Carillion collapse
The construction giant went into administration on 15 January with a debt of £1.5 billion, resulting in more than 2,000 job losses. A damning government report blamed board directors for its demise as executives continued to receive bonus payouts amid severe profit warnings. Carillion’s auditors EY, KMPG, Deloitte and PwC were also accused of approving accounts despite the firm's spiralling debts, and the government came under fire for failing to address corporate governance issues.
Presidents Club scandal
An undercover investigation by the Financial Times revealed that female hostesses at a men’s-only Presidents Club charity event were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned. A report by the Charity Commission found there were significant failures to put “clear or adequate policies in place” surrounding harassment, and that it was in "stark contrast” to the measures the Club took to protect the privacy of its guests.
The best bits of HR magazine in January...
Risk management in an age of uncertainty
Following Trump, Brexit, and snap elections, our January cover piece explored why HR needs to create cultures where employees are able to embrace the unknown.
Do not ignore automation anxiety
While we’re grappling with huge uncertainties surrounding the use of AI at work, doing nothing is never the answer says Laura Hinton. The chief people officer at PwC explains why businesses need to stop worrying and start planning for the future.
Research by Dropbox and The School of Life found that a quarter of employees think their colleagues are lazy. We asked Shakil Butt, founder of HR Hero for Hire and former HR and OD director of Islamic Relief Worldwide, what causes laziness and how we can combat it.
HR mythbusting: Can people be sorted into personalities at work?
Introverts, extroverts, psychopaths and EINTJS – there is a tendency to sort people into personality types at work. But how helpful are these labels in the world of HR? Adrian Furnham, co-author of Myths at Work, explains more.
