As of yesterday, under a provision in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, employers who do not guarantee staff any hours of work, but prevent them from working for another employer, could face legal ramifications. The ban on the use of exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts, which was first proposed by the outgoing Coalition Government, is now in force after a lengthy public consultation. Prior to yesterday, employers were not banned from seeking exclusivity from an individual as this was deemed a contractual issue be... Continue reading

A new survey has revealed that almost half of the businesses covered by the Government’s Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) expect the scheme to cost them more than they will save on energy bills. The survey of 205 companies, conducted by energy, carbon and water consultancy firm, Utilitywise, found that only 49% of businesses expected the cost of compliance to outweigh potential savings, while the majority of respondents said they would ignore the audit results. Incredibly, just one in five said they will implement the recommended en... Continue reading

A recent UK Government survey revealed that more a million people over 50 are struggling to find employment. Yet, as Chartered psychologist, Dr Lynda Shaw argues, employers are missing the opportunity to upskill their older workers.  There is a huge prejudice against older people at work, partly because of the notion that job performance declines with age. This idea has been around for many years and research shows that this has no basis in truth.  For instance, older workers are more loyal to their employers and less likely to leave than ... Continue reading

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that a quarter of all road traffic accidents may involve someone who is driving as part of their work. Taking work-related road risk seriously is a legal requirement and recognising the risks and managing them accordingly could help reduce these incidents considerably. Legal requirements Employees that require a vehicle to carry out their work are covered by health and safety legislation in the same way as workers in a stationary environment. Such employees are unavoidably exposed to work-relat... Continue reading

When it comes to planning for an appraisal, it is just as important for the employer to be prepared as it is for the employee. If you are in charge of conducting appraisals, there are several things you can do to prepare and ensure both you and your staff walk away from appraisals feeling positive. Being in charge of a team, however big or small, can be a daunting prospect and can create unnecessary pressure if neither of you are sufficiently prepared. Here is a list of our top five tips for conducting effective appraisals to guarantee both you... Continue reading