Yes! If you employ anyone, be it a receptionist, sales person or nanny means that you have responsibilities under employment law.
As is usual in law, ignorance is not a defence and will not protect you!
Can I make them work their notice?
Short answer to this is no (sorry, know you didn’t want to hear that!). They may have stormed out after a row. They may have calmly handed in their notice once their pay was on their bank account. But as far as they’re concerned, it’s over.
You could try and get them to stay with financial incentives. But a court won’t make them work their notice period, as it considers your relationship “broken” (so don’t waste your breath threatening to sue).
You won’t have to pay them though, as they are refusing to work their notice period. [Read more…]
Tales of an HR Consultancy Expert – Day 25: Check the DBS number!
When you employ a new person, it is important to check references. All you are looking for is confirmation that they really did work for that company as stated on their CV. More than that is unrealistic to expect nowadays. But what else do you need to have?
Tales of an HR Services Expert – Day 19: Heat of the moment resignations
My employee gave me their verbal resignation yesterday and wants to come back today – do I have to let them?
If it was a “heat of the moment” resignation, usually yes.
Resignation is unilateral, in that you don’t need to “accept” it for it to be valid.
That said, if there has been a discussion, tempers got frayed, and your employee storms out saying “you can stuff your job!”, then you should give them the chance to cool down.
Tales of an HR Services Expert – Day 17: Gross Misconduct
I was reviewing a contract today. They had a sentence in there:
“If you are considered to have committed gross misconduct then you will be summarily dismissed, with no notice or pay.”
Now I know what they are trying to say. They are just not saying it correctly.
Tales of an HR Services Expert – Day 12: Verbal warnings
When can you give verbal warnings to an employee?
Never! Verbal warnings were abolished in 2009.
At a recent talk I was asked “but can’t we keep using them, if they are part of our policies and procedures?”.
