A written statement of employment particulars is not an employment contract, but it is a legal requirement that every employer must provide to every worker on or before their first day. Since April 2020, this right …
Small employers manage a steady stream of employment law changes. Some are straightforward administrative updates (a minimum wage rate rise), while others reshape how businesses operate (a cut to the unfair dismissal …
From 6 April 2024, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 transformed the landscape of flexible work rights in England and Wales. The most significant change is that all employees now have the right to …
A grievance is a formal complaint raised by an employee about their work, their employer, or another employee. Common grievances include complaints about pay, unfair treatment, discrimination, bullying, or harassment. …
Every worker in the UK—whether full-time, part-time, or on a zero-hours contract—is entitled to at least 5.6 weeks’ statutory paid holiday per year. However, calculating what this means in practice varies …
An employee handbook is a reference document that sets out the policies, procedures, and expectations that shape how a small business operates day-to-day. Whether you’re employing your first staff member or …
Redundancy is a type of dismissal where an employee’s role is no longer needed. Redundancies can occur because of business closure, restructuring, or reduced need for a particular role. The law requires employers …
Sickness absence costs UK employers billions every year. The cost is not just in lost productivity; it is also in the complexity of managing absences fairly and legally. When an employee or worker is absent due to …
Most small businesses do not have a dedicated HR person, and they do not start out needing one. Instead, line managers and owners handle hiring, pay, absence, and day-to-day employment matters themselves. As the business …
When an employee is not performing at the required standard, your first instinct may be to issue a warning or move toward dismissal. However, the law requires a fairer approach: support employees to improve first, and …
A probation period is a structured time at the start of employment during which both employer and employee assess whether the role is a good fit. It is not a legal requirement, but it is a widely used management tool. …
Before hiring any new employee, you must carry out a legal right to work check. It is a statutory requirement under immigration law, not simply a best practice. If you fail to do this—or do it incorrectly—you face civil …
A disciplinary procedure is the formal process an employer follows when an employee’s conduct or performance does not meet the required standard. Following a fair and consistent procedure is essential: it protects …
A settlement agreement is a written contract between an employer and an employee (or former employee) that brings an end to an employment dispute or terminates an employment relationship. Settlement agreements are …
Sickness and absence management is part and parcel of managing a team, but it can be particularly challenging when an employee suffers from long term ill health. Employers have a legal responsibility to support staff …
If a business is considering making staff redundant, it needs to be for specific reasons and has to follow some basic ground rules set out in the Employment Relations Act 1996. Redundancy can happen for a variety of …
From 25th May this year, privacy laws are going to change with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It effects anyone who handles personal data relating to individuals living in the EU. Here …
There is no doubt that high turnover of staff can impact on any type of business. It can make providing a sustained, quality service difficult and have an adverse effect on company growth as well as that all-important …
Smaller or family run businesses often find it challenging to recruit the right people for a variety of reasons. They often don’t have the resources or experience to really understand the process of recruitment itself or …
There are a variety of reasons why your company needs to develop a mobile phone usage policy. Mobiles are far more than just simple telephone and texting machines. They are powerful mini-computers and have the same risks …
Sexual harassment in the work place seems to have dominated the news and social media in recent months with worrying revelations of sexual harassment by those in very powerful positions. It’s not just in areas like film …
Employees lie at the centre of any good business, most entrepreneurs know this already. As Richard Branson was once quoted as saying: “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, …
A ruling through the Supreme Court in July this year stated that employment tribunal fees are unlawful. This is already beginning to have a significant impact on employers, with the increase in the number of cases now …
There’s no doubt that, if you want to progress as a manager, you need to continually develop your competencies, skills and knowledge. To do that successfully, you must have a clear idea where you stand right now and …
It seems there is no getting away from it, social media is prolific. An excellent tool for all businesses but what happens if a disgruntled employee posts derogatory remarks about the company or more likely an employee …
