We have clients ask us – why should I have employee Privacy Notices in place? Since 25 May 2018 the Data Protection legislation has changed in the UK. The changes expand current legislation governing how you as the employer collect, hold and process employee’s personal data. The EAT recently published it’s findings on a claim by an employee of HMRC for breach of the Data Protection Act 2018, which the EAT dismissed and did not up hold for several reasons. Background The claim stemmed from the claimant’s arrest by Merseyside Police in August 2018. In compliance with her contract of employment, the employee disclosed the arrest to HMRC. The employee was suspended pending a disciplinary process for gross misconduct. The employee’s contract of employment included terms involving appropriate behaviour outside of work and conduct which could give rise to queries about honesty and trust. The employee went off on long term sick leave and refused to open or read correspondence from the employer. She said the internal investigation into the alleged offences was in breach of data protection laws and should stop. The process was briefly halted but continued after the employer sought legal advice saying it could press on. […]
What is a disciplinary hearing? It’s an opportunity for the details of the disciplinary investigation to be considered a person not previously involved to review evidence gathered the person facing allegations to present mitigation or new evidence When should a Disciplinary Hearing be convened? After a Disciplinary Investigation is completed. The Investigating Officer should have concluded that the evidence gathered suggests that there is the potential for the allegation(s) to be proven. They recommend that the matter be considered in a formal Disciplinary Hearing. Your Disciplinary Policy probably outlines the process in your organisation for convening a Hearing. But typically, the employee is invited to attend the Disciplinary Hearing by letter or email given the right to be accompanied at the Hearing by a work colleague or trade union representative given a copy of the Disciplinary Policy sent an evidence bundle. Only evidence that the employee has been able to review should be considered at the Hearing Who attends a Disciplinary Hearing? Check your Disciplinary Policy. Different organisations have different standards. Our recommendation is that there should be a Hearing Chair. the Investigating Officer who presents their investigation to the Hearing. They will also answer any questions put to them. […]
We were asked today how to manage employees as they return to work from Lockdown. As this might apply to a lot of employers, we thought we’d make it the subject of a blog. You’ll already have done the things that the Government’s advising you to do to create a COVID safe workplace. You’ll have completed your COVID 19 risk assessments, you’ll have put up the signs reminding people to wash their hand and you’ve likely bought hand sanitiser. But there are some practical things to think about how people behave at work. Our ten tips to manage employees as they return to work from Lockdown Touching colleagues. It should go without saying but some returning workers will need reminding what your policy on touching. What’s your policy on whether your employees should shake hands with visitors. The more informal supportive slap on the shoulder or the high fives when someone signs a big deal are no longer welcome. Facemasks at work. At the time of writing it’s not always necessary to wear a mask all day. But it will depend on your workplace and your risk assessment. But each worker should at least have a mask on their person […]
Dr Tok Hussain (Consultant Occupational Physician) from Healthwork Ltd writes a guest blog for us this week discussing the benefits of Occupational Health to employers. Occupational health (OH) is a service that many employers value in looking after their employees as well as managing health related and corporate risk. Occupational health is a specialist branch of medicine concerned with the effects of work on health and health on work. So, for example, an occupational health nurse or doctor might be carrying out hearing tests to ensure workers don’t develop deafness as a result of their work. The nurse or doctor might also be seeing someone who has had a heart attack or is suffering with anxiety and then advising about how that worker can safely return to work. Occupational health focuses on providing the best possible advice in relation to health and work. Occupational Health focuses on: maximising people’s opportunities to benefit from healthy and rewarding work while not putting themselves or others at risk of harm; the elimination of preventable illness caused or aggravated by work; advising about workplace health matters; helping to rehabilitate those who have suffered injury or sickness back into work; helping support those who because […]
Working out how to cope with COVID at work this winter isn’t easy because the data is conflicting. Are we going to have more deaths? More illness but fewer deaths? More flu and less COVID or more COVID and less flu? With more local lockdowns happening and more schools shutting temporarily one thing’s for sure, no one knows what is going to happen. If you’re planning how to cope with COVID at work this winter, we have some tips that might help. If you have 25% absenteeism, can you still operate? What about 50%? If nothing else, the last six months have shown us some new ways of dealing with a lack of people in the workplace. Some of these plans will still work as we approach winter, some won’t. Have you done as much as you can to cross-train people to carry out multiple roles? Test this cross training by rotating people now, rather than waiting for a crisis. Because you’ll find wrinkles in the process that need sorting out and this way you’ve got time. Are your IT systems up to the job? Can people easily access the information they need to do their job and the work […]
