What is Black History Month Black History Month (BHM) is a time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of people with African or Caribbean heritage, and understand the enormous impact of black heritage and culture on the UK. Despite black ethnic groups making up 3.3% of the UK population, our current education system barely scratches the surface of black history. This month aims to shine a spotlight on the events that may have been kept in the dark, and take a look closer at the…
Getting to work on time is an employee’s responsibility. But when there’s a national crisis, like the current fuel shortages, what can employers do to support their employee’s during this interim period? Many employees use their own car to travel to work. And ordinarily, whether you’ll be able to fuel your car in order to make the journey, isn’t something that crosses your mind. However, petrol stations across the UK are the latest to be hit by HGV driver shortages. This has led to long queues outside…
New legislation outlines how flexible working could be a day-one right for employees. This could give an additional two million people in the UK greater flexibility over their working lives. Workers currently only have a right to request flexible working after 26 weeks of continuous employment. The proposed policy states that it aims to take "a world-class approach to flexible working" which could make it the default for future work contracts. As well as allowing employees to make flexible working requests from the start of…
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…
