HCS Latest News

A Bonus or Flexible Working? - Business Matters 25.06.2010

Human — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:15:03 GMT

HCS Business Matters

25 June 2010

A bonus or flexible working?

A recent survey of UK professionals has found that flexible working is employees' most valued benefit with bonuses falling in second place. Both male and female employees think flexible working is a priority. The survey also found that large numbers of employees are looking for a better work-life balance in the future. Interestingly, 50% of the employees interviewed stated that they would rather work for themselves. The third most popular benefit after flexible working and bonuses was a good company pension plan.

This survey was carried out in the UK and in 112 other countries. UK employees put greater priority on a good pension than employees from elsewhere. The breakdown of the UK survey was as follows:

Flexible working - 47%
Bonuses - 19%
Pensions - 15%
Paid time off to do social/humanitarian work - 7%
Exposure to advanced networking/social activities - 6%
Paid training/development - 6%

The results of the survey are interesting in light of the new Government's promises to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. It certainly appears that flexible working is something which is going to continue to be important to all employees.

HCS Top Tips for flexible working to benefit both your business and employees:

· Have in place a flexible working policy that ensures fairness and equality in application for all employee

· Offer various options for flexible working practices including:

- part time working and shorter hours

- job-sharing — one full-time job is split between two employees, with hours and days worked agreed between the two

- homeworking — workers spend all or part of their week working from home

- variable start and finish times — enables a business to operate for longer hours

- term-time working — work is carried out during term times, but the salary is spread across 12 months

- compressed hours — employees work their full hours each week, but do so over fewer than five days, for example, four long days a week or nine long days a fortnight

- annualised hours — employees manage their working time over the course of the year, working longer some weeks and shorter hours other weeks, averaging out over the year

- time off in lieu — staff take time off to compensate for extra hours worked

- shift swapping — employees arrange shifts among themselves, providing all shifts are covered.

Remember! Requests for flexible working have to be operationally effective for the business in order to benefit both parties.

Employment Law in the Recruitment Process - 10.06.2010

Human — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:27:00 GMT

HCS Business Matters

10 June 2010

Employment Law in the Recruitment Process

Recruiting employees is a difficult, time consuming task, where an inappropriate recruitment choice can lead to wasted costs, dissatisfied clients and disgruntled colleagues. With the average cost of recruiting a new employee being between £4,333 and £7,750 it is crucial for businesses to get it right first time and mitigate any risks associated with the recruitment process, preventing further unnecessary cost.

Recruitment is the first point at which an employer can potentially expose itself to legal claims if it fails to ensure that its recruitment processes are fair and do not discriminate against a category of potential recruits on one of the prohibited grounds.

Before examining this protection in more detail, it should be noted that nothing in the relevant legislation will prevent an employer from rejecting candidates who do not possess the necessary skills or abilities to carry out a role. Instead, the purpose of legislation in the recruitment process is to ensure that an employer’s choice of candidate is based solely on merit, with a view to enabling an employer to select the best person for any particular vacancy.

The Legislation

The current strands of unlawful discrimination are: race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, disability, age, religion / belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status and trade union membership.

The Equality Act received Royal Assent during April 2010. The Act aims to harmonise discrimination legislation by consolidating and unifying the existing protected grounds of discrimination into one single piece of legislation. It is expected that the Act’s provisions will come into force on 1st October 2010. The implications of the Equality Bill on recruitment are vast; if a finding of discrimination is made against an employer, or potential employer or future employer, then the compensation that can be awarded is uncapped and so it is recommended that employers adopt a preventative approach to recruitment and employment through following our top tips below.

HCS Top Tips for Successful, Discrimination Free Recruitment
· Make sure you draw up a detailed job description and use this to assess each candidate. If you are accused of discrimination, this hard evidence can be invaluable in demonstrating that you have objectively assessed each candidate.

· Ensure that the requirements for the job are objectively justified. For example, the ability to work long hours may discriminate against certain candidates such as candidates with children or applicants with a disability. You must be certain and be able to prove that long hours are necessary.

· Do consider where and when the interviews will take place and whether any adjustments are needed for disabled applicants or in terms of timing, whether candidates may have childcare or religious appointments.

· Take care not to use any discriminatory language in the job advert. Looking for a 'young, dynamic person' or 'Mature, experienced lady' could fall foul of both the age and sex discrimination rules.

· Make sure you have an equal opportunities policy in place and that it is applied. Applying it will involve training your employees on a regular basis. If you face a claim at the employment tribunal, this will help prove that you have taken reasonable steps to prevent discrimination.

