As employment law advisers, we are frequently asked about grievances and issues surrounding the grievance process, which put us to thinking: what is it about a grievance that fills us with dread, and why? We all know what we should do in an ideal world… Establish the nature of the grievance and the issues promptly…

Anyone who has experienced bereavement knows how difficult it can be, and how important support from family, friends and your employer can be. Most employers provide some form of leave at a time of loss, but there are wide variations in the amount of leave and whether the leave is paid or unpaid. Each loss…

When a member of your team goes off sick and the absence becomes prolonged, how to manage the sickness absence can seem unstructured for managers as there aren’t specific ‘trigger points’ to prompt (or justify) taking action. Also, often policies and procedures state that an employee can be absent from work for four weeks before…

Many of you have told us that harmonising hr policies is on your list for the coming year, so we thought you might be interested in what we think are the key points to consider when undertaking this. Start with Why First of all, be clear about why you wish to harmonise your policies. It…

Welcome to this months employment law update. May has been a busy month with Mental Health Awareness Week, Learning at Work Week and Women’s Health Week – there’s been lots to think about! It’s also been a busy month for the Courts, which means we have a broad range of cases for you, covering everything…

We’re all well versed in the benefits of soft skills training. Research has shown that they account for 90% of what makes people progress up the ladder. Whilst soft and hard skills should work in harmony – the so called softer, people focused skills can be difficult to master. In the interest of keeping life…

It is estimated that during 2017 there were 6,217 suicides in the UK, and that most people who take their own life were employed at the time of their death. Given these statistics it’s likely that at some stage in your working life you will know someone at work who has taken, or attempted to…

So, you’re thinking about suspending an employee. Before you send them off on a paid holiday, it’s important to ensure suspension is the right way to go. It’s a big deal being suspended. We say it’s a neutral act – but it sure doesn’t feel that way for the employee. So as employers we must…

When we’re supporting our clients with their workplace investigations, we find that there are three things most managers struggle with: • They aren’t clear about what it is they are actually looking in to • Once they are clear – they don’t plan their questions in a way that enables them to stay on track…

The world of TUPE transfers is complex in language and in process. As employment lawyers and training professionals, we mainly get asked three questions about the TUPE process: what are the obligations for a transferee, a transferor and when does TUPE actually apply? We’re going to cover these off today. Firstly though, a little note…