Acas called in after foreign language ban at Waterstones’ distribution depot

Unions at Waterstone’s distribution centre in Burton-on-Trent have contacted Acas after foreign staff were banned from speaking in their native languages during working hours. According to the Burton Mail, Unipart, which operates the warehouse for the book retailer, introduced its ‘English language only’ rule for “health and safety reasons”. It claimed that the move created […]

PAYE changes: everything you need to know

The Government has announced its intention to introduce a new PAYE scheme, which will go live in 2013. It is a major change to the present situation and will have an impact on all employers. The present scheme was introduced in 1944, following significant growth in the working population during the Second World War, and […]

Analysis: First three UK employers accredited for inclusive recruitment practices

Some 18% of working age people are disabled, yet only 48% of disabled people are employed as opposed to 78% of those without a disability. Despite some really well-intentioned employers working hard to attract and retain disabled people, research has revealed that, among the 220 or organisations questioned, there were still barriers to inclusion, primarily […]

Age discrimination awards three times higher than average, warns expert

Employers must be particularly careful to guard against age discrimination claims as average awards last year were three times higher than any other, experts have warned. The ‘Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunals Statistics 2010-11’ report published by the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service revealed that the average age discrimination […]

Blog: Three ways to deal with employee lateness

Employees’ lateness, when not measured and managed properly, can cause businesses thousands of pounds each year in lost productivity and profits. In order to understand how lateness can affect organisation’s bottom line, let’s look at the example below: Company X has 150 employees. 10% of their workforce (15 employees) is persistently late to work by […]

Fresh pension proposals to hit millions of workers in their 40s

Millions of workers in their 40s are expected to be hit by coalition government plans to bring forward increases in the state pension age to 67 by a decade. The news came as an employment tribunal found that a leisure centre worker suffered age discrimination and was unfairly dismissed so that his employer could avoid […]

Business has talent – and much of it over 65

Imagine you had access to the pick of global talent, to some of the most successful business people in the world. Imagine if, in your organisation, you could harness the abilities of any of the following business leaders: Warren Buffett, David Rockefeller, Amar Gopal Bose of Bose Corporation, Gordon Earle Moore of Intel, Bob Oatley […]

Ask the Expert: Is posting Facebook pictures of planking at work acceptable?

The Question  Two members of staff posted pictures of themselves ‘planking’ on Facebook or lying in places that put their health and safety at risk – on top of a top shelf in a backroom and above the back door at work.   Comments have been made about this on Facebook, which included the manager […]

Legal Insight: Preparing for the Agency Workers Regulations

The controversial Agency Workers Regulations hit the headlines again this week, after David Cameron intimated that he was seeking legal advice on how to dilute them, only weeks before the legislation is due to come into force on 1 October. According to the Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister became concerned that the new laws could […]

Blog: Less than 24 days to go! What do you think about the Agency Regs?

In less than 24 days time, the Temporary Agency Regulations (Regulations) come into force.   If reports in the national press this week are correct, the Government is yet again wavering over whether the legislation should be implemented in its current form.  This time though, the deadline is so tight that commentators are speculating whether this is […]

Microsoft loses second top US manager amid fresh UK revelations

Microsoft has lost its second high profile US director in as many weeks amid fresh revelations of inappropriate executive behaviour during its UK High Court battle over sexual harassment claims. According to the Daily Telegraph, Linda Zecher, a board member and vice president of the software giant’s worldwide public sector business, shocked colleagues when she […]

Employers could pay millions in extra VAT recruitment charges for temp staff

Housing associations, charities and financial services companies that rely on temporary staff could pay millions of pounds more in VAT charges to recruitment agencies, after HMRC said it would disregard a tribunal ruling on how much VAT should be applied to the supply of temporary workers.  In March, the First-Tier tribunal hearing involving Reed Employment […]

Update: Fujitsu contractors to strike over “insultingly low” pay offer

More than 1,000 contract Fujitsu staff working for five central government departments and agencies will strike in 11 days time over what they have branded an “insultingly low” pay offer. The joint action between members of the Public and Commercial Services and Unite unions will take place on Monday 19 September and affect IT outsourcing […]

Does performance-related pay provide value for money?

While the average new hire’s salary is 3% down on 18 months ago, pay packages for FTSE 350 bosses have soared 700% since 2002 – despite company share prices spectacularly failing to correspond. A report by The High Pay Commission revealed that most of the jump in directors’ renumeration came in the form of annual […]

Simple steps to help women reach the top

Gender equality remains a problem at the top of UK business. While there is a general consensus that Lord Davies’ call for more of it at board level is a good thing to aim at, many people believe the road to that particular promised land will be much longer and far more arduous than first […]

Female unemployment to jump again from 23-year high

Even as it became clear that Lord Davies’ boardroom gender targets were being ignored by most UK companies, the TUC warned that female unemployment rates were set to jump further from current 23-year highs. An analysis of official statistics undertaken by the union umbrella organisation revealed that, because the number of women employed in the […]

Legal Insight: The religious discrimination issue

The Church of England recently attempted to re-open the long-running debate over the issue of religion (and religious expression) in the workplace. But the legal position is far from straightforward. How far employers should go in accommodating the religious needs and requirements of staff is an issue that typically polarises opinion. The Church believes that […]

Ask the Expert: How sick is sick?

The Question A member of staff has been off sick for two weeks (one week self-certified, the other with a doctor’s note). While off sick, she has been posting on a social networking site that she has been to Bristol to have a new tattoo, has been out and about with friends and has also […]

Criminal convictions for tax evasion jump 38% in a year

The number of criminal convictions for tax evasion jumped by 38% over the past year as HMRC has taken a more focused approach to dealing with the problem. The number of convictions increased  to 148 for the year to 31 March 2011, according to figures obtained from HMRC under the Freedom of Information Act, with […]

Going for gold – the role of HR in Olympic tenders

With less than a year to go until the Olympics, much is being written about the expected impact on the workforce, including an increase in sickness absence and requests for flexible working. But another much less discussed issue is the stringent tender process that companies are having to go through to be considered ‘fit to […]