For many employees, major sporting events such as the World Cup, Wimbledon or the Ashes are the highlight of their year and they're keen not to miss crucial matches. Inevitably, some of the events will take place during working hours so how should employers handle requests for time off? Read on to understand what you need to consider during major sporting events including productivity levels, communicating with employees and managing sickness absence. Home and hybrid workers Employees working at home are not exempt from any…
According to Mind, 1 in 6 employees are dealing with a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression or stress which can have a significant impact on employee wellbeing. In addition, the mental healthy charity found that 41% of those who experienced their mental health worsening during the pandemic put it down to money worries. Consequently, the combined effect of covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis is having a negative impact on people’s mental health. The reasons for absence The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported…
Love it or hate it, Christmas is almost here! For many businesses it’s no big deal, just another chance to take a few days off work. But for many, Christmas means a spike in sales, which means productivity must increase. Take the hospitality industry - Christmas is one of their busiest periods. To cope with demand many businesses choose to employ seasonal workers. Keep reading to find out if seasonal staff need a contract of employment, what rights they have, employing students, casual contracts, and…
Working from home is creating rather a blurred line between employees' work lives and their personal lives. With this in mind, many employers are likely to be encouraging rest breaks. So what does employment law say about lunch breaks? When it comes to the rules, what are employees actually entitled to? Which employees in particular should employers be mindful of? Are there exceptions to the rules? And can an employee determine when they take their lunch break? Keep reading to find out. The Working Time…
We explain what an unauthorised absence is and the steps you should take when an employee is absent from work and hasn’t contacted you. When is an absence classified as unauthorised? Unauthorised absence is also known as going AWOL (absence without leave). It occurs when an employee fails to attend work and doesn't have a statutory or contractual right, or the employee’s permission to be absent. Essentially, if an employee fails to come to work without a good reason, it’s an unauthorised absence. It's key…
A really important message, beautifully executed. I’ve watched the John Lewis Christmas advert five times and it still makes me teary. It also got me thinking: what does this mean for HR teams? Sadly, the requirement to take time out of work in order to adopt or foster a child is not particularly well-supported in employment law. This may leave employers and their HR teams feeling as if they’d like to do more. Let’s look into the adoption and foster care process, the current legislation,…
I’m sure you’ll agree the pandemic increased our reliance on digital technology with many aspects of our daily lives moving to the online arena. From Teams calls with colleagues, to virtual exercise classes, to the (dreaded) Zoom quizzes with family and friends, we all became heavily dependent on various smart apps and video conference tools. And for many businesses, the pandemic accelerated digital transformation by months or even years. However, whilst some industries have rapidly changed beyond recognition, others have struggled to do more than…
Suella Braverman's return to the post of the Home Secretary just one week after she resigned has raised a few eyebrows. In terms of conventional employment situations, just how long should an employee be gone before it’s a good idea to take them back? And what are the downsides? For many sectors, it’s a very competitive labour market right now, and previous employees with an established skill set seem like desirable avenue to go down. In fact, we covered why rehiring could be a good avenue for…
Once upon a time, in the year 2019, and merely a week since Boris Johnson’s landslide ‘Brexit Election’ victory, the state opening of parliament took place. Prominent in Her Majesty’s announcement of forthcoming legislation, a raft of measures affecting employment. Except… none of it materialised; not in 2020, 2021 or 2022. It all vanished, along with Boris Johnson himself. It would return ‘when parliamentary time allowed’. But it didn’t. And now we have a yet another new Prime Minster, Rishi Sunak, and it’s unclear whether…
How concerned should employers be about an apparent trend in staff turning to union membership and industrial action as a solution to myriad woes both in and out of the workplace? As the cost-of-living crisis endures, and with winter on the horizon, news headlines talking about trade union recognition and industrial action are more commonplace. Though the trend isn’t confined to public sector employers – where nurses are joining transport and postal workers in escalating their respective disputes – similar headlines often reference private sector…
