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Now we are Five
- October 2005
Discrimination
of pregnant women at work - February 2005
Grapevine
News : Time off for IVF treatment - August 2004
Grapevine News : Paternity Leave - March 2004
Drug
Testing in the Workplace - March 2004
Grapevine News : Rights to work part-time - May
2003
E-mails You Wish You Hadn't Sent
- May 2003
The Secret
Life of the Office - July 2002
The
Culture of Long Working Hours - July 2002
New Business - Older Workers - July 2002
Are you ready for the World Cup? - May 2002
Understanding the emotions of redundancy - May
2002
'Redundancy: the importance of consultation' - February
2002
Auditing
your Human Resource Practices and Procedures
- August 2001
Achieving a work-life balance
- May 2001
Performance Appraisal - November 2000
HRg, the Peterborough-based human resources consultancy, is celebrating a very successful five years in business.
Since its launch in 2000 HRg has worked with many well known blue chip companies to help them develop effective HR practices. A positive approach to managing people really can make a difference to an organisation's bottom line.
The team members are delighted with HRg's progress. Managing Director Debbie Rogers commented:
"We are passionate about helping organisations to manage their people well. We can bring new ideas and approaches that can really help an organisation improve its performance."
HRg's consultants work all over the country and have been involved in many projects including working with organisations to develop HR strategies, advising on restructuring and redundancy processes involving psychometric testing and outplacement as well as providing interim HR support.
A relatively new initiative is the CIPD accredited 'HRg Leadership Programme'. This modular programme for line managers runs for two half-days a month over a period of 9-12 months with participants completing coursework throughout to reinforce their learning. A number of organisations that have run the programme are now signing up for year two, so that the next group of newly appointed-managers can participate.
Debbie Rogers and the team are looking to the future.
"We plan to build on our success through delivering great service and great ideas to help our clients to get the most from their people."
HRg Ltd
October 2005
Discrimination of pregnant women at work
The Equal Opportunities Commission has this month revealed alarming statistics concerning the discrimination of pregnant women at work. It states that nearly half of all pregnant women face some form of discrimination at work. Amongst their findings are cases of women losing out financially and others feeling under pressure to resign.
It could be suggested that these statistics represent reluctance by business to embrace the political drive towards family friendly policies. Working parents and their rights have become a significant political issue in recent years. And it is not just the current government which is promoting the rights of working parents; the Tories have announced their own plans for childcare tax credit and shared parental leave.
It is perhaps not surprising that those who are, or are likely to be, working parents have been afforded so much attention. Government statistics show that there are nearly ten million women of childbearing age in the UK workforce and most of those will have partners who may also access new rights for leave and payment.
Perhaps what is required is not just attention for working parents but also for businesses that struggle to keep pace with the many and varied legislative developments and the ensuing administrative responsibilities.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantFebruary 2005
If you would like further information or guidance on how this may impact your business, or if you need help designing a policy, please call one of our Consultants who will be happy to help you.
Grapevine News : Time off for IVF treatment
One of my employees is about to embark on IVF treatment. Is it true that I need to give her paid time off?
There is no legal obligation for you to give an employee paid time off to undergo IVF treatment. However, some organisations are now offering paid time off for employees having IVF treatment as part of their 'family friendly' policies or to demonstrate their commitment to work-life balance cultures.
The retailer Asda has become a high profile proponent of this initiative, offering five days' paid leave for women and one and half days leave for men. The Supermarket chain responded to employees who did not wish to take sick leave to cope with the treatment.
If specific paid leave is not adopted there are various options that should be considered by employers. These could include discretionary leave or compassionate leave which may or may not be paid. The only remaining option is for the employee is to take sick leave but this must be handled with caution.
In the case of London Borough of Greenwich v Robinson (EAT 745/94), Ms Robinson brought a claim for sex discrimination because she had been selected for redundancy because of her high sickness record. Her absences included time off for IVF treatment. Her claim was initially upheld by the Employment Tribunal but overturned by the Employment Appeal Tribunal. It found that categorising IVF treatment as sickness absence was not discriminatory.
