Contents
"First Tool to Measure Prejudice and Predict Prejudiced Behaviour"
In a diverse society, hidden prejudice is a threat to social harmony and a hazard at work. In order to address this issue, one of Europe’s leading psychometrics publisher has launched what is claimed to be the world’s first commercially available diagnostic tool that not only measures prejudice but predicts the likelihood of the subject behaving in a discriminatory fashion on the basis of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation.
Want to read more about equality and diversity? Click here to order Dimensions of Dignity at Work £27.99

Conference Preview - Meeting today’s challenges: World of Learning Conference 2009
Leading experts on business learning and development (L&D) from major international and UK organisations will be among the world class speakers at the World of Learning Conference 2009, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 30 September & 1 October 2009. Chaired by BBC news broadcaster and presenter Bill Turnbull, the agenda has been put together following extensive research and consultation with industry leaders on the issues affecting the L&D industry today. It covers the impact of the current economic climate on businesses, the role of L&D in contributing to business performance, and how L&D professionals can learn the necessary skills to face the challenges of today’s pressures and demands.

Two in Five HR Workers are More Pessimistic about Their Job Prospects
45% of HR workers are more pessimistic about job prospects now than last month, according to a survey of over 2,900 people by the Keep Britain Working campaign released on Monday 20 July 2009, while 14% were more optimistic - giving a Job Optimism Index Score of minus 31. HR job pessimism has gone down 2 points since May when the Index figure was minus 29. Overall, 52% of workers across the UK feel positive about their employers' response to the recession. Nearly a quarter - 23% - believe their employer is doing absolutely everything they can to support their staff through the recession.

The Communicator’s Role for Reducing Information Overload
With so many office staff today spending hours on a daily basis sifting through e-mails, letters, reports, fielding numerous phone calls, not to mention the increase of personal communications devices such as Blackberry’s and PDA’s, it is therefore becoming noticeable that many of them are struggling to manage effectively the constantly growing daily information flow. Research from the Health and Safety Executive has highlighted this growing concern demonstrating that information overload can lead to stress induced illness. The research showed that more than 25% of managers polled cited information overload as their main cause of stress in the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stated that in 2004-2005 each case of stress-related ill health led to an average of 30.9 working days lost, with almost 13 million working days lost due to stress, depression and anxiety.
Want to read more about employee communication? Click here to order Dialogue, Skill and Tacit Knowledge. Priced at £67.49

E-Learning in Isolation Proves Ineffective for 65% of Learners
Only a third of learners are being offered blended learning solutions, according to a recent survey. Having access to a blended learning solution with a supportive coach was cited as a crucial criterion by respondents, if e-learning was to realise its potential as a training medium.
Want to read about blended learning? Click here to order The Blended Learning Book: Best Practices, Proven Methodologies and Lessons Learned. Priced at £24.49

Half of Brits Stressed Again Less than a Day after a Holiday, says report
Despite around 45 million of us taking summer holidays each year, half of UK workers feel stressed again almost as soon as they return to work, research from Monster.co.uk has revealed. A recent survey found that a staggering 50% of UK employees lose all feelings of relaxation and wellbeing on their first day back in the office, claiming that they feel as if they had never been away. A third of us feel stressed within a few weeks of being back at work, with only 15% claiming that their job doesn’t inflict stress on them in the first place.
Want to read more about employee engagement? Click here to order The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement. Priced at £27.99

New Stress Management Technique Launches in UK
The new Embodied Stress Management course is adapted for each client and helps staff gain an improved understanding of stress, their personal triggers and early warning burn-out signs. A tool-kit of coping mechanisms and physical techniques are taught, including anti-stress stretches, breathing and posture exercises and the ability to reframe and manage stress-inducing thought processes. Time management skills are also incorporated.
Want to read more about managing stress? Click here to order Tolley's Managing Stress in the Workplace Priced at £42.50

Migrant Workers and Changes in the Law
Whilst the British economy was thriving, the importance of migrant workers was not challenged. However during this economic downturn, the selection of non-UK workers for domestic jobs has become more controversial, and in this multi-national world, a good system of immigration control was clearly needed. The recent changes to the UK Border Agency’s points based immigration system provides some provisions to ensure that local UK workers have the first chance to apply for vacancies, but what are the legal implications of the new system to an employer?

Top FTSE Firms Call in the Bully Police
Employers are looking for new ways to make sure their stressed-out employees get along in the recession. That’s according to a leading communication coaching specialist. “We have been getting increasing numbers of enquiries from companies needing to address bullying bosses, we have been approached by three FTSE 10 companies in recent months with the agenda of ‘sorting’ a certain person out. Very often that person is in senior management and is very good at their job, but their colleagues or staff view them as a bully and companies are getting increasingly concerned about being taken to court. This is especially true right now, with employees facing the prospect of redundancies looking to cash in by claiming they have been bullied.”
Want to read more about human resources? Click here to order A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Priced at £37.50

Drop in Worker Absences - Eversheds Comment
Following the study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealing a sharp decline in employee absence in the private sector, opening up a wider gap with the public sector, Huw Rolant Jones, partner at international law firm Eversheds comments:
“It is worth noting that a much larger proportion of public sector employers actually record absence levels amongst staff, over 84% as against just 60% of private employers doing so. Even so, the rate of absence in this sector appears to remain consistently higher than in the private sector. Despite a drop in absence rate in the public sector in recent years, it will be interesting to see if this downward trend continues following a landmark judgement of the House of Lords last month..."

University Gives DHL Specialist HR Training
A midland's university has won a contract to deliver bespoke human resources management training to HR staff at international express and logistics company, DHL UK.