· Don't ask questions in an interview which are potentially discriminatory, for example, questions asked of a female candidate that would not be asked of a man i.e. whether she has any plans to have children.

· It is important to give feedback following a request by an unsuccessful applicant. Failure to do so can leave the employer open to a claim that the rejection was for a discriminatory reason

Remember! Don't forget to check the candidate's right to work in the UK. An employer commits a civil offence if it negligently employs someone who does not have permission to work in the UK. The UK Border Agency have the authority to issue a penalty on employers of £10,000 for each illegal migrant worker.

New Prime Minister- What Does This Mean For Businesses? 12.05.2010

Human — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:31:23 GMT

HCS Business Matters

12 May 2010

New Prime Minister- What Does This Mean For Businesses?

Now that David Cameron has been confirmed as the country’s new Prime Minister, we can start to consider what will be the effect of the new coalition Government policies on employers. As always, HCS will keep in touch with developments and bring them to you with our usual guidance and practical “how to” tips.

But in the meantime, George Osborne, Chancellor has promised that he would overturn the planned 1p in the pound rise on both staff and employers’ NI contributions which had been due to be introduced next April under Labour. His reasoning was that this move would threaten jobs and put the economic recovery at risk. He felt that the then Government’s proposal to increase national insurance, essentially placing an additional tax on jobs, came at exactly the wrong time in the economic cycle.

Mr Osborne said that £12 billion would be found from efficiency savings instead and that half of that amount would go towards ensuring that those earning less than £45,000 did not have to pay more National Insurance. The 1p NI rise on people earning more than £20,000 announced by the then Chancellor Alistair Darling in 2008 and 2009 was due to come into effect in April 2011.

Mr Osborne said his change in NI would save taxpayers earning between £7,100 and £45,400 up to £150 a year and will save employers money in reduced contributions.

Volcanic Disruption! BM 21.04.2010

Human — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:26:12 GMT

HCS Business Matters

21 April 2010

Volcanic Disruption!

Following the recent travel disruption, in anticipation of the problems likely to occur, HCS takes the opportunity to issue guidance to employers:

Holiday related absence

Given that the absences are not as a result of misconduct, considering staff as AWOL or taking disciplinary action is likely to be seen as an unreasonable response.

Some staff may be able to work remotely using blackberries, laptops or other devices. It should be recognised that this may be an unrealistic expectation for families on holiday due to childcare issues.

Your staff should be given the option to take extra annual leave or unpaid holiday to cover the time that they are absent from work. There are however, more creative solutions which you could adopt in an effort to reach agreement with staff. For example you could offer the employee the opportunity to make up for time lost during the current holiday year. This week we have supported a client who has eventually decided to pay 50% of pay to affected staff. Such an approach may be more beneficial as it maintains good working relationships with those employees who, being stranded abroad, may have already suffered financial hardship because of this situation.

Employers should issue an instruction to staff to keep them updated and it may also be sensible, where possible, to get a contact number for the staff member so they can be reached if necessary. It will also be good practice to have a return to work meeting with the member of staff and if there is any doubt that they weren’t genuinely affected by the disruption to travel, employers may ask for proof of airline documents or travel tickets.

Abroad on Business

In this situation, employers would be required to maintain pay for the period of time that staff are stranded abroad and do their best to provide them with work.

You will still be responsible for the welfare of staff and should actively assist in the provision of travel options for returning to the company.

HCS Top Tips

Employers should:

Make a decision regarding the approach to be adopted quickly
Communicate the chosen approach to all staff, particularly those who have found themselves stuck abroad
Treat all staff who are in the same circumstances consistently
Request that contact is maintained with Line Managers
Remind staff that they are expected to make reasonable efforts to get to work i.e. for those in Europe it may be possible to travel back to the UK by ferry or by Eurostar

Clued Up or Clueless? - Business Matters 31.03.10

Human — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:12:29 GMT

HCS Business Matters

31 March 2010

Clued Up or Clueless?

HCS recently exhibited at the New Start Scotland exhibition at the SECC, Glasgow. It was great to see so many potential & newly established companies trying to find the secret to success right here in Scotland. A common theme from the visitors to our stand was uncertainty around becoming an employer for the first time. Did these budding business leaders have cause for concern? Well, take a look at the results of the survey we conducted at the show – how do you score? (Correct answers in BOLD, % of respondent who chose the answer)

1: When must you issue all new employees, including any part-time, temporary or fixed term staff, with a statement of their terms and conditions of employment?

A- Upon completion of their 3 month probationary period 21%

B- Within 2 years of commencing employment 5%

C- Within the first 8 weeks of commencing employment 73%

D- You don't need to issue contracts of employment 2%

2: What is currently the statutory minimum number of days' holiday that must be given to full time employees per annum including bank holidays?

A- 20 29%

B- 25 22%

C- 28 47%

D- There is no statutory minimum 1%

3: Under the Data Protection Act 1998, how long must you hold the details of candidates you have interviewed on file, even if unsuccessful? (including hand written notes)

A- 6 Months 53%

B- 5 Days 7%

C- 2 Years 25%

D- 1 Month 13%

4: Under what conditions must an employer introduce a non-contributory pension scheme?

A- Once they reach 50 staff 7%

B- Once they employ 5 or more staff 18%

C- There is no obligation to have a pension scheme 66%

D- All employees over 21 years of age, after 6 months service 9%

5: Which of the following statement is not true?

A- As a small business (under 5 staff), you are exempt from employment legislation 46%

B- Becoming a parent through adoption has the same leave & pay entitlement as maternity/paternity? 21%

C- Employees with the minimum statutory holiday entitlement are not able to carry over any holidays year to year? 19%

D- All employers, regardless of size must have Employer's Liability Insurance, up to £10 Million coverage 14%

It is clear to see that businesses are right to be cautious about the staff they employ! Speak to HCS today and find out how we can free your mind from employment worries so you can focus on delivering business results!

Business Matters 15.03.2010 - New Start 2010

Human — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:45:52 GMT

HCS Business Matters

15 March 2010

New Start 2010

SMEs are not fully adhering to employment laws, with two-thirds failing to implement legislation, according to a recent survey.

Of the 314 businesses surveyed, 33 per cent say they are unaware of the obligations they have an employer, 19 per cent are aware they have obligations but are not confident in auctioning them and 13 per cent feel it is not their role to do so.

Don’t be tied up in red tape! Join Human Capital Services and other experts at the New Start Scotland Conference and Exhibition at the SECC in Glasgow this Friday and Saturday (19th and 20th March). The Conference will bring together an outstanding collection of successful entrepreneurs, start-up advisors and business experts to give to two days of free instruction, guidance and motivation.

HCS will be running free employment law seminars for delegates so why not come along? All our workshops are informative, practical and easy to follow – and we will showcase our new Software at the HCS exhibition stand.

Also remember our Essential Managers’ Workshops in our offices in Stepps on 31st March when we will recap on changing employment legislation, providing updates and up to the minute information. Click on the link opposite to book!

BM 02 Mar 2010 - The Bullying Debate

Human — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:06:59 GMT

HCS Business Matters

2 March 2010

The Bullying Debate

With allegations of bullying at Downing Street at the centre of political debate this week, we thought we would take the opportunity to add our viewpoint.

Turning a blind eye to bullying and harassment at work can have devastating consequences, not least due to increased sickness levels and higher staff turnover, both of which can be damaging to business performance.

The Downing Street accusations if founded certainly would highlight the consequences when those in leadership lack the relevant ‘people’ skills and self-awareness and have the potential to abuse their power. And what does it say about the culture of the organisation as a whole if bullying is perceived to take place from those at the very top?

Whether bullying takes the aggressive approach or a more subtle one, such as undermining staff, the real challenge faced by organisations is the fact that bullying is often based on perception.

At HCS, we see cases where employees who are underperforming taking any form of criticism as bullying and it is often those managers who actively manage and set clear expectations of staff who are perceived as bullies.

It is also evident that many of those accused of being bullies often have poor communication skills and a lack of emotional awareness. Training all employees, and particularly senior management to raise awareness of potentially damaging patterns of behaviour goes a long way to preventing bullying and harassment in the workplace and avoiding a Downing Street scenario.

Are Fit Notes "Fit for Purpose" - BM 23.02.2010

Human — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:09:29 GMT

HCS Business Matters - 23 February 2010

Are Fit Notes “fit for purpose”?

The fit note, effective from April, is being introduced as a means of reducing the UK's unacceptably high sickness absence. However the woman who introduced the concept, Dame Carol Black, has now warned that the fit note will simply become "another version of writing a sick note".

The Government has released the final version of the note, giving Doctors an option to tick either “Unfit for work” or “May be fit for work taking into account the following advice (before listing things such as phased return to work, altered hours, amended duties etc). Dame Black is concerned that doctors are not expected to go into detail regarding which activities an employee can carry out on return. She feels that this omission means that the employer and employee are unlikely to be able to decide what is needed to allow someone to come back to work and that the employer will, quite reasonably, be expecting guidance from the Doctor in this regard.

Unless the fit note evolves, it will bring no additional support to employers aiming to get absent staff back to work and its success will largely depend on the relationship between the employee and employer.

Don’t rely on the implementation of fit notes to tackle your absence problem. HCS regularly assist network members with thorny absence issues and train managers via the HCS workshops, to deal effectively with this and other disciplinary issues. Click on our link to the HCS workshops to find out more about our in-house workshops and see how they can develop your managers.

BM 28 Jan 2010 - Cost Effective Outsourcing

Human — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:04:53 GMT

HCS Business Matters
28th January 2010

Cost Effective Outsourcing

A recent survey by research provider Incomes Data Service (IDS) found, perhaps surprisingly, that HR departments have weathered the economic storm of 2009 rather well. Only 35% of HR functions decreased their staffing levels in 2009, despite fears that the recession would bring sweeping job cuts to many organisations’ support functions.

Almost a quarter of HR departments questioned have actually taken on new staff, as many argue that a recession actually creates more work for them. As a result of pressing cost challenges, many companies have been forced to run complicated headcount reduction programmes, find cost savings through the introduction of new incentives, and continue to manage the day-to-day issues of performance management and employment disputes.

However with the average salary for an HR Generalist Manager sitting at £46,500, HCS suggests that there is a much more cost effective way for organisations to manage an effective HR function.

Why not consider outsourcing some, or all of your HR function? HCS can help you:-

Reduce costs – At a time when many organisations are tightening the purse strings, reducing costs whilst increasing expertise and support means outsourcing is a very cost effective choice.

Increase effectiveness of HR delivery – HCS have an objective and unbiased perspective on issues, helping you to manage HR concerns and processes effectively.

Provide greater expertise – HCS may be able to offer a broader bandwidth of specialist knowledge or experience than is affordably available in-house.

Access improved HR IT systems – Outsourcing this to HCS will mean you can have bespoke HR technology, implemented at a significantly lower cost – either managed inhouse or wholly outsourced to HCS!

Move HR up the value chain – Outsourcing HR administration can lead to a shift in HR focus towards policy and decision making. HCS has a track record of assisting business owners to change their strategic perspective to focus on optimising human capital whilst minimising cost.

Aid organisational growth – Fast-growing organisations can lack the capacity to deliver business objectives, making HCS outsourcing an attractive solution.

Reduce risk – Upscale or downscale HCS resources at your fingertips when you need them, so you only pay for the level of service you need.

HCS offers three different levels of service, enabling you to enjoy a level of HR support, tailored to the needs of your organisation.

BM 13th Jan 2010 - Snowed In?

Human — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:27:20 GMT

HCS Business Matters
13th January 2010

Snowed In?

School closures, travel chaos and sub-zero temperatures continue to cause havoc for many UK businesses, as one of the most severe winters on record shows no signs of abating.

However, unlike the last severe winter of 1985 we now have the technology and facilities in place to enable employees to continue working – without having to risk a treacherous trip into the office.

Where people can work from home using wireless technology, mobile phones and blackberries there is a real opportunity to minimise the cost to businesses by promoting business as usual.

However, due to the nature of their businesses many employers will not be able to ask staff to work from home and will be forced to consider alternative options. In these cases, employers will need to make tough decisions as to how they can best manage those who have not been able to make the trip into work.

HCS highlights some of the key considerations for employers during these extreme weather conditions.

· Determine a consistent message across the organisation to deal with employees who cannot make it into work, backed up by relevant policies and procedures. HCS can help you develop the necessary policies, and communicate these effectively to all employees.

· If it is impossible for employees to attend work, then you'll have to decide if it is instead feasible for them to work from home. HCS can help you develop a Home Working policy for such an eventuality.

· Ensure employees follow the company’s standard absence reporting procedures. HCS can help you implement an Absence policy, or update your existing policies and procedures.

· Remember your duty of care with regards to the Health and Safety of your workforce.

· Ensure you have adopted a consistent approach, ideally written into employees' contracts, as to whether you will or will not pay your employees as a result of non-attendance at work due to the weather. HCS can help you update and amend any employee contracts to ensure they are fit for the purposes of your business.

Remember consistency is the key – all employees must be given the same treatment and same considerations to ensure fairness and equality at work.

Business Matters 18.12.09 - Can't get No Satisfaction?

Human — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:31:12 GMT

HCS Business Matters

18 December 2009

Can't get No Satisfaction?

At a time when employers are finding it increasingly difficult to reward staff financially for their efforts, it is not surprising to learn that employee satisfaction has doubled for those employees who have been lucky enough to receive a pay rise this year.

A study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that the vast majority (almost 50%) of employees surveyed were forced to endure a pay freeze in 2009, as many organisations struggle to cope with mounting business and financial challenges.

Providing employees with a pay rise or bonus can be interpreted as an excellent way to recognise hard work and achievements against objectives.

However, it may be a costly mistake to assume that continuously providing an annual bonus or salary increase is the only way to see improvements in your employee satisfaction and morale levels. In fact, by setting such a precedent, you may find that employees feel more stressed and demotivated as they worry about providing evidence to justify their performance, and the reward that goes with it.

HCS recognises that providing financial reward and recognition is simply not possible for all organisations, and is not the only method of motivating your people. Please visit our website www.humancapitalservices.co.uk for our Top Tips for improving or maintaining morale and employee satisfaction – without the huge price tag.

BM-01 Dec 09- How to Re-organise your Business in Tough Times!

Human — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:38:52 GMT

HCS Business Matters
01 December 2009

How to Re-organise your Business in Tough Times?

In the current challenging economic climate, there are many reasons why businesses might find it beneficial to re-organise or streamline their workforce. Implementing one or more of the initiatives detailed below may help you realise cost savings, without having to make compulsory redundancies.
•         Recruitment freeze
•         Reducing overtime
•         Review of contracted & sub-contracted work
•         Review of engagement of agency staff
•         Short-time working
•         Lay off
•         Unpaid leave
•         Secondment
•         Sabbatical
•         Redeployment to other departments, premises or areas
•         Compressed working week
•         Reducing remuneration packages/working hours
•         Mandatory annual leave
•         Pension contribution holiday
•         Temporary facility shutdowns

If you are considering re-organising or streamlining your workforce, HCS highlights some of the key areas you’ll need to consider, before making any changes:-:
•         Ensure there is a real business need to justify any proposed changes.
•         Ensure you discuss and agree any changes with those affected employees.
•         Carry out genuine and meaningful consultation with the affected employees, before imposing
           changes.
•         There may be an obligation to collectively consult about the proposals – failure to do so may give rise
           to a liability for protective award of up to 90 days pay, per affected employee.
•         Ensure you have prepared any required documents which will guide you through the process.
•         Where changes are being made to terms and conditions, think about ways in which they can be
           implemented with as little inconvenience to employees as possible.
•         If employment is being terminated, consider whether employees will work their notice, be placed on
           garden leave, or paid in lieu of notice. of many factors, including the need for work to be done,
           possible effect on the business during the notice period and the possibility of favourable tax
           treatment of payment in lieu of notice.

Business Matters-17 Nov 09-Monday Morning Blues

Human — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:13:27 GMT

HCS Business Matters
17 November 2009

Monday Morning Blues!

Did you know that more than a third of all sick leave is taken on a Monday, whereas Fridays account for only 3% sickness during the working week.

As we approach the winter months, employers can again expect the number of employees calling in sick to rise – especially in January which is typically the worst month of the year for sickness absence (averaging half a day per employee during the month).

Interestingly, women have a 24% higher sick leave rate than men, and are more than twice as likely to be off for emotional illnesses such as stress and depression. Men on the other hand tend to have higher instances of absenteeism in relation to more physical ailments such as fractures and muscle sprains.

Although the majority of the time employees are genuinely absent for a good reason, it is still important to monitor absenteeism for all employees, regardless how trivial these may appear on the surface.

HCS recommends:

Implementing a clear, transparent and unambiguous absence policy will ensure all employees understand your expectations of them, should they have to be absent from work for any reason.
Gaining buy-in from your management team, and encouraging them to lead by example will help abolish a culture where absenteeism is acceptable.
Implementing consistent absence management records ensures every instance of absenteeism is effectively recorded, helping you identify trends and issues early.
Keeping accurate records of absenteeism can help you identify trends and issues and also help you measure the effect of absenteeism on business costs and overall company performance.
Implementing a structured process for managing absence and investigating the causes of absence to help overcome the problem.
Always conducting “return to work” interviews with all employees, to help you understand causes for absence, and consistently recording / monitoring these.

