In this week’s HR Bitesize we cover:
👧🏻 Am I an over protective mother?
📉 The impact of the Employment Rights Act on your business
✋🏼 The impact of Domestic Abuse on your workplace
Am I am over protective mother?
I’m in a really difficult situation this week.
I really don’t want to be an over-protective mother, but I also do not want my 20 year old daughter to be taken advantage of!
Let me explain.
My daughter is at university studying psychology with a very firm aspiration to become a clinical psychologist working with young adults.
Throughout her first two years at uni she has volunteered for a mental health organisation and done weekly ward visits with residents.
She has had the opportunity to obtain paid work with them, to do proper shifts and to increase her experience from visiting to supporting adults with mental health issues.
She has got through all the recruitment process, but the onboarding is taking forever, and HR seem to be a little haphazard (I am being polite).
When she got her contract through, I of course read it. It is a nasty workers contract with almost no rights. No proper employment and no continuity of service. An example of what Labour are trying to stamp out. Not unexpected and still marginally legal… until I got to the holiday pay section.
As an hourly paid employee, she is entitled to be paid 12.0689% of all salary earnt as holiday pay each pay period.
Issue 1 – They want to pay it quarterly… that’s illegal
Issue 2 – They want to reduce the holiday pay by 11% … that’s illegal
We have already flagged this to the HR Assistant and then to the HR Advisor… and then to the HR Business Partner… and then to payroll (they passed us around as no one could answer our question).
She really wants the job, so I have advised her to sign the contract, but we have also asked them for their legal basis for the deduction.
So far, they have told us what they are doing (the calculation) and why, but it remains illegal. Someone clearly does not understand the law and the reason for the way in which the 12.07% payment is reached.
My ambitious daughter is really keen to get started in this role, but as a zero hours employee is concerned that they may not offer her shifts if she causes an issue.
So, the question is, how much do we push?
How much of a protective mother am I?
Is it easier to push from the inside?
Have I pushed hard enough that their HR Dept look at their contracts and realise that they are illegal and make a change for ALL their zero hours workers?
Let’s see – I feel like this battle is not yet won.
And the lesson in this for you, the savvy business owner who employs staff – your contract of employment is only enforceable if it is legal. You can write whatever you want, and someone can sign it, but if it’s not legal, it counts for nothing!
The Impact of the Employment Rights Act on your Business
If you are an employer, like me, I’m sure you have been watching the news in the last couple of weeks for the fallout from the release of the Employment Rights Bill.
I have never seen HR in the news quite as much as it has been in this week. Businesses are worried. Combine the forthcoming budget with the Employment Rights Bill and businesses are really worried.
As a business coach (another hat which I wear), I advise clients to ‘control the controllables’. But what does that mean for you today?
Educate yourself about the changes.
Understand how they impact you.
Look at your business and think properly about what you need to do to be ahead of the game.
Look at your company values (hopefully you have these in place) and let your HR policies and procedures flow from these, based on the expected changes.
A recent BBC news article has reported a government estimated cost to businesses of £5bn per year. What will the cost to your business be?
Can you still hire an additional employee?
How will you manage poor performance?
How will you manage sickness absence?
Download our summary report here to find out more about the provisions in the Employment Rights Bill and my take on them as they impact your business.
Since putting out my ‘summary of the summary’ last week, several clients have asked for one of my briefing sessions. So, by popular demand, I have squeezed in an extra live online training on 7th November. Book now to grab your spot.
The Impact of Domestic Abuse on Your Workplace
Over the past few years, employees have become more willing to talk about all aspects of their life with colleagues at work. Whether it is financial concerns, medical issues, challenges with kids and aging parents or their mental health.
However, there is still one subject which is very much taboo and that is domestic abuse and / or violence.
For many employees, the office / work environment is their safe space.
Lockdown saw a significant increase in reports of domestic abuse as families were forced to spend time together, sometimes in cramped conditions.
The change in working habits has meant that some employees no longer have an office to return to, or are expected to work from home a percentage of their time.
November’s scheduled online training session will be looking at the impact of domestic abuse on your workforce.
As an employer, you have a duty of care to ensure that your staff are working in a physically and psychologically safe environment, even when working from home. That includes taking all reasonable steps to protect your employees from domestic abuse.
Would you know how to spot the signs?
Would you know what to do if you suspected domestic abuse?
Join us for our live, interactive online training session on 21st November.
That’s it from me this week.
Have a great week and remember, if you need me, hit reply, call me on 01923 866040 or email [email protected]
Donna
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