PW News feed
Other News
« Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Next »
Temps 'could be biggest fraud risk'
Financial institutions may be exposing themselves to fraud when they hire temporary workers, a report has revealed.: The research showed that 89% of undisclosed criminal records were found on the CVs of temporary employees. Pre employment screening company Powerchex analysed nearly 3,000 financial service job applications and examined embellishments and false information. This information included: professional qualifications, criminal records, university degrees, job responsibilities, employment histories and dates.
Thu, 30 Aug 2007 • Read more
Human capital creeps up corporate agenda
Human capital is top of corporate agendas but not measured, according to a survey by the FT Research Centre on behalf of Ceridian.: Two thirds of correspondents felt that human capital issues were at the top of the agenda for their company, but only around half reckoned that their finance director had sufficient information on key performance indicators.
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 • Read more
New computers at HMRC
HMRC will replace 12 geographical databases which will give staff access to a single customer view of all pay, tax, National Insurance and pension data. The department was hit by computer problems, highlighted in a National Audit Office (NAO) report published last month.
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 • Read more
Outsourcing takes off
Demand for outsourcing business services in Europe increased dramatically in the first half of 2007 compared with the same period last year, according to the latest Quarterly Index from TPI. The total value of new outsourcing contracts in the £40m-plus bracket is up 78%.
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 • Read more
PM changes Paymaster General role
Gordon Brown, the new Prime Minister, has revised the historic role of Paymaster General, and moved it from the Treasury, as part of a Government reshuffle.: Tessa Jowell now holds the post. Although Paymaster General is not a Cabinet position, Ms Jowell will nevertheless sit in the Cabinet as Minister for the Olympics and London.
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 • Read more
Payroll officer admits theft
A payroll officer who stole more than £3,000 from her workplace has been found guilty of falsifying payroll records and clearing house automated payment service (CHAPS) payments.: Joanne Lockwood, who was working for Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust, was responsible for processing data on the trust’s payroll system.
Tue, 3 Jul 2007 • Read more
Payroll giving goes green
Technology firm Vebnet has partnered with the charity PURE to allow employees from 170 UK companies to offset their carbon emissions through payroll giving.: The scheme enables employees to calculate their carbon footprint using the PURE website, and then choose to offset all or part of it in tax-efficient monthly payments, ‘giving as they earn’ through the flexible benefits programme provided by their employer.
Tue, 1 May 2007 • Read more
Outsourcing blues
Poor contract management is partly responsible for dissatisfaction with outsourcing, claims a report from global outsourcing advisory firm TPI.: It found that 61% of those interviewed concentrated their efforts on establishing a contract, rather than maintaining it. The report found that outsourcing contracts typically deliver 28% less value than originally anticipated, with many companies restructuring their agreements within just 18 months. In line with buyers recognising the impact of their own failings on outsourcing success, few choose to sever the relationships with their existing providers when they encounter problems. While 42% said they considered soliciting bids from other service providers as part of the renegotiation process, only 18% actually did so.
Tue, 1 May 2007 • Read more
Staff scam costs £110,000
A cashier stole £110,000 from the Caledonian Hotel Edinburgh by creating 10 bogus employees. An auditor became suspicious in October 2004 when she noticed the wages were being paid into only two accounts – both of which belonged to Janet Davis.
Tue, 1 May 2007 • Read more
The heavy cost of employee fraud
UK employers are frittering away around £1.3bn on employee expenses due to lax managers and fraud, according to a report by GlobalExpense, an employee expenses services provider.: Around £5.2bn was paid to employees as expense claims but 15% of these claims were for payments approved for items disallowed by their employers’ expenses policies, according to the Employee Expenses Benchmark Report 2007.
Mon, 2 Apr 2007 • Read more
Nursery refuses to hand over references
The biggest childcare recruitment agency in the UK is preparing for a court battle with the Information Commissioner after it refused to hand over confidential job references for nursery workers on its books.: Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has told Tinies, which has 25 branches across the country, to hand over the references it holds on a nursery nurse who has been turned down for several jobs.
