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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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Shared Parental Leave causing waves in the courts! The Shared Parental Leave Regulations came into force in December 2014 allowing parents to share the care of the child over the 52 week leave period following the birth/adoption. SPL also saw the end of additional paternity leave. Almost three ye…
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Do your apprenticeship contracts fall within the scope of the new rules on apprentices? With the apprenticeship levy in full swing it is important to note that apprenticeship contracts need to be such that they fall within the scope of the new rules on apprentices, rather than the old common-law ru…
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QInteractive 2017 - Another highly successful event Firstly, we would like to thank everyone who attended QInteractive 2017 which was held on Friday, 30th June at Leicester Race Course. We would like to extend a special thanks to our guest speakers and presenters Wasim Khan, Eileen Richards, Chris…
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What lessons can we learn from children? When it comes to living in the adult world, we sometimes need to take a step back and reflect on what we are doing/saying/teaching/treating – (delete the appropriate words) and think about how we can become better/more productive/efficient/worthy – (delete a…
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Imagine the scene – it’s Week 3 of the year’s 2nd Quarter. You know how important it is that the first month of the Q is a successful one, as it helps build momentum or maybe even carry the momentum forward from a successful Q1. Everyone is expecting you to deliver a strong performance, because that…
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All the staff at Quest want to send their thoughts to the friends, family and all those affected by the fire that ravaged through the Grenfell Tower housing block on Wednesday 14th June. We also want to praise the efforts and speed of reaction by the London Fire Brigade and the teamwork of the ambu…
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Incremental Holiday System – Increasing holiday entitlement Increasing holiday entitlement for long serving employees is one of the methods employers use to reward employees for their commitment to the company. This week a client wanted to implement an incremental holiday system based on employee…
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Who is at risk of HAVS? Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is a workplace disease that causes pain and damage in fingers, hands and arms. The main causes are prolonged use of power tools and operating heavy machinery. So, who is at risk? That will depend on the type of equipment you are using and…
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