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Disciplinary: steps to follow & things to consider

So you have a problem with an employee and you’re thinking about what to do. One option might be to take disciplinary action. There’s some guidance about thinking things through here. Now let’s go through the steps you need to use. The…
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Companions for meetings – but no clowns

We deal with all sorts of quirky goings on in the wonderful world of work and HR - but bringing a clown to a formal meeting is a new one on us! You may have read that a man in New Zealand chose to bring an “emotional support” clown with…
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Hooray, it’s appraisal time again!

Hands up who loves appraisals! Come on, don’t all rush to raise your arms enthusiastically. If you’re sighing and feeling it’s something you have to do, because your boss and HR are hassling you about it, then here’s some quick advice:   1…
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Holidays: checking how work’s going or taking a complete break?

Summer holidays are here and everyone’s heading somewhere for a week or two. With mobiles, tablets and laptops, because that way you can check in with social media and work while you’re away. That’s normal, right? Who would have a complete…
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Why didn’t I get an interview? 8 top tips

I’m spending hours every week reading applications and CVs at the moment. Time and time again I am coming across the same common mistakes that tick the ‘no’ box. So have a read through my list of bugbears and you never know it might…
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Redundancy – not a magic wand to fire someone

When’s a redundancy not a redundancy? When it’s an obvious attempt to just sack someone. A real redundancy is when a company decides it no longer needs a particular role. Maybe because the work is no longer needed, or the company needs…
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When a row at work turns into a grievance

What’s a grievance? Dictionaries define it as a complaint resulting from a cause of distress or annoyance. In the workplace, any employee has a legal right to raise a grievance which is a formal complaint about a work issue. In practice,…
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Why spend any time on employment contracts? Money, for a start

When you change jobs, you might notice your new employment contract is different to the last one. Apart from different logos and fonts, it's worth checking for any significant differences quickly – maybe more or less holiday than you’ve…
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6 tips for your Christmas party

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me: 12 drunken staff, 11 promised pay rises, 10 crates of beer bought, 9 passed out workers, 8 leering managers, 7 punches thrown, 6 cupboard lovers, 5 bullied workers, 4 broken bones, 3 drunk…
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Work & Christmas: a survival guide

Ho ho ho! ‘Tis the season of goodwill, when people smile more and sing along to festive favourite tunes while hanging tinsel and baubles over anything they can. So here are 7 things to consider as you eat your own weight in mince pies and…
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Everything’s changing – but what and when?

“What’s the new Government doing about employment law? When will we know all the details?” The short answer is soon, but not yet. We’ve had a few headlines and there are some pretty safe bets, such as extending the right to request…
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White powders and workplaces

Working with all kinds of people, we spot issues and trends as they rise and fall. One thing we’ve seen increase is conversations about people using cocaine. The clichéd views are that it’s everywhere, it’s becoming more and more acceptable…
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Working with friends and family

Can you manage your friend and say when she or he is causing problems? Can you do this to your partner and then share a bed later? We work with many firms where friends either got together to launch the endeavours or partners came in to work…
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Rows at work – ideas to change things

Friction in working relationships can be a part of your working life at times, although hopefully not in a bad way. People have different priorities and viewpoints. But sometimes you can find yourself in a situation where the dispute goes…
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Big rises in Living and Minimum wages

Big increases in minimum pay levels kick in this April and the extra costs are almost £2,000 extra per year for each full-time employee aged 23 at least. From April 2023 employers have to pay a legal minimum of £10.42 an hour for any employees…
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When social media turns ugly

Want to moan on Facebook about your workplace? First step: unfriend your work colleagues. If you don’t do that, then you cannot complain when you go into work and find out that people are not happy with you – and you might be facing a telling…
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Empty chairs and no candidates?

Trying to hire is a gamble at the best of times, but lately it’s been a little bit of a nightmare. It’s a combination of various things, including the obvious (the B word) and that so many people are just treading water while we continue…
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Thinking about a disciplinary?

If telling people off at work was easy, then anyone could do it. In reality, managers find it hard sometimes. You work closely with people and nobody enjoys sitting with someone who’s feeling angry or sad because you’ve just told them off…