HR Blog

The latest CIPD Labour Market Outlook has revealed that employer confidence is at its lowest level since 2020 and that due to rising employment costs, many organisations are looking to scale back recruitment and limit training investment. With this being the case, managing employee absence, especially long-term absence, is as important as ever. Background The … Read more

Approximately one in 6 people in the UK suffer from some form of mental health issue. In 2023/24 (the latest available statistics from the Office of National Statistics), 16.4 million working days were lost to work-related mental health issues including stress, depression and anxiety, with sufferers taking on average 21.1 days off. Positive employer attitudes … Read more

Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace is essential for fostering an inclusive environment that leverages the unique strengths of all employees. Neurodivergent individuals—those with neurological differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others—often possess exceptional skills in areas like pattern recognition, creativity, and attention to detail. By valuing these diverse perspectives, organisations can enhance innovation, problem-solving … Read more

Last week there were a lot of headlines around this huge piece of legislation that has the intention of strengthening employee rights for many employees.  The good news is that most of this will take a while to be approved, but some things employers need to start thinking about.   As always, I am here to … Read more

Clear HR policies and procedures are important when running a successful organisation, and for managing a diverse group of people. However, policies and procedures can become ineffective or inappropriate as organisations change and expand their systems. Therefore, it is important to ensure that they are reviewed on a regular basis to identify areas for improvement. … Read more

At first, a grievance can appear challenging to resolve. How do you conduct a grievance investigation correctly? What is considered best practice? Do you have a written grievance procedure? If so, this will make it much easier to get the principles of good grievance management right. Therefore, we’d recommend that all companies have a grievance … Read more

You have an employee who’s been taking a lot of time off recently. Personal issues, they say. You don’t want to pry but when they are at work, they seem quiet, uninterested, and distant.  You’re pretty sure it’s not the aftermath of a big night out. You’ve spotted those signs before… So, what’s going on? … Read more

People Management recently stated that more than one million fit notes relating to mental and behavioural disorders were issued by the NHS in the UK last year, with two in five (42 per cent) of those signing employees off work for a month or longer. Reasons behind the large number of fit notes could include … Read more

Workplace culture can make or break an employee’s experience of your organisation. When organisations get it right, their employees stay the course. But when they get it wrong, it can lead to headline news. Widely reported stories around the negative culture at large organisations like Uber and the Metropolitan Police have focused attention on the concept of workplace culture. … Read more

Whilst settlement agreements are not always the solution for every difficult workplace situation, when used appropriately, they can be mutually beneficial to both employer and employee.  However, there are a number of points to be aware of and to carefully think through before entering into discussions with an employee.  In our blog this week, will … Read more