Carolyne Wahlen Your chance to ask questions about HR and anything else staff related! When: EVERY Thursday at 12:30pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
We’ve noticed that some companies aren’t using training cost repayment agreements as often as they should.
If you don’t use this, you will be out of pocket if an employee leaves (voluntarily or involuntarily) after receiving training that YOU have paid for.
A training cost repayment agreement (TCRA) is separate from the contract. In fact, if it’s in the contract, it is unenforceable.
You might have noticed it’s been a little hot recently (for some of us!).
And although we’ve come down off the peak, there are more heatwaves on the horizon, so I’m hoping the nation will be a little better prepared next time!
On a personal level, I’ve been trying to prepare for the summer temperatures for almost a year.
I came across an ingenious ‘window film’ product, designed to keep UV rays at bay, and as sunlight streams in through my French doors, I knew we’d benefit.
And we would have done so if it had actually been installed.
If you’ve ever hired or fired anyone, you’ll be aware of a key employment law milestone:
Two years’ service – the magic line after which employees gain protection against unfair dismissal.
Before a new recruit has had two years of continuous employment, you generally have far more flexibility to let them go (although caution is still advised).
Or at least you have had.
Because from January 1st next year, the magic line moves from two years to just six months’ service.
From 6 April 2026, the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rules changed. SSP is now payable from day one of absence There are no waiting days All staff will be paid SSP no matter which type of contract they are on and no matter how much they earn per week. They do not need to earn … Read more
I LOVE travelling. Not a day goes by that I’m not checking out a new holiday destination, or considering what I could do or see next.
And contrary to what you might think, I love to do it alone.
Being able to decide what I want to do and when, without having to take anyone else’s opinions, mood or preference into account, is rather empowering!
However, being a lone traveller does come with a few pitfalls, especially when it comes to mealtimes – here are a couple of recent highlights:
I’ve just come back from a lovely Eastern Mediterranean cruise.
I’ve been on a few cruises now, and it’s fast becoming one of my favourite types of holidays – your hotel moves with you!
But as easy as a cruise is, not every element is friction-free, especially when it comes to booking the spa.
Having a pedicure and a massage is a key part of my relaxation strategy, but usually, getting an appointment is anything but relaxing.
What makes you want to stay in a hotel?
Is it the promise of a beautiful room with a super comfortable bed?
Or is it the facilities – an infinity pool, spa, gym or garden?
Or perhaps it’s the food and drink.
I had a call with someone the other day.
He’s a brand-new business owner and wants to start offering a service which is complementary to ours.
I’d never met him before, but his message popped up on LinkedIn, and in the spirit of helping someone get started, I thought I’d take the call.
It was a perfectly pleasant chat, but what was striking was how quickly he moved onto the topic of me sending him business, bearing in mind that I’d:
From 6 April this year, the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rules are changing.
The main changes are:
All financial details should be handled by your payroll software, which should automatically pay staff the correct amount.
I had a call with someone the other day.
He’s a brand-new business owner and wants to start offering a service which is complementary to ours.
I’d never met him before, but his message popped up on LinkedIn, and in the spirit of helping someone get started, I thought I’d take the call.
It was a perfectly pleasant chat, but what was striking was how quickly he moved onto the topic of me sending him business, bearing in mind that I’d:
Usually, something lighting up like a Christmas tree would be seen as a net positive.
Festive, aesthetically pleasing, emotive, so on and so forth.
Not when it’s your car dashboard.
After enduring the twinkling lights for longer than is likely advisable, I decided enough was enough, and dropped my car off at the local garage for some diagnostic tests, and – hopefully – to get everything reset.
We’re recruiting again.
The demand for genuine HR expertise has grown considerably over the last year and shows no sign of slowing down, so our recruitment must keep up.
But, if you’ve been reading my emails for a while now, you’ll know that we don’t just hire any old Thomasina, Dick or Harriet.
Three things are about to intertwine, and I’m fearing the worst: The recent update to the sexual harassment laws, which puts the onus on you as the employer to take ALL reasonable steps to prevent it; The addition of sexual harassment claims to whistleblowing legislation; The new law that makes employers liable for third-party harassment … Read more
Let’s be honest—no one loves talking about absence procedures. But if you’ve ever been left guessing whether someone’s off sick, overslept, or has simply been abducted by aliens, you’ll know why a proper reporting process is essential.
Consistency is key. Every employee, every time.
You can’t expect some employees to follow the absence procedure and let others slide. You can’t discipline certain people for ignoring it while turning a blind eye to the rest. And you definitely can’t enforce the rules only on Mondays or when you’re in the mood.