So far this case has not been challenged. The Employment Rights Act 1996 allows a woman time off for ante-natal care and maternity leave, but only once she is pregnant. IVF treatment falls outside of this allowance as far as the law is concerned.
However, the number of people receiving IVF is expected to increase following new NHS guidelines that free IVF treatment should be offered to all women aged between 23 and 39 from April 2005. It would be wise for employers to start considering how they will class time off for IVF treatment, in view of the current legal standing, with their own company culture and policy arrangements such as flexible working and equal opportunities.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantAugust 2004
If you would like further information or guidance on how this may impact your business, or if you need help designing a policy, please call one of our Consultants who will be happy to help you.
Grapevine News : Paternity Leave
One of your employees has advised you that his partner is expecting a baby at the end of April 2004 and he believes he is entitled to paid time off. Is this true?
New legislation came into force in April last year giving working parents a number of new rights, including the right to paternity leave.
However, there are certain criteria an employee must meet to qualify for the leave. He must:
- Have or expect to have responsibility for the child's upbringing
- Be the biological father of the child or the mother's husband or partner
- Have worked continuously for you for 26 weeks leading in to the 15th week before the baby is due and notified you by that point of his intent to take the leave
If your employee meets the eligibility criteria he will be able to take either one or two consecutive weeks' leave which must be completed within 56 days of the birth. He may also be entitled to Statutory Paternity Pay which increases to £102.80 per week with effect from 4 April this year.
Your employee will be entitled to his normal terms and conditions of employment (except for wages or salary) whilst he is on paternity leave.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantMarch 2004
The above text offers a brief overview of paternity rights, designed to give you an insight into your obligations as an employer. It does not cover the full scope of the legislation (for example an employee's notification requirements and rights of adoptive and same sex parents).
If you would like further information or guidance on how this may impact your business, or if you need help designing a policy, please call one of our Consultants who will be happy to help you.
There has been a lot of media attention recently regarding high profile sports personalities and alleged drug taking. Britain's Dwain Chambers and Greg Rusedski have both been in the spotlight, both denying that they knowingly took banned substances, but whilst one athlete faces a lifetime ban the other has been cleared of doping offences. In many ways, these seemingly conflicting outcomes reflect the confusion faced in the business world about how to deal with the whole gamut of substance abuse; if and how to test through to appropriate remedial action.
It is generally understood why sportsmen and women are randomly required to be tested for drugs; it offers validation for sporting achievements and aims to ensure a level playing field for competitors. The justification for substance and alcohol testing in the workplace is often less clear, yet the number of companies testing staff is on the increase.
Concern about the rise in testing has led the Information Commission (IC) to call for a ban on blanket testing staff for drugs or alcohol, unless it can be shown that not doing so would impact directly on businesses' health and safety. If the IC is successful employers will need to satisfy much stricter reasons for testing so that employees' rights are fully protected under the Data Protection Act.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantMarch 2004
Grapevine News : Rights to work part-time
One of your employees is going on maternity leave soon and has heard that she has the right to return on a part-time basis. Is this true?
New legislation came in to force on 6 April this year giving employees new rights in the areas of maternity, paternity, adoption and flexible working. Employees have been given increased entitlements to maternity leave whilst retaining the right to return to their original job.
Employees now also have the right to request to work flexibly provided they meet the specified criteria (including having a child aged under six and having proven parental responsibility for the child) and have worked continuously for you for at least 26 weeks.
Before you make a decision about whether or not to grant this request, you must now follow a defined process, which involves giving due consideration to the possibility of flexible working. Firstly your employee must put his/her request in writing detailing the desired change in working practice and also how this might be accommodated by your organisation.
You must arrange a meeting within 28 days to discuss this request with your employee, who may bring a co-worker with them if they choose. Within 14 days after that meeting you must write to your employee either to agree the change or to provide clear business reasons why the request cannot be accommodated. Your employee may appeal against this decision to an appropriate member of your management team.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantMay 2003
E-mails You Wish You Hadn't Sent
If you have been watching BBC2's recent series 'E-mails You Wish You Hadn't Sent' you will be familiar with the employee's protestation that he wasn't aware that there were any restrictions about how he used his PC - he didn't know he couldn't use the Internet for his own use or send personal e-mails to colleagues, etc, etc. This is not an argument that seems to hold much sway with employers, as one in four has sacked a member of staff for Internet misuse, according to a survey by 'Personnel Today'.
