• Managing Menopause in the Workplace

    Managing Menopause in the Workplace

    In the UK, 75-80% of menopausal women work; understanding and supporting symptoms, both visible and invisible, is crucial for managers and employers.   Facts The average age for women to reach menopause in the UK is 51, although the expected age range is between 45 and 55. Currently, around 75-80% of women of menopause age…

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  • The Elephant in the Room: Protected Characteristics – Gender

    The Elephant in the Room: Protected Characteristics – Gender

    There are two ways in which I can tackle the Gender Elephant! The first is in the traditional way; by looking up to see if there is still a glass ceiling. The second is by looking at gender in today’s society i.e. the increasing use of pronoun confirmation in email signatures, LinkedIn profiles etc. I’m…

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  • Anti-fraternisation

    Anti-fraternisation

    Outdated rules or needed for the modern workplace? The first question for many is: What is fraternisation? Fraternisation is defined as: To associate or form a friendship with someone, especially when you are not supposed to do so. Fraternisation at work is usually about people having relationships with colleagues, but it could also be about…

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  • Late to Work?

    Late to Work?

    Does age or gender determine what time employees arrive at work? I was invited on air on Tuesday morning to discuss lateness at work with Jonathan Vernon Smith (JVS) of BBC Three Counties Radio. You can listen to the interview here. His topics of discussion are always prompted by reports or items in the news…

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  • The end of the Childcare Voucher Scheme

    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 It has been replaced by the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, which is Government led and therefore not administered or managed by the employer.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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  • Family Friendly Policies

    A full set of policies around maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay need to be developed so that employees feel valued and their skills are not lost from the business, but so that they business is able to function effectively with short and long term absences as a result of the prospective and actual…

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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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  • Too old for work?

    I am absolutely useless at guessing a persons age. Whether they are a child, a young adult, a mature adult or an octogenarian, I am just one of those people who can’t tell how old a person is. I was once told that we needed to organise a gift for a fellow member of an…

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