Bob punched me-One of our clients told me that their house manager was a confirmed liar the other day. It seemed a trifle strange that they were saying it in such a matter-of-fact way, without having taken action on it, so I delved a little deeper. Their most recent lie went a little like this… There’d been ... Read more
Pearly whites-Pearly whites Watching American TV a lot, as I do (yes I know it’s trash, but entertaining trash!), you can’t help noticing the teeth. Most people in the UK don’t give teeth much thought. OK, we brush them in the morning and at night, but do we ever think of them as one of the ... Read more
Is football a belief system?-Is football a belief system? With the World Cup about to start, it’s worth remembering that – for some – football isn’t just a game. It’s a way of life. And as an employer that can present a bit of a problem, with staff claiming that it’s discrimination for you not to allow them to ... Read more
Seven pints on camera-Seven pints on camera You might know we run a weekly Zoom call, where you can drop in and get questions answered. (If you haven’t joined us before, here’s the link for next week’s session. And there was a great question this week: “Can I install CCTV with sound in my reception area?” The answer? ... Read more
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