Seriously considering the question how to conduct an exit interview improves the usefulness of the process. They help your business out with real feedback from a departing employee to reduce future employee retention. Exit interviews bring to light the specifics about why an employee is leaving. They help identify organisational issues which are contributing to the turnover rate. By using this information, leaders can make real changes to reduce the drain of talent from the organisation. What’s the benefit of having low employee turnover? Organisations with low turnover rates spend less on recruitment costs and see increased productivity. All this embeds the organisation’s culture because those employees staying already know the core mission and the organisational norms. How should an exit interview be conducted? When you’re inviting the employee to the exit interview, tell them what you want to gain from the conversation. Include in the invitation your expectations around confidentiality. Scheduling interviews with the employee giving them ample time to prepare for the conversation is an important part of how to conduct an exit interview. Arrange the meeting close to their last working day. If you’re serious about how to conduct an exit interview meaningfully, give the employee a […]
Businesses outsourcing to reduce costs must remember TUPE may apply. The legal implications of outsourcing, particularly from the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (“TUPE”), are complicated. Businesses outsourcing to reduce costs must remember TUPE may apply. If you’re considering outsourcing any function you need to understand the practical implications of TUPE and how it might affect your plans. The Effect of TUPE TUPE protects certain employment rights where there is a ‘service provision change’. A service provision change is where a business engages a third party to carry out certain activities on its behalf (i.e. outsourcing). For example, if you previously did your social media marketing in house and you now want an external company to do it, you are making a “service provision change”. If you previously did your payroll in house and you now want an external payroll bureau to do it, you are making a “service provision change” TUPE Regulations state that employees who are engaged ‘wholly or mainly’ in carrying out the relevant activities or service will transfer from you, the employer to the new provider at the start of the outsourcing arrangement. You are obliged to inform and consult with affected employees, […]
Metis HR was established by our MD and owner, Alison Driver, in 2011 to provide professional, commercially aware outsourced HR services for employers in the North West and beyond. Although our consultancy services are primarily for business in the North West, we work with businesses all over the UK to give our tailored, reliable and informed advice. The two main HR consultants in Metis HR are Alison Driver and Ali Penney; two very well known and respected professionals in their field. Find out more about Metis HR and our services below. About Alison Alison Driver has over 35 years of experience in managing people in an HR capacity. She Is a Chartered FCIPD and MBA qualified HR Consultant. Being a Chartered Fellow of CIPD means Alison is considered a role model for the HR industry. It recognises Alison’s commitment to shaping the industry by contributing to key CIPD research and shaping their policies. Alison draws on her vast experience and knowledge to do this. A background in the NHS managing 105 unionised staff gave her a solid grounding in management, human resources, redundancy, and unions. Since then, she estimates she has been directly responsible for over 400 employees, carried out […]
One of the questions that we feel we must always keep at the front of our minds is “How does an HR Consultant add value to your business?”. One of the questions that we feel we must always keep at the front of our minds is “How does an HR Consultant add value to your business?”. We understand that you’re quite rightly focused on the results we produce for you and how we help you with the challenges you have in your business. As HR Consultants we put our all into the projects we do for you. We understand that you won’t automatically appreciate the technicality of the work that we’ve done or propose to do but we’ll work hard to explain ourselves. How do Metis HR Consultants add value to your business? 1: Understand your world We spend time understanding what you’re trying to achieve and why you’re trying to achieve it. We need to understand what your challenges are. We’re like doctors, until we know all of the symptoms and have done tests, we can’t make an accurate diagnosis. To do this we have to go a layer deeper than most people usually go. To do this we […]
Should you bother using an HR consultant? Every business needs some HR function. Outsourcing that function to an HR consultant gives you the flexibility that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Some of the benefits of using an HR consultant are: You can get the best out of your employees Your company will be compliant with employment law Their expertise will benefit your business and help you improve productivity The recruitment process will be smooth and fair You will receive absolute impartial advice and total confidentiality You can find out exactly what an HR consultant does in this blog here. Let’s have a look at each benefit of using an HR consultant in more detail. Get The Best Out Of Your Employees If you use an HR consultant, one of the big benefits is you will be able to improve the effectiveness and efficacy of your staff. An HR consultant can help you with performance management and reviews, whether in response to a problem or as part of the annual appraisal process. An HR consultant can draw up the appraisal documents, write and distribute the letters, and ensure the appraisal process is fair. They can even attend the meetings with you or […]