Wed, 28 Feb 2007 • Read more
Fat cats want fit cats
Overweight employees are thought to lack self-discipline by 70% of business bosses, according to a survey by the Aziz Corporation. Some 79% of respondents believe gaining weight inhibits career progression, and slimmer colleagues are thought to deal better with senior roles.
Thu, 1 Feb 2007 • Read more
Smoke-free company cars
Employers could face prosecution and high fines if workers are allowed to smoke in company cars, according to legal consultancy EEF South.: Under health legislation prohibiting smoking in ‘substantially enclosed’ areas, set to be implemented this July, vehicles shared by colleagues will be required to become smoke-free zones.
Thu, 1 Feb 2007 • Read more
Black tape emerges in the HMRC
Civil servants have had their desks marked to show them where to keep office equipment, in a Government efficiency drive that has been slammed by union representatives.: Staff at the National Insurance offices in Tyneside were given black tape by consultants to mark where to put their pens, pencils and computers, in a bid to keep workstations uncluttered. The initiative is part of HM Revenue & Custom’s ‘Lean’ programme formulated by consultancy Unipart.
Thu, 1 Feb 2007 • Read more
Cut sickness, save money
Glasgow City Council has saved £4.5m by cutting absence among its 38,000 employees. The council won the Zurich Municipal Scheme Safety Award for its ‘Maximising Attendance’ programme, which uses a Wellness team to identify employees’ long-term absence problems, such as stress, at an early stage.
Thu, 1 Feb 2007 • Read more
Strikes cause payroll headaches
Payroll departments bear the administrative brunt of industrial action, the Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP) has warned in the wake of recent announcements of strikes including confirmation of industrial action at the HMRC and staff at British Airways.: Last month members of the Public & Commercial Services union at the HMRC and other Government offices voted 62% in favour of a one-day strike on 31 January - the tax deadline. The action is in protest at 25,000 job cuts.
Thu, 1 Feb 2007 • Read more
And finally…. A novel way of collecting debts
Tax authorities in one Indian state are attempting to persuade debtors to pay their bills – by serenading them with a delegation of singing eunuchs.: Eunuchs are feared in many parts of India, where some believe they have supernatural powers. Often unable to gain regular work, the eunuchs have become successful at persuading people to part with their cash. They get a commission of 4% of any taxes collected. In Bihar’s capital, Patna, officials felt deploying the eunuchs was the only way to prompt people to pay up. Accompanied by police officers, the eunuchs approached shopkeepers and large defaulters on their first foray into tax collection. ‘Pay the tax, pay the Patna Municipal Corporation tax,’ the eunuchs sang as they approached RamSagar Singh, who owed 100,000 rupees(£1,180), the AFP news agency reported. Mortified by the commotion, Mr Singh reportedly agreed to pay within a week.
Tue, 5 Dec 2006 • Read more
Census may ask about earnings
The next census in 2010 could ask for details about earnings for the first time.: A prototype 24-page form has been drawn up for the 2010 exercise with 40 questions. It is to be trialled in more than 100,000 homes in six areas. Previous attempts to ask about income and its sources have foundered because people have objected, fearing information will be passed on to HMRC.
Tue, 5 Dec 2006 • Read more
LogicaCMG launches investigation
Payroll and IT giant LogicaCMG and its client the Metropolitan Police are carrying out an investigation after admitting data containing payroll details of police staff had been stolen.: The loss came about through the theft of laptop computers from LogicaCMG offices. A spokeswoman for LogicaCMG said: ‘LogicaCMG can confirm that on Thursday, November 16, 2006, it was the victim of an opportunist break-in at one of its premises. We have taken immediate action to mitigate any further risk arising from this incident and are cooperating fully with the Metropolitan Police investigation. The risk of the data on the laptops being used for either fraud or identity theft is minimal ande very measure is being taken to protect those affected. We will provide further information as this becomes available.’
Tue, 5 Dec 2006 • Read more
Fibbing on CVs rampant
Surveys on both sides of the Atlantic have confirmed the extent of lying on CVs.: Website management-issues.com reported that more than half of US hiring managers say they have caught out someone lying on their resume, while a British survey by employee screening specialists The Risk Advisory Group found that one in five individuals applying for jobs had lied on their CV.
Tue, 5 Dec 2006 • Read more
