As an employer you may have looked at monitoring staff at work for various reasons. The Data Protection Act doesn’t prevent employers from monitoring workers, but you must remember that workers are entitled to some privacy at work. You must tell your employees about any monitoring arrangements and the reason for it. Why Monitor? It is advisable to have written policies and procedures in place regarding monitoring at work. Monitoring shouldn’t be excessive and should be justified. Staff should be told what information will be recorded and how long it will be kept. However, if you want to monitor workers by collecting or using information, the Data Protection Act will apply. Therefore, Any information collected through monitoring should be kept secure. Monitoring staff at work may be needed for a variety of reasons. It can be used to safeguard employees, for example to ensure workers aren’t at risk from unsafe working practices. In some sectors you may have a legal or regulatory need to carry out some monitoring. The information gathered through monitoring should only be used for the purpose it was carried out for. Unless it leads to the discovery of other things such as a breach of health […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 value of professional HR advice. Why do we so readily run to call IT when our computer stops working? However, when faced with a HR matter, we fail to ask for professional HR advice and guidance to prevent the risk of a possible tribunal claim. Long term sickness absence can be damaging to your business, if you are not getting professional HR advice. Relying on information from the employee’s GP, rather than having an independent specialist, can have irreversible consequences. In a recent case, a claimant suffered a stroke. He was told by his Doctor to avoid stress if he returned to work at a builders merchants. The claimant was dismissed because his manager said the any jobs within the company were stressful. Having made a full recovery, the claimant won a disability discrimination case. He was awarded £ 400 000 because the employer failed to make reasonable adjustments based on the Doctor’s advice. The Value of Professional HR Advice The value of professional HR advice is gathering all relevant evidence for you. As well as providing you with the information to make an informed decision in the best interests of your business. Your business deserves GOOD ADVICE. If you get the wrong advice, it will cost your business time, money and reputation. […]
