Changes to flexible working requests have been approved by parliament and are expected to become law in spring 2024. So, what are the key changes and how might they affect small businesses? Flexible working requests cover a variety of changes to working arrangements....
Most of us in the UK are familiar with the typical British winter weather. Cold. Wet. And dark. But just because we’re used to going to work in the dark and going home, yes you guessed it, in the dark, it doesn’t mean it won’t affect our moods, productivity, and...
Have you noticed that tensions are building in your workplace as the strict restrictions required during the pandemic are eased and more staff come into the office? Do different employees have contrasting views on wearing masks, getting vaccinated, or going to large...
Mental health and workplace stress are two of the biggest issues that UK employers face today. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)'s latest Labour Force Survey estimates that a whopping 55% of days lost to illness, caused or made worse by work, in 2019-2020 were due...
With the latest changes to immigration, it’s now more important than ever to stay on top of the latest employment law news and understand what to do to check new employees’ right to work. It is really important to check that every person you employ has the legal right...
It’s very easy to assume that conflict in the workplace can only occur when employees are face to face. But that’s definitely not the case as conflicts can arise working within a team – in-person or not! This has become more prevalent since the outbreak of the...
Whistleblowing, or ‘making a disclosure in the public interest’, is when a worker reveals information about a wrongdoing or illegal activity within an organisation that may affect others such as the general public. This is usually to do with the actions of senior...
As an employer, it’s always difficult when an employee raises a grievance. It’s hard to hear that a member of the team isn’t happy at your company, especially in a small business, where staff can be more tight-knit. The main way to prevent grievances is to try and...
Changing employees’ working hours can result in a lot of difficulties for employers, an extreme example of which we’ve seen in the recent news coverage surrounding Asda. The supermarket chain handed out new employment contracts to over 120,000 of its hourly workers,...
Long-term sickness absence is usually defined as a period of continuous absence of more than four weeks. The absence may be due to: an unexpected illness a chronic condition an accident or planned operation As an employer, you must take care to manage the situation...
There are many awkward situations you can find yourself in as an employer, but few are more awkward than approaching an employee who has body odour. While an employee’s body odour may be due to issues with personal hygiene, it’s important not to jump to this...
Gross misconduct is when an employee commits a serious act that immediately destroys your working relationship with them. If this happens, you can consider summarily dismissing the employee without notice, but you must also make sure you follow a proper disciplinary...
Managing an employee with an alcohol problem is one of the most difficult issues you can face as an employer. Not only are their attendance records likely to take a hit, but their alcohol dependence can also have a negative effect on the volume and quality of work the...
The definition of parental leave in the UK is when an employee takes time off work to look after their children’s welfare. This could involve organising childcare arrangements, looking at new schools or just spending time with their children. Parental leave shouldn’t...
How do you manage multiple holiday requests fairly when everyone wants annual leave at the same time? This is just one of the hundreds of questions we get around staff holidays every day. What about if you really don’t want people booking holiday around Christmas? Or...
The return to work interview is one of those meetings that's all too tempting to skip over. Chances are you’re more stretched than usual as a result of your employee's absence and you're keen for them to get stuck back into their work. Back to work interviews can...
With an increasing number of women choosing to have children later in life, the number of people turning to IVF treatment is on the rise. For employers, this presents some challenges. Not only is IVF treatment a topic an employee is likely to feel uneasy discussing...
Unpaid leave in the UK is when an employee takes time off and has no legal right to be paid for it. An employer’s obligations to agree to unpaid leave and how much to give are quite blurry and can cause some confusion. Reasons for taking unpaid leave The reasons for...
All employees have a legal right to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work to deal with emergency situations affecting their dependants. This is typically known as 'time off for dependants' or 'dependant leave'. But what is a ‘reasonable amount’ of time? And what...
Paternity Leave - unlike Shared Parental leave, which can be taken in blocks - must be taken in one go. The maximum leave available is two consecutive weeks, but some employees opt to only take one week. So far, so simple. Where the most confusion occurs is around...
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) is an entitlement of up to 50 weeks of leave that can be shared between two parents in place of Maternity Leave. If you’re not familiar with Shared Parental Leave, you’re definitely not alone! Despite the government’s ‘Share the Joy’...
It’s a tricky one; you’ve refused annual leave for an employee, and when the requested day arrives, they call in sick. Of course, they could genuinely be ill, but you’re suspicious. What can you do? Take great care when addressing this with your employee, as you don’t...
Take one part-time employee who always works on Monday, and another who never does. Does only the Monday worker benefit from paid leave for the bank holiday Mondays? In short, no. Employees should be treated equally, and this includes bank holiday entitlement too....
A robust, legally compliant annual leave policy, setting out how your business manages requests for annual leave, is something all organisations should have. A good policy will let your employees know everything they need to do and can expect around requesting annual...