Business Matters-03 Nov 09-How Are You Paying Your Workforce

Human — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:01:45 GMT

HCS Business Matters
03 November 2009

How Are You Paying your Workforce?

Many employers continue to pay and reward their employees based on length of service as opposed to their performance in the role, without realising they are potentially setting themselves up for claims of discrimination at work.

On 20th October, the Court of Appeals found in favour of Christine Wilson’s (a Health & Safety Inspector) claim that women within the Health & Safety Executive were discriminated against with regard to salary. Christine challenged her employer’s seniority-based pay system claiming it disadvantaged women, who generally work for shorter periods of time than their male counterparts, as they take more time off to have family.

A representative from the employment law firm Russell Jones & Walker, who represented Christine Wilson’s case, said “The Court of Appeal’s judgment in Christine Wilson’s case has confirmed that employers cannot continue to structure pay scales in this way where is inappropriate and leads to women being paid less to do the same jobs as men. Employers need to give careful thought as to whether extra years in the job really does lead to better performance and if so for how long.”

The outcome of this ruling potentially makes it easier for employees to challenge how their employers’ pay structures reward length of service. Employers may now find themselves in a position where they have to fully justify how they reward their workers, paying particular attention to ensure these schemes in no way discriminate against women.

HCS Recommends

A fair and transparent performance-based salary structure will help:-

Employees to see and understand how the work they do will be rewarded.
You to target, recruit and retain staff of the calibre that is required.
Employees to have a clear view as to how their salary can grow with their performance.
You to increase staff motivation, loyalty and morale.
Employees clearly see and understand how their performance links directly to corporate goals.
You to remain competitive with the employment market.
Employees to focus on what is important and their development needs.
You to build a true performance culture.

Business Matters 20 Oct 09 - Retiral

Human — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:11:51 GMT

HCS Business Matters
20th October 2009
What to do when an employee reaches 65?

The ongoing debate as to whether it is, or is not unlawful to dismiss an employee when they reach retirement age continues to cause confusion amongst employers and employees alike.

On 26^th September the high profile Heyday case concluded that a default retirement age of 65 is not unlawful. This means that employers can now retire an employee upon turning 65, without having to provide a redundancy payment, without fear of accusation of age discrimination, and despite the employee potentially not wanting to retire.

However, employers must still follow the statutory retirement process to ensure they are compliant with current legislation, and avoid potential claims.

HCS recommends that as an employer you should:

Implement a Retirement Policy within your company. This will ensure all employees know what to expect when they reach their “golden years,” and employers follow the correct procedures to lawfully exit their employees from the business.
Provide employees reaching retiral age with full written notice of their retirement date, to enable them to consider their options
Consider offering employees the ability to voluntarily reduce their working hours as they approach retiral, in line with business requirements.
Bear in mind that it may not always be beneficial to retire your employees when they reach retirement age. These employees potentially have valuable experience and skills plus a wealth of life experience they could continue to offer your organisation. There are currently 1.4 million people working past the age of 65 in the UK.
You are obliged to consider all requests from employees who have reached 65 under a “duty to consider” procedure.

To get a step-by-step guide on Managing Employees to Retiral, and your responsibilities as an employer, please visit the HCS website at www.humancapitalservices.co.uk and follow the links on our home page.

FACT: As we live in an ageing population, it becomes increasingly likely the Government will raise the UK retirement age further when they review the current retirement legislation next year.

Call HCS today on 0141 776 6456 for assistance in developing a new Retirement Policy, reviewing your existing policy or coaching your employees on how to manage employees as they approach retirement.

HCS Business Matters 30 Sep 09 - Eligibility To Work In The UK

Human — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:48:27 GMT

HCS Business Matters 30 September 2009

Eligibility to Work In the UK

Do you have evidence of your employee’s eligibility to work in the UK?

You will no doubt have heard about Baroness Scotland, the Government’s top law officer, being fined £5,000 for breaching UK Border Agency rules on employing migrant workers after the agency found that she had employed a Tongan woman who did not have the right to work in the UK. Despite Lady Scotland carrying out the immigration status checks required by the Act, which she helped to pilot through Parliament, she failed to keep photocopies as proof that the checks had been made.

HCS recommends that as an employer you should:

· Ensure successful applicants register with the Home Office if they are from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia and obtain certification under the Workers Regulation Scheme. You should keep a copy of the application form submitted until certification is received.

