November 30, 2018
We have stocked up on grit for our driveways, had snow tyres fitted on our cars and stockpiled the fridge within hours of the Met Office issuing a weather warning that snow is forecast. But while most of us agree that snow is picturesque, adverse weather conditions can have a catastrophic effect on businesses that do not have…
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November 26, 2018
Christmas may be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, but for many employers it can be a time-consuming and administrative nightmare. With an influx of annual leave requests, increased employee absence levels and coordinating Christmas rotas it can be difficult for employers to keep track of it all. Plus there’s the pressure of organising the…
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October 3, 2018
The term ‘flexible working’ is becoming a popular one. But what actually is it? Who is doing it? How are requests made? And must you agree to a flexible working request? What is flexible working? Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs. It might involve an earlier or later start…
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September 10, 2018
Organisations should treat any form of harassment seriously – not just because of the legal implications and because it can lead to under-performance, but because people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at work too. Employers should foster a fair and inclusive working environment that enables everyone to feel they can…
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August 28, 2018
In July 2017, the Government launched a national survey of LGBT people. The survey received more than 108,000 responses, making it the largest national survey of its kind anywhere in the world. Some of the most important findings: 23% of survey respondents employed in the 12 months preceding the survey had experienced a negative or mixed reaction…
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August 15, 2018
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) celebrates its 20-year anniversary in April 2019, but age and the NMW has been an issue in the media for a very different reason. The Odeon cinema chain, Card Factory and ten sports clubs were among more than 200 employers named-and-shamed by the Government for failing to pay the national…
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August 13, 2018
Home Office research published at the end of July reveals that modern slavery costs the UK economy an estimated £4 billion annually. Consequently, the Government has announced an independent review of its 2015 Modern Slavery Act. This is to ensure that what it describes as “world-first legislation” keeps in step with this evolving crime. But surely slavery ended with the Abolition of Slave…
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July 28, 2018
The TUC has published new analysis showing 2.2m employees are losing out on their holiday entitlement each year, with over half receiving no paid holiday at all. 9.2% of female workers and 7.2% of male workers miss out on nearly £3bn in unpaid annual leave by UK businesses according to their analysis, which draws on unpublished data…
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July 20, 2018
According to a new statement from HMRC, 10 per cent of all small businesses in the UK are under investigation – equivalent to more than half a million at any one time. HMRC recently told the Treasury select committee that it is going after small businesses to reclaim £34bn in tax that it was unable…
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July 13, 2018
The Court of Appeal has today reversed a minimum wage decision relating to “sleep-in” sessions by care workers. The case in question, Royal Mencap Society and Claire Tomlinson-Blake, has ramifications for care providers throughout the UK. In a series of Judgements, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (and subsequently HMRC) previously ruled that “sleep-in” sessions amounted to…
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July 12, 2018
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is expected to impose a massive £500,000 fine on Facebook for failing to secure people’s information – and failing to be clear on how people’s data are used by others. This huge fine, one of the biggest ever handed out, is in keeping with a series of recent fines imposed…
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June 20, 2018
Our busy, complex lives are increasingly becoming a series of risk management exercises. Think about it: when we leave home in the morning nearly all of us will make sure we lock up. We then unlock our cars and drive away, carefully avoiding any situations that might result in a collision. Many people give up…
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