Last week saw a ruling in the Supreme Court which decided that Employment Tribunal Fees are unlawful and therefore should be scrapped. The fee was introduced in 2013, the thinking behind this was to ensure people using …
When it comes to running a business, you are only ever going to be as successful as the people you employ. The importance of employing the right people really cannot be stressed enough as without them, you can have the …
Earlier this year, on the 6th of March, the Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham explained how the new legislation will protect consumers’ information at the ICO’s annual Data Protection Practitioners’ Conference. …
Flexible working seems to be causing some confusion among employers and employees alike. In this article we look at what it really means. There are a number of different ways to work flexibly: job sharing, working from …
Being the boss can be extremely rewarding, but as anything involving people does, is also has its challenges. Dealing with poor performance or behavioural issues in the workplace is not something that anyone looks …
Did you know that April was Stress awareness month? Don’t stress if you didn’t, it’s never too late to address the issue of stress, especially on your workforce, and discuss the best ways of minimising its effects. “The …
As many a business owner will tell you, it’s not enough to simply hire great people to work for you, you have to work to keep them too! One of the key points to this is understanding what makes people leave. It’s not …
As with most years, this April sees several changes coming into effect that employers and HR departments need to be aware of and perhaps put the necessary processes in place. There’s no doubt that the most significant …
The Apprenticeship Levy – what on earth is it? This spring the Government introduces the Apprenticeship Levy. From 6th April 2017 there will be significant changes to how apprenticeship training is funded for all …
Stereotypes are basically assumptions we make about a person based on things such as appearance, gender, race or even where they live, based on little or no personal knowledge about them. We’ve all had a chuckle at the …
Trade unions are groups of employees who join together to maintain and improve their conditions of employment. – Unison The popularity of unions has diminished somewhat in the last 30 years across almost all developed …
According to figures from CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) the average cost of recruiting the wrong person into a job role is £8,200 rising to £12,000 for senior managers and directors. The Cost of …
Most of us spend more time with our work colleagues than we do with our families! So it doesn’t come as a massive surprise that we soon start to get irritated by their annoying habits. Most of the time, these habits are …
Here at Solved hr we see our fair share of CV’s coming through, and most are fairly standard, but every now and again we get one with a job title that has us scratching our heads in bewilderment. The candidates …
Confused by How to Calculate Holiday Pay? Do you get headaches over how to calculate holiday pay for your employees as a result of recent and ongoing changes in legislation? Whether you are an employee or employer it can …
For smaller businesses choosing an HR resource can seem a daunting task. Having an in house HR person can be an expensive option that small to medium companies may feel is not necessary. In this case study we feature an …
New legislation came into effect this month in the form of the National Living Wage, not to be confused with either the National Minimum Wage – or the Living Wage. This new law means that anyone over the age of 25 and …
Companies today, large and small, have to deal with many HR related issues and it is becoming increasingly popular to outsource these to an external HR provider. In this case study we look at how bringing in an external …
In our ever changing economic climate, businesses are constantly striving to stay competitive. This can be anything from reducing staffing levels to a complete company restructure. These changes often have a detrimental …
So 2016 is the year to start growing your team, but it can seem a very daunting task. Having a great team forms the very core of your business and choosing the right people is undoubtedly one of the most important things …
In the wake of the crisis in Calais in October of 2015, where hundreds of migrants broke through the fence and actually entered the Eurotunnel terminal, the government have been forced to take a long hard look at current …
It seems apt to be discussing holiday pay as we all throw ourselves into the festivities. If you are fortunate to be in an industry that shuts down over the Christmas and New Year period how will these new rulings effect …
The world of HR is a myriad and often troublesome place. Sometimes it takes some assistance from an outside professional to help iron out a few wrinkles. In this case study we feature an organisation, which had two …
On Saturday 5th September solved hr joined Braunston Press, Cambells Daventry and two dogs in walking up Scafell Pike; the highest mountain in England at 978m, 3,209ft , in aid of Macmillan Cancer Nurses. We arrived at …