Managing the rules on flexible working and predictable terms and conditions
Here is the Hot Topic for May 2024 and an accompanying webinar will follow, which will be hosted on 9 May 2024. Introduction This year we are seeing significant changes to the rules around working arrangements. Not only have the rules around flexible working changed, but new legislation will soon be introduced that will give […]
Simplifying Family Leave – Practical Solutions for SMEs and HR Practitioners
Are you an SME business owner or HR practitioner feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of family leave entitlements? Managing family leave can feel daunting and we often face challenges in interpreting this complex area of law. With 2024 being a big year for employment law, especially with family leave entitlements, in this month’s Hot Topic, […]
Full changes to Flexible Working Confirmed!
For those of you who have been following this area of development closely, you will know that for a long time, we have only had confirmation that flexible working will become a day one right, despite when the legislation was passed, it would bring in several changes. However, on returning from the Easter break, it […]
Poor work-life balance affects the mental health of 9 out of 10 women
A study conducted by Bloom UK has revealed that over 90% of women have encountered mental health challenges due to inadequate work-life balance. The survey, which targeted 704 women in the marketing and communications sector, explored their perceptions of work-life balance and its impact on their personal well-being. According to the findings, more than two-fifths […]
Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023
A statutory instrument was introduced in December which confirms that the right to request flexible working will become a day one right for employees, with effect from 6 April 2024. Currently employees the requisite length of service is 26 weeks. Consequently, any request submitted on or after this date will be governed by the new […]
Key Announcement – The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023
On 19 July 2023, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill was given Royal Assent, and passed as law. It will be known as the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023. The announcement setting out the legislation has some significant deletions from what was originally contained in the Bill. This includes the removal of the entitlement […]
12 tips for managing people during the World Cup
The World Cup has officially begun in Qatar and lasts for almost a month. Both Wales and England will be taking part and with football being the national sport of England, and Wales qualifying for the first time since 1958, it comes as no surprise, that there will be many people keen on following the […]
The business case for hybrid working
So much has changed over the last year, particularly with how employers have had to quickly adapt to new working arrangements. Yet what might have been seen as a huge challenge at the time, has in fact brought new opportunities. With businesses now focusing on rebuilding and looking to the future, this article looks at […]
2021 Planning for the Year Ahead
With 2020 nearing its close, in this article we reflect on the challenge’s businesses have faced in 2020 and consider what we can do to plan for the year ahead. We know that we will start 2021 still working in a Covid-19 secure way, but we will also see the UK move out of the […]
The End of Furlough and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme | FAQs for Employers
NOTE: read the new article regarding Extended Furlough Scheme, https://www.hrsolutions-uk.com/extended-furlough-scheme/ which was published on 2nd November 2020. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends on 31 October 2020, but with Covid-19 cases rising and local lockdowns in place, what options do employers have once the ‘furlough scheme’ ends? HR Solutions Knowledge Manager, Victoria Templeton, answers some frequently […]
The Future of Work: New Employment Practices
To complement this article, HR Solutions recently presented and recorded a webinar regarding new employment practices which you can watch on demand. It is inevitable that the world of work will have to change in response to Covid-19. We are already needing to change the physical set up of our workspace, but what do we […]
Top Tips for Managing Remote Workers
Working from home has previously been viewed as an option or a privilege for some, however coronavirus it has made it compulsory for many. With the right practices, procedures and rules employees can remain engaged and productive whether in isolation or carrying out social distancing. Here is a list of tips for managing remote workers: […]
Helping remote workers avoid isolation and burnout
Academics at Oxford University have been urged not to send emails outside working hours to avoid colleagues, especially remote workers, from feeling harassed. Administrators have asked the university’s academics to keep all online communications to normal working hours as part of a new email protocol. For much of today’s workforce, sending and receiving emails outside […]
Flexible Working – understanding your employer obligations
Modern working practices are moving toward the ever-increasing trend of flexible working. Major job search websites are reporting that key words linked to ‘flexibility’ are now common search criteria used by applicants. There have even been a number of government consultations that discuss the possibility of requiring employers to give more flexibility in the future, […]
Solving employee burnout with flexible working
Three in five UK employees work longer hours than they want to, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Almost one in four employees work over 10 hours of overtime each week, but many want flexible working and better employee benefits instead. Work related stress is defined as “a harmful […]
Interesting HR Statistics 2018
In this HR article we share a summary of some interesting statistics that were released in 2018. Most dads take 6 months shared parental leave at Aviva This news follows the government’s announcement to launch a campaign about shared parental leave after poor levels of take up across the country (2%). The insurance company introduced […]
Barclays installs motion sensors to monitor how often their bankers use their desks
Staff working for Barclays plc in London arrived at work to discover black boxes underneath their desks. Their bank bosses had installed tracking devices to monitor how often staff used their desks. The devices, known as OccupEye, use heat and motion sensors to log how long people remain at their posts. Their purpose is to […]
Italy considering trialling four-day working week
To help tackle Italy’s growing unemployment, councillors have put their support behind proposals to introduce a four-day week. The proposals will cut the working week from 40 to 32 hours. This, councillors claim, would create around 200,000 jobs by introducing new job roles in a variety of industries and provide work for the country’s 160,000 […]
Amazon to trial 30-hour working week
Amazon is planning a trial that will see some of its staff working only 30 hours a week. Instead of working the usual 40-hour week, a number of Amazon staff from the company’s human resources department will be allowed to reduce their hours to just 30. This will mean that they will earn 75% of […]
Women Aiming for Quicker Career Success
Women want to achieve career success faster than men, according to a study by recruitment agency Reed. 48% of women are aiming to reach their career goal by the age of 40. Over three out of five men stated that they were happy to wait until after that age to hit their career targets. Further to […]