The text came in from my daughter Frances, and I immediately did a doubletake:
““hey mum, my screen is shattered so im borrowing my friends old phone for now…”
Yes, that is word-for-word, and no Frances’ grammar is not that poor, despite the language of the “youff”!
It’s a spam message, which I spotted a mile off, and not just because I know that Frances knows her “SPAG”.
Chances are you’ve heard that it’s ‘tough out there’ for job seekers.
It’s undoubtedly true, which makes it even more important for candidates to ensure that they’re doing the very best they possibly can.
And in our attempt to hire an Executive Assistant, I’ve seen plenty of them not just failing to do their best, but actively shooting themselves in the foot.
Running a small organisation is tough enough — you’re juggling budgets, staff, customers, volunteers, and the occasional crisis about who drank the last bit of milk. The last thing you need is a disciplinary going pear-shaped because of a technicality.
But that’s exactly what happens. Employers often think they’re handling things “about right”, only to discover (usually at tribunal) that they weren’t. The good news? Most of these slip-ups are avoidable with a bit of process and common sense.
Last week, I set off on a dog walk — fresh air, soggy shoes, and those delightful “free deluge showers” courtesy of Mother Nature. Halfway down a muddy path, my phone rang—unknown number. Normally, I’d ignore it, but because I get random calls all the time from people needing help with their staff, I answered.
How bad could it be?
Pretty bad for my bank balance, it turned out!
Now that the days are turning colder and darker, my morning coffee feels more essential than ever — and in our office, that means the Nespresso machine. We’ve got two coffee machines (and a kettle), but the Nespresso is our pride and joy. Sleek, stylish, and a little indulgent — it’s not just coffee, it’s a ritual.
We joined the Nespresso coffee club when they offered us a free machine in exchange for a newsletter subscription. A no-brainer!
But of course, a machine needs pods. So last weekend I went onto the Nespresso website — and was instantly hooked.
All of my clients know that if they come up with a staff issue we’ve never seen before, they get chocolates.
It is with deepest regret (and some disbelief) that I have to announce: the 2025 award has already been won.
A client, a manufacturing company, rang with what they thought was a simple query:
“Can we issue a warning without doing a disciplinary meeting?”
“Why don’t you want to do the meeting?”
“He has mental health issues, and we don’t want to push him over the edge.”
You need to know exactly who has access to your email.
Not a spy.
Not a cybercriminal.
Someone much closer to home – your own team.
By now, you’ve probably heard about that unfortunate CEO who got caught on the big screen at a Coldplay concert getting very cosy with someone who wasn’t his spouse. Embarrassing? Absolutely. But honestly, that’s tame compared to some of the workplace antics we’ve seen in the wild. Here’s what we’ve seen in real life (no … Read more
A golf club contacted me this week after admitting a new member with visible face tattoos.
They had clearly seen the tattoos at the time of joining and had no issue—until another member complained. Not about the content of the tattoos, just the fact that they were on his face.
The club wanted to know whether they were now stuck with this decision, or if revoking his membership would amount to discrimination. Specifically, they asked: Are tattoos a protected characteristic?
I may be betraying my age, but when it comes to clothes shopping, there’s one retailer that sits right at the top of the tree: Marks and Spencer.
(Or at least it did…)
I bought a load of clothes from a store recently and brought them home to try them on in comfort and privacy.
They were all lovely, but most of them were a bit too big.
No problem, I thought, I can just scan the barcode of the item and order the next size down.
Here’s the key thing: under the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023, employees now have a day one right to request flexible working. And as employers, you’re legally required to give the request proper and reasonable consideration. That doesn’t mean you have to say yes – but it does mean you need a solid business reason to say no.
Let’s be really clear on what DOESN’T count as a solid reason:
We recently had to investigate a bullying claim, with a twist.
The claim was brought by a number of greenkeepers against the Head Greenkeeper, and the thing that made it all come to a head?
Turns out the Head Greenkeeper had taken the door off their one standalone toilet and insisted on holding team meetings – whilst he was sitting on the loo!
It had taken months for the greenkeepers to tell anyone outside of the team about this.
Months!
We’ve found another “protected characteristic” that employers of all sizes need to be aware of.
We were advising a golf club that wanted to dismiss an employee with under two years’ service. There were personality clashes. He was 39 years old, white, male – no obvious protected characteristics which could lead to a tribunal claim – so we gave the green light to proceed with termination.
Then came the curveball: a claim from the employee seeking £28,000 in compensation, alleging he was dismissed because of his union membership.
Union membership? In our world, that’s extremely rare. Honestly, we assumed he’d made it up.
So we double-checked with the client: “Did you know anything about him joining a union?”
