I’m sure you’ll agree, the covid-19 vaccine roll out is a controversial topic, that’s led to many heated debates amongst family and friends. With the likes of Jennifer Aniston admitting to cutting off unvaccinated friends, there’s no doubt that many people hold strong views on the matter. However, it’s not just celebrities that are making their views on the vaccine known. Google, Facebook and Microsoft recently announced that their employees must be vaccinated against covid-19 before they return to work at their US offices. With…
After supporting businesses for 19 months, the Coronavirus Job Retention or Furlough Scheme finally ends on September 30th 2021. What do employers and payroll professionals need to do as the scheme comes to a close? Many payroll professionals have had to adapt to furlough calculations and processing since March 2020. Whether going back to normality is a relief for your payroll team, or a worry, we hope this article helps it go as smoothly as possible for you. How much you can claim in September…
A recent development in unfair dismissal between Ms Muna Abdi v Deltec International Courier Limited lead to Ms Abdi being awarded £25,000 Tribunal finds that ‘highly offensive and threatening’ racial slurs made in a WhatsApp group chat - which included members of senior management – amounted to unlawful harassment and a decision to move the complainant ‘inadequate’. Ms Abdi is a black woman of Somali origin, and she wears a hijab. She was employed as an Evening Operations Clerk reporting to Mr Simon Hocking. On…
Barely a day goes by without an unfair dismissal claim hitting the headlines. Many of these claims are down to employers failing to follow a full and fair procedure. So, read on for our six ways to avoid unfair dismissal claims. Follow your internal procedures It’s important that you as an employer, follow your organisation’s HR procedures, including any that could lead to an employee being dismissed. You should also be mindful that employees have access to an abundance of information on unfair dismissal claims…
You’re relaxing in a faraway bar on a sun kissed beach, smart phone in one hand, pina colada in the other. Your beeping laptop means the battery is low but you must finish this report. You know you shouldn’t be working; you should be relaxing. But have you even considered that you may be breaking that country’s employment laws? Britain left the EU at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Freedom of movement - the cornerstone right to move, reside and…
Is your current payroll product coming to an end? What does that really mean? What happens next, and how can your business prepare? As products come to the end of their life there are a few things you as a customer need to make note of, and options you should be considering. What does end of life mean, and why is my payroll product coming to an end? Typically, a software company will ‘end of life’ a payroll product due to its poor customer suitability,…
Since the government encouraged employees to work from home where possible during the pandemic, many employers have adopted remote or hybrid working for good. But how do you ensure working from home remains productive as the novelty wears off? How can employers encourage the productivity of their remote workforce as time goes on? Here are the top recommendations from our HR experts. A stitch in time saves nine If you sort out a problem immediately, it may save extra work later. Considering the impact of…
The details of the Flexible Working Bill read 30 June 2021, by Labour MP Tulip Siddiq. Currently, employees must have worked for their employer for a minimum of 26 weeks to be eligible to make a flexible working request. Recently, Labour MP, Tulip Siddiq, read a Flexible Working Bill in the House of Commons, which would mean that all staff would be entitled to flexible working from day one of employment. She called for employers to offer flexible working arrangements in employment contracts and advertise…
Adopting remote means of communicating with employees through Microsoft Teams, Zoom and telephone conference calls has become commonplace since the beginning of lockdown. Having put in place the 'digital infrastructure' to ensure remote working is possible, can these businesses now use the same tools to hire offshore employees? And if yes, what impact, if any, would this have on the British labour market? 'Anywhere jobs' A report by the Tony Blair Institute claimed that approximately six million 'white-collar' jobs are at risk of being lost…
It often worries me when organisations contact us to discuss their need for a diversity and inclusion policy. What’s not inclusive about their organisation today and why do they feel they need a policy? Are employees purposely not including people and if so, why? Surely inclusion is part of normal, everyday adult life? Let's look at the legislation that underpins all of this, as well as how to improve workplace culture, recruitment practices, and other procedures. The legislation Firstly, to underpin the requirement for such…
