Blog: Dealing with the thorny legal issue of vicarious liability

Employers should not turn a blind eye to allegations of harassment.  They should be investigated fully as quickly as possible and dealt with appropriately and fairly.       In cases of sexual or racial harassment that are taken to an employment tribunal, an employer may have to defend an allegation of vicarious liability.     […]

News: Christians cannot refuse to work on Sundays, rules judge

Individual Christians do not have any protection in law against being fired if they refuse to work on Sundays, a High Court judge has ruled. The judgement by Mr Justice Langstaff, president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, upholds an earlier decision by a London tribunal that taking Sunday as a day of rest was not […]

Ask the Expert: Should we allow a sick employee to return to work?

The question One of our sales staff has recently returned to work after an operation on their ankle. Pins were removed and they were told that they could drive after one week.   Three weeks later, however, they were still unable to do so as it was too painful. We advised them to go back […]

News: Bribery Act awareness suffers north-south divide

Just under half of UK employers have not heard of the Bribery Act, with manufacturing and automotive firms in the north of England being particularly unaware. A survey conducted among 50 procurement managers by the Fraud, Investigations and Disputes Services team at management consultancy Ernst & Young revealed that a mere 56% had heard of […]

In a Nutshell: Four considerations when holding a tricky conversation

As an HR pro, being able to talk about sensitive and emotive issues is an important part of the job, but it’s also one of the toughest. If handled badly, such conversations, ranging from performance and conduct to personal matters, can damage team dynamics, lower morale and have a negative impact on attendance and performance […]

Legal Insight: The potential impact of employee shareholder schemes

At the Conservative Party conference last year, the Chancellor George Osborne unveiled plans to create a new employment status – the ‘employee-owner’.  The government promoted these proposals as part of its drive for growth and to give business more flexibility to hire and fire staff.    Some commentators were quick to dismiss them as political […]

Legal Insight: When the (Christmas) party’s over…

As the festive season takes hold, workplaces around the country have been hanging up the tinsel, sending out corporate Christmas cards and thinking about the end of year knees-up. But both HR departments and the wider workforce should be aware that, just because a Christmas party takes place outside of work hours and in rented […]

News: Men who wear pink shirts earn more and are better qualified

Men who wear pink cotton shirts earn more and are better qualified than those who prefer traditional colours such as white or blue, according to a study.   On average, pink-loving males earn £1,000 more a year than those who prefer blue shirts and are twice as likely to have a Masters degree than those […]

News: Investment manager loses £1.7m bonus over poaching lunch

An investment manager lost a £1.7 million bonus claim today after the High Court found that he had breached the terms of his employment contract by trying to poaching another employee over lunch. Fahim Imam-Sadeque had been head of sales for the UK, Middle East and Australia at Royal Bank of Canada’s Bluebay Asset Management […]

Blog: Four tips to help stressed out HR pros relax

Stress is common in the workplace and it negatively impacts the performance of employees. HR managers of small businesses often wear many hats and are placed in the position of recruiter, benefits administrator, payroll processor and more.   Stress in the workplace makes a big impact. In fact, stress was the most common cause of […]

Blog: How to avoid a Christmas bust-up

It’s official now, the Christmas season has started. The city is decorated, sparkling and illuminated.   It is chilly, people have started sipping mulled wine, and pulling and wearing paper hats at Christmas parties. One of my colleagues is even planning her Christmas-tree decoration using a new app on her iPad. So, what’s the spirit […]

Conflict resolution: Learning from the lessons of the Anglican Church

The concept of mediation has been splashed across the headlines lately due to a suitably high-profile conflict: the Anglican Church has been divided in two by the issue of women bishops. But the Church is facing the same question as any conflict-stricken organisation does: what is the best approach to bring about a sustainable, long-term […]

Ask the Expert: Can an employee claim for relocation 5 years on?

The question We have an employee who was relocated in 2007 to a different work venue.   He was entitled to claim a reorganisation allowance for a period of three years after the move and failed to claim at the time, but has now asked whether it can be paid in retrospect.   Our policy […]

News: Employers ‘routinely discriminate against women from ethnic minorities’

A group of MPs and peers has urged the government to take steps to improve equality in employment procedures after it was revealed that many employers routinely discriminate against women from ethnic minorities. A report produced by the Runnymede Trust for the all-party parliamentary group on race and community found that females belonging to ethnic […]

Blog: New Year’s resolution #1: Become a charity trustee

In his Autumn Statement this week, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the UK economy is set to shrink by a worse than expected 0.1% this year. So with an uncertain business climate ahead, businesses will need to work more smartly than ever to ensure that their employees are productive and engaged during 2013.   One […]

Seasonal workers – How to ensure many happy returns

Many organisations look forward to the festive season as a time of generating major revenues – and, despite the difficult economic climate, it appears that business was brisker for many in November than had been expected. To ensure that things run smoothly during this busy time, however, most rely on temporary labour to help them […]

2012 – The year in full

HRZone editor, Cath Everett, picks out the key events from what has, once again, been a challenging year for the HR community:       January   The PM’s views on popular capitalism: Employee-ownership, Living Wages etc Increasingly fragile UK jobs market was set to get worse More strikes and legal action threatened over public […]

Legal Insight: Would you hire a reservist?

A recent government announcement that the Territorial Army and other UK reserve forces are to grow to around 35,000 by 2020 will inevitably have an impact on both private and public sector employers as most reservists also have civilian jobs. A consultation entitled ‘Future Reserves 2020: Delivering the Nation’s Security Together’ proposes measures to create […]

News: Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Statement for HR at-a-glance

Here are the key HR-related announcements of Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Budget Statement:  Civil service spending/job cuts   Whitehall departments will be required to shave 1% off their running costs during the financial year 2013/14 and a further 2% the following year in order to save £3.4 billion on top of existing cuts.   Another […]

News: Govt pursues shares-for-rights scheme despite lack of support

 The government has decided to press ahead with its plans for ‘employee-owner’ contracts despite a lack of support among either employers or employees. A consultation by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed that most organisations would choose not to take up the new rights, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his […]