In short, yes! New guidance on menopause in the workplace, setting out employer’s legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, was issued in February by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Many women report experiencing negative impacts of menopausal symptoms in the workplace, with some even feeling compelled to leave their jobs as a result.
Research shows that one in ten women surveyed who have worked during the menopause have left their jobs due to symptoms, while two thirds of working women between the ages of 40 and 60…
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Q. What is Constructive Dismissal?
You’ve probably heard the term ‘constructive dismissal’ before, but are you clear on what it actually means?
Constructive dismissal is the term that applies when a change to an employee’s working conditions or unfair treatment forces them to quit. Sometimes this is confused with unfair dismissal, which is where you fire the employee.
With constructive dismissal, the employee feels “forced” out of the business due to conditions beyond their control (such as their employer’s behaviour).
Usually, an employee can only claim constructive dismissal if they’ve been employed with a company…
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18th March 2024
Culture and change
The power of Employee Engagement Surveys
This is one of the most powerful tools you can use as a business leader.
As a business leader, one of your jobs is to make big difficult decisions. When making a decision as a business leader, you take care to look at all of the information you have available to you so that you can make the best, most informed, decisions.
And when it comes to making decisions about your people, it’s important to use the same due care and diligence, because your people are your greatest business…
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18th March 2024
Culture and change
Actions you should take to mark International Women’s Day
It’s 2024 and women are still facing inequality in the workplace due to their gender – which lets be honest is rubbish!
This month we celebrate International Women’s Day and we want to use this occasion to give you three positive ways to take action to create a fairer, more inclusive workplace for the women in your team.
Gender bias in hiring and promotion
Women can encounter bias during the hiring and promotion processes, which results in fewer opportunities for career progression.
Your action: Implement blind recruitment practices, where identifying…
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18th March 2024
Employment contracts
Employment Law Changes for April 2024
Here’s our summary of the new Employment Laws that come into effect on the 1st April
Pay and Statutory Payments
National Minimum Wage updates which come into effect on the 1st April 2024
NMW Rate
Increase Amount
% increase
National Living Wage (21 and over)
£ 11.44
9.8%
18-20 Year Old Rate
£ 8.60
14.8%
16-17 Year Old Rate
£ 6.40
21.2%
Apprentice Rate
£ 6.40
21.2%
Accommodation Offset
£ 9.99
9.8%
All Statutory Family Leave payments; maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and parental bereavement pay will increase as…
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18th March 2024
Recruitment
The top reasons job seekers are put off a business when applying for a new role
A new report* has revealed the top 7 reasons job seekers are put off a business when applying for a new role with bad reviews and terrible annual leave topping the list.
Top Reasons Job Seekers Don’t Apply for A New Role
Bad Reviews online 46%
Terrible annual leave 44%
Bad Staff incentives and benefits 42%
Morally dubious sector 32%
No hybrid working 21%
No Sustainability Policy 19%
Outdated Sector 18%
The survey shows that job seekers are often extensively researching firms before applying for new roles with nearly half…
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16th February 2024
Strategy
Top HR Priorities for a business start up
In 2023, more than half of startups (65%) have no dedicated human resources support. That’s a stark contrast to Fortune 100 enterprises, where human resources is a standard department for 100% of top companies.
For many startups, this is the result of limited resources. Founders and CEOs are faced with difficult choices, such as whether to devote resources to product development or seeking additional funding.
Yet HR is a critically important function for every business. Not only can establishing an HR department early on help your company scale effectively, but…
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16th February 2024
Employment law
Sending our love to you with our special Valentine’s Introductory Retainer Offer
If you are an ambitious SME, looking to grow your business in 2023, then doing so without HR expertise will be challenging! If you’ve ever had to tackle a people issue on your own, you’ll also know just how tough and stressful it can be.
Between trying to manage your business, look after your clients or suppliers, your financial and legal obligations, as well as meeting your operational requirements, it can all be a bit too much! Feeling overwhelmed with all that you have to do and firefighting can become…
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2nd February 2023
Policies and procedures
How to recruit superstars
The first workshop we are running this year is our popular “How to Recruit Superstars”, and details of how you can come along are at the end of this blog.
We wanted to share some really important things to consider when it comes to recruitment. Yes, some may seem obvious, but they also get forgotten, or maybe not enough time is spent preparing for the interview process, which is why recruitment mistakes happen! So, here are our top 5 considerations to make when you are looking to recruit superstars into…
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5th January 2023
Q. Can unused statutory annual holiday be carried forward to the next holiday year? (December 2022)
Workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ statutory holiday each year = 28 days; 20 days holiday and 8 days of Bank Holidays.
The 28 days of statutory entitlement cannot be carried forward into the next holiday year in normal circumstances, although the Government has amended reg.13 of the Working Time Regulations 1998 to allow workers to carry over up to four weeks’ annual leave into the next holiday year, where it has not been reasonably practicable for them to take it as a result of the effects of coronavirus. For…
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28th December 2022