Colborn’s Corner: Want to leave a tip?
New employment law changes take effect October 1, including National Minimum Wage increases and new regulations on how tips count toward employee remuneration. Quentin Colborn examines the wage increases across age groups and explores the broader debate over government intervention in pay practices.
Top tips: Boosting motivation at work
Boost team motivation without increasing pay by maintaining a positive outlook, providing regular performance feedback, and giving employees more autonomy and responsibility. These strategies help keep workers engaged and productive during challenging economic times.
Employment law round-up: Changes in October
Employment law changes take effect on 1 October, including significant amendments to how tips are calculated toward the national minimum wage. Tips and gratuities can no longer be counted as remuneration, closing loopholes in tronc systems previously used to avoid National Insurance contributions.
Tribunal report shows redundancy claims up
Employment Tribunal claims fell 20% overall between 2008-2009, but redundancy-related claims surged significantly. Redundancy pay claims jumped 48% and failures to inform and consult on redundancy more than doubled, indicating employers’ widespread non-compliance with legal obligations.
Getting the best from Generation Y
Generation Y employees seek meaningful work and purpose beyond salary and titles, requiring HR professionals to shift recruitment and retention strategies. Unlike previous generations, Gen Y values flexibility, global mobility, and societal contribution, demanding a holistic approach that develops intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intelligence.
Now is the time for a new role
Managers must adapt their roles during economic downturns to lead teams effectively. Rather than hoping conditions improve or simply working faster, leaders should recognize their jobs have fundamentally changed and help their teams find clarity and purpose in the crisis.
How HR can sell itself to top management
HR departments often fail to demonstrate their strategic value through effective marketing, leading to budget cuts despite genuine business impact. To win over top management, HR leaders must understand executives’ priorities—such as profitability and competitive advantage—and present HR initiatives in quantifiable financial terms that directly address business problems.
Ask the expert: Long-term absence during probation
An employee on probation has been absent due to medical investigations for eight weeks, with her doctor advising against return despite feeling well. Experts warn that dismissing her could create discrimination risks, particularly if she has a disability, and recommend obtaining an occupational health report and following fair procedures first.
The key to creating a great place to work
Creating a great workplace requires flexible leadership and addressing root causes of burnout. UK workers suffer from excessive hours, stress-related absences, and poor work-life balance that damage productivity. Leaders must adopt externally-focused strategies, prioritize employee wellbeing, and foster cultures that attract and retain motivated talent.
High court says retirement age can stay – for now
A UK High Court ruled that the Default Retirement Age of 65 can remain in place for now, though the judge acknowledged strong arguments against mandatory retirement and noted the government’s planned 2010 review may lead to changes.
Tackling prejudice at work
Workplace discrimination cases are rising, requiring HR professionals to actively identify and eliminate prejudice in their organizations. Experts recommend honest acknowledgment of bias, data monitoring to spot unfair patterns, and training to help employees make fair decisions in recruitment, promotion, and discipline.
How to prevent stress in the workplace
Preventing workplace stress requires training managers in attentiveness toward employees and creating inclusive working communities where individuals can contribute meaningfully. This approach is more effective and cost-efficient than treating stress after it develops.
How talent development drives a high-performance culture
Unified talent development is key to building a high-performance culture that boosts employee engagement, reduces turnover, and improves overall business results. Organizations must assess their current culture, identify star performers, and implement tailored development plans for different employee types to create sustainable success.
HR tip: Limiting recruitment – discrimination?
Limiting recruitment visits to only one school instead of four could potentially constitute sex discrimination, particularly when the excluded schools include a girls-only institution. To mitigate legal risk while reducing recruitment costs, consider shorter visits or alternative engagement methods like hosting school careers advisers at your site.
The business case for diversity
Research shows diversity delivers real business benefits, including increased sales revenue, more customers, and greater profits. A study by Professor Cedric Herring proved racial diversity significantly boosts business performance, while gender diversity also drives sales growth and profitability, making diversity a must-do for organizations.
Ask the expert: Short-term lay-offs
Employers can temporarily lay off shift workers without pay if the contract includes such a clause, but notice requirements depend on specific contract terms. Courts scrutinize unilateral variation clauses, so professional review of your lay-off provisions is essential to ensure enforceability.
Caption competition: And the winner is…
Paul Gregory wins this month’s caption competition with his witty entry about ‘Fred the Shred’ and his bonus spending. The post also highlights a concerning gender pay gap in UK financial services, where women earn around 80% less in performance-related pay than men.
Achieving value-add performance management
Effective performance management adds organizational value when integrated into daily work conversations rather than treated as an annual compliance task. Leaders must align individual performance with business strategy and foster a culture of candid, supportive feedback to drive both employee and company performance.
Opinion: Working beyond retirement age
A 74-year-old working professional argues that extending working life beyond traditional retirement age benefits both individuals and businesses. He contends that demographic pressures require longer careers, while mature employees provide valuable skills, stability, and customer service benefits that younger workers cannot always match.
Ten top tips: Working from home
Remote workers face unique challenges that require strong leadership and clear communication. These ten tips cover team structure, vision-setting, trust-building, and performance management to help managers and employees succeed while working from home and maintain productivity across distances.
