This article outlines how Sky's "Get up to speed" e-learning solution reduced induction time by one week, increased retention, and improved new employees' sales achievement rates. 

XpertHR research finds that change management training is given by less than two-thirds of organisations, and a lack of relevant expertise is an issue for six in 10.

The XpertHR quick reference section has been updated with information on the compensation awarded in unfair dismissal and discrimination claims and the number of claims accepted under each jurisdiction in 2009/10. 

We look at how the Equality Act 2010 will impact on the law relating to harassment. 

Our 2010 survey finds that HR expertise is frequently under-used at the crucial earliest stage of organisational change. 

A 56% increase in the number of accepted tribunal claims was partly caused by the recession, according to Tribunals Service statistics. 

We review the latest developments on pay for schoolteachers and support staff, and look at the expanded academies programme introduced by the coalition Government, including case studies of how existing national academy sponsors manage pay. 

Organisations must be proactive in educating an ageing workforce about health, for the sake of the employees and the economy, says Occupational Health magazine. 

On this week's XpertHR Weekly, we discuss: the employment tribunal decision in Furlong v BMC Software Ltd ET/2701283/09, which dealt with Ms Furlong’s claims for sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation (in relation to a "protected act" under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975); and how to get the most out of employee assistance programmes.

This week's dilemma concerns employees who post derogatory comments about their employers on social websites. 

The EAT held that a blind claimant could not withdraw her concession that she is not disabled under disability discrimination legislation, in one of the case reports added to XpertHR this week. 

Welcome to XpertHR's pay review resources including data on pay awards, economic indicators, forecasts and analysis. 

The level of RPI inflation is a key indicator used during wage negotiations by those on both sides of the bargaining table. However, with RPI going from record lows to a 19-year high in the space of a year, pay settlers would be forgiven for struggling to keep up. 

Reward specialists at XpertHR present their twice monthly settlement summary table, together with detailed reports of recent pay reviews. 

We provide summaries of recent employment tribunal rulings, including a woman who suffered discrimination as a result of her employer's use of, and discussions about, lap dancing and prostitutes. 

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has provided a reminder that employment tribunals should not take into account the employer's ability to pay when considering how much compensation to award an unfairly dismissed employee. 

This guide in the XpertHR "how to" section explains the options employers have when choosing selection criteria and the issues to keep in mind to avoid discrimination and ensure that any subsequent dismissals are fair. 

The national median voluntary resignation rate stood at 8.6% in 2009, according to 2010 XpertHR Benchmarking research on labour turnover.

The Government has published the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010, which include provisions that support the definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010 coming into force on 1 October 2010. 

Economic recovery is ongoing, but faltering growth, widespread job insecurity and concerted industrial action could be just around the corner, according to XpertHR Salary Surveys. 

Reducing absences rates and getting employees on long-term sick leave back into work is a key objective of any HR department. We round up the information on XpertHR on absence, sickness and stress that your HR team need to know, from a series of FAQs to detailed legal guidance and a wealth of practical advice from the XpertHR "how to" section. 

The contracts chapter of the XpertHR employment law manual has been updated to reflect recent case law concerning express and implied terms. 

With most of the core provisions of the Equality Act 2010 due to come into force in October 2010, HR departments need to get to grips with the new legislation. We round up the relevant information on XpertHR that your HR team need to know, including a series of FAQs on equal pay, model policies and documents relating to equal opportunities and an Outlook video on changes to the law on disability discrimination. 

Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) are a common benefit provided by employers, but how can their use be optimised?

On this week's XpertHR Weekly, we discuss how to deal with the situation where an employee has posted negative comments about his or her employer on a social networking site, and discuss recent employment tribunal decisions in Ashby v Moniz and another t/a La Baguette ET/1102901/2009 and James and another v Sullivan and another t/a The Pound Store ET/1400950/2009 & ET/1401045/2009, which both deal with heat of the moment resignations/dismissals.

The High Court held that a private sector employee had no right to legal representation at a disciplinary hearing, in one of the case reports added to XpertHR this week. 

We provide summaries of recent employment tribunal rulings, including an employee who was fairly dismissed for rubbing a plate of toast over his line manager's head. 

Additions to the FAQs section cover derogatory comments about an employer's organisation posted on a social networking site. 

The Government has launched a consultation on draft guidance on matters to be taken into account in determining whether or not an employee is disabled under the Equality Act 2010.

This article from the XpertHR "how to" section gives practical guidance on the factors employers should consider when deciding which employees to include in a redundancy selection pool, including considering employees doing different types of work, or employees from different parts of the organisation. It also deals with practical issues relating to part-time and fixed-term employees. 

Since its introduction in April, the fit note has been used by GPs with differing results. Occupational Health magazine summarises the situation. 

At a time when financial pressures are affecting businesses, what can they do to protect employees from knock-on effects? 

The political heat surrounding public sector pensions is rising as a government-established public service pensions commission sets about producing proposals for cutting costs. 

XpertHR is offering you the opportunity to gain valuable free intelligence on the prospects for pay in 2011. All you have to do is take part in our pay prospects survey.

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has given a rare appellate judgment considering the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002.

The Government Equalities Office has launched a consultation on the public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010. The consultation document is asking for views on draft regulations on the specific equality duties, and on which public bodies will be subject to those duties. 

IRS research finds that employers are most likely to use competencies in performance management, recruitment and training, and these are the areas in which the use of competencies is perceived to be most beneficial. 

Our case study looks at the impact of the collective consultation provisions on an employer that wishes to vary its employees’ pay. 

Latest IRS research finds that competencies are used widely used in HR practices, but line managers often lack the aptitude to use them effectively. 

Pay awards in the retail sector have fallen from a median 3% in 2009, to just 1.2% in the year to May 2010.