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 […]
Next week (6th April 2019) New Tax Rates and Minimum Wage Rates come into effect for 2019-2020. Please be aware that as an employer, you will need to make changes to any minimum wage rates, and Income tax payments. The changes are as follows: Personal Income tax bands and rates The bands and rates at which people in England, Northern Ireland, Wales pay income tax will change for 2019/20, but it will be business as usual for taxpayers in Scotland. The following income tax bands and thresholds will be in place from 6 April 2019: Table 1: England, Northern Ireland & Wales Band Taxable income 2019/20 Rate Personal allowance: Up to £12,500 = 0% Basic rate £12,501 to £37,500 = 20% Higher rate* £37,501 to £150,000 = 40% Additional rate* Above £150,000 = 45% Tax on dividends (throughout the UK) Dividend allowance = £2,000 Basic rate = 7.5% Higher rate = 32.5% Additional rate = 38.1% ISAs The £20,000 limit may also be used to invest in a lifetime ISA, which has a maximum allowance in 2019/20 of £4,000. Pensions The lifetime allowance, which is the maximum amount an individual can draw from pensions without incurring extra tax charges, rises […]
One third of UK employees say that they’ve witnessed ageism in the workplace. It takes many forms. Many of use would like to think that we’re sensitive to others and wouldn’t wish to cause offence. Some others don’t seem to have that filter! Take language used. Least likely to cause offence are the terms “older” and “experienced”. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that terms like “sensei” “cougar” “grandma or grandpa” “wet behind the ears” “young whippersnapper” and “fogey” are more likely to cause offence. In 2012 a young worker won an age discrimination claim after showing that her line manager had referred to her as a “kid”, and even described her as a “stroppy teenager”. 88 year old employee Recently an 88 year old medical secretary became the oldest person in the UK to win a claim for ageism in the workplace Because the case has only just been decided we still don’t know how much the case will settle for – we won’t know that until October 2019. You can no longer require people to retire at 65. It’s increasingly likely that employers will have a workforce with older workers who choose to continue to […]
The scenario I’m sure we’ve all experienced that member of staff, who comes in at 8.59am, switches on their computer, and logs in dead on 9.00am. All good so far? Then they go off to the kitchen, say good morning and have a good natter with all their colleagues whilst they make a hot drink and put an instant porridge pot breakfast in the microwave, warm up a bacon sandwich, or make a round of toast. Then they come into the office with hot, smelly food – back to their desk and begin to slurp and chomp their way through their breakfast. Besides dropping crumbs in to the computer keyboard or dripping splodges of porridge onto the floor, they then proceed to leave all their dirty pots and cutlery in the sink for someone else to clean and put away. What Can I Do About It? It’s irritating and frustrating, so the question we get asked is Can I Ban Staff From Eating Breakfast at Work? The Answer is yes, of course you can. Not only is this phenomenon eating into your work time, their behaviour can cause resentment amongst your more conscientious employees, who perhaps may begin to follow […]
Further to the previous blog: 4 Ways Employers Lose Money Through Poor HR Policies, we continue to look at how some Employers lose money unnecessarily because they haven’t followed legislation, or simply do not have the right policies and procedures in place. 1. Health and Safety Make sure you provide the required basic health and safety training when an employee starts. There could be a £20,000 HSE penalty if you don’t. The risk to new employees is doubled in their first 6 months of employment. At the very least new employees should be given information on your fire alarm, evacuation and first aid provisions. What if there is a fire or someone injures them self and does not know what the procedure is? In a serious case this could lead to investigation by the HSE, prohibition order and fines. Make sure you have an adequate induction process in place for new employees especially for young or inexperienced workers. With the introduction of Intervention Costs (where an inspector identifies issues during a visit), can you afford to think Health and Safety is just another burden to be ignored? 2. Staff Motivation Hang onto good staff by providing the motivation good staff […]
