COVID-19: Self Isolation Update

The Government has announced that with effect from Monday 17 January 2022, people who are fully vaccinated will be able to reduce their self-isolation period after five full days of either experiencing symptoms or receiving a positive test result – whichever came first. They must though have two consecutive negative lateral flow tests taken on […]
Managing Annual Leave: Additional Bank Holidays

At the start of a new year, we usually see employees starting to plan and book annual leave for the year ahead. In 2022 though, there are several things coming up that an employer will need to consider and plan for which relate to their employees taking time off from the workplace. In 2022, we […]
The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Updated Regulations for 2022

COVID-19 mandatory vaccination regulations have now been introduced into the wider health and social care sector. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 were made on the 6 January 2022 and came into force on 7 January 2022. There is currently a grace period in place, giving […]
January 2022: The latest on COVID-19

We start 2022 with a continued focus on COVID-19 and the challenges it continues to bring. We are seeing large numbers of new infections with the dominant variant in the UK now being Omicron; the variant which doubles in case numbers around every two to three days. In the week up to 31 December in […]
Training courses in 2022 – A year for learning with HR Solutions

2022 is upon us and now is the perfect time to invest in your teams to ensure they have the required skills and training, to help take your business forward. If the pandemic did nothing else, it kickstarted a revolution in how and where we work. Through new ways of flexible working, the changes that […]
SSP and Covid – Reimbursement Scheme Reintroduced

The Chancellor announced last night that he is reintroducing the SSP reimbursement scheme for SMEs who have employees off sick with Covid. The full details of the scheme are yet to be announced, however the government updated has updated its guidance on gov.uk with the message: “This scheme will be reintroduced from mid-January 2022. Further guidance […]
How has recruitment changed?

Recruitment in 2021 is not like recruitment of 2020. A lot has changed following Brexit and COVID-19 in how we engage with applicants, select and onboard. In this webinar we are joined by guest panellists Michael Jay from REED online, the UKs number one job site and Teilo Morgan from Teamtailor; the leading organisation in […]
Highest Health and Safety Executive fine for 2021

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued its highest value fine for 2021 to rail operator W.H. Malcom Ltd. following a boy’s death. The company must pay £6.5m after it was found guilty of negligence after an 11-year-old boy was fatally electrocuted in 2017. The boy managed to get into the Daventry International Rail […]
Employers, HR and the new COVID variant and rules – what you need to know

Further to the discovery of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, the government has introduced precautionary measures to slow the spread in the UK until more can be understood about the potential impact. Although there is much still to be learned about the variant, it is understood that it spreads ‘very rapidly’ and can be spread […]
HR Solutions acquires health and safety consultancy, Essential Safety

HR Solutions is delighted to announce our new partnership with Essential Safety, a leading health & safety, and fire safety consultancy, with offices in Corby and London. The acquisition is our largest to date, and will significantly expand the services we can deliver in the health and safety field. We look forward to welcoming the […]
November – Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Raising awareness about employee risks of lung cancer November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Its principal aim is to encourage people who display symptoms to see their GP. Symptoms can include persistent cough, chest pain as well as becoming out of breath either when doing normal daily tasks or at resting. A high percentage of […]
How to retain your best employees

When staff members decide to leave, it can be a huge and expensive inconvenience, especially if you are a small business. Employees can leave for all sorts of reasons, from not getting on with their manager or colleagues to struggling with their workload. Whatever the reason for their departure, each time an employer replaces a […]
Protecting young workers from bullying and harassment

This week is Anti-Bullying Week, a campaign coordinated by the ‘Anti-Bullying Alliance’, an organisation that specifically focuses on stopping the bullying of children and young people. Bullying and harassment in the workplace Young people in the workplace can be more vulnerable to workplace bullying and harassment compared to other workplace groups for many reasons: Firstly, […]
Health and Safety in the News

Health and Safety accident results in £20,000 fine A manufacturing company has been fined in excess of £20,000 after a health and safety accident. A worker’s hand was drawn into a roller and crushed after the company had not correctly assessed the risks involved. At the time of the accident, Chris Ellor, a director of […]
The launch of HR Solutions’ ILM Training Centre

We are always looking to expand on our training packages and have therefore increased our management training course offering after becoming an accredited ILM approved training centre. All of the management training courses are accredited externally, and the new status adds ILM – the UK’s leading provider of leadership, management and coaching qualifications to our […]
Survey set to reveal biggest challenges facing businesses

UK businesses are being urged to reveal the challenges they expect to face over the next 12 months in our 2021 SME Survey which launches on Friday 5th November. We are launching the survey for small and medium-sized enterprises with chartered accountants Nordens so that we can support firms as they negotiate the changing economic […]
National Minimum Wage to Increase in 2022

National Minimum Wage Increases for 2022 The Government has announced the National Minimum Wage (NMW) increases for next year. The top band, known as the National Living Wage, will increase from £8.91 to £9.50 per hour from April 2022. This band applies to those aged 23 and over and is an increase of 6.6 per […]
UK employers facing staffing squeeze as number of vacancies hit record high

Employers face the worst candidate shortage on record as Brexit, and a post-lockdown surge in the economy are impacting recruitment. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reveals that employers are growing increasingly frustrated as vacancies reach 1.66 million, with that figure expected to rise in the next few months. The staffing squeeze has been made […]
Family Friendly – an insight into all the family friendly options

Employees have several employment rights when it comes to taking periods of leave due to family reasons. This area of employment law can appear complex and daunting for managers for a fear of mishandling. In this webinar, we look at all the family-friendly entitlements available to employees giving you the confidence in knowing what you […]
HR consultancy director scoops prestigious award

Helen Astill, managing director of Cherington HR, has scooped the HR Consulting MD of the Year 2021 award in Acquisition International’s Influential Businesswoman Awards. Cherington HR was acquired by HR Solutions in July 2021, broadening the range of services available and adding additional experienced staff to be able to continue to provide excellent service to […]