In a Nutshell: Five steps for managing workplace conflict
Workplace conflict can be caused by anything from differences in individuals’ personalities and style to disagreements over the direction of given ideas and activities. It can even be the result of an office romance. But unresolved conflict can lead to a loss of productivity, increased employee stress levels, less effective collaboration and team-problem solving as […]
News: HMRC worker sacked after being found guilty of sharing tax credit details
A tax office worker has been sacked after using work computer systems to disclose confidential information to her landlord. Natalie Brennan, 41, could go to prison after pleading guilty to wrongful disclosure at Preston Crown Court. Her crime was to divulge information about a tax credits claim made by Mary Houghton, a former partner […]
The senior HR interim recruitment market: An insight
What’s the current global interim market like? From a UK financial services perspective it’s very competitive, with more candidates than opportunities. The current market consists of career interims, ex-consultants happy to be interims, and those available immediately who are ideally seeking perm but will take a contract in the meanwhile. With the candidate market being […]
News: Employers join with working mums to slam proposed maternity leave cuts
Employers and working mums have joined together in slamming coalition government proposals to cut default maternity leave from 26 to 18 weeks in order to share the remaining entitlement between both partners. Legislative changes to maternity and paternity leave, which are expected to be announced in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday 9 May, were greeted […]
News: Boots’ move to slash Sunday pay unlawful, rules tribunal
A move by Boots to slash workers’ Sunday pay has been ruled unlawful by an employment tribunal and could see it having to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation. The retailer cut its Sunday pay rate for employees that were taken on before October 2000 from double time to time-and-a-half last June. The […]
Ask the Expert: What is the legal status of union-appointed safety reps?
The question Under The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, only trades unions can appoint safety representatives – they can do this whether the employer wishes them to or not and indeed they can appoint as many safety representatives as they want. These […]
Legal Insight: The pros and cons of the employee share ownership model
On the last day of April, the government agency that administers the pensions of 1.5 million former and current civil servants became the first ‘mutual’ organisation in Whitehall. MyCSP Ltd will take over the operation of the state-run pension scheme, but will also be able to expand and bid for new business under the shared-ownership […]
News: Whitehall contractor status crackdown mauled for ‘missing the point’
Plans outlined by the chief secretary to the Treasury to crack down on 2,000 senior civil servants who are being paid as if they were contractors rather than staff have been criticised by industry experts. The coalition government started to investigate the issue, which has been branded in some quarters as tax evasion, in February […]
Blog: Why you should beware of video CVs
Following attendance at a recent recruitment industry event, it seems that the idea of using video CVs as a recruitment tool may be coming back into ‘vogue’ – certainly if the number of companies extolling the benefits and trying to sell their systems and software to me are anything to go by. I first encountered video CVs as a concept […]
Legal Insight: Health matters part 3 – Tackling presenteeism
‘Presenteeism’ can have many meanings. On the one hand, the term can refer to employees who feel that they need to be at the office for longer than everyone else in order to show the boss how dedicated they are. On the other, it can apply to staff members who turn up for work […]
Legal Insight: Age discrimination – What you can and can’t do
The abolition of the default retirement age in 2011 has meant that age discrimination has now become a major issue for many employers. The good news is that, unlike other grounds for discrimination, both direct and indirect age discrimination can be objectively justified. The bad news is that there has, to date, been very little […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, Tara Daynes
As a freelance HR professional, employment law consultant and corporate trainer, Tara Daynes needs to be confident presenting to large groups as well as on a one-to-one basis. Luckily, she learned the art of presenting early on as she went to stage school. “I was all singing and dancing”, she remembers. Media success came […]
News: KPMG HR blunder #3: Failing to pay staff salaries
If HM Revenue & Customs didn’t have such a knack for mishaps, KPMG’s embarrassment might be more acute after it was revealed that the Big Four firm failed to pay its staff as expected on Friday 29 April. KPMG staffers are usually paid on the 29th of each month, and if that date falls on […]
Ask the Expert: Can a sacked employee with less than a year’s service claim discrimination?
The question If an employee with less than one year’s service (six months) is instantly dismissed for breaching company policy, is there any legal obligation to hear their side of the story? Other members of staff have been breaching the same rule (use of company vehicles), but have not yet been disciplined – they […]
News: Male air steward loses BA lawsuit over colleague calling him ‘darling’
A male air steward who sued British Airways because a female colleague called him “darling” has had his case dismissed by an employment tribunal. Rothstein Williams, who is 42 years old and a Seventh Day Adventist, sued the airline for discrimination on religious grounds. According to the Daily Telegraph, during a pre-hearing review of […]
News: Kate Bleasdale v Healthcare Locums case turns dirty
The former chairman of Healthcare Locums, Alan Walker, has denied “sexual impropriety” with dismissed chief executive Kate Bleasdale amid allegations of accounting irregularities at the company. Bleasdale, who is representing herself at the London employment tribunal, is suing Walker – and HCL’s board members – for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal. The medical staffing […]
Case Study: Baker & McKenzie attempts to optimise leaders’ performance with 360 degree feedback
International law firm Baker & McKenzie has embedded 360 degree feedback processes into its people strategy in a bid to enable staff “to be the best they can be”. The company provides legal services to multinational companies and financial institutions. It employs more than 3,750 lawyers in 70 countries around the world, including more than […]
Legal Insight: Health matters part 2 – Dealing with ‘problem absences’
In the first instalment of this three-part guide to managing sickness absence, we considered both the importance of developing a good policy and how to manage sickness absence on a day-to-day basis. And in this second article, it will become all too clear exactly how important these initial stages are when you are presented with […]
News: Employers can force retirement in ‘public interest’, rules Supreme Court
Employers are within their rights to force employees to retire if they can prove that there is a public interest reason in doing so, according to a landmark legal ruling. The UK’s Supreme Court unanimously dismissed an appeal today by solicitor, Leslie Seldon, who was told to retire by Clarkson Wright & Jakes just after […]
HMRC’s Real Time Information: What you need to know
By law, all employers will have to submit RTI to HM Revenue & Customs by October 2013. This will mean reporting information to HMRC every time they pay their employees instead of summiting a summary form at the end of the tax year. Payroll software will collect the necessary information and send it to HMRC […]
