http://www.hradvantage.co.uk The latest from HR Advantage Copyright: (C) HR Advantage Ltd 60 en-gb Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/images/rss.gif http://www.hradvantage.co.uk http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/399.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/399.aspx While the Coalition continues to give mixed messages on parental rights and flexible working, HSBC has claimed to be the first large corporate employer in the UK to guarantee part-time work when parents return after maternity or paternity leave.As the law stands, organisations have no legal obligation to provide part-time work for employees returning from maternity or paternity leave although they do have to listen to an employee’s request to go part time.  There is also case law which makes clear that employer’s who do not show flexibility may... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/400.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/400.aspx I’m sure we’ve all known “The good, the bad and the ugly” when it comes to our own management experiences and it’s highly likely we’ve all thought at one time or another that we could do better.On the face of it, managing should be a fairly easy job, especially if you have an established team who all know what their roles are. But the trials and tribulations of the average work place suggest this couldn’t be further from the truth; delivering good management and leadership in an ever changing environment demands a lot of skills. • You’ve obviou... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/401.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/401.aspx Recently it has been suggested that there is a ‘crisis of trust’ in many businesses, with the CIPD claiming that whilst trust ‘oils the wheels of business, it has hit rock bottom of late’. A lack of trust is particularly evident at times of change, and in the current economic environment organisations are seeking to adopt new ideas and methods in order to maintain their success.There are many reasons why there might be a lack of trust in an organisation. Particularly key factors are uncertainty, poor communication, high levels of conflict, and... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/402.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/402.aspx Employment Law Updates Typically any legal updates that are introduced occur in April and October each year. This is a chance to consider forthcoming changes and any potential pitfalls for employers. Recent changes in February 2012 included increased limits on employment tribunal awards. This came into affect on 1 February. The changes include: • A ‘week’s pay’ for calculating maximum statutory redundancy pay rose from £400 to £430 • The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal rose from £68,400 to £72,300 • Guarantee pay increased fr... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/403.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/403.aspx The recent case of Samsung Electronics (UK) Ltd v Monte-D'Cruz concerned a Company restructure and whether an external candidate can be appointed to newly-created roles instead of those at risk of redundancy.Samsung decided to restructure and the claimant was notified that he was at risk of redundancy. The restructure involved making certain positions redundant, and also creating new roles, and those who were at risk of redundancy were invited to apply for the new roles. The claimant and a colleague applied for the new role of ‘business re... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/404.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/404.aspx A member of staff has been posting defamatory comments on Facebook about the organisation. Do I have the right to take any action? Firstly, you need to review what was actually posted in relation to the organisation. The employer needs to review and establish if what was posted is untrue, and is seen as damaging to the organisations reputation by ‘right thinking’ members of society.What if the information is defamatory?Then the organisation has the right to:·    Ask for the material to be removed, and·    Bring a civil claim against the employe... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/387.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/387.aspx We have more webinars lined up for the coming months. Each will entail a 20 to 30 minute presentation (supported by on screen slides) followed by a Q and A session. All you have to do is log in to our GoToMeeting facility and dial in (we will provide you with the relevant details once you have signed up). All sessions start at 2pm. Webinar Dates Topic Wednesday 29th February 2012 Facing critical business challenges: how effective HR strategies can help. Thursday 22nd March 2012 Employment Law Update Thursday 26t... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/388.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/388.aspx Training Services - Lisa ButlerSince Lisa’s business, Adhere Training, became part of HR Advantage last September, Lisa has established a great training offering for HR Advantage’s customers. From training needs analysis through real results focused bespoke solutions it makes sense to pick our brains whenever there is a training need to discuss. Benefits:•    Training is tailored and focused on your organisation’s specific needs.•    Courses are delivered conveniently and flexibly.•    Our unique Training Club provides individuals with unlimite... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/389.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/389.aspx Q. One of my employees has been on long-term sick. How do I deal with this? And as the employer, am I legally required to notify employees who are on long-term sickness absence of any vacancies or promotion opportunities?Dealing with long-term sickness absence Long term sick – usually defined as an absence lasting more than 10 days - can be a very expensive challenge to any business - in management time, the cost of sick pay and the cost of cover. When dealing with sickness absence it helps to get an understanding of the illness, how severe it... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/390.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/390.aspx In December 2011 a hospital trust and three senior members of staff were ordered to pay almost £4.5 million in compensation to a doctor who suffered sex and race discrimination. The doctor was suspended from work in January 2006 and subjected to a “lengthy and wholly unauthorised period of suspension” before disciplinary proceedings against her began in May 2007, concluding in her dismissal “for no good or justifiable reason” in January 2008.Medical experts had stated that the doctor had suffered “chronic and disabling” post-traumatic stress di... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/391.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/391.aspx In November 2011, the government announced that the accident reporting regime was to be made simpler by 2014. As a first step the absence period which follows an accident or injury at work before a report has to be made has been extended.Currently when an employee is unable to do their normal duties for more than three consecutive days due to an injury caused by an accident at work, the employers are required to report this to the relevant authorities within 10 days of the accident. However, the following changes have been made to Reporting of... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/393.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/393.aspx Update: The Big Pension ChangeIt has been confirmed by the government that automatic enrolment for Pensions will begin in Autumn 2012.However, the Chancellor has announced that SMEs, (a small business is one with fewer than 50 employees) will be given additional time to prepare for automatic Pensions enrolment. Auto enrolment for SMEs will now begin in May 2015 rather than April 2014. As an employer, you will be required to contribute a minimum of 3% of each employee’s eligible earnings which is intended to incentivise them to join. Their own c... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/394.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/394.aspx As Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, says; we are in “the most serious financial crisis … since the 1930s, if not ever”. With such a gloomy economic outlook for the year ahead, the fall in the real value of pay and benefits in both the public and private sectors is set to continue. The one ray of brighter news is that inflation is falling fast.According to the CIPD’s ‘Employee Attitudes to Pay’ survey, 53% of employees found their pay was either frozen or cut in 2011, the highest proportion of employees to find themselves in such a... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/395.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/395.aspx Austerity means working harder for longer and for less money, doesn’t it?.The new philosophy seems to be summed up by the attitude of the new head of OFSTED, Sir Michael Wilshaw, who has been quoted as saying in a recent interview in The Guardian  “If anyone says to you that ‘staff morale is at an all-time low’ you know you are doing something right.”The phrase ‘work-life balance’ is its own worst enemy. According to the Cambridge Dictionary a work-life balance is ‘the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/396.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/396.aspx To mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Government has announced that Tuesday 5 June will be an additional bank holiday in 2012. At the same time the traditional end of May Bank Holiday has been moved to Monday 4 June, to make an extended weekend.  So good news for employees but bad news for employers and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (that’s another .5% of growth gone – on the top of the Royal Wedding these Royal events are getting expensive; will the fact it is a leap year help?). But does everyone have the right to the day off? The simple... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/386.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/386.aspx With snow and ice already hitting the North of the country, it won’t be long before those of us who have not yet been affected, have to face the disruption of bad weather on our businesses. As experts in providing Human Resource solutions we at HR Advantage understand that the two most common concerns for business owners are around both the pay and safety of employees who are at work or trying to travel to/with work. Why not prepare yourself for the bad weather with our 2 step plan to avoiding an avalanche? Introduce and... Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/378.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/378.aspx Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0... Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/379.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/379.aspx Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0... Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/381.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/381.aspx Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0... 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Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/385.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/385.aspx Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:... Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/376.aspx http://www.hradvantage.co.uk/news/376.aspx As both sides ramp up the rhetoric it looks like there will be public sector strikes on Wednesday 30th... Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT