It’s an awful conversation to have, being asked about the pension rights of an employee with a terminal illness. A recent decision by the Pensions Ombudsman seems clear that in terminal ill health cases the Ombudsman is prepared to closely scrutinise actions taken by the employer. Whilst decisions by the Pensions Ombudsman only apply to the case in which the decision is made, it seems wise to take note of what is being said. The recent decision focuses on the extent to which employers should provide information on pension rights of an employee with a terminal illness The Law There is no legal obligation for employers to advise employees about their pension rights The law prohibits anyone other than a person authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority from advising on pension rights. However, a distinction should be drawn between “advising” and “providing information”. There is no specific guidance about information relating to the pension rights of an employee with a terminal illness. This can make it tricky to know if you’re doing the right thing, but there is some good practice to consider. Good Practice For employees with terminal illness, there are likely to be different options available under their […]
We are asked at Metis HR for advice on how can we get better line managers? The CIPD and Simply-health’s 2019 Health and Wellbeing at Work report found that one of the major causes of absence due to stress was because of work management style. 43 per cent of employees blamed their line managers lack of empathy and support as the main stress factor. Skills, Knowledge, Behaviour The findings can show how detrimental to people’s health and wellbeing it is if managers aren’t equipped with the right level of skills, confidence and behaviour. There is much more to managing a team than just doing annual appraisals and approving holiday requests. A good manager is like a team leader, coach, trainer and psychiatrist all wrapped up into one. If managers do not possess the delicate balance of empathy, communication and leadership skills required, it’s not necessarily their fault. There appears to be a growing gap between the expectations placed on line-managers and the amount invested in their development. Not only do companies need to train managers in people management skills, the organisation’s policies and processes, we need to look at their own behaviour and competencies too. Investment in Development Management is […]
If You Pay Any Of Your Staff National Minimum Wage please read on as this could affect you and your business. The frozen food stores Iceland have fallen foul of a HMRC inspection regarding National Minimum Wage and face a huge bill for underpayment, PAYE and NIC of £21million. This eye watering amount is based on £3.5million over six years plus there are potential penalties yet to be considered. Iceland who employ 25,000 people are fighting this decision. The size of the underpayment has caused the Treasury Select Committee to question HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) approach to NMW decisions. The underpayments centre around two issues: • A voluntary staff Christmas club – where they take a voluntary agreed amount from employees who wished to be part of the Christmas club fund and despite staff being able to withdraw their savings at any time and is managed by an independent Trustee. HMRC argues that this deduction brings the workers’ pay below NMW even though Iceland do not benefit from the deduction and the money comes back to the workers when they withdraw funds from the club. • Shoes for staff working in the stores where Iceland’s company policy for staff […]
New research is looking at how to support employees returning to work from long term absence due to mental health issues. So far, research calls for line managers to have a good understanding of how to manage mental health problems. This finding raises the importance of training line managers in mental health issues. A recent survey by CMI showed that less than a third of managers (30%) have been trained in managing mental health in the workplace in the last year and almost half of managers (49%) have never received any training. Only 20% had received training more than a year ago. Equipping managers with the skills to support returning employees post-return should be included in future training initiatives. Common mental health illness such as stress, anxiety and depression are on the rise and can result in long-term sick leave. Helping employees return to work is only part of the challenge. Although employees may return, this does not mean they stay at work or regain their former levels of productivity. A high percentage of workers who suffer from mental illness have recurrent periods of sick leave. Sheffield University are working with Affinity Health at Work to understand how managers can […]
There is a desperate need in the workplace for more mental health and suicide awareness. Every year between 5,500 and 6,000 people in Britain end their own lives – well over three times the number of people who die on our roads. Suicide is the leading cause of deaths in men under the age of 50 and men are 3 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Women in their early twenties are more likely to try and end their lives than other female age groups. And anyone who falls into a protected characteristic group (such as race, religion, sexual orientation etc) is also more susceptible to suicide due to possible previous experiences of bullying and harassment because of discrimination. Fortunately, this is something that most employers will never encounter, however, the potential risk of suicide is an important one and can often be linked to issues such as workplace stress, bullying or harassment. Suicide and work is a growing public health concern. There are a number of things that employers can do to try to prevent any employee feeling that they need to end their own lives. There are plenty of specialist organisations who can help employers to […]
