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Performance management is not a one-off occurrence but instead an all year-round process – managers need to reconsider their methods of appraising their team members and ensuring that this is an ongoing process rather than an annual ‘tick box’ activity.
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Each year, changes to employment law, challenge businesses more and more. Non-compliance can lead to heavy fines putting additional pressure on the SME to remain in business.
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In July, the Supreme Court ruled that employment tribunal fees were unlawful. Following this decision, the number of claims has already increased threefold. The July ruling found that the fees – which were set up to £1,200 - were “discriminatory” against women
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What employment legislation changes are in store for 2018? As the end of the year 2017 beckons, HR professionals will no doubt be thinking ahead to 2018 and what is to come from an employment legislation perspective.
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Guidance for employers at a work Christmas party. As the festive spirit kicks in at this time of the year, employers may wish to share some rules with their employees to avoid any legal implications from a work Christmas party.
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A recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) looks set to have huge financial ramifications for UK businesses with regards to holiday pay.
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Comprehensive employee workplace investigations are an effective risk management tool and are potentially critical to any defence by an employer in the event of potentially litigious proceedings.
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Employment status has a big effect on companies especially when it comes to statutory rights. Considering the gig economy, which is growing rapidly, two companies have dominated the news in recent weeks for this reason
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The government announced in 2016 that changes would be made to the rules relating to tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) on termination payments that will take effect from 6 April 2018.
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The right to take up to two weeks’ paid leave (bereavement leave) after the death of a child is expected to become law in 2020 – this will be one of the most generous in the world.
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Modern life is a stressful place and it is estimated that one in four of the population will encounter a mental health issue within their lifetime. Therefore, there is greater onus on employers to understand and adapt to this increasing epidemic
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What are health and safety audits and why should I do them? Health and safety audits define compliance with health and safety legislation as well as determining if your work activities relate to your planned arrangements (such as how you manage hazardous substances) and whether they are being imple…
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Monetary and time costs can be high when recruiting The expense of recruiting can make quite a dent in the budget when trying to recruit the right person for a vacancy, as Suffolk county council recently found out to their cost. It is reported* that not only did they spend £32,000 looking for a ne…
Read moreSickness absence due to ‘morning sickness” In light of the news that the Duchess of Cambridge had to cancel a recent appointment due to suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), or as more commonly known, extreme morning sickness, I wondered just how this affects the average employer; and just wh…
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Is there a difference in a health and safety fine compared to a fire safety fine? A question that I have been wondering about for some time. You would you’re a health and safety person! Well, yes I suppose I am and proud of it! Back to my quandary. It would appear that two companies were co-handed…
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Why do we have probation periods? Although there is no statutory requirement to include probationary periods in an employment contract, this process is recommended to monitor a new or newly promoted employee’s performance. There is no set period that a probation should be for and therefore it shoul…
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Pallet stacking safely is paramount Accidents can happen if stacking safely is not adhered to. Earlier this year a company was fined £2 million when two stacked plastic bales fell and crushed a man to death. What happened? The bales were stacked three high and around eight or nine deep, however…
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Tips for machine safety when operating machines in the workplace With a couple of recent fatalities in the waste and recycling industry associated to machinery, I want to remind everyone about their duties for machine safety. What happened? The basic principle of these tragedies was contact with…
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Does your business have a drive safely policy, or are you one of the 21% of businesses in the UK that lacks one? The HSE estimate that "more than a quarter of all road traffic incidents may involve someone who is driving as part of their work at the time."
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Tribunal Fees Ruled Unlawful Tribunal fees were introduced on 29 July 2013 as a measure to deal with the high volume of Tribunal claims. As a result of the implementation of this policy tribunal applications were reduced by more than 70% in 3 years! Trade body, Unison sought to challenge the gove…
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