However, it is a defence that could be upheld by a Tribunal. You may think it appropriate to dismiss an employee who downloads offensive material, but if you haven't specified this in an Internet policy and communicated it effectively, you may find yourself facing a claim for unfair dismissal.
It is vital that employers compile comprehensive internet and e-mail policies clarifying what is and is not acceptable to their business. Even if you aren't worried about the morality of the sites your employees may be accessing, consider recent research by Websense that 44% of employees spend an average of three hours a week accessing sites for personal use while at work. Wouldn't you like better value for money than this?
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantMay 2003
If, like me, you have been watching the above programme over the past three weeks (BBC 2, 9pm Tuesdays), you may be feeling similarly bemused about the state of office life in the 21st Century.
Many employers have spent a lot of time and effort trying to remove the stigma associated with call centre environments, in particular that they are nothing more than modern day factories with draconian rules and standards, unfortunately the car rental company featured in the programme has not helped the cause.
Ranging from the owner/MD who re-structures the operation without telling the person who supposedly runs the department, to the HR Manager spending her time on deciding whether sucking throat lozenges constitutes a disciplinary issue, there seems to be a significant gap between the values and behaviours the business believes it encourages and the actual day to day happenings.
This reached its pinnacle when the Customer Service Department, having been rendered virtually inoperative due to a computer error, was striving to offer some form of customer satisfaction against a rising backlog of complaints whilst the senior management team were brainstorming how to improve morale by putting staff photos in the reception area.
I was slightly heartened by the final episode which showed a common sense approach being taken by the general staff in the Credit Control Department regardless of the rather clumsy behaviour of their bosses.
I do hope there is a follow-up programme in the future -if only to find out whether these so-called "progressive management" techniques actually transfer into increased staff retention and improved business performance!
Debbie Rogers
Managing DirectorJuly 2002
The Culture of Long Working Hours
There has been a lot of talk lately about Britain's long working hour's culture and the need to find an acceptable work-life balance. Earlier this year Patricia Hewitt, Trade and Industry Secretary, set employers a five-year deadline to tackle this trend. And only last month [June] the Equal Opportunities commission produced data showing that the average number of hours fathers spend at work is on the increase year on year.
Anyone in any doubt about whether long working hours is a real or perceived phenomenon should be readily convinced. There has been ample research and data collected by notable organisations including the CBI, TUC, the Economic Research Council and the CIPD, supporting Ms Hewitt's claims that one in five Britons now works more than 48 hours per week.
Perhaps the research now needs to progress beyond the length of the working week to its impact on health, family life and business operations. The CBI believes that people work long hours from choice. If that is the case, it would suggest that employees as well as employers are yet to be convinced that long hours are a detrimental feature of British working life.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantJuly 2002
A recent report by the Industrial Society reminds us not to forget the over - 50s when it comes to employing staff in the dot-com sector. Their experience of previous economic cycles and wisdom in building effective business relationships can show the young e-ntrepreneurs a thing or two.
By 2020 one in four of the workforce will be aged 50-plus and the UK has been slow to recognise the advantages that the mature worker can bring. Businesses set up by those in their early fifties are twice as likely to succeed than those started by people in their early twenties. Social changes are also making older workers fitter and more adaptable than before and having experienced significant changes in business life during their working career are better placed to respond creatively to the challenges that the global economy now brings.
Coupled with the emphasis on creating a work-life balance in organisations today, businesses can gain by employing an aging workforce who want to work more flexibly and have different demands on their time than their younger counterparts.
So the next time you are trying to inject some business and customer-facing skills into your latest e-whizzkid think about asking their parent or grandparent along for an interview instead!
Debbie Rogers
Managing DirectorJuly 2002
Are you ready for the World Cup?
According to a recent poll* 1.4 million men between the ages of 21 and 44 plan to call in sick on the same day during the World Cup this June.