· Request evidence of eligibility to work in the UK for all employees, documents can include:

o Birth certificate

o Passport or national identity card

o Workers Registration Certificate if employee has been employed elsewhere within the last 12 months.

o Permanent residence card

· Examine the documents shown ensuring correct name, date of birth and photographs are a true reflection.

· Take copies of documents provided and retaining in employee file.

· Review documents on an annual basis to ensure they are still in date.

· Retain documents for a period of two years following leaving employment.

Download the HCS step by step guide of Governance & Control of Employing Illegal Immigrants, go to the HCS website and follow the link for your copy – www.humancapitalservices.co.uk

If you have any questions at all or require to discuss with one of our Consultants call us today on 0141 7766456 or email enquiries@humancapitalservices.co.uk

Alcohol At Work

Human — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:05:26 GMT

HCS Business Matters 15th September 2009

Alcohol at Work

Having reviewed recent HR forums whereby HR Professionals have been discussing ITV’s new comedy series Monday Monday with the caricature of the gin soaked HR Director we thought that we would spend some time in this update considering whether alcohol has a place at work and what employers can do if they think staff have an alcohol problem.

In general, our experience tells us that the days of drinking alcohol as an accepted part of the working day have passed and a great number of our clients operate strict no alcohol policies, but there are some in certain industries that are still expected to drink when ‘entertaining’. Equally even those with zero tolerance to alcohol during the working day then have to think carefully about what is acceptable at staff functions, and whether the summer party should be treated differently to an industry awards ceremony. So how do you make a call on this and what are the risks to consider:

A good place to start may be to think about whether there is any specific health and safety risk in allowing alcohol to be consumed by staff during the working day (sales lunches, client entertaining, birthday/retirement lunches!) If for example staff are expected to drive for work or operate machinery then you may want a blanket zero tolerance policy to alcohol consumption.
What about sensitivity to religious beliefs? It may be very well to assume that people who don’t want to drink, for whatever reason, can refuse, but what if networking, or rewards – such as a night out or a bottle of champagne – exclude some people because of their beliefs? It would be worth considering how these scenarios may affect your workforce and what alternatives may be suitable to protect you against potential claims of discrimination.
Workplace promotions in the pub! We may all think that promotions are based on merit and the seemingly archaic notion of someone promoting their ‘drinking buddy’ no longer occurs, but it stands to reason that the more time that is spent together the more likely an individual’s talents will shine through. On the face of it a merit based decision like this is perfectly sensible, but if that person has access to the decision maker in a context that someone who doesn’t socialise in the same way doesn’t, i.e. in the pub, there could be an angle for discrimination again, either sex or religious. It would be best therefore to have tight recruitment and promotion policies/procedures, if you (quite reasonably) don’t want to try to police who goes out with who outside of work.
What about those evening events? It’s likely that you don’t want to be the one who steals the party spirit but equally it may be worth laying out ground rules prior to any events and offering ‘friendly’ advice in terms of booking taxi’s (avoiding drink driving!) and being respectful of each other in the same way that everyone hopefully is during the working day. If it is an industry dinner, for example, you may want to impose tighter control on staff and remind them that they are representing the Company and so must act in a professional and courteous manner.
Testing – Introducing this generally throws up all kinds of issues and so it is worth considering carefully when and how testing would be done and what impact the results would have on an individual’s employment. There are organisations that provide testing services and it would be worth investigating what they have to offer if you feel that it may be appropriate to carry out alcohol or drug testing with your staff.
Finally, if behaviour at an awards evening gets out of hand or the Christmas party descends into a fracas, or you receive a complaint from a client after a business lunch, it is worth being sure how such behaviour will be dealt with. Is your disciplinary policy robust enough to support any action that you may feel it’s necessary to take?

You may have staff who have a problem with alcohol, drugs or other substances and you may want to support them in overcoming this. Some of our clients have helpline numbers incorporated into their alcohol policies in the handbook; others provide access to Occupational Health services and/or counsellors. There is such a wide scope of ways in which help may be offered and there is of course the obstacle of the individual recognising that they need assistance, but once over this hurdle you may like to:

Investigate whether support is available through any health cover you provide.
Look at the cost and access to private treatment and arrange for the employee to have paid time off for appointments.
Reconsider any policies you have about alcohol consumption during working hours to see if they are still relevant and support individuals with a problem.

If you would like any support with a particular issue regarding alcohol in the workplace, or anything else, or if you would like assistance in reviewing your alcohol policy or creating a new one from scratch please get in touch: call one of our consultants on 0141 776 6456.

