This website has been designed, developed and tested on as many computers and web browsers as possible to make sure that it reaches our audience.
In order to view and use the CIPD website we recommend
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape Navigator 6
- Security level of 128-bit encryption
- Cookies enabled
- A minimum screen resolution of 800 x 600
Please take a look at our frequently asked questions below to help with any problems you are experiencing.
Frequently asked questions
If you have a question that we haven't covered in this section, would like more detailed help or wish to provide feedback please contact our Website Support team on +44 (0)20 8612 6211 or complete our enquiry form.
How do I find information easily?
To help you find information we have:
- improved our search facility
- grouped pages by subject (e.g. Employment law)
- grouped pages by section (e.g. Membership, Qualifications).
Our improved search delivers better and more relevant results. Try it out by typing a keyword into the search box in the top navigation area and clicking on 'Go'.
For more help about how to get the most of your results look at our search help page.
Our subject pages highlight links to subject information such as
- practical advice, guidance and tools
- information from People Management magazine
- publications
- training courses
- events
- useful links.
To go to a specific subject, select it from the 'Subjects' drop down list in the top navigation area and click on 'Go'.
Our section pages provide you with information on our various products and services. To go to a specific section, select it from the 'Sections' drop down list in the top navigation area and click on 'Go'.
Familiarise yourself with our subjects and sections by looking at our site map.
Below are some links and navigation routes to popular areas:
How do I know what web browser type I am using?
To determine your browser version and security level (cipher strength) follow the steps below.
-
Internet Explorer Users (PC):
At the top of the browser window in the toolbar section, click on Help. From the Help drop down menu, select About Internet Explorer. In the window that appears you will see the version number and cipher strength.
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Internet Explorer Users (Mac):
Select the Apple menu at the top of the screen. From the Apple drop down menu, select About Internet Explorer. In the window that appears you will see the version number and cipher strength.
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Netscape Users:
To see the version number, click on Help from the toolbar section at the top of the browser window.
From the Help drop down menu, select About Navigator/Communicator.
In the window that appears you will see the version number.
The different Netscape web browser versions display their security level information in different areas. Please contact the Website Support team if you wish to check your security level.
If you do not have the most up-to-date browser version, you might like to download a free copy to your PC. See section below for details on how to do this.
How do I update my web browser?
You can download the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape free of charge from their websites:
Can I view the website using the AOL browser?
There is a known problem with the AOL browser. If you are experiencing difficulties, minimize your AOL browser and use either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator whilst connected to the Internet with AOL. To do this on a PC running the Windows 95 and later operating systems, go to Start > Programmes and select either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
How do I make sure that I have cookies enabled?
A cookie is a small text file placed on your PC by the CIPD website when you visit. Many websites use cookies, primarily to identify users when they come to the site. The CIPD website uses a cookie to
- identify users on the website
- allow access to certain areas of the site
- personalise the website for each user
These cookies are not harmful to your PC and help us to improve our website service to you. If however you have switched off the ability for your PC to accept them then you will not be able to access certain areas of our website.
Generally people have their ability to accept cookies enabled on their PC. If you are concerned about the cookies you are receiving and do not want to keep them enabled we suggest that you either:
- change your ability to accept cookies to 'prompt' which means you decide whether you want to accept a cookie before you enter a website
- switch your ability to accept cookies on before accessing our website and then disable them once you have left our website
If you need instructions on how to enable/disable/prompt for cookies on your PC then please contact the Website Support team who will be able to talk you through the process.
Why do I have problems viewing the website when I'm using the recommended software and settings?
If you are having problems viewing our website please contact the Website Support team who will do their best to resolve the problem.
The CIPD works hard to ensure that everyone can use our website easily. Circumstances beyond our control sometimes make this difficult and we cannot support all configurations of all web browser versions on all PC types.
The website supports versions 4.0 and above of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. If you are experiencing difficulties with any of these web browsers, it may be because their configuration has been customised to work with the computer network they are a part of or with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) you use to connect to the Internet from home.
How do I change my screen settings?
This site is best viewed with a screen resolution of 800 x 600. To change this on a PC running the Windows 95 and upwards later operating systems, go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Settings and change the screen area by using the sliding bar. On an Apple Macintosh, you can click on the Monitor & Sound icon accessed via the Control Panel underneath the Apple Menu to change the resolution.
What other settings can I change to make viewing the website easier?
We've made every effort to provide a useful website for as many people as possible. We avoid using colour combinations, which cause difficulties for people with colour blindness and make provisions for people who are visually impaired. This follows many of the recommendations from the RNIB Web Accessibility Initiative. We continue to monitor our site on a regular basis to improve accessibility for people with sensory disabilities.
If you want, you can have a read-only overview of the site by looking at the site map.
If you are using the latest version of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator and have difficulty reading pages on this site, menu options are available on your browser to alter/override the:
- text size
- text colour
- background colour
- line length, by changing the size and shape of your browser window
- colour scheme of this and other websites with your preferred settings.
If you need help changing your settings please contact the Website Support team who will be able to talk you through the process.
How do I save the address of the CIPD website?
The address of our site is http://www.cipd.co.uk. If you want to come back to this site at any time, type in the address in the browser address bar and press enter. To save you doing this more than once, add this page to your Favourites. In Internet Explorer click on Favourites > add to favourites > and then name the page something that you will remember like CIPD. If you are using Netscape Navigator - go to Bookmarks, it works in the same way as Favourites.
How do I view pictures in the CIPD Update e-newsletter?
When the CIPD Update e-newsletter is opened in Microsoft Outlook 2003, it doesn't show pictures automatically. To download pictures, right-click in the e-newsletter and select 'download pictures'.
If you would like the pictures to download automatically every time you receive the e-newsletter, you can add the email address noreply@cipd.co.uk as a safe sender using the instructions below.
- In the CIPD Update email you will see the text:
'Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.'
- Right-click and choose 'Add sender to safe senders list'.
- Click on ok.
- The email address noreply@cipd.co.uk will now be added to your Safe Senders List.