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 […]
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 […]
What is garden leave and how can it affect your business?
‘Garden leave’ describes a period when employees are serving out their notice period but are not required to attend work; either because there is no work for them to do or because the employer is concerned that their attendance at work could cause problems. Garden leave originated with employers that wanted their employees to adhere […]
What can the UK do to tackle the HGV driver shortage?
The UK is currently experiencing a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers. According to a survey by the Road Haulage Association, this shortfall includes thousands of skilled drivers from EU member states who previously lived and worked in Britain. Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have caused thousands of drivers to leave the UK. Meanwhile, […]
Employer Meesho allows new parents to take gender-neutral leave
Meesho, a social e-commerce platform, has introduced a 30-week gender-neutral parental policy that enables all employees to take parental leave regardless of their gender, sexual identity or marital status. Bangalore-based Meesho wants to ensure that its employees are entitled to the same benefits that let them spend quality time with their children. Gender-neutral parental leave […]
Menopause Awareness Month: managing the menopause in the workplace
The menopause is a taboo subject, especially within the workplace. We know from research that those employees who fall in this demographic are, in general, treated negatively because of it. October is World Menopause Month, and 18th October is World Menopause Day – created to raise awareness and provide support to those going through it. […]
Deadline Announced for Care Workers to be Vaccinated
From 11 November 2021, all care home workers will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, unless they are exempt under the regulations. The new guidance covers anyone entering to undertake care work. Workers must have received the full course of the vaccination. The vaccine offers the best protection against the virus for staff […]
Expedia named top place to work in 2017
Expedia is one of the best places to work for the second year, according to employees. The Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards also saw ARM, HomeServe UK, and Mott MacDonald and Hays named in the top five. Voted by employees The Employees’ Choice Awards is in its ninth year and recognises the best places to work […]
Starbucks Loses Workplace Dyslexia Case
A dyslexic employee has won an Employment Tribunal against coffee retail chain Starbucks. Meseret Kumulchew, a barista at a Starbucks in Clapham, London, suffered discrimination in her role after she was wrongly accused of falsifying documents. Ms Kumulchew made mistakes in her role due to her difficulties with reading and writing. Yet instead of making […]
What Your Employees Do Before Breakfast
Over three-quarters of UK employees spend their mornings completing chores before going to work, a survey has found. CV-Library asked over 2,000 workers how they spend their time in the mornings and the results suggest that we are a pretty busy bunch. A staggering 77.2% of respondents said that they need to complete a multitude […]
Blue Monday in the Workplace
Whether a touch of the blues or something more serious, January can be hard on your workforce. ‘Blue Monday’, the so-called most depressing day of the year, is coming up next week. This is the day where the weather, personal debt, and the time since the Christmas holidays all combine into an amalgamation of disappointment […]
Nicknames and Discrimination in the Workplace
An Employment Tribunal has awarded more than £63,000 to a salesperson nicknamed “Gramps” by his colleagues. The Tribunal found that Mr Dove suffered discrimination in the workplace and was ultimately dismissed because of his age. Mr Dove was a long-serving salesperson for a jewellery manufacturer before his dismissal at age 60. The Head of Sales […]
How to Investigate a Workplace Grievance
The dictionary definition of a grievance is “an actual or supposed circumstance regarded as just cause for complaint”. In the workplace this is any concern, problem or complaint that an employee raises with you. This could be about the conduct of a manager or colleague, about a third party such as a client or a […]
Planning the Christmas Party
The Christmas party is a great opportunity to thank staff for their efforts over the last year, relax a little and get to know people outside of work. However, it’s always a concern when the alcohol starts to flow and your employees let their hair down. Romances, punch-ups and offensive jokes can be par for […]
One in Five Commute for Over Two Hours a Day
One in five British workers commute for more than two hours every day according to research by recruitment website Monster. 11% of workers travel for up to 90 minutes each way, whilst 9% commute for even longer than that. Monster polled nearly 500 respondents about the duration of their commute and found the following results: Andy […]
Aldi to Pay More than Voluntary Living Wage
German supermarket chain Aldi has committed to pay its UK employees more than the voluntary living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation. The supermarket will pay at least £8.40 an hour (£9.45 an hour in London) from February 2016, which is higher than most other UK supermarkets and higher than the Living Wage. This […]
Tipping Point for Flexible Working in 2017
Next year will see the tipping point for flexible working in the UK, according to new research. Lancaster University’s Work Foundation indicates that over half of UK businesses are likely to adopt flexible working practices by 2017. The paper, ‘Working Anywhere: A Winning Formula for Good Work?’ aimed to estimate when flexible working will become […]
Volunteering Initiatives Boost Engagement
We’re approaching the season of goodwill, which means that many businesses will be turning their attention to volunteering initiatives for their staff. Pre-empting this, the CIPD and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) have launched a joint study into employer-supported volunteering (ESV). The aim of the study is to identify how ESV schemes can […]