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…
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…
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,…
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…
Our Mobile App, birthed by our Next Generation Software, and a certified swot when it comes to impressing employees. Our agile deployment structure means we can fast-track fantastic features straight to our customers and their employees. Hooray! So, the real question is, what have we been working on? Payslip notifications Is there a happier day than payday? We think not. Employees now get a pocket-sized ping when their payslip is ready. We don’t need to tell you they can download it and send it directly…
'How can I automatically move data from one system into another?’ you ask, brimming with concern that you're doomed to an eternity of entering it all manually. Your tech savvy colleague frowns at you and says ‘Err... We can just use an API.’ You nod vigorously and say ‘Of course, yeah, yeah… obvious now you’ve said it.’ There’s uncomfortable laughter... You immediately return to your desk and ask Google: 'WHAT IS AN API?' But all the articles thrown up by your search are written in…
Part-year workers are now entitled to a full year paid holiday allowance, after the Supreme Court hands down its long-awaited judgment. The Court endorsed the earlier Court of Appeal judgment meaning employers who previously pro-rated the holiday entitlement for staff working part of the year on permanent contracts will have to change their practices. What was this case about? It had been common practice for employers to pro-rate holidays for part-year workers - usually ‘term-time’ - for many years. It was a perfectly logical and…
The recent case of Geeks Ltd versus Watts demonstrates how careful you must be when seeking to recover training costs from a departing employee. Mr Watts was employed as a trainee on £18,000 per annum. He signed two separate documents purportedly allowing Geeks to recover money if he left their employment within 30 months. He left after eight, for a better paid job elsewhere. Geeks pursued him for over £8000. Somewhat surprisingly, a County Court judge agreed with Geeks. The matter then found its way…
Employment is getting more expensive and the first ERA changes are already putting pressure on some businesses’ bottom lines. The Statutory Sick Pay reforms introduced in April have already impacted businesses where people make up a significant proportion of their overheads. With further employment reforms still to come, and costs continuing to rise, it’s understandable that some businesses are looking for somewhere to make savings. So naturally, we’re already hearing conversations about redundancies, altering terms and conditions or even full-scale restructures. If similar discussions are…
Most employers will, at some point, need to investigate a workplace issue. Whether it's a grievance, an allegation of misconduct, concerns about bullying or harassment, or a dispute between colleagues, how that investigation is handled can make all the difference. Some employers view investigations as a step to complete before reaching an outcome. In reality, they're the foundation of any fair disciplinary or grievance process. And when an investigation is flawed, any decisions that follow are far more likely to be challenged. Why workplace investigations…
