Valentine’s Day; a time to express love and affection. Say it with chocolates, flowers, sentimental photo albums, lovey-dovey mixed tapes (…or Spotify playlists), and cards. Soppy cards, jokey cards, and avocado cards that say ‘let’s avo cuddle’. But how does HR deal with Valentine’s Day cards in the workplace? Are they appropriate amongst employees? Can a Valentine’s Day card be deemed sexual harassment? What should you do about them? And what happens if the recipient of a card raises a grievance? Read on to find out. Are Valentine’s Day cards work-appropriate? It’s not unusual to encounter long term partners and spouses in the workplace. In these instances, it’s unlikely that HR…
The pressure of the current cost-of-living crisis means that your employees may look to find additional employment and take second jobs to increase their income. As an employer, is this something you should be concerned about? We explore employee contract wording, Working Time Regulations, and the steps you need to take as an employer to stay compliant with employment law. What's written in your employment documentation about taking second jobs? Wording in employment clauses regarding ‘outside interests’ usually state something like: ‘Normally we will not…
Back in December 2019, the late Queen announced key measures her Parliament would be pursuing in 2020. What were the measures (known as the Employment Bill) and what happened to them? What are the Private Members' Bills and which ones do you need to know about? We explain all. The 2019 Employment Bill An extensive Employment Bill set out: The right to request a more predictable employment contract A week’s leave for unpaid carers Extended parental leave for neonatal care Extension of redundancy protection to…
We explain the important topic of whistleblowing. What is it? What's the procedure? How do employers handle whistleblowing reports from employees? And what about public interest disclosures or handling malicious allegations? Keep reading to find out. What is whistleblowing? The standard definition of whistleblowing is: “a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organisation that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent”. Another simple definition from the government website is: ‘You’re a whistleblower if you’re a worker…
Moorepay has won the best Payroll and HR Software Product Award 2022 at the industry’s leading independent pay and reward awards. About the award The Rewards, hosted by Reward Strategy is a prestigious annual ceremony that celebrates the best movers and players in the payroll and reward space. Our software was judged by an independent panel of experts against other established providers including Advanced, Cintra, Frontier Software and SD Worx – and won as best in class. "Moorepay’s Payroll & HR Software is a game…
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…
