Citation
(2007), "What's on the web", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 15 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2007.04415bag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
What's on the web
“Mercer Human Resource Consulting is the global leader for trusted HR and related financial advice, products, and services”, or so says their site. It offers plenty of advice and information regarding various aspects of HR management, including the tools they offer and market surveys. Services are available worldwide with office bases in places as diverse as Argentina and Vietnam. These services are listed on the site and can be viewed by global location as they vary slightly from country to country. With news briefs, press releases, and polls, this site is stylish and professional, as one would expect from such a large global company. The “Knowledge Centre” in particular is an excellent resource for specific information searches and is a great time and effort saver.
A picture’s worth …
Cogs, yes. Jigsaw pieces, obviously. But gingerbread men? We couldn’t quite work out the significance but they do make a nice photograph. Which is just as well as these three are the first images one gets of the site. Peopletime is aimed at small to medium businesses and offers general HR and payroll support services. Services include legislative advice regarding issues such as Right to Work in the UK, and the Racial Discrimination Act along with others. They will also provide a liaison with immigration services if required to ensure the legality of employees. Auditing resources are provided to check things such as sickness records, holiday, and health and safety compliance. Although the site does not offer any actual advice on its pages it does provide a lot of information about the services on offer and a free newsletter is available to those who register. One lovely feature is that they provide links to various government resource and employer organization websites. And the gingerbread men soon disappear.
Content over form
“Liquid hr is a unique product created by a team who are Human Resource and Employment Law specialists, dedicated to supporting the needs of UK and multinational companies across 46 countries”. A particularly good and informative site, it is a shame that the layout screams of cheap advertising. The aesthetics just don’t push the right buttons – particularly the big red one. Never mind. This site is one to put in your favorites page purely for the content. The range of information on the site is fantastic, including articles regarding the latest human resources issues and press releases, along with commonly asked questions. Legal issues concerning tribunals, redundancy pay, and employment contracts to name but a few are covered in a user friendly and jargon free manner. Several case studies on employment law are cited which although interesting do carry a stark warning. The company claims to be aimed at small to medium businesses, but several much larger companies are named as previous clients.
Normally we always favor content over form, but this site really could do with a design makeover.
Little to offer
Mainly a recruitment agency company, Angel Human Resources plc also offers managed services to businesses. Unfortunately the website is rather minimalist, and not in good way. It is easy to read and navigate but one feels this is due to lack of content instead of overly impressive structuring. Saying this, they must be doing something right judging by their clientele listing. No specific HR advice is offered online, although a brochure can be requested for mailing. Offering accounting, payroll, training, facility management and HR services, it has to be a given that the company relies heavily on other forms of contact with existing and prospective clients rather than a web based one. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and possibly even a very good one – at least all their contact details are listed on the site. But if the website is the “shop window” this one is rather bare.
Range of products
This is another Northgate company (the same company that own Liquid hr), but this site has a far slicker and more professional image. On closer inspection the content is not quite as comprehensive, although still worth trawling through. They offer three separate tailored products: to the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Their areas of expertise and the range of topics they address are listed and cover such things as global restructuring, industrial relations, psychometric testing, and candidate profiling. This site does have a firm focus on the services provided by the company, rather than offering general HR advice or information. Worth a look, though, if you are searching for a company to help with human resources structuring.
And finally
Some splendid examples of unusual questions that HR directors of large corporations have been asked at interview:
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“Why should I sit down, can’t you interview me standing up?”
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“What is it that you people do at this company?”
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“What does the company motto mean?”
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“Why aren’t you in a more interesting business?”
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“What are the zodiac signs of all the board members?”
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“Why do you want references?”
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“Do I have to dress for the next interview?”
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“I know this is off the subject, but will you marry me?”
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“Will the company move my rock collection from California to Maryland?”
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“Will the company pay to relocate my horse?”
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“Does your health insurance cover pets?”
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“Would it be a problem if I’m angry most of the time?”
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“Does your company have a policy regarding concealed weapons?”
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“Do you think the company would be willing to lower my pay?”
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“Why am I here?”
Contact us
For a particularly interesting and useful site you could always try the Emerald one! And if you have any favorite (or otherwise) sites that you would like us to review on these pages, please drop us an e-mail and we will submit them to our reviewers’ usual rigorous analysis.