July HR and employment law update

Summer has finally arrived! Alongside an election, which could change a lot on the employment front, so lots to keep us glued to our seats!

I’d love to know if you have any contacts who are looking to hire their first employee as we will soon be launching The ultimate first hire playbook: building your dream team 😊 thank you to Gavin Hildick for the awesome title. Please drop me a message if you know a growing business who might be interested in this step by step course to successfully engaging and motivating their first employee, whilst protecting their business! There's a taster in my Featured section.

What does the election hold for small businesses?

With the upcoming election due to be held on 4th July, all the major political parties have released their manifesto on their plans for employment rights when they come into power. Labour have released a plan to make 'Work Pay', which outlines how they are going to support the working people of the UK; the Conservatives don’t seem to have released a proposal at all; meanwhile the Liberal Democrats have included employment law as part of their manifesto albeit not as detailed as the Labour proposals. Only time will tell what changes will come about but we will ensure you are always kept updated about what changes are coming in and what they mean for you.   

Helping employees survive the heat

It seems that Summer has well and truly arrived, but you may be wondering what you can do to help staff cope in a heatwave. It’s important for organisations to take a flexible approach to ensure the well-being and productivity of their staff. Some of the strategies you can adopt in providing a comfortable work environment include ensuring air conditioning systems are working as they should be, offering more flexible working hours to avoid overcrowded and overheated trains; and relaxing dress codes to help employees stay cool. You might also want to consider remote working options to prevent the discomfort of commuting during peak heat times. Focusing on being proactive and considerate will help maintain a motivated workforce even during extreme weather conditions.

Job insecurity on the rise

The employment landscape in the UK is undergoing a significant shift, as evidenced by the latest figures indicating a surge in insecure job positions. A recent analysis by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has unveiled that the number of individuals engaged in precarious employment has soared to a record 4.1 million, which translates to one in eight workers facing instability in their roles.

This trend is particularly pronounced among those on zero-hours contracts, with 73.5% dealing with severe job insecurity with diverse demographics more likely to be affected. The rise in such employment conditions can be attributed to the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the growing preference for flexible work arrangements, despite the trade-off in job security.

Organisations might want to consider investing in improving workers skills by introducing learning and development initiatives that would help staff become more employable in the future. 

Legal Updates 

Blind man unfairly dismissed from bakery

In this case, an employment tribunal found that a blind man, who was hired by a bakery in Wrexham was discriminated against when he was dismissed during his probation period. Despite the bakery citing health and safety concerns and production issues as a reason for the dismissal, the tribunal found that they did not make adequate adjustments for his disability and should have provided more time for the employee to learn the layout of the factory in order to be effective his role.  This case clearly demonstrates the necessity for employers to provide reasonable accommodations to support disabled employees, and to tread very carefully when considering dismissing someone with a disability even with very short service..

Employee on maternity who was ‘not permitted to return to work’ was discriminated against

An account manager who had 19 years of ‘unblemished service’, was awarded £37,310.05 by an employment tribunal for pregnancy and maternity discrimination, unfair dismissal, and arrears of wages after her company was found to be ‘dismissive’ and ‘unsupportive’ in her intention to return to work. The employee was told she was not allowed to return to her job post-maternity leave and was dismissed via email for "gross misconduct" and "misappropriation of funds" after raising concerns about her holiday pay and the calculation of her maternity pay, which had been underpaid and paid late.

The tribunal found significant procedural failures, including the lack of a fair disciplinary process and an appeal not being properly considered. Too often small businesses may find it difficult to find time to carry out HR processes but this case highlights the need to always ensure a fair procedure is followed to avoid any future costly tribunal claims

Other stuff 

 A combination of increased redundancies and low job openings has meant that the number of people looking for jobs has risen at its fastest pace since 2020.

The social enterprise organisation Code First Girls and Tech Talent Charter have released a report revealing that women are 40% more likely to have their role replaced by AI.

Survey from wellbeing provider Wysa has revealed that 36% of employees have had thoughts of suicide or self harm in the last year.

Do drop us a line if you wish to discuss any people situation affecting your business!