agreements would in any event fall within the exemption provided by regulation 32.

Regulation 32 allows certain benefits based on length of service if the length of service does not exceed 5 years or the use of longer service is a reasonable means of fulfilling a business need. Recognising long service in a redundancy selection procedure could mean that some workers kept their jobs, which had to be a benefit for those faced with unemployment. The High Court held that the length of service criterion was therefore lawful and Rolls Royce appealed.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. By a majority, it held that the legitimate aim was to reward loyalty and create a stable workforce in the context of a fair redundancy selection process. It was proportionate to use length of service as a criterion because it was just one of many criteria used and was not determinative of the selection. Furthermore, the Court was unanimous in its view that the use of length of service as a selection criterion could constitute a benefit for the purposes of the exemption contained in regulation 32.

For those employers considering redundancies, the message is clear: length of service can be used but only where it is one of a range of selection criteria. It should not be used on its own, as in the case of ‘last in first out’.

For further information call Jonathon Stokes or Barry Hutchinson, specialist Employment solicitors at Gordon Brown Associates on 0191 230 8103.

Fraud warning...

HMRC is aware of a high number of emails being sent out offering a tax rebate. HMRC would not inform customers of a tax rebate via email, or invite them to complete an online form to receive a rebate of tax. Do not visit the website contained within the email or disclose any personal or payment information. Please forward the email to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk for investigation.

As part of text message security trials you may be contacted by SMS text message and asked to ring the HMRC Tax Credits Helpline on 0845 300 3900 - if asked to ring on any other number please report this to your HMRC Contact Centre to prevent fraud

Blu Sky Chartered Accountants. Shortlisted for Independent Practice of the Year in the 2009 North East Accountancy Awards.

www.bluskytax.co.uk

Interim HR Consultant

Our client, an outsourcing and consultancy organisation is seeking an immediately available HR Consultant to assist with an ever increasing client portfolio until at least November 2009. The role will ideally suit either someone with a background in HR Consultancy or a strong generalist interested in a varied and challenging workload. Dealing mainly with SME clients, you will deliver on-demand HR solutions mainly remotely from head office in Tyne and Wear but also with some UK travel included. There is the potential for the role to be extended beyond the initial 3 month period and this is an excellent, growing company to be working for, in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

To read all about this exciting opportunity, please click here or call Gareth Harrison on 0191 2155400