Staff Management
International Women’s Day celebrates the success and achievement of women in the workplace, and while the latest findings on gender diversity are indeed encouraging, there is still some way to go. Recent research suggests that those companies who employ more women in management roles enjoy higher profits and greater sales growth. Yet a separate study shows that two out of three board positions in Britain’s biggest businesses are still held by men. We look at why gender diversity is such…
As an employer, it is your responsibility to prevent bullying and harassment at work. Bullying can take many forms, so to stop it rearing its ugly head in your workplace, it is strongly advised that you implement a policy on bullying. ITV’s recent compelling drama, “Sticks and Stones”, written by Mike Bartlett, creator of Dr Foster, revealed just how insidious and nasty workplace bullying can be, and how situations can easily spiral out of control if employers fail to call…
How do you celebrate Christmas at work when your employees are from diverse backgrounds? Well, the key to making this time of year enjoyable for everyone – and to avoiding any discrimination issues – is to make sure that your celebrations are inclusive. Some of your staff may practise faiths which don’t observe Christmas, while others might be atheist or agnostic. That said, these employees might still enjoy the festive season’s more secular aspects and be keen to join in.…
We all have those days when the office becomes unexpectedly busy. The last thing anyone needs is a tedious exercise that holds up your progress. Typically, that will end up being the day you will have to complete a load of boring payroll administration. When it comes to human resource management, manually calculating and maintaining accurate records of your employees’ salaries can be time-consuming – the time of day when everything grinds to an unnecessary halt. What is the solution?…
With the Great British Bake Off inspiring another batch of amateur bakers, it’s likely that some of your staff are bringing in their own delicious bakes to share with colleagues. It’s nice to tuck into scrummy homemade cake at your desk or in your office kitchen, but before you do, you might want to check first that nobody on your team is allergic to any of the ingredients. Food allergies are becoming increasingly prevalent, with around two million people in…
Sickness absence due to flu can be a major headache for employers as well as employees during the long winter months. Flu is highly contagious, so once one employee has caught it, there’s every chance the virus will quickly spread to other staff across your workplace. Heavy colds are unpleasant enough, but flu is a nasty, debilitating illness, which can leave even the healthiest of people feeling weak and unwell for up to two weeks. As well as being miserable…
When you’re reviewing your workplace health and safety policies, do you also look at those that relate specifically to your premises? According to highly experienced health & safety, quality and environmental professional Lucy Walsh, businesses often fail to include bricks and mortar when considering their health and safety responsibilities. Lucy, who has recently come on board with HR:4UK to strengthen our health and safety consultancy, said: “While most employers are aware that they need to look after their people, all…
This October, businesses up and down the UK will be getting involved in supporting fundraising events as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, so sadly there is every chance that someone in your workplace, or somebody close to them, has personal experience of the disease. There are many things businesses can do to help support vital medical research, including asking staff to dress in pink on Friday 18 October for…
We all know that managing employee administration can be tedious and time‐consuming, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Brixton based charity, Young Lambeth Co-op, is one of the many UK businesses and organisations to benefit from eConnect – HR:4UK’s efficient and effective cloud-based employee management system. Adopting e-Connect, has said the charity, brought many advantages – not just in terms of reducing its administrative burden but also regarding its legal compliance. Young Lambeth Co-op CEO Ellie Johnson said: “Before…
HR consultancy is an invaluable service, but do you know what it is and how it works? Were you aware, for example, that HR:4UK can come to your premises and deal with your HR issue on-site and in some cases resolve it in just one day? Small to mid-size business owners do not always have the time to handle the day-to-day tasks – or indeed the expertise to manage complex HR matters. Often, they haven’t got their own HR department…
Menopause and its impact on women’s daily lives is receiving a lot more attention these days. With prominent journalists, including TV presenter Mariella Frostrup and BBC Breakfast’s Louise Minchin recently sharing their menopause journeys with viewers, there is now greater openness and understanding of what was once a taboo subject. And, with women in their 50s and 60s now making up more than a quarter of the UK workforce, employers need to educate themselves on how they can help female…
Holidays give us a chance to recharge our batteries and take a well‐earned break from our usual day to day responsibilities. And, in an ideal world, we’d all return from a summer break raring to go, full of fresh ideas and enthusiasm. However, after days relaxing on a beach and getting up and going to bed whenever we want, it’s no fun having to set the alarm clock and do battle with commuter transport. Unsurprisingly, punctuality can be a problem as…
At HR:4UK we’ve strengthened our growing team with the recent appointment of Operations Manager Katie Price. Katie, joins us from Midlands‐based UK energy broker, Nationwide Energy Consultants, where she worked as an account manager. Prior to that she was a manager of a contact centre for online retail business, Range. Katie’s role with HR:4UK is a newly created one which sees her looking after the operational aspects of everything we do. She said: “As operations manager I’m involved in the…
To give clients a greater insight into what we do, we regularly feature interviews with members of the HR:4UK team. This month we catch up with Sales and Marketing Co‐ordinator Amanda Matthews who will be celebrating 10 years with the firm next year. Sales and Marketing Co‐ordinator Amanda Matthews loves the variety her job brings – and that includes leaving the office occasionally and spending time with the people we look after. Amanda’s time is taken up with marketing and…
With Easter just around the corner, now is the ideal time to look at religion and belief in the workplace – and explore exactly what employers can do to prevent discrimination. Diversity in all its various guises enriches a workforce, but to promote inclusivity, avoid misunderstandings, and stay within the law, it’s advisable to have a policy dealing specifically with religious matters at work. If you’re not clear on the legislation and where your obligations lie, you run the risk…
Members of staff are never too old to be discriminated against, as the recent case of an 88‐year‐old former medical secretary clearly shows. A Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust employee has become the oldest person in Britain to win an age discrimination case after a Tribunal found she had been treated less favourably than a younger person. The employee, Mrs Jolly – who has a heart condition and arthritis – also successfully won a disability discrimination claim against her employer.…
As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, now is the perfect time to recognise the achievements of our own Managing Director, Angela Clay. Angela, who took up her current role in October 2015, joined the business in January 2013 as an adviser and is the first woman to serve on HR:4UK’s board of directors. Originally from South Africa, she left Johannesburg for the UK in the 1990s where she studied part time whilst working full time…
Forget online dating apps. The chances are that one in four couples sharing a romantic candle‐lit dinner this St Valentine’s Day will have met at work. According to recruitment surveys, more than half of us have dated a colleague at some point, with many a romance in the workplace leading to long‐term commitment – including marriage and civil partnerships. There is no law against having an office relationship. Everyone is entitled to a private life as part of their human…