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Minimum wage rates are increasing – are you ready?

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) are the legal minimum wage rates that must be paid to employees in the UK and are based on age and apprenticeship level. NMW is the minimum hourly rate of pay for workers under 23 (or first year apprentices) NLW is the minimum hourly rate of pay for workers over 23 years of age On the 1 April 2023, the NLW is increasing to £10.42 per hour, a significant jump from the current

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23rd March 2023

Company fined almost £500k following lorry driver’s fatal fall from height

On 23 April 2018, Christopher Barnes, a lorry driver for haulage company Devereux Developments Ltd, was delivering doors to a site in Gloucestershire when he fell approximately 2.3 meters from the trailer of his vehicle while unstrapping the load. Upon arrival at the site, Mr Barnes opened the curtain doors to his trailer and released the load-securing straps. However, some of the straps were tangled and Christopher’s attempts to free them from ground level were unsuccessful. In an effort to

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9th March 2023

Largest 4-day week pilot study – was it a success?

The results of the world’s largest 4-day working week trial, conducted by 4 Day Week Global, in partnership with the think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week Campaign, and researchers at the University of Cambridge and Boston College, have recently been published. The 6-month trial took place in the UK from June to December 2022, and involved 61 companies and around 2,900 workers. The report found that overall, the trial had been a ‘resounding success’ and that revenue increased by over

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28th February 2023

Helping employees weather the storm

Recent events have left many people worrying about their financial wellbeing. According to research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), almost 6 in 10 adults in the UK are struggling to keep up with increasing bills. Financial worries are one of the main causes of stress in the UK. The anxiety caused can affect an employee’s mental health and wellbeing, which in turn can lead to poor performance or periods of absence. Unsurprisingly, this is becoming a major concern for

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21st February 2023

Ventilation testing company fined for putting hundreds of employees at risk of serious health

St Helen’s based company Airtec Filtration Ltd, provide testing for extract ventilation systems which reduces exposures to airborne contaminants in a workplace. Following a proactive prosecution case by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) it was found that the company had provided its customers with inaccurate test results, which potentially left employees in those businesses unaware of the risk of serious lung disease. In one incident, an Airtec engineer failed to identify the presence of rubber fumes in a car

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16th February 2023

king charles III coronation the mall and buckingham palace

The King’s Coronation: Preparing for the extra bank holiday

Monday 8 May 2023 has been designated as an extra bank holiday to mark the coronation of King Charles III, which will take place on Saturday 6 May. However, as the nation comes together to celebrate this occasion, have you considered how the extra bank holiday may affect your business? Who is entitled to this extra bank holiday? Employers aren’t legally obliged to give their workers time off just because an extra bank holiday has been announced. There is actually

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9th February 2023

why you should hire an apprentice

Why Employers could be missing a trick if they don’t consider Apprenticeships

There is a growing demand for apprenticeships in the UK with an increase in 17-19 years olds preferring this to a traditional degree course or entry-level job, to acquire skills and valuable industry experience, whilst getting paid at the same time! This on-the-job training combined with formal learning delivered by a college, university, or training provider, leads to a formal assessment and a nationally recognised qualification. In this article we discuss who is eligible for an apprenticeship, how they are

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6th February 2023

embracing neurodiversity in the workplace

Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace

Although the term neurodiversity isn’t new, its awareness has certainly increased in recent years. Promoting a diverse and inclusive culture is now more important than ever. However, many Diversity, Equality & Inclusion strategies only focus on gender, ethnicity and cultural background. With the current skills shortage and ‘The Great Resignation leaving some organisations struggling to recruit, is it time that your organisation’s DE&I strategy embraced neurodiversity and the benefits it can bring? What is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity refers to the different ways

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30th January 2023

How school leavers are shaping future talent

The government is investing millions of pounds to give young people access to T Level qualifications to help them gain the skills they need to secure rewarding careers. What are T Levels? T Levels are 2-year courses which are equivalent to 3 A Levels and are becoming one of the main choices for students following GCSE’s. Based on the same standards as apprenticeships, T Levels have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers to meet industry needs and

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16th January 2023

Employment Tribunal Solicitor

Annual Employment Tribunal stats published

The latest Employment Tribunal Solicitors and EAT statistics have been published by the Ministry of Justice. They cover the period April 2021 to March 2022 and whilst they don’t include how many claims were made during this time (due to the Tribunal transitioning to a new database), they’re still useful in assessing employment litigation trends. The full report is available here (ref: Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal Tables 2021 to 2022), but the headlines are as follows: Unfair Dismissal

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12th January 2023

work-related ill-health stats

HSE publishes latest work-related ill-health statistics

In their latest published statistics, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates there are approximately 1.8 million workers in Great Britain suffering from a work-related illness. Stress, depression, or anxiety make up 914,000 of these cases, an increase in over 90,000 from last year. The impact on the country’s economic performance is enormous, with 30.8 million working days lost due to work-related ill-health, and an estimated £11.2 billion in annual costs of new cases of work-related ill-health in 2019/20 (excluding long

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1st December 2022

work christmas party

What every employer should know as we approach the Christmas party season

The Christmas party season is now well and truly upon us. Following the disruption caused by the pandemic which meant parties were held virtually or put on hold, this year employers are now returning to more traditional celebrations. The annual Christmas bash is a great way to reward staff and boost morale. However, if not managed correctly these social occasions can often present risks for employers, with alcohol induced absences and inappropriate behaviour. Here are some tips for avoiding a

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28th November 2022

tackling HR issues during the world cup

How to tackle HR issues during the FIFA World Cup 2022

The FIFA World Cup 2022 has been surrounded with controversy with regards to host Qatar’s poor human rights and LGBTQA record, but although there are some people who may boycott the tournament altogether, there will be many who will still be watching to cheer their team along. As the tournament kicks off, employers might find themselves with an influx of holiday or time off requests and there may well be an increase in sickness or unauthorised absence. So how do

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21st November 2022

recruitment and retention trends for 2023

5 HR Trends for 2023 to improve recruitment and boost staff retention

HR has changed significantly in recent years, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, which presented new challenges and caused a major shift in organisational cultures as HR teams had to quickly adapt and evolve. As more and more people evaluate their work-life balance, what does the future hold for HR as we head into 2023? In this article, we have lined up 5 HR trends which will improve recruitment and boost staff retention. 1. Flexibility is here to stay

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3rd November 2022

bullying and harassment working from home

Tackling workplace bullying in the remote era

We have seen a rapid increase in digital communication with channels such as Whats App, Slack and Teams offering valuable opportunities for employees to collaborate and maintain contact while working from home. However, with the escalation of home working our working environments have become less formal and the boundaries between our professional and private lives have become blurred. Communication lines are now easier to cross, particularly when these apps have previously been used more for social interaction. Bullying claims are

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17th October 2022

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