HR Advice For Small Businesses

HR Advice For Small Businesses

Bag Drop

Bag Drop I’ve just got back from Gran Canaria. It was the holiday I’d been looking forward since the kids went back to school in January. But even though the prospect of the holiday was exciting, I wasn’t looking forward to the Easyjet ‘bag drop’ at Gatwick. The bag drop was brought in to save time, but … Read more

Stress at work is not considered to be a disability.

Stress at work is not considered to be a disability. Case law decisions this year are going really well for employers! Stress at work is not considered to be a disability. Which means if you have any employees who, once you start a disciplinary or redundancy process, go off sick with stress, you no longer … Read more

“Fake news” re employment law in the media

“Fake news” re-employment law in the media Panto now over, I have time to catch up with my television viewing. And my favorite at the moment is the most recent series of “Cold Feet”. Or at least it was until the end of the series. Let me explain. Karen, who has worked in a publishing … Read more

Changing ten-year old girls into rats

Changing ten-year old girls into rats

I am in a bit of a grump.

I feel that I have been conned, shanghaied, yes, even shamelessly lied to, by omission if nothing else.

And it’s all because of a pantomime.

Both my kids are in the local panto at the Corn Exchange, and I thought I’d do my parental bit and be a chaperone this year.

A not insignificant amount of paperwork later, I was in, feeling slightly apprehensive about the prospect of looking after 13 kids, 8 of whom I’d never met.

But it was chaperoning – how hard could it be?

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Final Written Warning

Employers rejoice – the eternal battlefield of employment law has made a small but significant shift in favour of the employer. And it’s in the area of disciplinaries. Some employees are extremely canny when it comes to the disciplinary procedure. They’ll push and push and push until it seems they can push no more, and … Read more

No insurance = no discrimination

No insurance = no discrimination Bit more formal this time, but I felt that it was important to talk about this, having read about employers who had, incorrectly, paid out. Private medical insurance, permanent health insurance (PHI) and life assurance are all insured benefits. This means that it’s the insurance provider who takes the decision … Read more

Squawking about squirrel hair!

I was in London, and my blusher brush had finally died a death after 25 years or so, so I decided to pop over to Selfridges on Oxford Street and grab a new one. (Guys, stick with me here – I’m not asking you for makeup tips!) Now, the last time I bought a brush, … Read more

My late Christmas present to you…..

Hope you had a good festive period and you’re feeling well rested? Being back in the office is reminding me of all the things I said I’d do ‘in the new year’, that I have to do now! It’s always the way isn’t it? We’re all masters of procrastination, putting things off until later, because … Read more

AWOL

It seems to be in the air. Employees who either go off sick and then don’t come back, or others that just don’t show up for work one day. Key to dealing with this is to call us immediately you have someone absent and have no information where they are. On the same day ideally. … Read more

Yosemite

I’m “on the road” this month.  And no, I don’t mean driving to Newbury and Basingstoke.  I’m on the road like Jack Kerouac, cruising around America with my kids. I’ve just got to Yosemite, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. If you’ve never been here before, Yosemite is one … Read more

Holidays

Some wise old soul once said: “Take time for quietness and you will free yourself from being influenced by the wrong things” They had a point.  Especially when it comes to the workplace. You see, it’s that time of year again when the employees pour out, slap on their sun tan lotion and head off … Read more

Northern Ireland Comparisons

I was in Northern Ireland a few weeks ago, giving a presentation. Now given that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, you might assume that employment law is the same as it is in Great Britain. You’d be dead wrong. Employment law is different in Northern Ireland.  There are some subtle nuances (and … Read more

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