So often when I am advising my clients on HR issues, they ask me how the big boys do it. How do they operate in the way they do? How do they get round the employment legislation advice I am giving my clients? My answer has usually been something along the lines of – they have enough people to manage, they get good HR advice, they are very familiar with the contents of employment legislation etc.
Listening to Moneybox Live on Radio 4 this week, I was horrified at what I was hearing! The topic of discussion was equality, rights and pay at work. Many of the callers worked for large, unionised public bodies, yet the degree of discrimination was alarming. As an HR Consultant, I could not believe that the behaviours and attitudes reported were stilling going on in large public organisations today.
So next time my clients ask me how the big boys do it, I will tell them that they do it badly and do and will continue to pay for their mistakes until they start complying with employment legislation.
Small companies can not afford the cost of defending employment tribunal cases, they need to ensure they are fully compliant as soon as possible and stay that way by updating their HR policies and procedures as employment legislation changes.
