We’re not your average HR consultancy. Led by Sam Swinstead, a plain-talking HR professional with over 20 years of experience, we focus on sensible, practical advice that gets results.
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We all know the dangers of driving whilst using a handheld mobile phone and the penalties for being caught doing so. But that doesn’t seem to be enough to stop us from doing it. The RAC have published some very worrying statistics about driving and phone use which...
A client asked a question today about GDPR compliance when completing a reference for an ex-employee so I thought it might be useful to clarify what you need to do: Providing a reference will be an act of processing personal data and you will need a legal basis to do...
We’ve recently heard several online discussions about disastrous recruitment for businesses with one poor business owner having not a single candidate turn up for interview! She’s not alone as we’ve heard many similar tales in industries as varied as cleaning...
When does targeted job advertising become discrimination? A question that looks likely to provoke a fair amount of debate in 2018. It's long been the practice of recruiters & employers to place adverts where their target employee audience are most likely to see...
The gig economy under discussion again... At the Westminster Employment Forum, Hermes have claimed they are not like other gig-economy companies. Currently we're not seeing how what they describe as their operations differs from other courier firms, and just a couple...
Uber drivers are workers and not self-employed contractors - this decision was reached by the Employment Appeal Tribunal on Friday and agreed with the previous Employment Tribunal decision. So what next? Well it is widely anticipated that Uber will appeal to the...
The gig economy debate rumbles on - with the employment tribunal appeal ruling on the Uber case due Friday it might seem that we are maybe one step closer to a resolution, but in fact that seems unlikely as both sides have said they'll appeal to the supreme court if...
Tribunal Fees abolished - not the end of the story...by a long shot! We recently reported that tribunal fees have been declared unlawful, and following that ruling in July immediately ceased to be payable, with a refund promised to anyone who paid a fee since their...
The "Gig Economy" - the debate over worker vs self-employed status continues We're interested to read a report this week that Pimlico Plumbers have been granted the right to appeal their case at the Supreme Court. A claim brought against Pimlico Plumbers has so far...
Summer has arrived in style this week, despite not being able to sleep the Vitamin D is feeling pleasantly restocked! The high temperatures aren't set to last but summer is here and we (hopefully) have a few months of warm days and long nights ahead of us, but we also...
Trying to recruit? Candidate availability is at an all time low according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). This has certainly been the experience for many of our clients over the last few months, with some jobs seeming more difficult to fill than...
On 30 March Sam is speaking at the Basingstoke Business Expo. If you are a business owner who, like many other small business owners feels worried about the thought of needing to employ people, join Sam as she takes you through options that may mean employment isn't...
From 6 April 2017 the Government are limiting some salary sacrifice arrangements - this will limit the number of benefits for which there are tax & NI contribution advantages when managed under a salary sacrifice scheme. Schemes for pension saving, certain...
Worker or Employee? These two terms are often used interchangeably (particularly by the media reporting yet another scaremongering story!) but they do have different meanings in terms of employment status and therefore in the eyes of an employment tribunal....
Grades for GCSE are changing from the A to F system to a 9 to 1 system.If you are an employer and you recruit younger employees (maybe apprentices) you need to be aware of this. It's being phased in gradually - this year some students are receiving grades 9 to 1 in...
I love working from home (WFH) and enjoy the flexibility to do domestic "stuff" when necessary. Not sure I qualify for less distractions with two dogs under my feet all day though! A survey summarized in the Microsoft whitepaper, Work without Walls, indicates the top...
vivoHR are very pleased to be exhibiting for the second year at the Basingstoke Business Expo March 30th 2017 Apollo Hotel - Basingstoke All your HR under one umbrella Visit us @ Stand 10 to book a FREE HR Audit Enter our prize draw to win a ½ day consultation...
Am I better at my job if I wear high heels to work? Going on yesterday's experience in which I foolishly wore new shoes & was distracted by my sore feet all day I'd suggest not! Dress codes have a reasonable and legitimate place in many environments - corporate...
A recent study commissioned by Adobe, and reported in The Entrepreneur suggests that it is time for a change when it goes to appraisals! We've recently worked with a company who have shelved the employee appraisal process while we decide on a new approach, and another...
As an owner or senior manager in business do you experience feelings of being overwhelmed by the demands on you and your time? Tricia Woolfrey of PW Consulting writes a great blog and her most recent article of 7 Steps For Dealing with Overwhelm is well worth a read...
Fun seems like an apt topic for a pre-Christmas post and it fits with one of our favourite any time of year workplace philosophies too - the FISH! principles. We've just downloaded this resource from HRZone and BrightHR - it's a neat little book of fun ideas that...
Setting goals for 2017 with your employees? Interesting article in Entrepreneur about how to fail at goal setting with your staff. Worth a read! In summary - to succeed (as we prefer a more positive approach!): Be specific and ensure that the goals are clearly aligned...
People are apparently more happy at work than they were six months ago! Great headline...but that doesn't tell us the whole story.... According to the CIPD Employee Outlook for Autumn 2016, reported employee satisfaction has increased. However it's still lower than it...
Employee or not? A couple of weeks ago UBER made the headlines, as two drivers won their claim that they were in fact workers (note that they were not found to be employees as reported in some media - there is a difference - call us if you want an explanation) and are...
The firm that starts work at 9:06am! This was an interesting article on the BBC this week. Apparently at US firm Pivotal Software, a gong is rung at precisely 9:06, at which time everyone must be ready to start work and the day starts then with a brief stand-up...
vivoHR has had a brand refresh and we're delighted to share our new look with you! Our newly designed website which now better reflects the work we do at vivoHR as well as sporting a beautiful new colour palette!
What can the Great British Bake Off teach us about being a great employer?! Feeling quite amused that even Personnel Today have got in on the Bake Off Breadxit story line - beyond the title their article about retaining talent has little if any reference to the...
