You couldn’t make it up-You couldn’t make it up Make Most employers know, for good or bad, that it is tricky to dismiss a pregnant woman. But not impossible. There are ways to part the company if performance or attitude is bad, and they involve documenting meetings, setting deadlines etc so that you can prove that the pregnancy is ... Read more
Advising the advisors-Advisors of Gap HR In HR, there’s plenty of jostling to be the leader of the pack. And we’re the leader of ours – true specialists in HR for private member golf clubs. But that doesn’t mean we ignore what’s going on in the wider HR world – we like to keep an eye on ... Read more
What is the current retirement age?-What is the current default retirement age? I ask this during my presentations quite a bit, and get A LOT of different answers, with “65” being the most common The real answer? There isn’t one. It was abolished in October 2011, with a short transition period where you were allowed to give your employees six ... Read more
If you know, you know-If you know, you know…… When it comes to disability discrimination, there’s a pretty important case – Stott vs Ralli Limited. The employee in question put in a claim, saying she’d been discriminated against because of her disability; she had mental health issues and dyslexia. But here’s the thing: her employer didn’t know that. She’d ... Read more
The metaphorical unicorn that this greenkeeper never saw-The metaphorical unicorn that this greenkeeper never saw I was talking to a head greenkeeper the other day, and he was probing me about human resources-related stuff (occupational hazard!). One of the things he was keen to know was whether there was a requirement for an employer to have a handbook that they gave to ... Read more
Bank holiday for the Queen’s funeral-Bank holiday for the Queen’s funeral There have been many millions of words already written about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and I can’t hope to add anything meaningful to them – it is a seismic moment in our nation’s history, and I’m sure she will be missed greatly. Practically speaking, the Queen’s death has ... Read more
Magnum PI-Magnum PI One of our clients has a greenkeeper problem: he’s off sick far more than they’d like. So far in this calendar year, he’s had 23 days off sick; all of them odd – a day or two here. Which is more than everyone else in the club combined. They haven’t been happy about ... Read more
A bit like an intern-One of our clients contacted us recently about a “one-week work trial” for a potential new employee. Essentially, they wanted the candidate to work for nothing, “a bit like an intern”, and if she was good, then they wanted us to put together a contract that started after the trial. Our answer? “No.” Unfortunately for ... Read more
I was on fire-I was on fire I was at a Girl Guiding Day last week, helping out with some activities for Ukrainian and Afghan child refugees. I was on fire. Not literally, I just happened to be in charge of the fire activity, which as a casual pyromaniac, suited me down to the ground. What I WAS ... Read more
Half-dead Dave-Half-dead Dave You know, half-dead Dave, right? He’s been in accounts FOREVER. Then there’s Yoda, who’s nearly as old as nearly deceased Dave, and MUST be close to retirement now. Of course, you’ll know Jimmy Savile – we call him that not because of any crime he’s committed, but because he’s called Jimmy and his ... Read more
Birthday party booking-Birthday party booking Running a business can be tough at the best of times. But with taxes rising, inflation spiralling and everyone going on about the ‘cost of living crisis’, things are even more challenging. Which – you might think – would result in companies trying harder than ever to acquire customers. But it seems ... Read more
Just mowing the grass-Just mowing the grass I was talking the Chair of Greens at a golf club recently, and they had a few challenges with getting enough greenkeepers to look after all the greens. No matter, he told me, they had a Plan B. The plan? “I know a chap who mows my lawn – I’ll just ... Read more
Off to the States-Off to the States I’m off to America this week. It’s a holiday I’ve been anticipating for AGES, but the build-up has been fraught with anxiety, mainly thanks to the prospect of the flight being cancelled, or the baggage handlers going on strike. To try and counteract the latter point, I decided just to take ... Read more
Pincher by name…..-Unless you’ve sworn off the media completely (and I wouldn’t blame you if you had), you’ll be well aware of the Pincher saga – the bad behaviour of MP Chris Pincher, and the government’s various attempts to deal with the situation. What I’m more interested in is how the Carlton Club – the venue for ... Read more
Fit note frenzy?-Fit note frenzy? It’s not the easiest time to be a business owner, what with staff shortages, inflation, cost of living, Brexit and Ukraine. Which makes it the natural moment for the government to make your life even harder. From next Friday, sick notes (officially Fit Notes) can be officially signed by registered nurses, occupational ... Read more
You’re fired. But before you go…-You’re fired. But before you go… The moment when Lord Sugar points the finger and gives the contestants their marching orders has gone down in TV folklore. But I’ve never seen him ask someone to complete a task after firing them. After all, they’re fired: why would they? Bizarrely though, we’ve seen employers attempting to ... Read more
Just because you’re bored with it…-Just because you’re bored with it… I went shopping last weekend. The official reason was to buy birthday presents for others, but you know how things go: I found myself in my favourite perfume shop, L’Occitane. I’ve been wearing Oud & Rose since last summer, which I really love, so I thought I’d treat myself ... Read more
Are they over yet?-Are they over yet? Being a full-time business owner and mum is great. But it takes its toll in the summer. I had a plan to write something about the whole ‘back to school’ period, but then I came across something written by a friend of mine, Sara Southey, which is beautifully put, so rather ... Read more
What Is Their Notice Period If They Don’t Have A Contract?-When it comes to employment law and notice periods, one of the most common questions we’re asked is ‘what is their notice period if they don’t have a contract?’. Of course, any worker you hire has rights under employment law, and employers also have rights when it comes to people leaving the business. If you’ve ... Read more
Do zero hours and casual workers need holiday pay?-Do zero hours workers need holiday pay? Yes! All employees earn holiday pay. It is also important to remember that part time employees cannot be discriminated against, which means that you cannot give them less holiday (pro rata) than full time workers. The reason for this is that the majority of zero hours or casual ... Read more
