The new retirement age – implications for employers and employees
A radical shake up of the state pensions announced by the coalition government will involve an acceleration of the plans to raise the retirement age in order to help reduce the budget deficit and a plan to scrap the default retirement age of 65 from 1 October 2011. These controversial announcements have received some mixed […]
Ask the expert: Restrictive covenants
This week the experts, Martin Brewer and Esther Smith, advise on whether restrictive covenants can be enforced. The question: Restrictive covenants I have a three-month notice period in my contract and the usual restrictive covenants that you would expect of a middle manager, however after six months into my 1.5 years with the company […]
Employees exposed to contract and pay issues
Too many personnel are potentially leaving themselves exposed, with just under a third not reading their employment contracts adequately and one in 10 failing to understand the details of their payslips. The Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP) also warned that the increasing number of e-payslips currently being introduced by employers could lead to even more […]
Ask the expert: Successive fixed term contracts
This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith, advise on whether you can justify fixed term contracts. The question: Justifying fixed term contracts What is deemed to be an objectively justified reason for using successive Fixed Term Contracts? We have several staff on Fixed Term Contracts. I know that employees on fixed-term contracts […]
HR must not fall for the ‘delusion of gender’
HR professionals need to be careful of indulging in ‘neurosexism’, after revelations that widely accepted differences between male and female abilities are not hard-wired into their brains from birth but are the result of cultural assumptions. Cordelia Fine, a researcher at Melbourne University, argues in her book entitled ‘Delusions of Gender’, which is due to […]
Union urges BT employees with damaged hearing to claim
Only days after the Communications Workers Union voted to accept BT’s pay deal worth 9.3% over three years, it is urging engineers suffering from tinnitus and deafness to seek compensation from the telco for potential negligence. Compensation claims are currently being looked at in Cardiff County Court, which has asked the solicitors involved to consider […]
Ask the expert: Poorly performing line manager
This week the experts, Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on how to handle a poorly performing manager. The question: I have inherited a poor performing line manager in my team, the issues are: There is no team motivation in his department He is not spending anytime training & developing his new team members […]
Employment law takeaways: August
Employment law takeaways: our bitesize legal updates for busy HR professionals, provided by Suzanne Horne of Morrison and Foerster. This month, retirement caps, misunderstandings and badly-worded letters. 1. Kraft Foods UK Limited v Hastie – Retirement linked redundancy cap not age discrimination2. Worrall v Wilmott Dixon Partnership Limited – Transferred collective agreements are changed by […]
Ask the expert: Change to rate of bank holiday pay
This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith advise on how to change a rate of pay. The question: Change to rate of bank holiday pay I am thinking of reducing the premium we pay to staff for working on a bank holiday from double time to time and a half. We have […]
April ‘too soon’ for retirement age scrapping
The CBI has warned that the coalition government’s proposals to phase out the Default Retirement Age from April next year are too swift and will make workforce planning “next to impossible”. The government’s consultation document, which was released today, suggests that the DRA should be officially scrapped on 1 October 2011. It also proposes that […]
Eye care: What you need to know
Eye watering statistics from a recent survey reveal that a large number of British employers are failing to comply with laws obliging them to care for the eyesight of their computer using employees. Here we present a definitive guide to what you need to provide to employees and what their rights in this area are. […]
Employers face legal action due to sun danger
Employers in the UK could find themselves facing legal action if they do not sufficiently protect their employees from skin damage caused by working for prolonged periods in the sun. The news comes after a significant case in Australia where an employer was found liable for damages when employees who developed skin cancer after working […]
Ask the expert: Resign or seek severance?
Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on whether this employee should resign or seek a severance payment. The question: Resign or seek severance? A year ago I negotiated flexible working with my employer (I work four longer days Mon-Thurs and take Friday off) so I could help care for my parents. My mother is now […]
Out of date policies putting businesses at risk
Too many companies are failing to revise internal procedures in order to comply with new equality and anti-bribery legislation, leaving them open to potential prosecution, lawyers have warned. According to a survey of more than 100 HR directors undertaken by law firm Pannone, just under two thirds of respondents still routinely use pre-employment health questionnaires […]
Ask the expert: Default retirement age
This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith advise on how to deal with retiring workers. The question: Default retirement age We have a default retirement age of 65 and follow the usual procedures of writing to staff approaching retirement. The organisation has to date accepted every request for staff to remain […]
Be prepared with our guide to the Agency Workers Regulations
The Agency Workers’ Regulations (AWR), due to come into force in 2011, will be one of the most significant and highly-debated pieces of employment legislation in the last decade. Be prepared with this guide and stay up to date with any changes on HRzone.co.uk. The new legislation will mean businesses will have to make […]
Acas launches HR equality guide
The conciliation service Acas has published guidance to help HR professionals prepare for implementing the Equality Act, which is due to come into force this October. The Acas guide entitled ‘The Equality Act: What’s New for Employers?’ explains how the new legislation, which was passed on 8 April and replaces nine current laws including the […]
Ask the expert: Is depression covered by the DDA?
Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on whether depression is covered in this instance under the disability discrimination act. The question: Is depression covered by the DDA? I had been off work for some six weeks with depression. When I returned OH said that I was fit to work, without adjustments, but OH also said […]
Coaches call for better regulation of industry
Most coaches would prefer to see self-regulation rather than government intervention to tackle fears that burgeoning numbers of unqualified people entering the profession could damage its reputation. Although the coalition government has no current plans to regulate the industry, training body, the Coaching Academy, has taken a first step in this direction by sponsoring The […]
Employment law takeaways for July
Employment law takeaways: our bitesize legal updates for busy HR professionals, provided by Suzanne Horne of Morrison and Foerster. This month, vauge resignations, alleged mental disability and whoops-a-daisy (mind your language). 1. J v DLA Piper UK LLP – What does an employee have to prove if s/he alleges s/he has a mental disability? 2. […]
