Legal Insight: Surviving the Christmas party
The Christmas party season is upon us again. But while it is known as a time of goodwill to all men, the Christmas period can cause massive headaches for employers. In particular, the office party, where the mulled wine is flowing freely, can lead to a number of employment-related challenges as alcohol-fuelled employees have […]
More private sector collaboration will lead to brain drain, warn public sector bosses
Increased collaboration with the private sector will harm staff morale and and mean that key skills, experience and knowledge is lost, public sector bosses have warned. Although leaders are bracing themselves for significant increases in public-private sector collaboration over the next few years, the majority have big doubts over the likely success of such a […]
Two out of five employers plan to axe Christmas party
Two out of five employers are axing this year’s Christmas party, but half have yet to break the news to staff, according to a study. The survey of 2,532 company bosses undertaken by online restaurant booking service www.table7.com also revealed that, even those still planning to continue with the festive celebrations intended to have a […]
Employers drag feet in evaluating cost impact of pension auto-enrolment
The introduction of pension auto-enrolment among large companies next year will result in lower wage growth in some instances as well as reduced hiring activity and less generous employer contributions in others. These are the key findings of a survey among 653 HR professionals undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and published […]
HRD Insight: Jack Morton’s Fiona Lawlor on sustainable engagement
If there’s one thing that’s needed to help business survive recession, it’s an engaged workforce. Yet all around, there are signs that such engagement is sadly lacking in British industry today. The majority of UK workers have had much to contend with over recent years, including pay freezes and soaring inflation. Add to this […]
Ask the Expert: How do I ensure that shift workers get the right holiday?
The question We have a team of 24/7/365 shift workers working four days on, four days off, 12 hours each shift. Using the calculation on the Direct.Gov website (5.6 weeks entitlement x 3.5 shifts worked per week = 19.6 12 hour shifts annual entitlement), the team is entitled to 19.6 shifts off per year […]
High Court rules in Government’s favour on pension change
The High Court has ruled in favour of the Coalition Government’s decision to link public sector pensions to a lower inflation measure than used to be the case up until April. Trade unions had brought a judicial review into the legality of the Government’s switch from using the Consumer Prices Index rather than the faster-growing […]
Update: PM dismisses national day of action as “damp squib”
The Prime Minister dismissed the biggest national walk-out since the 1970s as a “damp squib”, even though the majority of schools across the UK were shut, services were disrupted and demonstrations took place across the country. His statement at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday came only hours before Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, appearing on […]
Legal Insight: Limiting the cost of a national walk-out
The country is bracing itself for the biggest walk-out since the 1926 General Strike. This Wednesday, up to three million public sector workers are expected to take industrial action against changes to their pension scheme. A wide variety of institutions will be directly affected, including schools and colleges, courts and public offices, hospitals, airports […]
Blog: A two-minute guide to employer branding
So, you’re an employer. You have a Staff Handbook and have made sure that you are complying with basic employment law. You think that you’re an OK employer, and provide an OK place to work. But is OK enough? Why not be a great employer? If you’ve got the basics in place, don’t stop there […]
Christian worker sues after alleged bullying by Muslim colleagues
A Christian airport worker is suing her former employers for unfair dismissal after speaking out against what she claimed was a campaign of “race hate” by Muslim colleagues. According to the Telegraph, Nohad Halawi, who worked at Terminal three in Heathrow Airport, attested that she and other Christian colleagues were subjected to bullying and intimidation […]
Update: Auto-enrolment delayed for small businesses
Small businesses are to be given an extra year before they have to start enrolling their employees into workplace pension schemes. The move will apply to firms employing less than 50 staff and is being portrayed as a boost for business. More than 44% of the entire UK workforce – the equivalent of about four […]
Unions rubbish ministerial claims of £500m strike cost
Unions have dismissed ministerial claims that next week’s national day of action will cost the UK economy up to £500 million and lead to public sector job losses as “fantasy economics”. The Treasury arrived at its figure by totting up the potential impact on public sector output as well as the knock-on effect on the […]
HMRC staff vote for strike action over call centre privatisation plans
A majority of HM Revenue and Customs’ staff have voted to take strike action over plans to privatise two contact centres. Private contractors are scheduled, to take over the call centres, which deal with tax credits queries, from January next year as a trial exercise. Seven out of 10 members of the Public and […]
Should HR be regulated?
HR departments play an important role in ensuring that businesses comply with regulatory requirements. By monitoring conformance with industry-specific guidelines, guaranteeing adherence to legislation and keeping paper trails updated, HR professionals help organisations to avoid the penalties and fines that can damage or even destroy reputations. But what about regulation relating to the HR […]
‘Protected conversations’ will create business “nightmare”
Coalition Government proposals to introduce ‘protected conversations’ risk “creating a field day for employment lawyers and a nightmare for businesses”, experts have warned. Among a raft of proposed changes to UK employment law mooted by Business Secretary Vince Cable this morning, one of the most controversial was enabling employers to hold ‘protected conversations’ with staff […]
Government minister threatens strike law changes
The case for reforming strike laws will become “very pressing” if public sector workers press ahead with industrial action at the end of the month, a Coalition Government Minister has warned. Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude told BBC 1’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday that such legislation was kept “under review”, adding that a mass […]
Blog: The value of early intervention
Mary is an established member of her team, with good social and professional relationships with her co-workers. Her boss has managed the unit with a fair degree of success (neither perfect nor imperfect), and everyone knows where the boundaries are and what is expected of them. Boss moves on with fond farewells. New boss […]
Legal Insight: Qantas of solace – Would Oz’s dispute resolution model work in the UK?
Qantas’ unprecedented decision to ground its entire fleet of aeroplanes during a recent industrial dispute has provoked huge debate across both the country and the world. The clash, the response of the Australian national airline’s management to it and the subsequent decision of national workplace relations tribunal, Fair Work Australia, to order an end to […]
Update: UK worker loses race discrimination claim against Chinese telco
A UK worker has lost his case against a Chinese telecoms company that he sued for race discrimination after claiming that 49 workers in Basingstoke were axed and replaced with Chinese nationals. Judeson Peter, a customer support engineer who was paid £48,000 per annum by Huawei Technologies, accused the firm of making him redundant because […]