The empty nest blues-The empty nest blues It’s now less than a year until – fingers crossed – my youngest child will be leaving home for university. And as much as I love to faux-moan about him, I also love having him around, and everyone’s been telling me how much I’m going to miss having children in the ... Read more
Easy way to lose a “customer”…-Easy way to lose a “customer”… I was chatting to my favourite golf club the other day (the identity of the club will remain a secret!). And they had good news – they’re at full membership AND they’ve got a 100-strong waiting list. A position they haven’t been in for over a decade. I congratulated ... Read more
Overtime doesn’t count towards holiday entitlement – or does it?-Overtime doesn’t count towards holiday entitlement – or does it? The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decided in 2014 that any overtime worked does count towards an employee’s holiday entitlement. Yikes! What does that actually mean? It means that if you have in their contracts that they work 20 hours a week, and they work 10 ... Read more
Contract Information Center-Read through all of Gap HR’s documents about contracts. When issuing a contract, it is important to always remember that you cannot make an employee sign away their rights. A contract is a document designed to let employees know what they are entitled to, but not to change their statutory rights. You can schedule a ... Read more
You MUST understand-You MUST understand I have a SEAT Ateca. It’s not the most fashionable car in the world, but I’ve had it for a few years, and it’s served me well. SEATs come with a three-year warranty, which I’ve been keen to keep it alive, so I’ve headed to the local dealer each year for the ... Read more
Treasurer says zero hours workers have no rights-Treasurer says zero hours workers have no rights It’s the consultant’s curse – people value your advice enough to ask for it, but try everything they can to avoid paying for it. But this week, we experienced the complete opposite. A golf club client of ours point blank refused to take the advice we gave ... Read more
Double jeopardy-Double jeopardy We have had a lot of questions about what to do around staff and vaccinations. Please be aware that no staff has to tell you whether they have or have not had the jab. They could even lie! Double vaccinated staff Do not have to self-isolate if have come into contact with someone ... Read more
Trained to ignore-Trained to ignore My car told me I had a flat tyre the other week. That’s how sophisticated they’ve become – before you’ve even felt anything, the computer explains loudly and clearly that you need to do something about your tyre. And they don’t just tell you once. They tell you again and again. But ... Read more
When can you give a verbal warning to an employee?-When can you give a verbal warning to an employee? Never! They 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?”. The simple answer is yes, but why would you? Employers complain constantly about the rules they have ... Read more
Flu – every year in June?!-Flu – every year in June?! One of my Clubs contacted me about a greenkeeper, over 2 years’ service, who they felt was ill too often. I, of course, asked for the number of days they had been off and the reasons. It turns out it was 4 days in 6 months, all mid-week, for ... Read more
Sickness absence with a silver lining-Sickness absence with a silver lining The Office for National Statistics (ONS), has just released its sickness figures for 2020. And they aren’t as bad as you might think. In 2020 approximately 118.6 million working days were lost due to sickness or injury. Which sounds a lot but is the same as just 3.6 days ... Read more
What about a Cadillac?-What about a Cadillac? My son Chris turned 17 last month. Which is mildly terrifying, not just because it only feels like yesterday, he was starting school, but because it means he’s now the proud owner of a provisional driving licence. We’re currently in the process of arranging driving lessons, as well as looking for ... Read more
My landscape gardening career-My landscape gardening career I’m having some work done on my garden. “Work” doesn’t really do it justice – they’re ripping the whole thing out and starting again – the ramshackle fence overgrown with ivy included. It might surprise you to learn that I’m no landscape gardener, so I defaulted to the three experts I ... Read more
Kids, dogs & old people-Kids, dogs & old people In our local village, there’s a 20mph limit. In principle, it’s a great idea, with kids, dogs and old people all in plentiful supply. In practice, it’s completely ignored. They’ve tried all sorts to enforce it – signs, sleeping policemen, signs, cameras, notes through doors, signs, the list goes on. ... Read more
Do you know which country has the highest suicide rate in the world?-Do you know which country has the highest suicide rate in the world? Apologies in advance for the bleak subject matter… Yesterday I was in a discussion with some work colleagues about suicide, and more specifically about the fact that it’s the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. ... Read more
Posting unsuitable content on social media-Posting unsuitable content on social media What can I do if my employee is posting unsuitable content on social media? There are usually two aspects to posts on social media. One is them talking about confidential Company matters that they shouldn’t be, and the other is showing that they really aren’t sick when they said ... Read more
Onions?-Onions? I like to keep an eye on the competition. So, when one of our golf club clients mentioned a firm of employment solicitors that “really knew their onions”, I was understandably curious. A Google search later, and I felt a lot happier, thanks to their 3.8-star rating on Google My Business. You might be ... Read more
Scary stats-Scary stats In a normal year, we’re hard at work advising our clients. In the last 12 months, our busyness has been off the scale. Thanks to the pandemic, more employers than ever have needed our help to ensure they do the right things, operate in the right way, and stay out of employment tribunals. ... Read more
No such thing?-No such thing? At the best of times, dealing with corporate monstrosities is pretty challenging. Since Covid, it’s become an utter nightmare, with more barriers and irrelevant questions in every single interaction. Take Thames Water as an example – they called me yesterday to book a date to install a water meter. The guy on ... Read more
What is the current default 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