Are you ready to take those calls? How will you deal with those employees when they return to work? Or would you like to avoid the whole issue of 'bunking for Beckham'?
Surprisingly few companies have planned how they will deal with World Cup fever and its impact on the workplace. If you haven't yet developed and communicated a company policy on this matter, there is still time to do something.
Firstly consider whether you intend to let people have time off to watch the games at home or a flexi-time arrangement. Alternatively you could allow radios in to the workplace or have a TV room. Then you must consider whether you limit access to England matches only. If you are an international company or have a multi-national workforce this may not be appropriate.
If you have determined that time off for world cup games is not acceptable you need to decide how you will deal with any unauthorised absence. As you know, you cannot prove that someone was not sick on a particular day so you may decide that doctor's notes are required during the 'football season', paid for by the company.
One of the greatest concerns for employers is the issue of resentment and inconsistency, which may be generated by those people who have no interest in the football frenzy. Perhaps the best way to gauge employees' views is simply to ask them what they think and try to cater for the majority.
Bear in mind that the World Cup does only take place once every four years and it is unusual for games to fall within our normal working day. By allowing your employees limited time off to watch or listen to matches your company may have some financial loss but this should be weighed up against the risk of unauthorised absence and the invaluable generation of good will and staff morale.
Company's taking this approach can limit the amount of time employees spend watching games or operate a one-off flexi-time policy to limit the disruption. A small donation from employees to charity for the privilege of enjoying the football should satisfy most workforces.
*conducted by Workthing.com
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantMay 2002
Understanding the emotions of redundancy
Due to recent changes in legislation most employers are aware of the need to plan a redundancy exercise and meet their obligations to consult and inform their staff effectively. However, when it comes to giving the 'bad news' and dealing face to face with the emotions of individuals who will lose their posts, the planning can be rather less rigorous.
Most employees, when they have got over the shock of redundancy, will accept the reason for it. What they find harder to accept is the lack of compassion and support they received from a company, which they had loyally served for a number of years.
Employers can avoid leaving 'a bad taste' in the mouths of redundant staff by planning a structured redundancy and outplacement programme, effective from the time the announcement is made until the date of termination and even beyond. The effects of redundancy should not be underestimated. The loss of a job is not only devastating in financial terms; it is an experience that has been likened to bereavement. It may leave people with damaged self-esteem, a lack of confidence and a sense of defeat; emotions which will not enhance prospects in the job market.
Employees will undoubtedly feel personally hurt by being selected for redundancy, but a clear, planned and consistent message from management about the business reasons for downsizing will limit concerns and claims of victimisation. If this message is to have any credibility it must be delivered by the relevant manager and not delegated to an unknown from Head Office.
Timing is probably the most common fault in breaking bad news. Difficult announcements should be made early in the week and not on a Friday afternoon, as so commonly occurs, which leaves employees in an information wilderness for an entire weekend.
Information and emotional support are key in the period immediately after an announcement has been made. It is understandable for people to be anxious about finding new employment but expectations should be managed. It is essential to take the time to work through the emotions, needs, skills and aspirations of the people concerned - there is no 'quick fix' for redundancy.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantMay 2002
'Redundancy: the importance of consultation'
Whether as a result of the aftermath of September 11th, or as some economists argue, the country was already heading for a recession, many employers are currently finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of downsizing their organisations.
For those employers who have not had to deal with the legal quagmire of redundancy before, it can be a daunting prospect. Often essential steps in the redundancy process are omitted, not necessarily through lack of will, but through lack of awareness.
The first step for any employer in the redundancy programme is to consult. Current legislation sets out firm timescales that must be adhered to:
Where fewer than 20 employees are to be made redundant, consultation must begin in 'good time' and is on an individual basis.
Employers should not make the mistake of assuming that if they are a non-unionised organisation the obligation to consult is void. On the contrary, the employer must arrange special elections to select employee representatives.
Having established the need to consult, employers also need to understand the purpose of consultation. Initially there is a requirement to provide the representatives with certain specified written particulars; thereafter consultation is about discussion between two sides.
Where carried out properly, consultation should be a meaningful dialogue throughout the designated period with both parties looking at ways to avoid the redundancies, reduce the number of employees to be made redundant, agreeing selection criteria for redundancy and mitigating the consequences of the dismissals.
