Compliance

By now all companies should have an adequate equal opportunities policy in place which includes sexual orientation and gender reassignment, two of the ‘protected characteristics’ under the Equality Act 2010. But is having an equal opportunities policy enough? Just because you may have such a policy tucked away in your handbook, this doesn’t mean that…

Poor attitude, poor behaviour, poor standards of work and high levels of absence are the most common issues our clients have with their employees. One underperforming employee could be costing the company as much as 20% of their annual salary, and having just one underperforming employee can lower moral within the rest of the workforce,…

Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation becomes law on 25 May 2018, after which the Information Commissioner will be able to impose penalties of up to £18 million (20 million euro) or 4% of a company’s global turnover for data protection breaches. We’re all aware of the major problems that can result from vast data hacks.…

If any of your employees called in sick on Monday 15th January, you’re not alone. The third Monday in January is known as ‘Blue Monday’ and has been calculated as the most depressing day of the year, with one of the highest levels of absence. The lack of employee motivation at this time of year…

Businesses that employ ‘gig economy’ workers, such as taxi or delivery firms, and deny them paid holiday leave could now be forced to pay huge bills as a result of a recent ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The ruling found that a commission-based salesman was entitled to claim for up to 13…

Are you unsure what GDPR means? Well, it means A LOT. Whatever the size of your business, you must comply with new regulations regarding the security, storage and use of personal information. The ramifications of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for UK trade are so significant that it’s being enacted here very soon…

With the latest weather forecasts predicting freezing weather conditions and possible snowfall across Britain this winter, it’s vital for businesses to start preparing for increases in employee absences. Extreme weather conditions tend to cause a dramatic rise in staff absences because road and rail disruption, combined with school closures, make it difficult for employees to…

With the number of sexual harassment cases currently in the news, you may be under the impression that such claims and allegations only occur in Hollywood, the media or Parliament, but think again. These cases may well be prominent, and have highlighted issues that may or may not be prevalent in the workplace, but is…

We are coming up to that time of year again when most people will be attending a festive/Christmas function of some description either in the office, at an organised event or even just down at the local pub. But beware – high festive/Christmas spirits can cause problems for employers and land you in trouble if…

A security guard has made headlines for his novel approach to enforcing his employment rights – a 20-hour rooftop protest at the Tesco Extra in Reading where he had worked. Adama Jammeh, who had been employed by security firm Total Security Services (TSS) and stationed at the Tesco Store in Reading, alleges that Tesco accused…

Disgruntled, frustrated and even furious are feelings most employees will experience at some point in their careers. Yet, when they bring such feeling to the attention of their superiors, many managers panic for fear of falling foul of employment law or other repercussions. Often, all the employee wants is to be listened to or given…