• Walking Out

    On Friday morning I got a call, well… more of a spoiler actually! It was a researcher from the JVS show on BBC Three Counties Radio – “Following Aleksandra King’s shock departure from The Apprentice last night, we’d like to interview you about people who walk out of jobs with no notice” Me: “Thanks for…

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  • Is it a Duck?

    The Employment Tribunal has ruled that two drivers are infact ‘workers’ under the definition in the Employment Rights Act 1996 and therefore are afforded protections not available to genuine freelancers. This case will be appealed by Uber, they can’t afford not to because of the implications for their global business model. Uber have also looked…

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  • Have you been fishing recently?

    I was recently reminded of a book and concept I first encountered approximately 20 years ago. Having worked for 2 large multi-national retailers in my early HR career, ‘team building’ and ‘personal development’ had a much higher profile and investment than many small companies I work with today can afford, but what follows is appropriate…

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  • Something a bit different

    I was sitting with a client the other day, talking about an issue they were facing. And then the client asked me a really interesting question, and the answer to the question is useful for all business owners, in all sectors. I’ve recorded a short video that explains what that answer was Why we are…

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  • Can you turn back time?

    MP rescinds her resignation Scouring the BBC website looking for interesting HR stories and blog inspiration, I came across the news that Sarah Champion MP had rescinded her resignation from the front bench and asked Jeremy Corbyn for her job back. It appears that he has agreed and that she may be the first of…

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  • Are you a bad boss if you don’t let your staff watch the football?

    Today’s blog has been inspired by my brief interview yesterday afternoon on BBC Three Counties Radio. I thought I was going to get bumped as the devastating news that MP Jo Cox had died after being stabbed and shot was coming through, but the Producer decided she wanted to finish on a more positive note…

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  • Ramadan and its potential impact on your staff, your business and you

    Monday 6th June is the start of Ramadan this year and it reminds me of a training session which I led 20+ years ago. It was the middle of summer and about 25 degrees out. Where almost all the delegates had bottles of water in front of them, one of the employees sat in the…

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  • The Employment Legislation Outlook

    Below is a summary of planned employment legislation changes. There are a couple of things to note: There was no statutory increase in rates in April of this year, except for Redundancy which increased by £4 per week There may be an alignment of the National Minimum Wage Increases and the National Living Wage increases…

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  • High Heels and a Noose Around the Neck

    What makes my line of work fascinating …. People! What drives me to destruction …. People! There is an old saying ….. “there’s none so queer as folk” and in my line of work I never cease to be amazed by what I see, what I hear and how far people (both employers and employees)…

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  • Auto Enrolment is coming….. ready or not

    I know I am going on about it constantly, but I have been going on about it constantly for a number of years now and yet…. and yet I still find that our clients: do not want Auto Enrolment do not want to pay the ridiculous set up fees which many providers are charging and…

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