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GPs could be told to issue fewer sick notes – what would this mean for HR?

Under government plans to boost the economy, GPs could soon be told to issue fewer sick notes. The number of people out of the labour market due to long-term sickness absence has been rising in recent years.  Data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that between June and August 2022, around 2.5 million people reported long-term sickness as the main reason for economic inactivity (up from around 2 million in 2019). The Society of Occupational Medicine has reported that: “One-third

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19th June 2023
appropriate office dress code

Are shorts and sliders suitable for the office?

Casual office dress codes were already on the increase before the pandemic, with ‘dress-down Friday’ a popular perk to end the week. However, the pandemic saw a major shift in dress code as workers swapped their traditional business attire for pyjamas and sweatpants, with a ‘zoom shirt’ hanging over the back of their chair for more formal meetings! Employers are increasingly reporting that workplace attire has become more casual since employees returned to the office.  Some have actively promoted this

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15th June 2023
LPG forklift truck fire risk

HSE warns of fire risk with LPG forklift trucks

The HSE has issued a safety notice following a number of fires associated with LPG powered forklift trucks and other similar vehicles during starting. This notice is applicable to anyone responsible for operating, supplying, inspecting or maintaining LPG powered forklift trucks. The issue of concern is the build-up of deposits in fuel systems, in particular, the vaporiser units of LPG powered vehicles, which has led to a number of fires. The build-up can cause valves to stick which can in

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8th June 2023
volunteers week

Should employers promote volunteering?

This next week is Volunteers Week (1-7 June) which is an opportunity to recognise the contribution people make through volunteering. Research from Pilotlight indicates that 21% (approximately 6 million people) of the UK workforce are currently utilising their work skills for volunteering, which is benefitting 8,300 charities and social enterprises every year. Benefits to the volunteer Volunteering is a great way to make a difference and give something back, allowing people to connect with their community and make it a

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1st June 2023

Fertility treatment and the workplace

Fertility treatment in the workplace has been an increasingly talked about topic since the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill was submitted to the house of commons in November 2022 and the Fertility Workplace Pledge launch last year. The pledge kicked off with signatures from large companies such as NatWest group, The Co-op group, Metro Bank group, The Guardian, Channel 4 and UK Hospitality. Whether your company, or the company you work within, is large or small, there is a fair

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30th May 2023

Supporting Employee Wellbeing is a Win-Win

As we approach Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year focuses on the theme of ‘anxiety’, this article discusses the benefits of supporting mental health in the workplace by investing in an employee wellbeing programme. Anxiety is an emotion all of us experience, and it’s normal to feel worried or anxious in certain situations. However, sometimes these feelings can spiral out of control and impact a person’s ability to carry on with their normal daily life. Research shows that: In England,

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9th May 2023

Coalition leading campaign to save health and safety laws from Brexit revocation

A coalition has been created within the occupational safety and health sector during recent months, to provide a unified front to warn the government it might not be a good idea to remove every European-related law. The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is currently in parliament and proposes that all retained EU laws should be repealed by 31 December 2023 unless there is parliamentary time to convert them into national law. The Bill includes the requirement to review,

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27th April 2023

New bill guaranteeing tips for hospitality workers

Trade unions and other campaigners have called for legislation to ban unfair tipping practices following media reports in 2015 of employers in UK restaurant chains and the wider hospitality industry taking a proportion of employees’ tips. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill is a private member’s bill sponsored by Lord Robathan to introduce a legal obligation on employers to ensure all tips, gratuities and service charges are paid to workers in full, without deductions. The bill makes similar provision for troncs, which are

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30th March 2023

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