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Help to pay workers

Government support is available if you put people on unpaid leave (otherwise called furloughs or temporary layoffs) but don't terminate their employment. Employers can apply for up to 80% of pay, up to £2,500 per month (annual equivalent…
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Don’t panic – but act quickly

Wow. Okay, everyone’s talking about working from home, worrying about Coronavirus and stockpiling toilet rolls. We’re living in interesting times. Don’t panic. But before you get overtaken by events – and the worst case scenarios…
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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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People on medications: Brexit worries

Everybody works with someone who is taking medication of some sort. You just might not know about it. One worry about Brexit is any disruption to the way medications get into the UK and are available to people. More than 60% of medications…
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Pay and pension changes from April 2019

In April changes to pension contributions and pay levels come into effect. Pension contributions Minimum pension contributions are increasing to a minimum of 8% of an employee’s salary. The minimum split for contributions is: Employer…
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Working at home or everyone in an office?

My colleague Brian recently wrote a blog about the difficulties of hiring locally and thinking about relocating staff to work for you, with some handy tips and food for thought. But, as I sit in my kitchen, working remotely, I question why…
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“We can’t get local candidates”

Some job searches are tougher than others. Advertise for a part-time admin role and you’ll get 20 CVs in a day or so. Start searching for a developer with specialised skills or for a senior role with precise definitions of industry, product…
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Life after university: getting a job

What next? Once the hangover clears (and it could be a while) you may find yourself shivering and alone, underwhelmed and unprepared for the world of work that you have inevitably been thrust into. How do I know this with such graphic detail?…
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Parents, sickness and minimum wage – what you have to pay

Compulsory pay rates for various situations have just increased: the minimum wage, maternity and paternity pay as well as sick pay, if your company doesn’t pay people normal salaries when they are absent from work through illness. To help…
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Working parent? Here’s everything you need to know

Expecting a baby? Already a parent?  Do you employ parents or soon to be parents?  We’re often asked about what parents are entitled to or how everything works with employers when someone takes maternity or paternity leave. Most people know…
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No more Employment Tribunal fees: what happens now?

Employment Tribunal fees are unlawful and the Government has to refund anything from £27m to £32m to people who have made claims. So what happens next? Since 2013 when fees were introduced, people who felt unfairly sacked or discriminated…
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Worried about losing your job?

Changes at work can feel like they happen out of the blue, sometimes as companies react to events – good or bad. Often the decisions to look for new kinds of customers or restructure to have different roles have been discussed, debated and…
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Work feels like running a marathon?

Running a company sometimes feels like a marathon. Just when things settle down, somebody leaves or a problem happens. Things keep changing and you have to work out how to deal with them - and that includes getting employees to help. Sometimes…
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What’s your policy on policies?

Some words make your heart sink and we know that “policy” and “handbook” are among them. Nobody starts the working day looking forward to a discussion about policies and employee handbooks. So why bother? Well, why have any rules at…
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Pensions: a quick guide

Employers are starting to talk about having to set up pension schemes. We’re not pension experts and we’re not going to waste your time getting involved – but we thought we would offer some tips and advice. An estimated 770,000 UK employers…
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Thinking about an apprentice?

The Apprentice is back on our TV screens and I confess I’m not a huge fan. With my HR hat on, I find the tasks, arguments and competitiveness cringeworthy and end up throwing the remote at the screen in frustration. I do appreciate it is entertaining…
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Brian talks about people, ideas and cake

Want to watch Brian talking about hiring people, growing businesses and types of cake? Brighton Summit is a special business conference run by Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce. More than 250 people are coming and there are various workshops…
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Living or Minimum wages: what do you have to pay?

What’s the difference between a Minimum Wage and a Living Wage? Well, it depends who you ask. The Government is introducing a compulsory Living Wage soon, although critics are saying that’s just changing the name of the Minimum Wage –…