Cue the bone-chilling reply:
It’s that time of year again – the skeleton crew is in operation, staff disappear for weeks at a time, and you silently curse yourself for approving the holiday in the first place.
Before we get into the silly season, let’s answer some of the key questions we get around holiday:
How much holiday entitlement do my employees get?
“It depends” is the short answer.
We’ve had a bit of a lucky streak lately when it comes to problematic employees moving on. While we haven’t quite mastered the art of telepathy, a surprising number have chosen to resign just as things were coming to a head. Often, it’s because they realise their employer is getting proper HR advice – and the days of coasting without consequences are rapidly coming to an end.
A resignation, especially one submitted without drama or grievances, is often the ideal outcome. If they leave with immediate effect, that’s even better – no notice to pay (just accrued holiday), and a clean break for everyone.
However, we’ve had two recent cases where employers were so wound up and ready to dismiss that they couldn’t quite let go of the idea – even after the employee resigned.
I’ve never been slow when it comes to buying shiny things online through social media. Most of my purchases have turned out just fine, and for those that didn’t, I either chalked it up to experience or got my money back via PayPal!
But this week, I had a realisation: the tried-and-tested marketing strategies still work brilliantly on social media. You don’t have to go “full American” with dramatic countdowns, flashing discounts, or the desperate “BUY NOW OR YOUR LIFE WILL END” tactics. There’s a much smarter way to do it.
If you’re thinking about parting ways with an employee, chances are you’ve thought about how you’re going to justify the decision.
And in my experience, a line that’s trotted out more often than most as justification?
“There’s been a loss of trust and confidence”
If you’re thinking about using a similar line, I’ve got two words for you:
Please don’t.
The acronym PIP has been in the news a lot recently, as a result of the Government’s proposed changes to the benefits system. But it’s a different PIP I want to talk to you about today – the Performance Improvement Plan, which is used to help employees address problems in their performance When to Use … Read more
I’ve been on the hunt for a new bookkeeper.
First and foremost on the shopping list is someone who knows their numbers, but inevitably, something else comes first:
Marketing.
You see, it’s no good being the best bookkeeper since sliced bread if you can’t get yourself in front of any prospective clients, and my experience so far has left rather a lot to be desired.
I don’t know whether there’s something in the water, but we’ve had a lot of emails from people requesting the same thing:
“Can you send me a template to give a verbal warning to an employee?”
We always say no.
Because more often than not, warnings are being used incorrectly.
Warnings have their place, but this isn’t it
Like it or not, from an employee rights perspective, 2025 is going to be a big year, and if you haven’t done anything to prepare for the changes coming your way, I’d strongly recommend it. Before you get there though, it’s worth highlighting that lots of employers aren’t even getting the basics right now, even … Read more
I don’t know about you, but these early months are hibernation time in the Wahlen household, as we hide away from the wind and rain and catch up on some TV drama.
And recently – between dog walks – I’ve been diving into Death in Paradise; the sun and beaches are always welcome visuals when it’s beating it down outside.
Until they drop a clanger. From an HR perspective that is.
On one particular episode the murderer is revealed, and his motive?
“Well, you see I worked for his company for 30 years and then they made me redundant and I got nothing!”
I’ve got an announcement: I’m officially old.
This realisation has little to do with the page turning on another year, and everything to do with my internal thermostat.
I’m officially old because I’m ALWAYS cold.
Being increasingly sensitive to the temperature comes with its fair share of challenges – the simplest way to counteract the cold is to whack the heating up, but the evil smart meter in the corner of the room blinks red at me far too often for this to be the complete solution.
I know that in the doom and gloom of January, harking back to the festivity and frivolity of Christmas isn’t exactly a popular move.
But I hope you’ll forgive me for doing exactly that today – there is a good reason!
The Christmas Day just gone was the best one I’ve had for decades, despite returning from Thailand cursing the weather and feeling very “bah humbug” about the whole thing in the run-up to it.
So, why was it the best?
I’ve been here, there, and everywhere these last few weeks, delivering employment law talks to the great and good.
Which means a lot of miles on the road and plenty of hotel rooms, too.
I’ve always found hotels fascinating. The fact that you can pay roughly the same and yet have an entirely different experience from place to place is bizarre and interesting in equal measure.
The last hotel I stayed in was a case in point: staff were friendly, they upgraded my room, but when I got upstairs, there were two rather weird elements.
First, the (seemingly now) standard freezing cold room and incorrect thermostat – I had to crank it to 25 degrees just to get 21 degrees on the bedside table.
Second, slightly rarer: the WiFi code was nowhere to be seen.
