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Employment law changes for April 2020
Development Overview Implementation Date Increase in holiday reference period from 12 weeks to 52 weeks The reference period used for determining a week’s pay when calculating holiday pay for workers with irregular hours will increase from 12 weeks to 52 weeks. The changes are designed to allow greater flexibility for workers in choosing when to…
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Ban the phone
Employers and unions are increasingly discussing the right of an employer to ban mobile phones at work. In some organisations, this is already the case, such as large retailers, banks and some medical settings, but it is something which smaller employers still battle with. My mobile number (although not my phone) is still the one…
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May Day 2020
The Background Due to the 75th anniversary of VE day in 2020, the Government have announced a nationwide change to Bank Holidays next year. May Day is usually the first Monday in May, but in 2020, to coincide with National VE Day commemorations, the Bank Holiday is being moved to Friday 8th May. The Implications…
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References
Do I have to provide one? We get asked this question a lot more than you might think, and the short answer is no, not usually. There are certain sectors, like Financial Services, where it could be a legal requirement, however in most cases for employers there is no legal obligation to provide a reference.…
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Don’t commute and use your phone
I do think that people now are more aware of how they use their phones while driving – it is illegal to do so – but how aware are people of how they use their phones on a public transport commute? I had a lovely chat with Roberto Perrone on the BBC 3 Counties Drive…
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Probation Period
This is a trial period at the start of someone’s employment. A 6 month probation period is ideal as it gives the employee time to learn the role and the employer time to assess performance and to provide feedback, making corrections to performance or attitude if required. If the new member of staff does not…
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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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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…