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The Elephant in the Room: Loan Elephants – Bereavement
There are three things which are certain in life: birth, death and taxes. Everyone’s experience of bereavement is different, and you can’t assume that because you reacted in a certain way, that others will do the same. Unlike some of our other ‘elephants in the room’, as an employer, the chances are you are doing…
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The Elephant in the Room
This is the first in a series of blogs to mark our 14th birthday on 1st May 2021. The background to my thinking here is a little odd, but the theme of these blogs is based on ‘The Elephant in the Room’. All the things which employers do not want to talk about or deal…
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Death in Service
It’s been a really strange couple of weeks. Since coming back from holiday, we’ve been contacted by two separate clients who unfortunately have had deaths amongst their employees at work. Both employees had been with the business a long time. Both employees, passed away from cancer. This has got me thinking… I’ve got over 25…
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The Work Colleague Of The Future
We have just twenty years before the physical effects of a desk-bound office job will become starkly apparent, according to a new report. More than 3000 employees in France, Germany and the UK were interviewed about their health concerns as part of a study to examine the impact that modern workstations are having on our…
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The end of the Childcare Voucher Scheme
CCV The Childcare Voucher (CCV) scheme closed to new applicants on 4th October 2018. It has been replaced by the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, which is Government led and therefore not administered or managed by the employer. I am an employer who operates the old scheme, what impact does this change have on my staff and…
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Walking The Plank
There may well come a time in your business life when you REALLY need a member of staff to walk the plank (leave). There are many reasons why this may be the case, but you must be aware of the ‘legal’ reasons for dismissal which are limited to: capability, behaviour, redundancy or some other substantial…
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Christmas Party – Remember It For The Right Reasons
It is the last day of November. For many, this is payday, for others it is invoicing day and for some…. It is the official start of the festive season. Over the years we have seen some pretty fantastic Christmas parties. We have also seen some lovely intimate low key affairs where the team come…
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Probation Reviews
The Employee should recieve regular feedback during their probation period. This can be done informally, but if there are any concerns, these should be documented with an action plan. At a minimum, the employee should recieve a formal written review after 3 months and again at about 5 1/2 months. Failing someone in their final…
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Discrimination
Well written policies and procedures which are communicated and applied consistently are the key to ensuring that the risk of discrimination is reduced as much as possible. Employees (as well as workers and job applicants) could bring claims for discrimination on the basis of Age, Gender, Race, Beliefs, Marital Status, Disability and Sexual Orientation.…
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Why Corporate Jargon And Nonsense Stops Businesses Taking HR Seriously
(And The Four Processes That Most Business Owners Need To Go Through When Dealing With Staff) I’ve been studying and practicing HR for over 25 years. Which means that I ‘get it’. I ‘understand’ it. However ludicrously worded something is, or however jargonny a contract sounds, I can usually root out the genuine meaning, and…