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 on and you cannot see a way out. It might be an issue about a […]
I’m abseiling down the i360 tower to raise cash for the brilliant Martlets Hospice, as part of the Shaun The Sheep events. It’s 450 ft. Gulp! I’m a little bit nervous about this (massive understatement), so if you donate and hand over any pennies you can, it will motivate me and help me feel much […]
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 over 23, which is an increase of nearly £1 per […]
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 off or disciplinary action. We’ve heard numerous stories about […]
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 to live in uncertain times. If you’re struggling to find […]
UPDATE: We will have a new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and she takes over the role on 6th September. It’s being reported that she will quickly announce plans that may include freezing energy bills, although that’s only speculation and there are no details about how that might affect businesses. We’ll have more information as things […]
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 or criticised them. But there are times when you have to decide if […]
Hope you have a wonderful 4-day weekend – if you get the whole bank holiday break off work. Have fun whether you’re enjoying Jubilee street parties, seeing your loved ones or just relaxing. After all, it’s 3 months until the next bank holiday!
As the economy picks up and your business is expanding, it may be worth considering employing new staff on a part-time basis. Maybe you need more help but cannot justify the costs of a full-time worker? If you are replacing staff, do you really need someone to work a 37-hour (or more) week? There is […]
How long can you stay off sick before you have to get a doctor’s note? Will you get paid? Are you sure you know the answers? The answer to the first question was 7 days: you can self-certify that you’ve been ill for that long, before you need to a doctor (GP or hospital) to […]
Once upon a time, businesses communicated by posting letters, making phone calls and meetings. Now people are sending and receiving work messages through emails, messaging apps and texts. While considering the obvious pros and cons – from speed and ease of communication to the risks of being overwhelmed by pinging notifications on your phone from Slack, […]
Let’s start by saying this is relevant advice now but things might change. We’ll update this blog if they do. Many firms we work with have people moving between countries, either permanently or for a fixed period of time or just for business visits. We all have concerns about how things might change now that […]
So here we go again: the furlough scheme’s extended on the same arrangements until the end of September 2021. We’re updating this blog as things are fleshed out or change. Furlough scheme It’s now available until September 2021 with increasing costs for employers starting in July. You can furlough anyone including employees who haven’t been […]
So now you’re juggling home-schooling and working remotely. Good luck and enjoy the experience! As a working parent, there are a number of ways to shake things up so that you can maintain some kind of your work-life balance, as well as your patience and sanity. There are a number of options available to you […]
If you’re working from home, you’ve probably sorted out in your mind the pros and cons by now. But the news that you have to work from home (if you can) again, and another lockdown, is still bound to cause spirits to dip a little – or crash, in some cases. Just when we started […]
We hope you have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2021!
Dust down your Christmas To Do list and crack on with organising cards, a lunch or party or whatever celebrations you usually have in December …. oh wait. Maybe not. Everyone’s scattered all over the place and you only see their faces on Zoom. Let’s just get to Christmas and forget about the whole thing. […]
UPDATE: Honestly, there’s no point reading this. It’s been completely changed and now it’s been abandoned for November. Check here for the latest news about furloughs: https://www.quickhr.biz/furlough-extends-and-lockdown-is-back/ So, no more furloughs and the replacement sounds a bit complicated. Something about thirds and two-thirds, I think. Honestly, thinking through the details made juggling spaghetti sound […]