Whilst consultation may feel like a lengthy first step in the redundancy process it will ensure that the subsequent steps are far less painful. By having joint involvement in the redundancy programme the quality of the decisions taken is likely to be enhanced. Employees are far more likely to co-operate and understand their situation if they have been involved in it from the start. Not least, fair consultation will ensure a costly visit to an Employment Tribunal may be avoided.
Elspeth Wedgwood
HR ConsultantFebruary 2002
Auditing your Human Resource Practices and Procedures
We all consider that regular servicing and maintenance of our vehicles is an effective way of ensuring that they continue to perform over a long period of time. However, when it comes to reviewing our procedures in relation to the people we employ, it somehow doesn't seem to be that important. Until, of course, the dreaded "break-down" occurs, which in employment terms is when you find yourself staring at a claim against the company at an employment tribunal.
The plethora of employment legislation over recent years, coupled with the increasing awareness by employees of their rights, has sent applications to tribunals soaring into six figures in the past couple of years. Where cases go to a tribunal, over 40% of employers lose, and in the main, this is due to procedural errors.
A simple audit of the way things are done would go some way to removing these risks.
Consider the following:
Conducting an audit in these areas and ensuring that any concerns or issues raised by staff are dealt with promptly and fairly will help to minimise the risks to your business. The costs of defending an employment tribunal claim, as well as any penalties if a claim is lost, could have a serious financial impact on your company; it could also damage your reputation as an employer.
August 2001
It used to be the preserve of new mothers returning to the work place seeking part time hours, nowadays the concept of working more flexibly is becoming a much wider phenomenon and is appealing to all types of workers. Increasingly those in senior positions want to enjoy a challenging and rewarding role at work but may not want to commit to the traditional "Monday- Friday put in as many hours as you can" syndrome.
Our increasingly busy lifestyles demand that we maximise the time to fit everything in, some people are considering that releasing more time when it is convenient to them may actually be more important than the income they will give up. Of course having spent a considerable time building up a career, knowledgeable employees will not want to give this up to take lower grade roles which have commonly been all that is available for those wanting to work part-time.
But the tide is turning, unless we face this fact we are in danger of losing valuable staff who will perhaps turn to other options such as self-employment, for example, to achieve the balance they desire between their non-work and work time. In newer industries or locations where issues of commuting, or recruiting an appropriately skilled workforce, is difficult, employers are becoming more receptive to the notion of allowing a different style of working, which includes home-working, term-time, flexible hours contracts, job sharing and career breaks. The key feature of these arrangements is that they are increasingly being taken up not just by people with childcare responsibilities but a wider section of the workforce who feel that they want more balance in their life.
As an employer you may think the concept of having staff working from home, working less than a five day week or other forms of flexible working will only lead to increased managerial problems in organising your team or providing a service. In my experience, and increasingly in the experience of larger organisations, the reverse is true. Many businesses have seen a reduction in staff turnover and absence and an increase in efficiency as staff are able to be more productive in the time that they are working.
As with most initiatives the notion of flexible working just needs a little thought and creativity. In support of this concept the Government is putting £5.5m over the next three years into work-life balance projects in both the public and private sector. The pattern of work is changing-better to be able to respond to this than watch key workers vote with their feet.
Written by Debbie Rogers, Managing Director of HRg Human Resources Consultancy (whilst working from home - having just agreed flexible hours contracts with two of her employees!)
May 2001
It is that time of year when organisations typically choose to review their employees' contribution through an annual performance appraisal system. This may feed in to the salary review process or include assessing training and development needs or the setting of new tasks or objectives for the year ahead.
There are a number of performance management systems available on the market or a company may choose to design its own process. Which ever approach is taken there are a few essentials to ensure the procedure actually works ie that it results in an effective dialogue between the manager and employee which ultimately ensures performance is enhanced leading to increased profitability for the Company:
November 2000
This is where we'll announce the most recent additions to our web site. If you've visited us before and want to know what's changed, take a look here first.
For further information please contact mail@hrglimited.co.uk
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