DWP Criticised for Disability Discrimination
The Department of Work and Pensions has come under fire from its staff, accusing it of disability discrimination. The latest staff survey has seen over 1,400 DWP civil servants claim incidences of bullying and harassment taking place at work, because of disability. These figures are up from more than 1,000 that was reported the previous […]
Blue Monday in the Workplace
Whether a touch of the blues or something more serious, January can be hard on your workforce. ‘Blue Monday’, the so-called most depressing day of the year, is coming up next week. This is the day where the weather, personal debt, and the time since the Christmas holidays all combine into an amalgamation of disappointment […]
A game changer for making recruitment decisions
In the battle to hire the best talent, many employers are looking at new ways of recruiting, but could a smartphone game help them to make their recruitment decisions? As more employers are expanding their recruitment to include school leavers and people with less traditional qualifications, they are looking for other ways to select […]
A fifth of UK workers expect to retire after 70
New research has revealed that over a fifth of UK employees expect to retire in their seventies and also have higher stress levels. Not only that, they are also less healthy and more stressed than employees who are hoping to retire sooner. 1,895 UK employees were interviewed for the Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, conducted […]
Offer Flexible Hours to Hire Better Talent
Fewer than one in ten ‘quality’ jobs offer the possibility of flexible hours. A failure to recognise the prevalence of flexible working means that employers are overlooking up to 1.9 million qualified candidates, a report has warned. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) surveyed parents, older people and disabled people to form the report. It found […]
Employment tribunal claimants never receive compensation
A third of people who win employment tribunals do not see the money awarded and less than half are paid in full. When people win their case at an employment tribunal, they naturally expect to receive the compensation that has been awarded to them. But Government figures show that thousands of workers who have won […]
National Living Wage Ends Free Lunch!
Staff working for popular coffee shop chain Caffe Nero, have been left disappointed after the company announced it was no longer giving employees a free lunch when they were on shift. The move has come as part of a pay review across the company, brought in following the introduction of the new National Living Wage […]
Restaurant Cuts Hours to Improve Quality of Life
An award-winning restaurant has reduced its opening hours in a bid to improve staff quality of life. Hibiscus, a two Michelin-starred establishment run by chef Claude Bosi, has reduced its lunch services from five days to three days a week. Lunch now runs from Thursday to Saturday whilst dinner runs from Tuesday to Saturday, giving staff […]
From recruitment consultant to X Factor contestant
Just like with previous years, this current series of the X Factor has been getting a lot of press and media attention thanks to its quirky and at times controversial acts. One contestant who has been hitting the headlines fairly regularly is rapper Honey G. Honey G is one of the contestants in X Factor […]
CIPD Warns of Lower Pay Rises
The introduction of the compulsory National Living Wage will cause UK salaries to rise at a far slower rate than forecast, according to the CIPD. However, the HR body believes that low inflation will help to ease the blow for average earners. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the Bank of England originally predicted […]
Is Dismissal for Persistent Lateness Fair?
Can you dismiss an employee for persistent lateness? You can as long as you show that you followed procedure, ruled the Employment Tribunal. The case of Ghartey v Royal Museums Greenwich recently asked the Employment Tribunal to resolve this question after Mr Ghartey, a former visitor assistant at the museum, was dismissed from his role […]
Work travelling time should count as working time
The recent European Court of Justice judgement ruled those without a fixed or habitual office should consider the travelling time they spend between their homes and the premises of their first and last jobs as part of their hours for the day. The ruling relates to the Working Time Directive – the European initiative which […]
Recruitment agency criticised for sexist job adverts
A London-based recruitment agency has found itself under fire for advertising sexist job adverts that not only state that just “beautiful” women should apply, but some adverts even go as far as requesting specific bra sizes. Matching Models posted sexist job adverts on their website looking for a flight attendant and PA, stating that applicants […]
UK Unemployment Hits Decade Low
UK unemployment held at 5.1% over the three months from November to January, the lowest rate since 2006. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that weekly earnings grew at a faster pace than expected. Meanwhile job creation slowed over the same period. The number of unemployed fell by 28,000 from the last quarter to […]
Campaign to ban sexist language at work
A new campaign is claiming that pet names and sexist language can hold women back at work and should be banned. A nationwide poll asked more than 2,000 women to share the pet names that they would like to see banned from the workplace. The survey by Kellogg’s cereal Special K, found that at the […]
Nicknames and Discrimination in the Workplace
An Employment Tribunal has awarded more than £63,000 to a salesperson nicknamed “Gramps” by his colleagues. The Tribunal found that Mr Dove suffered discrimination in the workplace and was ultimately dismissed because of his age. Mr Dove was a long-serving salesperson for a jewellery manufacturer before his dismissal at age 60. The Head of Sales […]
Off-Payroll Workers Facing Crackdown
A Government clampdown on ‘off-payroll’ workers could change the way that companies use freelance workers and contractors. According to leaked reports, chancellor George Osborne is due to outline plans to reduce tax avoidance in this month’s Autumn Statement. The measures, which have not been officially confirmed, are expected to result in a heavy clampdown on […]
How to Investigate a Workplace Grievance
The dictionary definition of a grievance is “an actual or supposed circumstance regarded as just cause for complaint”. In the workplace this is any concern, problem or complaint that an employee raises with you. This could be about the conduct of a manager or colleague, about a third party such as a client or a […]
Acas Updates Guidelines on Right to be Accompanied
Acas have issued an updated Code of Practice following an appeal hearing about a worker’s right to be accompanied. The ACAS Code of Practice March (2015) was released after an appeal determined that if an employee makes a reasonable request to be accompanied to a disciplinary or grievance hearing, their choice of who they take does […]
Family Businesses Need More Ambition
A PwC study has concluded that UK family businesses will need to ‘toughen up’, and show greater ambition in order to survive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. The report, entitled ‘The Family Factor: Professionalising the UK Family Firm’, surveyed decision makers from family businesses in over 40 countries, including nearly 400 firms from the […]
