The Government has now published its draft trade union bill – if passed, this bill could see some significant changes to Employment Law…. Here are some of the most important points about the draft bill you need to know… Notice period of strike action & agency cover The most important proposed change for employers to note is that if the bill is passed. Trade Unions will have to give employers 14 days’ notice of strike action and in addition, businesses will be allowed to bring…
In the summer, it seems wrong think about servicing your heating systems. However, inspection and servicing of Gas Appliances and other types of heating now can prevent issues in the winter. Summer and autumn are the ideal time to have your heating systems checked in particular checks for Carbon Monoxide. Often employers wait until the winter for these tests and then discover that their heating system either doesn’t work or has to be switched of until repaired. This then leaves a cold workplace and a…
In the UK, almost 9.5 million people in employment are over the age of 50. This equates to over 30% of the UK workforce. In the not-too-distant future, a major proportion of these employees will retire, taking their skills and experience with them. The problem is that the demographic change over recent years means that the number of young people coming into the workplace will be less than the number that will be needed to replace those who have permanently left work. Recent transformation of…
The Government has announced its review of Employment Tribunal fees, which is expected to conclude towards the end of this year. The review will consider how effective the introduction of fees has been at meeting the original objectives, while maintaining access to justice. The original objectives were: to transfer some of the cost from the taxpayer to those who use the service, where they can afford to do so to encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution services, for example, ACAS conciliation to improve the…
A staggering 59% of the UK population have active social media accounts, with 32 million using a mobile device to access. According to a We Are Social article, the average daily use of social media amounts to 2 hours and 13 minutes - more than half the time that people in the UK spend on the internet. Facebook is the top active social platform with 43% on the network. With the high level of access and usage of Facebook on a daily basis, it is…
Does your business work with asbestos? If so, your employees may be required to be under surveillance by a doctor. A new law, which came into force in April 2015, states that any employee or self-employed contractor undertaking “Notifiable Non-Licensed Asbestos Work” must be subject to Health Surveillance by a doctor. However, this level of surveillance does not only apply to people undertaking licensed work. What type of work does this apply to? Notifiable Non-Licenced Asbestos Work includes (but is limited to): Large-scale removal of textured decorative…
Summer is almost upon us and we can all enjoy hot sunny weather... but beware it has its dangers. During a prolonged heat wave there are health risks. The very young, the elderly and the seriously ill are groups who become particularly at risk with health related problems (sun stroke, dehydration). "In the 2003 heat wave, there were 2,000 to 3,000 excess deaths [more than usual] in England. Across Europe, there were around 30,000 excess deaths." If you are an employer or responsible for external…
It can be tricky to keep up with the day-to-day HR needs of your workforce. Paperwork, approvals, requests for information and staying compliant – they all take away from the main objectives of your business. Cloud-based HR systems can help remove the administrative stress from your growing HR needs and allow you to concentrate on your business. You already use the cloud…and may not even know it Over 75% of businesses are in, or are looking to move to, The Cloud for a variety of…
Could your workers’ attitudes towards Health & Safety be causing accidents in your business? A large number of accidents in the workplace are caused by employees behaving in careless or unusual ways. Since the 1974 Act, businesses generally focused on managing safety in practical terms - i.e. guards in place, edge protection checklist etc. However, Health and Safety professionals are now looking into understanding the thinking behind the actions that result in accidents. Attitudes to safety can be difficult to manage – but current studies…
News reports and social media sites have been filled with views on Jeremy Clarkson following his alleged attack on a colleague. Love him or hate him, everyone seems to have an opinion on whether he should have continued in his employment or not. Jeremy Clarkson’s behaviour, both on and off the Top Gear camera, has seen him fall from one controversy into the next, before his employment came to an end in March 2015. Clarkson is said to have attacked a producer following a dispute…
