Effects of Aggression in the Workplace
New research suggests that even just witnessing aggression in the workplace can have a negative effect on individual performance. Research carried out at Sheffield University investigated the impact of workplace factors on employee levels of depression, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. Dr Sprigg and her colleagues first surveyed 127 employees immediately after they had witnessed aggression […]
Updated Drug-Driving Laws Incoming
On 2nd March 2015 new legislation comes into effect in England and Wales that will make it illegal to drive whilst under the influence of a wider range of substances than at present. The new ‘drug-driving’ law will encompass both illegal drugs and some prescription medicines. Anyone found to be driving whilst over the limit […]
Employment Law Update: Holiday Pay
A court case concluded this week that could have lasting ramifications on UK employment law, as an Employment Tribunal ruled that overtime, commission and other additional payments may now need to factored into employee holiday pay. It is important to note that exactly how employers will be required to enforce this decision has not yet […]
Changes to Paternal Antenatal Rights
This October will see a change to paternal rights as the Government passes legislation granting expectant fathers up to two periods of unpaid leave for antenatal visits. The Government has introduced the changes to paternal antenatal rights as part of their scheme to involve both parents from the start of the pregnancy, which forms part […]
BBC Severance Packages & Employment Law
The BBC’s 2013/14 annual report showed that the culture of high severance packages was still present in the 12 months up to the end of March, with a total of £2.76m awarded to just twelve former employees – not a bad redundancy package when we compare it to the statutory rates. Tony Hall, director general […]
Staff Entitled to Holiday Commission
British sales staff can now expect to receive their commission whilst taking annual leave, thanks to a ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union which will change employment law within the UK. Sales workers have previously only been allowed to receive their basic salary from their employers, even if their commission makes […]
Government to Tackle Zero Hours Contracts
Tougher action will be taken against businesses who abuse zero hours contracts thanks to new legislation introduced during this year’s Queen’s Speech. Just last month the business secretary Vince Cable outlined the government’s plans to tackle zero hours contracts due to alarming figures from the Office for National Statistics, which revealed that there are approximately 1.4m […]
Woolworths Collective Redundancy Outcomes
The Government has been given leave to appeal against an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling that has moved the goalposts for employers planning company-wide redundancies. The tribunal found in the Usdaw v Woolworths case that administrators Deloitte had not followed the correct consultation procedures when closing the UK’s 800-plus Woolworths stores in late 2008/early 2009. In […]
Voluntary work experience going unnoticed
Employers are failing to ask candidates about voluntary work experience, meaning that they might be missing out on skilled potential employees. The CIPD published a study that found that less than a fifth of employers asked about voluntary experience at the application stage, whilst only a third of recruiters asked about it at interview; and […]
Employers need to be more approachable regarding sexual harassment complaints
Research has found that victims of sexual harassment at work, are put off reporting it to their employers and HR departments, and when they do, they feel that they are not adequately supported. A Every Day Sexism conducted by the TUC and the Everyday Sexism Project, has discovered that 63% of women aged between 18 […]
Commission Must Be Included in Holiday Pay
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has confirmed that an employee’s average commission must be included in their holiday pay. The judgement, published Monday (22nd February), set out how the European Court of Justice (ECJ)’s ruling will apply in the UK. This is another step in the long-running case of Lock v British Gas, which was […]
True Cost of Presenteeism Revealed
Sickness absence and illness costs a month of productivity per employee, research has revealed. This is at an estimated cost of £57 billion a year to UK businesses. Workplace health initiative Britain’s Healthiest Company (BHC) surveyed more than 32,500 employees for the research. The aim of the study was to examine the true impact of […]
Acas Reports Increase in Workplace Bullying
The employment conciliation service Acas has reported this week that workplace bullying and harassment is on the rise in the UK. Acas reviewed a number of studies and found that reports of workplace bullying have been increasing. The service has also revealed that its own advice helpline received around 20,000 calls related to bullying and […]
Cameron Backs Name Blind Recruitment
David Cameron has backed a scheme for businesses to process job applications on a ‘name blind’ basis. The scheme is aimed at ending discrimination at the first stages of the recruitment process. The Civil Service has committed to name blind recruitment for all roles below senior civil servant level. This will match other graduate recruiters […]
Urban Outfitters Opens Unpaid Overtime Debate
Retailer Urban Outfitters has caused a stir in the US by asking for employees to work unpaid overtime during the weekend. An internal email obtained by a US gossip website told employees that it was looking for volunteers to pick and pack goods for delivery over the weekends this October. The email sells the role as a […]
Caste Discrimination Covered Under Equality Act 2010
A former domestic servant has won £184,000 in unpaid wages following the UK’s first claim for caste discrimination. Ms Tirkey worked as a domestic servant for a Mr and Mrs Chandok, first in India and then again in the UK. Ms Tirkey is of Adivasi origin, which some in India consider to be low caste. […]
Work-Life Balance Key to Reducing Stress
Corporate work-life balance programmes are the most effective method for reducing employee stress, according to new research. A workplace health initiative called Britain’s Healthiest Company has conducted research into the steps that businesses take to manage staff stress. The results indicate that whilst many firms acknowledge the importance of reducing employee stress levels, they could […]
Fit for Work Service Launched
Employers across England and Wales are now able to refer employees on long-term sick leave to a new support service called Fit for Work. According to figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), around 870,000 employees are absent from work for longer than four weeks due to sickness. Fit for Work gives […]
Inquiry Launched into Court Fees
The Commons Select Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into whether or not the introduction of court and tribunal fees has affected the public’s access to justice. The Select Committee is made up of 11 cross-party MPs who will be tasked with assessing the overall impact of court fees. A separate review of Employment Tribunal […]
Record Number of New Business Start-Ups
A record number of new businesses registered in the UK in 2014 – and even more are set to start up this year. There were 581,173 new businesses registered with Companies House last year, up from 526,446 in 2013. That figure is expected to break the record again this year as national enterprise campaign StartUp […]
