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.
Social Media
No business can survive without its employees. Whether you’re a sole trader and the only employee is you, or you run a big corporation with hundreds of employees, they are the lifeblood of your business. They are the people who keep your business running, your...
The SSPRS is a little bit of good news as some Gov help for small businesses is reintroduced as of today – more info here Public_fact_sheet_SSPRS_Dec_2021.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) and here Covid: Firms able to claim money back to cover sick pay - BBC News and...
On 17 December the rules regarding sickness self-certification were temporarily changed in a bid to ease the pressure on GPs whilst the vaccine booster programme is in warp speed mode. Details can be found here Taking sick leave - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) For all...
I’m sure you all saw that the government has announced we are going to ‘Plan B’ in Covid measures in a bid to slow the spread of the new Omicron variant, which includes working from home again, so forgive us if we are repeating stuff you know but we of course wanted...
We found out today that the Gov have quietly removed the ability for employers to claim back SSP for Covid related absences if an employee is absent after 30 Sept either unwell with covid or having to isolate due to contact.Full guidance here:Check if you can claim...
Are you considering introducing a workplace vaccination policy? Have you even spoken to your employees about their coronavirus vaccines yet? Maybe you’ve seen them post about having it on social media but chances are you haven’t had a conversation about it. A survey...
We’ve talked a lot about managing your mental load, especially since March last year. It’s easy to always see the negative to side to ‘being stressed’ but for this post we wanted to talk to you about positive stress………no honestly, stress can be good for you. Good...
Remove the stigma of mental ill health in the workplace, be aware of how it may affect people in your business & what can you do to support your employees. When you hear the words “mental health” what do you think of? In 2014 the WHO defined mental health as “a...
New Coronavirus Regulations regarding self-isolation came into effect at midnight (they were created Saturday & laid before Parliament yesterday...) They set out the mandatory requirements from today for self-isolation and to notify the Secretary of State of any...
As more employees start to return to the workplace we thought the following track and trace guidance may be useful: This link gives you guidance on Test & Trace in the workplace: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance There is guidance...
Mental Health Awareness Week this year has the very timely theme of Kindness. These past few months, leading up to mental Health Awareness Week when no one has really known what to do, what we have done is come together and been kind. Captain Tom, Sir Tom actually,...
Everyone’s talking about physical wellbeing and practicalities around Coronavirus/Covid-19 at the moment but what about our mental wellbeing? When faced with uncertainty it’s only natural for it to take a toll on our mental wellbeing, there are few things it’s worth...
Mental health problems affect 1 in 6 workers so identifying poor mental health in the workplace is something we all need to be getting right. Take a look around your team, can you easily see who may be suffering with stress, anxiety or another condition? No, I didn’t...
Staff sickness absences in your workplace can be a real headache to manage, are you aware of the costs to your business of not doing so? The CIPD Health and Wellbeing At Work Survey 2019 reports that 5.9% of working days were lost per employee per year due to staff...
We can all experience feelings of stress now and then and some of us may feel it more than others; it’s often a natural reaction to dealing with life situations and events. Doing something new for the first time, not being in control, feeling like we are in danger,...
The summer holiday season is nearly here. Looking outside today and seeing the waterfall cascading down my window, I can't wait to spend some time in the sun but a recent survey carried out by Glassdoor has some worrying statistics when it comes to us and our annual...
It's National Sickie Day!! Apparently the first Monday in February sees the highest numbers of employees deciding it is high time for a duvet day! According to ACAS "Freezing temperatures, widespread 'flu outbreaks and a stalling economy look set to compound the...
Nearly half of all companies say they have seen an increase in sickness absence in the last year according to latest CIPD research figures. Short term sickness absences are due to a wide variety of reasons with minor illnesses such as coughs and colds making up the...
Every year the 10 October is World Mental Health Day - it's hosted by the World Federation of Mental Health and championed by the Mental Health Foundation. It focusses a spotlight on and aims to raise awareness of mental health issues that could affect any of us at...
FIT FOR WORK IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS From today employers in England & Wales can access the Government service to help get employees on long term sickness absence back into the workplace. The Fit For Work Service is aimed at SMEs and for employees who have been...
So the summer is almost finished and the summer Holiday Pay frenzy is over for another year but recently there has been a case with the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) regarding holiday pay and sick leave that you should all be aware of. The issues raised in the...
It is Mental health Awareness Week from 11-17 May 2015. #MHAW15 Since their first Mental Health Awareness Week back in 2000 The Mental Health Foundation have helped generate public debates around how anxiety, sleep deprivation and exercise can impact our mental...
Are you FIT FOR WORK?! Well by the autumn you'll be able to have a free occupational heath assessment to decide this for you! The Government funded Fit For Work (FFW) initiative aims to provide free information support and guidance to employers and employees as well...
Holiday pay is definitely the hot topic of the moment! The European Court of Justice (ECJ) have now ruled that holiday accrued by employees who then die whilst still employed should be paid as part of the final salary settlement to their estate. In the case in...
Do your staff do overtime? Recent tribunal rulings suggest that in the near future it will be required for holiday pay to be calculated based on actual hours worked not just on contracted or "basic" hours. This would then most likely be calculated on average hours...
This Spring was due to see the launch of the new Government Health and Work Assessment and Advisory Service (HWAAS) although it appears that this will now commence in "late 2014" according to the gov.uk website.# This service aims to provide an occupational health...
It's World Mental Health Day today - every year on 10th October there is a national focus on the mental well being of people. Of course, there is a need for this to be a focus all year round but this day aims to bring mental health to everyone's attention....
