Commentary and insights

All items: Managing employees/workers

  • World Cup 2022: Employers' guide to the workplace implications

    Date:
    9 November 2022

    The 2022 World Cup in Qatar sees 32 nations taking part in 64 matches from Sunday 20 November until Sunday 18 December. Employers should plan ahead to make the most of the impact that this large sporting event can have on staff mental health and morale, while also planning ahead to minimise disruption.

  • Bank holidays: Six things employers need to know

    Date:
    7 November 2022

    What is the legal position when an extra bank holiday is granted, for example to celebrate the King's coronation? Are employees entitled to extra pay for working on bank holidays? What does an employer do if an employee refuses to work on a bank holiday? How should bank holidays be managed for part-time employees? Public holidays can raise a myriad of issues for employers - we explain how to deal with some of the most common.

  • Blackouts: Your HR questions answered

    Date:
    27 October 2022

    The National Grid has warned that the war in Ukraine combined with very cold weather could result in three-hour power cuts in January and February 2023. While such blackouts are unlikely, the ramification for businesses could be significant. We look at how HR professionals can help their organisations to prepare.

  • Side hustles - what employers need to know

    Date:
    26 September 2022

    As the cost-of-living crisis bites, many employees will be looking to take on extra work, away from their main employment. What are the legal implications and practical ramifications that side hustles may have for employers, asks employment law solicitor Daisy Watson.

  • Queen Elizabeth II national mourning: Five HR issues

    Date:
    12 September 2022

    As we enter the period of national mourning since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, how should employers deal with practical issues such as short-notice holiday requests or time off to pay respects?

  • Suspending employees: Key HR questions

    Date:
    8 September 2022

    Suspending an employee is not a decision an employer should take without consideration of whether it is truly necessary, and suspension should not be used as a disciplinary measure. Maya Alba-Heller looks at what the latest Acas guidance says.

  • Tattoos in the workplace: dress codes and visible ink

    Date:
    23 August 2022

    As employers like Virgin Atlantic relax their policies on visible tattoos in the workplace, Nicola Cockerill examines the benefits of redrafting dress codes to make them more ink-friendly and discusses the legal issues that can arise.

  • HR talking point: Industrial unrest - why more restrictive union laws are not the answer

    Date:
    26 July 2022

    Consultant editor Darren Newman argues that more restrictive trade union laws, such as the lifting of the ban on using agency workers during industrial action and an increase in the level of damages that can be awarded against unions for unlawful industrial action, are not the answer to tackling the current wave of industrial unrest.

  • Statutory neonatal care leave and pay: What we know so far

    Date:
    20 July 2022

    The Government has given its backing to the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill, which is a Private Members' Bill sponsored by MP Stuart McDonald. This paves the way for the introduction of statutory neonatal care leave and pay. What do we know about this new type of family-friendly leave and what has the Government said about the timetable for its implementation?

  • HR talking point: Expansion of healthcare professionals who can certify fit notes

    Date:
    6 July 2022

    The expansion of the group of healthcare professionals who can now issue fit notes can have a positive impact on employers' sickness absence management procedures, writes XpertHR principal employment law editor Stephen Simpson.

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Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to managing employees/workers.