PILON Redundancy

PILON stands for ‘payment in lieu of notice’. PILON redundancy refers to situations in which an employee who has been made redundant stops working for you immediately, but you still pay them for their notice period. As an employer, if you do not adhere to your legal obligations relating to PILON by, for example, failing … Read more

2nd Consultation Meeting Redundancy

When considering making redundancies, you must follow a fair and legally sound process. What will be deemed ‘fair’ depends on several factors, including how many employees’ roles are affected by your proposals. Whatever process you follow, consulting with the affected employees is crucial. The consultation process often involves several meetings with the relevant employees or … Read more

How To Make Someone Redundant

Making employees redundant is a hard but sometimes unavoidable part of running a business. Employment law imposes strict obligations on employers making redundancies, and its crucial to understand how to make someone redundant fairly and in line with your legal duties to avoid facing employment tribunal proceedings. At GAP HR, our team of HR and … Read more

Consultation Period For Redundancy

The consultation period for redundancy is a crucial aspect of the redundancy process. As an employer, it is vital to understand your obligations in respect of consultation and adhere to them. If you don’t, the employees selected for redundancy may have cause to bring an unfair dismissal claim against you. At GAP HR, we specialise … Read more

Redundancy Process Timeline

The nature of the redundancy process relevant to any given situation depends on several factors, including how many employees are likely to be affected by your proposals. If you are considering making redundancies and are unsure of your legal obligations, taking advice from expert HR specialists like ours will ensure your processes are fair, justifiable, … Read more

The Wahlen Gauntlet

We’re recruiting again – there seem to be no end to staff issues at the moment, so we’re pretty much at capacity.

And when it comes recruitment, I’m pretty ruthless – after all, I’ve got to be happy with the successful candidate giving out critical HR advice in our name, so they’ve got to know what they’re doing.

Step one of The Wahlen Gauntlet is designed to quickly and painlessly weed out the people who aren’t HR experts – a straightforward 10-question employment law quiz, which requires a minimum of 70% to proceed to the next stage.

You’d think everyone applying for an HR job would ace it, but you’d be wrong – only 20% applicants actually make the grade.

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Uniquely portable magic

Stephen King coined the phrase, “Books are a uniquely portable magic”.

I’m in total agreement – books are pretty much my joint favourite thing.

The trouble is, the other thing at the top of the list is travelling, so I really do need my books to be extremely portable.

Enter my Kindle, allowing me to take 300 books on the go.

It’s had more than its fair share of use over the last year or so though and is slowing down as a result, and though I could just go on less holidays, I decided a new Kindle was a better bet – it’d been to five of the seven continents, so a pretty good innings.

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Why isn’t this illegal?!

There’s a golf club that’s keen to use us for their HR support, but there’s just one snag:

They’re with Citation.

Having been with them for three years, they’ve decided they’re not getting the bespoke, personalised support they need, and see the value in working with someone that specialises in golf clubs.

Anyway, they’d fulfilled their original three-year contract, and while they didn’t imagine they could leave straight away, they assumed it’d be a case of giving six months’ notice and they’d be free to go.

No dice.

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Statutory Sick Pay – what you need to do

There have been thousands of column inches devoted to what Labour is going to do when it comes to employment law – some of it true, some of it less so.

But one thing that seems pretty certain (albeit without a specific time frame) is that they’ll make Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) a day-one right that applies to ALL staff.

What is Statutory Sick Pay?

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) was introduced in 1983. The amount increases every April and is currently £116.75/week.

All workers are entitled to it as long as:

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Greenkeeper Bob’s back

Greenkeeper Bob went off sick at a club we work with the other day.

The story goes that he was working alone on the course on a Sunday, picked up a divot box, and put his back out.

You’d assume that that’d be the end of his working day, but apparently he continued to lift another 7 or 8 divot boxes before heading home, freshening up and out to a crowded pub where he stood in the throngs watching England lose the Euros final.

Next morning, he turned up for work at 6am, and by 8:30am his back was hurting too much to continue and he headed off home.

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Take it from the coat rack lady

I’ve lived without a coat rack for the last six months.

I know, it’s been quite the hardship.

I had my hallway repainted at the turn of the year – a lovely, dark blue, and once it was done, I decided not to bother putting the coat rack back up; it was worn, old and time for a change.

Fully intending to research and invest immediately, life quickly got in the way, and my coats quickly found alternative places to hang.

Six months flew by, as they tend to.

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Leave it to John

I’m no forensic accountant, but I’m currently embroiled in a financial fraud case.

A general manager started a new position at a club and was given the “good news” that he didn’t need to worry about it – “John” had taken care of it for years, so he’d keep doing that.

General managers have got plenty to do, the accounts all seemed to be up to date, so he was happy to leave it to John.

Then the power bill came in, which was a bit of a shock, seeing as it had gone up from £1,500 a quarter to £77,000. It was quite the jump.

Then another demand came in – apparently, the club owed an additional £120,000 and hadn’t paid the energy bill for a long time.

“We need to talk”, says John.

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Redundancy Process For One Employee

As an employer, you must adhere to various laws and regulations aimed at ensuring you treat your staff fairly, including when you are planning to make redundancies. The rules that apply to the redundancy process for one employee differ from those that apply when you are planning to make 20 or more employees redundant. Here, … Read more

Redundancy Consultation Meeting

A redundancy consultation meeting is a key part of the redundancy process. If you do not properly consult your employees in a redundancy situation, any subsequent redundancies will likely be deemed unfair, and an affected employee may commence tribunal proceedings against you for unfair dismissal. At GAP HR, we specialise in providing HR and employment … Read more

How Much Is Redundancy Pay UK?

When considering making redundancies, its crucial to understand the intricacies of redundancy pay. Employees often ask, ‘How much is redundancy pay UK?’ As an employer, having a clear understanding of your obligations regarding redundancy pay not only equips you to provide accurate information to your employees, but also ensures you avoid an employment tribunal. At GAP … Read more

When Should I Receive My Redundancy Payment UK?

When you make an employee redundant, you may need to pay them redundancy. Specific rules and regulations govern redundancy payments, and as an employer, it’s essential to understand those rules to avoid inadvertently falling foul of them and ending up before an employment tribunal. A question often asked by employees who have been made redundant … Read more

Minimum Redundancy Pay

If your organisation needs to make redundancies, the affected employees may have the right to redundancy pay. The minimum redundancy pay depends on the employee’s age and how long they have worked for you. It’s essential to calculate an employee’s redundancy pay correctly and pay it on time. If you don’t, the employee may issue … Read more

What Labour means for employment law

The predictions were right, and the polls were fairly accurate – we’ve woken up to a Labour government.

Understandably, you might be wondering what this means for your organisation—whether there will be any big changes in the world of employment law and whether you’ll need to do anything differently.

First thing to say here is don’t panic about any changes you read or hear about – they will not happen overnight.  Laws take time to be changed, and you’ll have enough notice to change your staff strategy if that’s required.

(And as we all know, just because something was in a manifesto, it does not mean that it will be implemented in the form promised, or at all.)

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See you on the other side.

This time next week, we’re going to be waking up on the other side of the General Election – the prime minister for the next few years will be confirmed. There’s been plenty of media hype about what the various different parties might change when it comes to employees and employment law; from the sublime … Read more

Redundancy Consultation Period For 1 Person

Whilst sometimes necessary to secure the future of your business, making employees redundant can be a minefield for employers. If you fail to properly consult with employees during a redundancy process, any subsequent dismissals will likely be unfair and expose you to unfair dismissal claims. There are strict minimum timescales for consultations when the redundancy … Read more

Difference Between Grievance And Disciplinary

The terms ‘grievance’ and ‘disciplinary’ are often grouped together, but in practice, they are very separate issues. As an employer, its crucial to appreciate the difference between grievance and disciplinary to ensure your policies and procedures comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and guidance. Here, our specialist HR advisors explain the difference between grievance and … Read more

Disciplinary And Grievance Procedures

Your people are often your business’s most valuable asset, so it’s vital that you look after them and treat them fairly to improve staff retention. Proper disciplinary and grievance procedures are an essential part of Human Resources (HR). They ensure your workforce understands your stance on disciplinary issues and what you expect of them. Your … Read more

Disciplinary Policy

Your disciplinary policy details how your business deals with employee disciplinary issues. It should ensure all employees are treated fairly, and standardise how to deal with disciplinary issues within your organisation. In turn, these factors can reassure your workforce and avoid you facing legal action for bullying and unfair dismissal. Call us now on 01491 … Read more

Alcohol At Work Disciplinary UK

Alcohol may play a large part in your employees’ social lives. They may drink together socially after work, wine and dine clients, and even head to the pub during their lunch hour. Clearly, you cannot police what employees do in their own time. However, when alcohol use starts to impact their productivity and ability to … Read more

Hide and Seek

“Hide and seek the general manager” – can’t see it usurping the traditional form of the game, but nevertheless, we have plenty of fun playing it in the Gap HR office.

Here’s how it works:

  1. We hear from a client that they are moving. So far, so straightforward.
  2. Obviously, we hope to continue the relationship with that client, but it also presents an opportunity – who has just left, and where are they going?
  3. The search begins. We look on the new website. LinkedIn. The out-of-office messages from our weekly emails.

Sounds easy, and it should be.

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Cowardy custard?

We’ve had two new clients sign up on retainer this week, both with really meaty staff issues; the kind we really like to get our teeth into.

There’s something else they have in common – both were already paying retainers to other HR companies when they approached us and asked us to help them with their HR.

And as it turned out, it would have been just as effective for them to set the money on fire as it was to send it to the HR companies in question.

Because when tricky staff issues come along, the pretenders get found out.

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The most failed question

We’re recruiting at the moment – a steady stream of new clients over the last few months means we need to grow our team.

Our recruitment process is pretty hardcore: after all, the person we hire will be giving advice to our clients, which means it’s got to be spot on.

As part of the process, we ask a lot of HR questions, and there’s one question that candidates keep failing – when they do, it’s a pretty big red flag.

