Starbucks Loses Workplace Dyslexia Case
A dyslexic employee has won an Employment Tribunal against coffee retail chain Starbucks. Meseret Kumulchew, a barista at a Starbucks in Clapham, London, suffered discrimination in her role after she was wrongly accused of falsifying documents. Ms Kumulchew made mistakes in her role due to her difficulties with reading and writing. Yet instead of making […]
What Your Employees Do Before Breakfast
Over three-quarters of UK employees spend their mornings completing chores before going to work, a survey has found. CV-Library asked over 2,000 workers how they spend their time in the mornings and the results suggest that we are a pretty busy bunch. A staggering 77.2% of respondents said that they need to complete a multitude […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Planning the Christmas Party
The Christmas party is a great opportunity to thank staff for their efforts over the last year, relax a little and get to know people outside of work. However, it’s always a concern when the alcohol starts to flow and your employees let their hair down. Romances, punch-ups and offensive jokes can be par for […]
One in Five Commute for Over Two Hours a Day
One in five British workers commute for more than two hours every day according to research by recruitment website Monster. 11% of workers travel for up to 90 minutes each way, whilst 9% commute for even longer than that. Monster polled nearly 500 respondents about the duration of their commute and found the following results: Andy Sumner, […]
Aldi to Pay More than Voluntary Living Wage
German supermarket chain Aldi has committed to pay its UK employees more than the voluntary living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation. The supermarket will pay at least £8.40 an hour (£9.45 an hour in London) from February 2016, which is higher than most other UK supermarkets and higher than the Living Wage. This […]
Tipping Point for Flexible Working in 2017
Next year will see the tipping point for flexible working in the UK, according to new research. Lancaster University’s Work Foundation indicates that over half of UK businesses are likely to adopt flexible working practices by 2017. The paper, ‘Working Anywhere: A Winning Formula for Good Work?’ aimed to estimate when flexible working will become […]
Volunteering Initiatives Boost Engagement
We’re approaching the season of goodwill, which means that many businesses will be turning their attention to volunteering initiatives for their staff. Pre-empting this, the CIPD and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) have launched a joint study into employer-supported volunteering (ESV). The aim of the study is to identify how ESV schemes can […]
The Mid-Afternoon Slump Explained
The typical mid-afternoon slump has been explained… And the cause isn’t what you might think. Research by the NHS has identified that 2.16 PM is the least productive time of the working day. However rather than being due to the post-lunch ‘food coma’, the mid-afternoon slump is actually caused by rising CO2 levels in the […]
UK Employees Most Confident in Europe
Employees in the UK are more confident about how their organisation can compete on the world stage than the rest of the European workforce, according to a recent survey. Over half (58%) of UK workers are confident that their business can compete for work and talent internationally, compared to a European average of just 50%. […]
Work-Related Stress Affecting Happiness
Stress is causing more than a third of employees to feel dissatisfied about their work, according to a new survey by Workwear Express. In a survey of over 1,020 UK employees nearly 40% said that they feel unhappy in their jobs. Over 65% said that they were not happy to some degree, whilst just 14% confirmed that they intend to stay […]
How to Manage Staff When It’s Too Hot to Work
With a second heatwave predicted to hit the UK at the end of July, we’re taking a look at what you need to know when it feels like it’s too hot to work… Whilst the scorching heat at the start of the month seems like a distant memory, early reports predict that we will see a […]
Dangers of Working Holidays
The Christmas period means a seasonal slowdown in some industries, but for many December is the busiest and most stressful month of the year. If it’s not an increase in demand as people rush to get things done before Christmas itself, it’s the need to get everything signed off and finished before the end of […]
Acas Reports Increase in Workplace Bullying
The employment conciliation service Acas has reported this week that workplace bullying and harassment is on the rise in the UK. Acas reviewed a number of studies and found that reports of workplace bullying have been increasing. The service has also revealed that its own advice helpline received around 20,000 calls related to bullying and […]
How to deal with bullying in the workplace
A survey of over 2,000 UK employees found that more than a third (37%) have been victim to bullying in the workplace. While it’s a challenge to find up to date statistics on the state of bullying in the workplace in the UK, there is an interesting 2015 survey that was conducted for solicitors Slater […]