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 […]
Managing female employees in male dominated workplaces, on the face of it, should be no different than managing female employees in any work environment. Recent research published by Harvard Business School shows us that this isn’t the case. The research concluded that women engineers have a visibility problem. Like women in other ultra-masculine sectors, they are often excessively visible as women, but overlooked when it comes to their technical expertise. This paradox gets in the way of forming relationships at work and hurts their advancement. The interviewees agreed that the female body stands out in their workplaces in a sexualised way. One interviewee said that no matter what the work was that she was doing, some colleagues seemed to see her primarily as a potential date. Another said that rather than the quality of her work being the focus of attention, the way in which she looked in her overalls was a more common topic of conversation. The interviewees spoke at length about how their competence was obscured by their gender. They said that they felt sexually objectified, and they had to work harder than men to prove their technical competence. If employers want to become more supportive about managing […]
