A family member falling ill can be a stressful time for all involved. As an employer, you still need to know how to handle staff who take time off for dependents. Whether it’s sick children or caring for an elderly member of the family. Research shows that nearly three million working days are lost each year through this type of absenteeism. According to CIPD, more employers recognise line managers play a vital role in supporting employees. However, most employers aren’t giving them the tools they need to manage absence effectively. The 2016 Absence Management survey revealed that less than half of employers (44%) train managers to handle short-term absence. Employees have a right to reasonable unpaid time off to deal with a dependent who has fallen ill. However, this should be limited to the time needed to make other care arrangements. Usually this takes no more than a few hours or at most one or two days. Where an employee continues to take time off for caring duties, flexibility can help. Perhaps offer the option to make up the time missed. Give them the option to work from home at flexible times during the day. Other options is to offer […]
We are delighted to announce that Ali Penney has passed her CIPD Level 5 Intermediate Certificate in Human Resource Management. This means she is now an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Along with her skills and knowledge in Workplace Mediation, Ali will now be able to answer your queries direct with regards to Holidays, Maternity, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, and Grievances. She will continue to develop her skills in other areas of HR. Ali Penney MCIPD Metis HR is a professional HR Consultancy based in the North West of England. We support clients across the country. Metis specialise in providing outsourced HR services to small and medium-sized businesses. Call us now on 01706 565332 to discuss how we may help you. We can now provide on-site mentoring services designed to resolve workplace conflicts between employees who have previously worked well together. For further details email Ali Penney on mediation@metishr.co.uk
The new GDPR Legislation will come into effect 25th May 2018. The Data Protection Act stipulates that data and records should only be stored for as long as they are useful, so it’s up to you, the employer and your HR policy, to determine how long those records are useful for. Different records may also need to be disposed of at different times. For example, it may not be necessary to retain financial information for long after an employee has left the company whilst basic contact details may be important to your company for several years after an employee has left. It’s generally recommended that personal information of employees, including contact details, appraisals and reviews be kept for at least 5 years. Keep hold of employees’ financial records for at least 3 years as HMRC may request to see them during this time. However, from 25th May 2018 this will change with the introduction of EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Data controllers and processors need clarity on what data they hold and how the personal data is used. You need to make sure the systems protect privacy and that contractual provisions are in place with clients and service providers to […]
Employers are worried about using Mediation and Settlement Agreements. The introduction of employment tribunal (ET) fees has changed the balance of power between employers and claimants. It has had a significant impact on employees’ willingness to make claims. Employers spend an average of 19 days of management time dealing with individual ET cases. Larger organisations with more than 250 employees spend 20 days dealing with individual ET cases. While organisations with fewer employees spend around 12 days. CIPD (2015) Recent legislation has only a limited impact on employers’ approaches to managing conflict. However, there is growing support for an alternative dispute resolution. Try something different to the usual formal discipline and grievance processes. Employers are beginning to use informal methods when attempting to dismiss staff. Employers are beginning to use mediation and settlement agreements as a means of terminating employment. The majority (56%) of employers asked in a recent CIPD survey that they feel settlement agreements are a useful mechanism for removing an underperforming employee without the need to go through an unnecessary and time-consuming performance management process. Employers are making increased use of mediation, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, to resolve workplace issues, but many HR managers […]
The 7 most popular HR blogs in 2016 were varied topics, some perennials that continue to tax employers from all walks of life down to a very specific blog down for employers in the hair and beauty industry. Winners and loser in the grievance process – are there really winners in the grievance process? Monitoring an employee’s email – can you? should you? New legislation (April 2016 update) HR Mistakes made by employers in hair and beauty salons – specific cases from the hair and beauty industry, but they could be in any industry Handling employee smoke breaks – still problematic, and how about staff who “vape”? How do you deal with them? Job interview questions you shouldn’t ask – in 2016 we still see some people asking questions that make them easily vulnerable to a claim Managing Work Experience – mediocre to meaningful – how do you make your work experience placement students talk about your company in glowing terms? We’ll report on the 7 most popular HR blogs in 2016 in March 2018, but in the meantime, there’s anything specific you would like us to blog on please let us know and we’ll gladly oblige. Contact Us Metis HR is a professional HR Consultancy based in […]
