Spring Budget 2023 – What does it mean for you as an employer?
Today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has set out his Spring budget, and it addresses the key areas we expected. Crucially, the Chancellor reported that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has said that the UK will now not enter a technical recession this year. In this article, we break down today’s announcement and share […]
Managing bank holidays in 2023 and 2024
2023 is another year in which the UK will see an additional Bank Holiday, this time, in celebration of His Majesty King Charles III Coronation on 8 May. However, because of how the Bank Holidays fall in 2023, businesses managing holidays between 1 April and 31 March will not see a return to the usual […]
Managing stress in the workplace
We ran our annual SME Business Survey back in November and asked what the most important aspects of Health and Safety over the next 12 months were. Mental health came out top, with 85% of SME business leaders stating that mental health will be their biggest health and safety challenge in 2023, an increase of 6% […]
Remote working: Managing Performance
Before COVID-19 home working was relatively scarce, with many of us commuting to the office on a daily basis. These days however, many more employees enjoy the flexibility and reduced travel costs that working from home can bring. This article is accompanied by our webinar recording, which you can watch On Demand. Challenges of home […]
Updated Fire Safety Regulations
New fire safety regulations for England, came into force last month which place new duties on building owners or managers (responsible persons) of high-rise blocks of flats, buildings which are high rise, and those above 11 meters in height. It follows several recommendations that were put forward to the Government following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry […]
How to Manage the Redundancy Process
The UK is still very much in a cost of living crisis. Unfortunately, due to businesses struggling and costs rapidly increasing, it is inevitable that many will need to make redundancies and reduce the size of their workforce, to survive these challenging times. Make your business case It is important to establish first of all […]
Could a four-day working week be successful?
In June 2022, the world’s largest trial of a 4-day working week began with over 60 organisations worldwide taking part, involving around 3,000 UK employees. Its purpose was to determine whether working four days a week instead of the traditional five improved employee wellbeing and productivity. Firms taking part included office-based software developers, housing, food […]
When is an employer liable for disability discrimination?
Disability discrimination is unlike other types of discrimination (sex, race, religion etc) in that there is a requirement that for an employer to be liable for acts of discrimination, they must have known, or to have reasonably known that the employee was disabled. The circumstances In the case of Preston v E.on Energy Solutions Ltd, […]
Mental health set to be a major challenge for 85% of SMEs
We ran our annual SME Business Survey back in November and when asked what the most important aspects of Health and Safety over the next 12 months, mental health came out top. Of those surveyed, 85% of SME business leaders stated that mental health will be their biggest health and safety challenge in 2023, an […]
Finances impact decision making in 70% of SMEs
This month, we have published our annual SME Business Survey report. In its third year, the survey asks SME business owners ten varied questions in order to understand key themes in what challenges lie ahead for businesses of fewer than 250 employees across multiple industries, including manufacturing, education, care, hospitality, and finance. With our survey […]
Employment law – what to expect in 2023
Over the last few years, other than legislation relating to the Coronavirus, there has been little development in employment law. 2023 however, we are expecting to see the biggest change to employment legislation in decades following the introduction into parliament of the Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill. This Bill along with other Bills […]
Retained EU law Reform Bill: January 2023 Update
At the end of last year, the Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill was introduced which, if passed, would lead to most of the UK’s retained EU laws ceasing to remain in force as of 31 December 2023. Stay up to date with all of the latest updates regarding the bill, by keeping an […]
Dismissal and Re-Engagement Code of Practice
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published new best practice guidance on the practice of dismissal and reengagement. A consultation period has opened for a period of 12 weeks, in which it seeks views from employers, professional bodies and unions on the proposals set out within “Draft Code of Practice on […]
Gender Recognition Reform Bill
In December, the Scottish Parliament passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill for implementation within Scotland, however the UK Government has since blocked it from becoming legislation by making an order prohibiting it from being given Royal Assent. The UK Government believes that if it was to go ahead, then there would be implications on […]
2023 – a look into the future
With being just three weeks into the new year, many employers will unfortunately be thinking that their employment challenges remain the same as those in 2022 – stagnant wages, increased costs, recruitment challenges, employee engagement and retention, and dealing with the implications from industrial strike action. We have seen from our recent webinar – 2023 […]
Reward and Recognition in the Workplace
With the employment climate predicted to remain volatile for 2023, and as the UK continues to face a labour and skills shortage, businesses are looking at how a reward and recognition strategy can play a key role in helping their business to retain a high performing and engaged workforce in 2023. What does the employment […]
Creating a People Plan for 2023
Creating a detailed people plan is integral to business success. As we move into 2023 , it remains crucial that businesses keep their business and people plans under review and make any necessary adjustments to them. In this article, we look at creating a 2023 people plan so that you can achieve success through your […]
Blue Monday 2023
What is Blue Monday? Blue Monday is the third Monday in January and came about almost 20 years ago by a psychologist who identified a formula for defining “January Blues” after having been asked to identify the best day for booking a summer holiday. Blue Monday came about after he identified several factors which he […]
Payroll Planning for 2023
The new year often brings change in legislation and tax rates. Keeping on track with your Payroll by staying up to date with these future changes is a great way to ensure that you are running the financial aspects of your business correctly. HMRC has highlighted a number of areas that are going to see […]
First COVID – 19 Case Reaches Court of Appeal
Just prior to Christmas, the first COVID-19 related case reached the Court of Appeal. The court heard that an employee who failed to attend work during COVID-19 because they believed that they would be faced with serious and imminent danger had not been unlawfully dismissed. The Tribunal Case Rogers v Leeds Laser Cutting is the […]