HR Radar: How do you foster an improved work/life balance?
HR professionals share practical strategies to improve work/life balance, including flexible working arrangements, volunteer programs, extended holiday options, and wellness initiatives. Three HR directors explain how their organizations foster employee wellbeing while maintaining high performance.
HR Tip: Contractual Changes
When overtime arrangements change, you don’t need to issue new contracts. Instead, provide each employee with written notice of the contractual changes within one month of implementation.
How Did I Get Here, HR Director, Swizzels-Matlow
Nici Matlow, HR Director at Swizzels-Matlow, discusses how the confectionery company combines strategic people management with a family-oriented culture. She explains her role overseeing recruitment, training, and wages while emphasizing the importance of hands-on HR practices that understand both organizational and employee needs.
What happened next? Should a grievance be lodged? By Sarah Fletcher
A bullying manager’s harsh public criticism of an employee’s coursework and appearance escalated workplace tension, prompting consideration of a formal grievance. After seeking advice, the employee attempted direct conversation, received an inadequate apology, and ultimately decided to seek employment elsewhere due to damaged trust.
Case Study: BT promotes HR to centre stage
BT Group brought HR functions back in-house to gain control over employee data and reduce costs from outsourcing. The telecommunications company aimed to make HR more strategic, enabling faster reporting and helping shape business strategy rather than serving as just an overhead function.
News in Brief: The Week in HR – Fair reward pays
Fair reward practices boost employee engagement and motivation, according to CIPD research. The study reveals that staff are more enthusiastic when their skills and efforts are recognized, though only 41% of organizations prioritize fairness in reward strategies. Companies must monitor reward systems regularly and communicate transparently about benefits.
The Couch?! Is hit by cupid’s arrow
A nationwide survey reveals that 60% of employees feel positive about their bosses, sparking workplace romance tips for Valentine’s Day. From moonlit strolls past photocopiers to serenading colleagues with Beatles songs, The Couch shares humorous advice for expressing workplace affection.
Employee benefits and productivity: Why I drank a beetroot this morning!
A corporate healthcare executive shares his personal health transformation and reveals new research showing that 98% of management colleagues admit to unhealthy lifestyle habits. He explains how simple wellness changes and employer-supported benefits can boost employee productivity and performance without significant cost.
What’s the answer? Sickness and maternity
Employers managing employees returning from maternity leave with post-natal depression must balance support with business needs. Legal experts explain handling return-to-work requests, medical fitness assessments, and sick leave protocols to navigate this sensitive situation.
Insight: Energising internal communications
Effective internal communication requires more than just information delivery—it demands engagement and inspiration. Tom Harvey, communications manager at Nationwide Building Society, argues that most organizations train presentations rather than real communication skills, and that managers must learn facilitation techniques and emotional intelligence to drive meaningful workplace conversations.
HR Briefing Issue 282: Employment law – can you fire for personal reasons?
Explore the legal boundaries of employment termination in this HR briefing examining whether employers can dismiss employees for personal reasons rather than performance-related issues, with expert guidance on what employment law permits.
Briefing: Protecting against violence in the workplace
Front-line staff face increasing workplace violence, with verbal abuse up 35% and physical attacks rising 14%. Employers must assess risks, protect employees from preventable situations, and ensure adequate insurance coverage to manage liability from violent incidents.
What can HR learn from: The theatre?
HR departments can enhance internal communications by incorporating theatre-skills like scripted drama and role-play. This approach makes messages more engaging, meaningful, and actionable for employees, helping them internalize key concepts around brand, values, and organizational change.
Case Study: Barclays engages call centre staff with IIP
Barclays’ Gadbrook Park call centre in Cheshire reduced staff turnover by implementing a “well being” strategy focused on employee support, including a concierge service and wellness programs addressing personal finance, health, and life management to improve retention and workplace satisfaction.
Payroll Tip: Childcare vouchers provided by the employer
Childcare vouchers provided by employers as a salary sacrifice benefit offer tax and NICs relief for both employees and employers. Introduced in April 2005, these non-cash vouchers can be redeemed at nurseries of the employee’s choice, with employers choosing between in-house administration or commercial voucher scheme providers.
Mobile working: Taking the workplace with you
Mobile working enables staff to access information from anywhere, boosting productivity, response times, and workplace flexibility. By reducing paperwork and allowing workers to complete tasks on the move, businesses can improve efficiency while offering employees better work-life balance.
Off the record: Can I dismiss an employee no one gets on with?
Dismissing an employee for personality clashes carries legal risks in the UK. Employers must ensure the reason isn’t discrimination-based and follow fair dismissal procedures, especially after one year of employment, to avoid unfair dismissal claims and unlimited compensation.
Life Coach at Large: The graduate
Emma Ranson Bellamy reflects on completing her life coaching diploma and overcoming her fear of public speaking by delivering an unrehearsed, heartfelt graduation speech. She explores how influential people on her journey transformed her life and shares her techniques for managing public speaking anxiety.
Emp law briefing: Rolled-up holiday pay
The EU Advocate General has issued an opinion on rolled-up holiday pay arrangements, where wages include holiday payments spread throughout the year rather than paid during leave. The opinion suggests such arrangements can be lawful if employers have clear systems ensuring workers actually take their holidays, striking a middle ground between conflicting UK court decisions.
How Did I Get Here? Director of Resources, Forum for the Future
Patti Whaley, Director of Resources at Forum for the Future, oversees HR, finance, and organizational management at the sustainability-focused charity. She discusses building a learning culture, retaining talented staff in the nonprofit sector, and the unique challenges of HR within the charity environment.
