Employers in the UK who offer enhanced maternity pay but do not offer equivalent enhancements to shared parental leave pay could face liability for indirect sex discrimination. This is the ruling of a UK Employment Tribunal, which determined that an employer's failure to offer enhanced shared parental pay (SPP) in line with the enhanced maternity pay offered to mothers amounted to indirect sex discrimination against men. Whilst not binding on future Tribunals, the decision highlights the risk to employers who do not offer enhanced rates of SPP ... Continue reading

Since April 2014, International Workplace has partnered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to produce four series of case studies, highlighting best practice in the FM industry. From an insight into how the BBC helped foster creativity in an under-generated area of the north-west, to the adoption of the Living Wage in the hospitality sector, to delivering critical FM services at the largest dedicated rugby union venue in the world, to enabling a top international school in Thailand to keep its students safe and secure, the case s... Continue reading

Many organisations will already have auto enrolled their eligible staff into pension schemes, but below are set out the key points as a general reminder. All employers are required to automatically enrol their UK workers into an occupational or personal pension scheme, driven by the organisation’s ‘staging date’. The largest employers should have completed this from October 2012, with all employers phased in by the end of February 2018. Workers can opt out of the pension scheme once they have been auto enrolled, but they cannot be i... Continue reading

One of the slightly less well-known awards in the facilities management sector is well worth considering if you employ a young manager who you think has unrecognised potential. The Pattenmaker’s Young Manager Award, supported by RICS, is an annual accolade awarded by the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers to support talented young professionals in the facilities management sector. The winner of this prestigious award will receive expert support to create a varied and bespoke personal development programme including things like off-site c... Continue reading

IFSEC is the world’s largest security, fire and safety exhibition brand, now in its 43rd year and with a growing international footprint. Already well established in Kuala Lumpur, this year’s show incorporated the International Workplace conference, a programme of six seminars that represented our company’s first international speaker event. For us, it was a great opportunity to present our knowledge and expertise in the areas of health and safety and sustainability, but in the context of the southeast Asian market – so as much of a ... Continue reading