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Disciplinary Procedure

As an employer, one of your most important responsibilities is establishing and adhering to a clear disciplinary procedure. Disciplinary procedures not only ensure that you address any issues relating to an employee’s capability or conduct fairly and consistently, but also significantly mitigate the risk of you facing an unfair dismissal claim. Here, our HR experts … Read more

Disciplinary Procedures In The Workplace

Clear disciplinary procedures in the workplace are integral to the fair treatment of your staff. They provide a clear structure for dealing with issues arising from an employee’s performance or competence and ensure that all employees are treated consistently in similar circumstances. Employers must implement and adhere to clear disciplinary processes, and a failure to … Read more

Disciplinary Hearing

Before taking any formal disciplinary action against an employee, it’s crucial to follow a fair disciplinary process. A disciplinary hearing is a key element of this process. You must conduct the disciplinary hearing properly and in line with the relevant legal requirements. This ensures your employee fully understands the nature of your concerns and is … Read more

Does An Employer Have To Disclose A Disciplinary In A Reference UK?

Except in specific industries, an employer has no legal obligation to provide a reference to employees leaving their employment; the choice of whether or not to do so is yours to make. If you agree to give a reference, the information you provide must be fair and accurate. This often leads to businesses asking the … Read more

What Is A Disciplinary Hearing?

Dealing with employees’ misconduct and poor performance is a common challenge for employers. Issues such as persistent lateness, subordination, or ongoing failures to meet targets may cause you to consider taking disciplinary action against an employee. However, it’s crucial to remember that proceeding with disciplinary action without first following a fair process may leave you … Read more

Do I have to ask before I pat a woman’s bottom?

I’ll be blunt: we have seen a large increase in sexual harassment in golf clubs in recent months.

Not between employees.  For the most part, they abide by the rules, and when there is an incident, it’s dealt with quickly, effectively and by the book.

So, what’s the problem?

In a word: the members.

I won’t teach you to suck eggs, but we both know that – for the most part – golf club membership is dominated by white males, from a previous generation.

Chances are you’ve had to deal with your fair share of challenges from this demographic – I’ve had plenty of managers tell me about members who felt they owned the club and had the right to be involved in all decisions, despite not stepping up to take any responsibility.

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Talk to your staff!

How about this one.

The scammers targeted a new employee, let’s call her Sarah, less than two weeks in the company.

They sent them an email, allegedly from the managing director, asking Sarah to buy some John Lewis and Apple gift cards to be used as gifts for valued employees. The email asked her to keep it confidential so as not to spoil the surprise for those employees.

As the employee was so new, she somehow did not question why the MD was speaking to her, rather than literally ANYONE else in the office to do this important task. Despite the email address and language of the emails not being at all what the MD would use, because Sarah was so new, she didn’t realise.

They asked her to buy £2000 of gift cards at £500 each. She, and this is so sad, said that she only had £200 in her account, and apologised to the MD/scammers that she could only buy this much.

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How To Prepare For A Disciplinary Hearing As An Employer

Disciplinary issues are a thorny area for employers. Regardless of the situation and the strength of your position, failing to follow a fair and lawful process can result in you facing an unfair dismissal claim. The disciplinary hearing is a key aspect of the disciplinary process. Before you can impose any sanctions on the employee … Read more

Disciplinary Meeting Tips For Employer

Disciplinary meetings are a crucial part of any fair disciplinary process. The meeting is your employee’s opportunity to hear the case against them and your chance to get their side of the story. You must ensure that any disciplinary meeting you arrange is conducted properly and in line with the relevant guidelines. If you don’t, … Read more

How Long Should An Employer Keep Disciplinary Records?

Employers are subject to strict rules regarding both disciplinary processes and record keeping. Navigating the various laws, regulations, and guidelines can be incredibly complex and full of traps for the unwary. Here, our HR experts answer the regularly asked question, ‘How long should an employer keep disciplinary records?’, explain the relevant law, and give tips … Read more

Employer Disciplinary Procedures

Employer disciplinary procedures set out how the employer will deal with an employee’s misconduct or poor performance. Employers must put fair, transparent policies in place and follow those policies in all cases. If they don’t, they may face an unfair dismissal claim. Here, our HR specialists explain why it’s essential to follow fair procedures when … Read more

Employer Disciplinary Action

Employer disciplinary action is an integral part of running an organisation and managing staff. An employer has a legal duty to ensure that any disciplinary action is not only lawful, but fair. You must follow careful processes to avoid facing an unfair dismissal claim from an employee whose disciplinary action leads to dismissal. Here, our … Read more

Fag packet step-up.

A client emailed this week, wanting to issue a final written warning for the chef at his club.

He’d been drunk at work twice now, and they’d had enough.

On the face of it, that all seems sensible – it’s clearly a disciplinary offence; potentially a dismissal.

There was one teeny little snag, though: this was the first time we’d heard about any sort of disciplinary process for this member of staff.

And generally, this means one thing: it hasn’t been carried out correctly.

So it proved, when I started asking general questions – how long had the chef been there for, could they send over the investigation notes, what did the previous warnings say, and so on.

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