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!

Christmas is coming

Ok, I know Halloween and Bonfire Night are still to come but Christmas will be here before you know it. Now is the time to give it some serious thought.

If your company is having a Christmas party it will, no doubt, already be booked. However, with increasing pressure on all of us to save money the staff Christmas party is often one of the first things to go. I strongly believe in reward management and investing in staff morale does not have to be costly. Christmas is an ideal time to generate some good will. Small gestures count for a lot and will help set the tone for the year ahead.

Britain has an increasingly diverse workforce and all companies should be mindful of the celebrations that are important to their employees. Staff who feel valued by their employer are more motivated, which can lead to improved performance and a real benefit to the ongoing success of your business. So, go on, treat your staff this Christmas.

Should this be allowed?

I know I'm not the only person who read articles in the weekend papers about Wayne Rooney with some disgust.

The Country is trying to recover from recession, the Government has announced major spending cuts which will impact on the majority of us, thousands of people in the public sector received letters last week putting them on notice of potential redundancies, however, Wayne Rooney will receive a weekly salary reported to be in the region of £200,000! Not bad for a man credited only with the ability to kick a football.

It would take someone on an average salary almost a decade to earn the amount Rooney will paid each week - so, should this be allowed?

Employment Law Myth of the Day

Myth - an employee does not begin to accrue service for the purpose of statutory rights until satisfactory completion of their probationary period.

Fact - Probationary periods have no meaning in law, so the existence of a probationary period will not affect an employee's length of service or statutory employment rights. Statutory rights, including the right not to be unfairly dismissed, that are dependent on a minimum period of service will be based on an employee's original start date, not from the date on which their probationary period ended.