Wondering what to do if an employee acts inappropriately on social media? Always follow your disciplinary procedures to the letter. A recent Tribunal case about a man who was fired after seven and a half years’ employment for sharing another butcher’s ‘meat deal’ on social media has left the employer out of pocket. The employee won his case for unfair dismissal against his former employer, a small, and well-respected butcher in Wigan. He recommended a discount offer from another online fresh meat retailer to his girlfriend on Facebook. The directors dismissed him for gross misconduct and breach of contract. They believed the ‘advertising’ was for a competitor and breaching the company’s social media policy. The tribunal heard the employer had already decided to dismiss Hayward before they brought him into a disciplinary meeting. The buisness had no formal HR function snd they hadn’t taken advice. The employee did not receive a written or verbal formal warning. Even though he had requested one. The employee was denied a colleague or Union Rep to accompany him at the meeting. The Employers did not give a reason why his actions online were wrong. The employee was denied the right to appeal. And so, he lost confidence in his employers and did not follow up the matter further. The tribunal […]
Metis are now offering Protection Against Management Liability, A New Service Protection Against Management Liability, A New Service. We all know that even sometimes when you follow Disciplinary, Dismissal or Employee Grievances to the letter, we may sometimes still have to face a potential tribunal hearing. Because of this, Metis HR has partnered with Munro-Greenhalgh Insurance Brokers. As well as one of the biggest insurance companies in the world, AXA. Together we will deliver an excellent level of cover to help you deal with any employment related claims. The policy can also pay for awards and provide for much more. Our facility through Munro-Greenhalgh Insurance Brokers means that if you follow the professional HR advice provided by Metis HR Ltd: the insurance policy will cover you defending a tribunal claim and for awards made you will pay no excess. Normally you would be required to pay an excess of £3,750! Metis HR as your trusted adviser will continue to work with you, guiding you through the claim process and be on-hand throughout so no starting from scratch again with a new person! The AXA Management Liability policy provides wide cover as standard – for employment, regulatory, […]
Employees who take time off with stress to avoid a disciplinary at work. In effect they make the process and situation more difficult for themselves. As well as for the employer. A disciplinary investigation can be a daunting process. The employee may feel angry that the company considers their behaviour amounts to misconduct. They may believe their future employment is at risk. As the employer, you may want to deal with the problem quickly and move on. However, for employees who take time off with stress to avoid a disciplinary at work, there maybe little incentive to engage with the process. Especially if the employee is suspended on full pay until a decision is reached. This can cause an employee to time waste by asking to postpone the disciplinary. Another tactic is to make last minute call-offs or submit unfit to work notes. An employer is entitled to insist a suspended employee attends a disciplinary meeting during normal working hours. But it is good practice to reschedule a hearing at least once. Especially if the employee provides a good reason for the postponement. This does not mean you are under an obligation to postpone disciplinary proceedings indefinitely. You can proceed with a hearing […]
Employees who challenge and undermine your authority constantly are deliberately obstructing you in your job. They are rejecting your right to oversee them and have decided that you are not their boss. But you are their boss, they just don’t like it. Maybe they believe they should be in charge. Or perhaps they want you to prove yourself or they just have psychological blocks. Whatever the reason, they are trying to undermine your effectiveness. They are under the presumption that they are too clever and you will avoid confrontation. The situation of a disrespectful employee must be resolved immediately. Otherwise the behaviour will begin to interfere with the work environment. Potentially it could also begin to damage the company from within the workforce. It’s not unusual in this kind of situation to feel anger or sheer frustration with the problem. The employee may think it’s okay to walk out of work because they’re unhappy about something. Or decided to take a break when they feel like it. They could simply ignore your reasonable management instructions altogether. So, how can you deal with employees who challenge and undermine your authority? Mediation in the workplace enables disputing parties to discuss their points of view in a […]
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; […]