An effective handover in a care setting is key critical to good quality care, regardless of setting. The Social Care Workforce Research Unit has studied handovers in 5 settings delivering care to the elderly. So that, they can evaluate the importance of the content, purpose and effectiveness of a handover. In so much as, care home staff going off duty and those coming on duty. However, the research concluded that handovers varied onsiderably between different establishments. Not surprisingly, most participants believed that an effective handover encouraged good communication between staff and residents. Also, it encouraged the continuity of care and safety for residents. Interestingly, not all employees were paid to attend handover meetings. This strikes us as odd. An effective handover is about ensuring continuity of care and safety of residents. Therefore, attendance at the handover should not be optional. A decision not to pay staff to attend would seem odd. If an employee didn’t attend a handover, wouldn’t an employer seek to take issue with this failure? If it is not working time, how can an employer complain about a lack of attendance? 9 Features of Effective Handover Processes Being able to listen/hear – not too many distractions or interruptions Understandable and clear communication Opportunity to ask questions; […]
Conflict is a huge contributor to workplace absence and stress. Many people ask, how mediation can resolve conflict and absenteeism. It seems if an organisation can develop a culture of conflict resolution, then conflict can be nipped in the bud. Rather than leaving it to fester and grow, causing the stress that may lead to absenteeism. Howver, there is a process which allows individuals in conflict to find an informal resolution to their issues quickly and effectively. An organisation could invest time in training line managers to hold difficult conversations. Ones that many of us attempt to avoid, It teaches listening techniques and can promote a culture of openness, dialogue, honesty and integrity. If conflict is already an issue in your organisation, considering strategies to deal with existing conflict may be beneficial to you. Mediation is a technique that can be a powerful intervention with a high success rate. It is a confidential, voluntary and informal process that allows members of staff in conflict to have open and honest discussions through a qualified mediator. It allows them to clarify the issues that so often lead to communication breakdowns and misunderstandings. So, How Mediation Can Resolve Conflict and Absenteeism Mediation focuses on re-establishing a working relationship […]
The National Minimum Wage is due to increase on 1st April 2017. The hourly rate for the minimum wage depends on your age and whether you’re an apprentice. You must be at least school leaving age to get the National Minimum Wage. At least aged 25 to get the National Living Wage. And the minimum wage will still apply for workers aged 24 and under. The New Rates are: 25 and Over £7.50 21 to 24 £7.05 18 to 20 £5.60 Under 18 £4.05 Apprentice £3.50 Apprentices are entitled to the apprentice rate if they are under 19 years of age. Or if they are 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. After the first year, the national minimum wage appropriate to their age will be applied. Please be sure you have implemented these changes with your employees pay by 1st April. If you want to discuss The National Minimum Wage or any other pay or salary issues in the workplace, give us a call – 01706 565332 Metis HR is a professional HR Consultancy based in the North West of England supporting clients across the country. We specialise in providing outsourced HR services to small and […]
We have written blogs about Christmas parties and how to avoid problems in the past. In this blog we look at other Christmas issues in the workplace. Can you withhold a Christmas bonus? There are two types of bonus scheme, discretionary and contractual. The terms of a discretionary scheme need to be clearly set out. You will be entitled to exercise discretion and withhold payment of a bonus. An employee may apply to an employment tribunal for unlawful deductions of wages if you do not pay contractual bonus’. The criteria applied to either sort of bonus scheme should not be discriminatory. Christmas Hampers or Other Regular Gifts to Employees Employees could argue the provision of a hamper or gift has become a contractual right as a result of custom and practice. However, this can only happen if you have done this for several years on a regular basis. This could be the case if employees have come to expect to receive a hamper. The employer must also tell employees that such gifts are not guaranteed. Before deciding not to provide hampers, you should explain to your staff why you feel you are unable to do so. Alternatively, you may consider providing a smaller, […]
We have looked at Why we need to do a return to work interview after absence, now we shall look at how to do a return to work interview. These should be undertaken to acknowledge each absence. How to do a return to work Interview Welcome the employee back to work. Seek confirmation that the individual is fit to work Give the employee the opportunity to highlight any relevant issues and reasons for absence. Try to offer solutions if the employee raises any issues. If appropriate, refer to employee support mechanisms. Agree a review period and/or any actions required if appropriate. Here’s our 6 step guide to how to do a return to work interview In advance, review the employee’s attendance record over the previous 12 months. Take notes of any points arising from previous return to work discussions or meetings. Print off copies of the employee’s attendance over the last 12 months. Meet with the employee on the first day back at work, or shortly afterwards. It is important that a record of the Return to Work interview is kept by the manager. Decide what your objectives for the return to work interview are. During the Meeting: Welcome the employee back […]
