What are the requirements to qualify for shared parental leave?
Adding a new dimension of flexibility to the work environment, shared parental leave (SPL) was introduced to allow parents to share their parental responsibilities in a way convenient for them during...
View ArticleWhat are the regulations regarding annual leave entitlement?
Every worker is entitled a period of paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. Annual leave starts to accrue from the beginning of the employment contract and continues to accrue...
View ArticleCan an employer dismiss an employee who is off sick?
Despite the fact that having an employee who is on long-term sickness leave can be challenging on business resources, there are certain protocols every employer should follow when deciding whether an...
View ArticleCan an employee’s contract of employment be changed once signed?
It is not unusual for a change to employees’ terms and conditions to present itself in an employment relationship. These changes can arise due to a number of reasons, for example, an employer may wish...
View ArticleDo I need to have a redundancy procedure in place?
Making an employee redundant is a difficult situation to face and while it is not a legal requirement to have a redundancy procedure as part of employment documentation, employers often feel it...
View ArticleCan you immediately dismiss an employee for gross misconduct?
A summary dismissal should only be used in a situation so severe that it can bypasses the usual disciplinary procedures every organisation should have in place. These disciplinary procedures usually...
View ArticleDo I have to agree to a flexible working request?
Originally, the right to request flexible working was a family-related right. In order to qualify to make a request, it was a criterion that the employee had to be a parent of a child under a...
View ArticleWhistleblowing – what actions can employers take?
It seems that employer’s actions regarding whistleblowing – also known as a ‘public disclosure’ – have never been more under scrutiny. For the past couple of years, stories of whistleblowing in the NHS...
View ArticleHow should I conduct a disciplinary procedure?
Every business should have a disciplinary procedure to help employers deal with situations of misconduct or poor performance in the workplace. While some employers may have a separate capability...
View ArticleHow to deal with frequent short-term absences
Absence of any kind can cause headaches for employers. Even the odd single day off can have a significant impact; absence does not need to get to the ‘long-term’ stage before it becomes a problem....
View ArticleEmployee wellbeing: what do you do when an employee raises a grievance?
When an employee raises a grievance at work, it’s essential that it’s taken seriously and that the right process is followed. Here are some suggestions to help navigate that process. All employers...
View ArticleEmployee expenses: The weird, the wacky, and the wonderful
It’s an age-old source of tension between employer and employee: the dreaded reimbursement of business expenses. For employees it can be tricky to know exactly what they can expense. And for...
View ArticleChannelling chameleons: Why HR team’s must be agents of change in 2024
In 2024, HR professionals and the companies they work for are increasingly under the spotlight of social media and news sites looking for the latest employment scandal. Viral TikToks with dodgy...
View ArticleOut with ‘ostriching’, in with tackling challenging conversations head-on
According to a poll, 80% of workers fear uncomfortable work conversations and put them off for as long as they can. But burying your head in the sand doesn’t make things better. In fact, it could be...
View ArticleKicking misogyny out of sports – and the workplace
The Lionesses’ success I – along with millions of others – was simply astounded by the remarkable performance of the Lionesses as they brought it home for England with a stunning 2-1 win against...
View ArticleKey takeaways for employers from the Chancellor’s Spring Budget Statement
Dubbed the ‘back to work’ budget, the overall theme was how to boost economic activity in the UK by reducing the number of people who are economically inactive. To achieve this, the Chancellor unveiled...
View ArticleHow to handle applicants with a criminal past
Would you hire someone with a criminal past? One in three employers wouldn’t, according to nfPResearch findings. On the Police National Computers, apparently more than 10.5 million people in the UK...
View ArticleWork-life balance is outdated: Why HR should focus on integration
In today’s fast-paced world, the line between work and life can become increasingly blurred. To stave off looming burnout, time spent on your professional life and time spent on your personal one...
View Article