HCS Calendar of Workshops 2009

Human — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:38:50 GMT

HCS Workshops

HCS has significant experience of delivering cost effective and informative business improvement programmes to our clients.

Calendar of Workshops

We will be announcing our 2010 calendar of workshops very soon . As always, these workshops will be informal and informative and will provide useful handout material with invaluable advice and support targeted specifically to your needs!

Where: 6th Floor, Buchanan Tower, Buchanan Business Park, Cumbernauld Road,Stepps Glasgow, G33 6HZ, between 10am and 12 noon
Cost: £65 + VAT for first delegate then ½ price for second delegate.

£1000 to recruit!!

Human — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:45:58 GMT

£1000 to recruit!!

Did you know that Job Centre plus is offering £1000 for every eligible person that is recruited, who has been claiming Job Seeker Allowance for 6 months or more.

There are simple procedures to follow and making a claim is quick and easy.....here is how it is done:

Ask your new employee if they have been claiming Job Seekers Allowance for 6 months or more.
Check if they have a “Recruitment Voucher” from the Job Centre, and if so, ask the employee to complete part 1b of the voucher.
Enter your name, address and payment details and return this to the address shown on the voucher.
Job Centre Plus will validate your claim and if you are eligible, pay £500 into your business bank account within 15 days.
After 26 weeks, Job Centre Plus will check to ensure that the individual is still employed, and if so, you will be paid the remaining £500.
Employment must last for at least 26 weeks and be for an average minimum of 16 hours per week.

If you are recruiting 12 or more new employees then you must register first at recruitment.subsidy@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk .

There is also financial help available for in-work training with funding up to £1500 available.

Remember that HCS can help with all of your recruitment needs – from sourcing to interviewing. Contact the HCS team who will be delighted to help on 0141 776 6456, or email us at enquiries@humancapitalservices.co.uk

Swine Flu Symptoms

Human — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:04:20 GMT

Swine flu: Staff to self-certify sick leave for up to two weeks

Employees will be allowed to authorise their own sick leave for as much as two weeks if government proposals to contain the swine flu pandemic go ahead.

The Department of Health (DoH) is "actively considering" doubling the amount of time staff sign themselves off sick from work from seven to 14 days so the employees do not need to get a doctor's note.

This means that potentially, employees could “abuse” the system as a means of taking two weeks off work with relatively little consequence, particularly as typical flu cases last about seven days, according to experts.

These proposals, which would only be expected to last for up to six months, will be an emergency measure, designed to free up medical resources and reduce the spread of swine flu in GP surgeries and, importantly, there will be no advance consultation with employers before implementation.

What should you do now?

Consider your contingency planning process in the face of threat of pandemic.
HCS recommend that employers issue communication to all employees to highlight the symptoms of swine flu.

Advise your employees of the simple steps that they can take to help prevent catching colds and flu based on good respiratory and hand hygiene:

Always use a tissue to catch your sneezes
Throw away used tissues where germs can linger and regularly wash your hands.

Symptoms may include:

headache
sudden fever (of over 38C or 100.4F)
sudden cough
tiredness
chills
aching muscles
limb or joint pain
diarrhoea or stomach upset
sore throat
runny nose
sneezing
loss of appetite

If your employee complains of any of the above symptoms advise the following:
England – Go online and check your symptoms at www.nhs.uk, or call the swine flu information line on 0800 1 513 513. If you still think you have swine flu call your GP. Avoid spreading the virus, do not go to A&E and do not go to your doctor’s surgery. The National Pandemic Flu Service will be live in England from the end of next week. This service will be made up of a dedicated website and call centres and will be able to quickly tell you if you have swine flu.
Scotland – contact your local GP or NHS24 on 08454 24 24 24

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£1000 to recruit!!

£1000 to recruit!!

Did you know that Job Centre plus is offering £1000 for every eligible person that is recruited, who has been claiming Job Seeker Allowance for 6 months or more.

Swine Flu Symptoms

Swine flu: Staff to self-certify sick leave for up to two weeks

Employees will be allowed to authorise their own sick leave for as much as two weeks if government proposals to contain the swine flu pandemic go ahead.

What should you do now?

HCS Business Matters
28th January 2010

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13th January 2010

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How to Re-organise your Business in Tough Times?

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Monday Morning Blues!

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03 November 2009

How Are You Paying your Workforce?

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20th October 2009
What to do when an employee reaches 65?