HR issues in British Manufacturing are looming large. Britain’s manufacturers are facing the biggest shortage of skilled workers since 1989. The UK has record levels of employment and falling numbers of EU nationals coming to the country to work since the Brexit vote. The recruitment difficulties come as the UK employment rate stands at the highest level since 1971, while unemployment is at its lowest since 1975, making it harder for companies to hire new workers without offering higher wages. A massive 80% of manufacturers struggled to hire the right employees in the final months of 2018. This shortage isn’t restricted to manufacturing with 70% of service sector firms reporting similar difficulties finding employees with the right qualifications and experience. Net migration from the rest of EU to the UK has slumped to a 6 year low. The weaker pound has made it less attractive for foreign nationals to come to Britain to work, while Brexit has also raised the prospect of tougher immigration rules in future. Production in the manufacturing sector hit its fastest pace of growth in six months in December as firms stockpiled in preparation for potential border holdups in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Create a […]
Managing an employee with multiple sclerosis need not be challenging for employers. As one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) impacts more than 2.3 million people around the world. The term multiple sclerosis means “many scars”. It relates to the areas that appear on the brain and spinal cord after the sheath covering the nerves is damaged or dies. The damaged sheath leaves a lesion behind. These lesions are identified by an MRI scan when symptoms begin to appear. MS symptoms vary and progress at different rates for each person diagnosed. The disease is unpredictable, progressive and challenging to diagnose. The cause is also unknown. While there is no cure, treatments are advancing to help slow the progression of MS and reduce the symptoms. Not every employee with MS will need extra support in the workplace, and many of those who do will only require small changes (reasonable adjustments) – to enable them to continue working. A reasonable adjustment is a change, perhaps to the job or the working environment, that enables your employee to continue to do their job. Your employee’s right to reasonable adjustments is a key part of the Equality Act. MS […]
We’re often asked by clients, “What is workplace mediation?”. Workplace Mediation is a completely voluntary and confidential way to resolve informal and formal conflict at work. It involves a professionally trained, independent, impartial person. The mediator helps two or more individuals or groups to reach a solution that’s acceptable to everyone. A workplace mediator doesn’t make judgments or determine outcomes. They ask questions that help to uncover underlying problems. They help the parties to understand each others issues. Therefore, the mediator helps them to clarify the options for resolving the parties differences. So, part of the answer to the question “What is workplace mediation?” is that it’s a way of finding a way forward. It focuses on working together to move forward, instead of determining who was right or wrong. It doesn’t guarantee an answer, but it can guarantee is the chance to resolve conflict more constructively. Mediation can be used in a variety of settings. For example: misunderstandings with conflict between colleagues conflict between staff and managers perceptions of harassment, discrimination or bullying communication difficulties Mediation complements formal procedures for workplace issues. It’s based on the principle of problem solving with a focus on the future and rebuilding relationships. A successful mediation should lead […]
As we are entering Mental Health at work week, some of our clients have asked how to tackle mental health in the workplace. The need to deal with mental health in the workplace is becoming increasingly prominent. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in seven people are experiencing mental health problems in the workplace and 13 per cent of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental ill-health. Therefore, we created this guidance blog to help employers understand and learn how to manage mental health in the workplace. Encourage conversations Starting a conversation with an employee about mental health doesn’t have to be difficult. Encouraging an open culture where employees feel like they can talk to each other and/or managers will help alleviate stress in the workplace. Dealing with sick notes It is important for you to deal with a medical certificate stating mental ill-health appropriately. If you contact the employee to find out if work is a contributing factor in triggering their illness and if there are any steps that can be taken to alleviate or eliminate the cause as soon as possible. Appropriate contact should be maintained with an employee on sick […]
Clients ask Metis, How to deal with persistent lateness. What’s the worst lateness excuse you’ve had from an employee? You may have heard some laughable excuses at times but staff lateness is a big, expensive problem. It costs UK employers an estimated £9 billion a year in lost work time. It doesn’t bear thinking about how much of that lost money was once yours. So what can you do about it? Accept that everyone can be late. It can happen to the best of employees from time to time, it can happen to you when you come across surprise road works that have cropped up over night. Start by recognising that life can stop your staff from getting to work on time. However, you need to be clear and consistent in how your business treats lateness. Include a policy for it in your contract of employment or staff handbook. It’s good practice to make staff tell you they’re running late and it’s up to you to decide whether that’s by phone call, text or email. You may also expect staff to stay behind to make up the lost time. Keeping Records Remember to keep a record of every lateness. That […]
