Severe weather continues to cause disruption

2010 has brought us snow, ice and freezing temperatures far in excess of anything we have experienced for decades. Will this become the norm in future? Who knows? It's only December and winter has just started so businesses should be considering how they will cope if the severe weather continues.

Putting in place a severe weather strategy, or policy, is sensible as this will avoid any confusion. Are you obliged to pay staff who do not turn up for work because of the weather conditions? Well, no, unless your contracts specify otherwise. But, when staff are making a genuine effort to get into work, you may wish to think about this and be a little more creative. I'm sure most of us have experienced disruption to our travel arrangements in recent days. Can staff work from home? Have you considered flexible working, ie changing start and finish times to avoid peak travel periods? Can alternative modes of transport be used?

Demonstrating flexibility and working with your employees during difficult times is usually rewarded with loyalty and commitment.

Last week, a journey that would normally take me an hour took 8 hours. There is nothing you can do when you are stuck on a motorway without moving for 3.5 hours. I'm sure the Transport Minister must have a difficult job at the moment but I don't have a lot of sympathy with some of his excuses. The Scandinavians laugh at us, and I believe rightly so. In this day and age it is ridiculous that we get caught out by snow fall every time it occurs!

Another excellent event hosted by Taylors

Yesterday I attended the 2nd 'HR Exchange' which is hosted by Taylors Solicitors and supported by several local businesses. As with the 1st HR Exchange, back in September, this was an excellent and informative event.

All the speakers were engaging but I particularly enjoyed the presentations by Oliver McCann, an employment law partner at Taylors. Oliver provided advice and guidance on dealing with poor performance (from a legal perspective), along with an update on the latest changes in employment legislation that all HR professionals need to be familiar with.

I pride myself on having been trained by some of the best employment lawyers in the business and having a very good understanding of employment legislation but, as always, there are things to learn and I came away from the HR Exchange with some very good tips and guidance for the future.

........and I won the business card draw! I'm now the proud owner of a special anniversary edition of the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People"!

Thanks to all involved for an excellent morning.

Had your staff Christmas party yet?

It's that time of year when HR are traditionally bombarded with questions about the staff Christmas party. Many companies find this a minefield and worry about breaching numerous employment laws around this time. It's true, the staff Christmas party can be fraught with difficulties but my advice is to apply a little common sense.

• Christmas is a religious festival (although in these days of commercialism this is sometimes forgotten!). However, the staff Christmas party is seen more as a way to thank your staff for a year of hard work and commitment rather than as a religious celebration. If you make this clear in communications about your party you should not offend non-Christian employees.
• Be mindful of staff who do not drink alcohol, either by choice or religion, and select the venue/theme for your party carefully in accordance with your workforce. Make sure non-alcoholic drinks are available.
• There is no doubt that alcohol can play a part in unwanted behaviour which could be deemed as harassment or discrimination. Ask someone responsible not to drink alcohol at the party so they can monitor, and deal with, inappropriate behaviour if necessary.
• Make sure that different dietary requirements are catered for, whether on the grounds of preference or religion.
• Think about the timing of your party - does it discriminate against particular groups, eg Orthodox Jews who have to be home an hour before dusk on a Friday for the start of their Sabbath.
• Your chosen venue should have adequate health & safety procedures in place but you should check this yourself ahead of the event.
• Make sure physical assistance or adjustments are in place for disabled staff.
• Finally, remind your staff that they will be representing the company when at the party and therefore your policies still apply with regard to appropriate behaviour and what will, and won't, be tolerated.

You need to communicate the above to your staff, at the same time as wishing everyone a merry Christmas and an enjoyable event!

Good luck.

Qualifying period for unfair dismissal under review

No timetable has been announced, however, the Government is reviewing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal and considering increasing it from one year to two. Apart from automatic exceptions such as whistleblowing and discrimination, the length of service required to bring a claim for unfair dismissal is currently one year.


Employers should not see this as an excuse to treat employees unfairly and should always follow 'best practice' in order to protect themselves and their employees. It is thought that, by increasing the qualifying period, employees may be more likely to try and bring claims for discrimination rather than unfair dismissal. Unlike unfair dismissal claims, discrimination claims are uncapped and are far more costly for employers to defend.

Job creation, Egyptian style

The ancient Egyptians, like the Romans, were way ahead of their time. Having just returned from a holiday on the Red Sea coast I was struck by the employment situation in the resort, which got me to thinking about UK Government plans for getting people back into work and off benefits.

Every day our villa was attended by the following:

• the pool cleaner
• the gardener
• the pest controller (rats! - thankfully, perhaps due to his daily visits, we didn't see any)
• and the 'ant man' (who got rid of these unwanted visitors)

Every couple of days a supervisor for the above would pop round to ensure his staff had done their daily tasks and we were happy with the service provided. In addition, the villa had a representative who met us on arrival and departure, along with the cleaning staff.

Every roundabout in the resort, of which there are many, has someone supervising the traffic. Over the top!? I thought so until I saw how the Egyptians drive! With nothing but miles of desert surrounding the resort it is perhaps unsurprising that little common sense is displayed where there are roads.

Security personnel were on every street corner. We certainly felt safe during our stay.

Teams of road sweepers brushed the desert sand from the roads - a thankless, never ending, task which keeps them in work and provides an income.

The resort itself provides vast employment, in the hotels, restaurants, dive clubs, boats, shops, supermarkets etc etc. Some of these businesses are foreign owned, however, I saw very few employed staff who were not Egyptian.

At the airport, our passports were inspected by one person and our visa stamp provided by another. Yet a third person inspected what the first two had done before we were allowed out of the Country. Ok, this was now getting frustrating and over the top, but, all-in-all, I think there are still lessons we can learn from the Egyptians.

Dealing with conflicts at work should be a priority for leaders

A recent survey commissioned by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) revealed that 87% of respondents felt that levels of conflict at work had increased or, at best, stayed the same over the past 12 to 18 months.

60% of those surveyed said a tendency for companies to ignore conflicts and a lack of problem-solving ability add to organisational weakness. 88% of respondents agreed that the cost of conflicts in the workplace is damaging to the UK economy.

Having effective working practices in place, along with clear company values that are championed across the organisation, from senior management to the shop floor, will help companies avoid conflicts.

Those surveyed were twice as likely to cite workload (32%) than money (16%) as the primary trigger for difficult conversations. There are several effective ways to deal with conflicts in the workplace, the key is to address the issue before it escalates into a dispute.

It's the "SAD" season (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

You may have read that Kellogg's has introduced an initiative to increase its employees' access to daylight by encouraging them to come in an hour late or leave an hour early.

A study by Kellogg's revealed that two in five employees see less than half an hour of daylight during the winter working day and one in 10 sees no daylight at all. Kellogg's discovered this leads to slumps in productivity and motivation so they are encouraging their staff to take advantage of their flexible working policies to help rectify this.

This is a smart move by Kellogg's. This simple action shows them as a caring employer who invests in their staff whilst benefiting the company by increasing motivation and productivity.

Well done Kellogg's!