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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Ever been to a hackathon?! We've come across this term a few times recently. Seems to be the latest buzzword in technology fields. Simply put - bring a group of the right people together & ask them to generate great new ideas. Facebook apparently hold them every...
Do you think Brexit will affect the way your business recruits, retains and manages employees? This article in Personnel Today sets out a Brexit Five Point Practical Checklist you might find useful? We're still sitting quite firmly on the fence about any potential...
Personnel Today report that the number of employment tribunal claims continues the downward trend that started with the introduction of fees in 2013. It is still a matter for debate as to whether the Government will modify the current fees system as there is a view...
Fancy a 6 hour working day? Some Scandinavian companies are making a move towards this as the standard working day and they report increases in productivity and employee engagement. This approach focusses on better work life balance, increasing energy and motivation,...
Are you a business owner? Do you wear too many hats?! Manager, IT dept, accounts, chief cook & bottle washer, cleaner and HR responsibilities all resting squarely with you? We're not offering to come do the washing up I'm afraid but if you want someone to lighten...
Happy September to you all for the all new vivoHR & Training! Yes it’s a cliché but with the new school year starting it seems like a lot of people are in a “new year new start” kinda mood! It’s certainly the case for vivoHR as we start September no longer an LLP...
More possible changes to holiday pay calculations.. We know that this has been an on-going saga and yet it still seems nothing is that clear. We've previously talked to you about the need to include commission (although the definitive case on this was at the Court of...
From 1 September vivoHR will be trading as a Limited Company - this is an exciting development for the business! Our registered name will be vivoHR & Training (UK) Ltd but we'll still be trading simply as vivoHR. All contact details remain the same - see below...
Yes we're sorry to bring up the B word again but we know that employers are keen to understand what Brexit may mean to employment law in the next couple of years...not much it would seem. Personnel Today reported earlier this month The Secretary of State for Exiting...
Sam has written an article for the wedding industry on the blog site Wedding Business Success about recruiting your first ever employee - the hints and tips apply to most industries though. If you are thinking of expanding your business and recruiting staff then there...
"work is something you do not somewhere you go" - we like that! Interesting article today by the BBC sharing innovative workplace design ideas from a number of large companies. Does your working space maximise the effectiveness of your employees?...
Football crazy? Football drives you crazy?! Yes Euro 2016 is almost upon us and as is the way whenever there are major supporting events, employers may be considering what the impact to their business might be in terms of requests for time off, potential for people...
Brexit – what’s the impact on those of you who are employing people to work in your businesses? We’ve been keeping a close eye on what’s being reported about the potential impact to employers if we were to vote Brexit on 23 June. Firstly, it seems fair to say that no...
Receptionist sent home from work for not wearing high heels! Really?! What decade are we living in?! It is perfectly reasonable and lawful to set a dress code on your place of work, and in fact it is reasonable (and not discriminatory) to have different requirements...
Giving your employer access to your facebook page? The future of recruitment? We're not sure if this sounds like a great idea or truly scary! We all know recruiters (we have used this technique ourselves in vivoHR a few times!) will look candidates up online and see...
The term "Probationary Period" has no legal meaning or status whatsoever! At vivoHR we bang on about probation a lot but we are reminded to remind you following a useful article in Personnel Today this month... Being on probation does not mean someone has a temporary...
Woohoo vivoHR - Prize Winners - Best Dressed Stand at Basingstoke Business Expo! We met lots of great new people, had some interesting business conversations, a few less business like chats, caught up with some old friends and generally had a great day!
Apparently the top 3 causes of stress are money worries, the nature of our job (pressure / working hours etc), then family and relationship issues - this according to a CIPD survey looking at flexible working and commuting. Unsurprisingly flexible working is reported...
On the same topic as our post earlier today - it isn't just physical practical jokes that can land an employer in hot water - nicknames can be equally troublesome if they are upsetting to an individual or if they imply a workplace culture of discrimination against a...
How does the budget affect employers? A few key points to note from the budget: 1. From April 2017 - the personal tax allowance rises to £11,500 2. From 2018 - NI contributions will be due on any termination payments (eg redundancy pay or payments due through...
It's National Apprenticeship Week - a week focussed on celebrating apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider community. The Key Theme this year is "Apprenticeships Can Take You Anywhere" with a particular focus on...
It looks like there is finally a decision about commission being included in holiday pay! You may remember us talking about Locke v British Gas Trading Ltd last year and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has now decided that in cases where commission is regularly...
Worried about providing a workplace pension for your staff? join the club... According to a new CIPD report 72% of eligible UK workers now pay into a workplace pension scheme, and this increase is reported to be largely due to auto-enrolment. Employers report lower...
Congratulations Leave?! Those of you running your own business may already despair about the costs of maternity, paternity, shared parental, sick leave and holiday pay - take a look through this list published by Personnel Today of more "unusual" days off granted in...
Do you trust your employees? Why would you employ them if you don't trust them? Here's Sam's new article for @championsOSB #championsOSB http://www.championsofsmallbusiness.co.uk/magazine/2016/01/its-a-matter-of-trust/
New court ruling gives employers free reign to snoop on private communication....NOT QUITE! Yes we're quite sure that in some areas of the media there will be a loud and outraged announcement that the ruling yesterday by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) means...
Are you making any New Year HResolutions? Take a look at Sam's new article on getting your HR in order for 2016 http://www.championsofsmallbusiness.co.uk/…/12/hr-new-years/
