Swotting up on the three R's: the human resource issue can be vexing and frustrating for...

Forget reading, writing and 'rithmetic. If you're an employer, today's three R's centre on recruitment, retention and rewards.

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And the human resources (add another R) have never been scarcer.

Unemployment is at a 20 year low, business growth is constrained by the lack of skilled workers and, for staff members, loyalty has been replaced by employability says Martin Price of HR Equations. Things have been turned upside down for a good many business owners and managers.

There's been a tendency, says Price, for SMEs t