Why you should be careful when using demotion as an alternative to dismissal
Demotion is not an area explicitly covered by law. Although mentioned as an alternative disciplinary sanction by ACAS, it is in the courts where precedence and guidance originates on how to use demotion fairly.
Why flexible working requests shouldn’t be ignored...
Over a year on since the right to request flexible working was extended to any employee, employers and employees are still struggling with the concept of what flexible working is. With increasing access to the internet, home working is becoming increasingly popular with the trend likely to continue.
Managing People Survey - '59% say sickness absence is their most common HR Issue'
Managing staff and HR duties is a time consuming aspect of the Practice Manager role. There are many people-management aspects that can be pre-planned such as appraisals and payroll, however there are occasions when managing people creates issues that need to be dealt with amongst the busy day-to-day schedule.
Mental ill health... It’s not just patients who need support
Mental ill health can cover a range of conditions including stress, depression, schizophrenia, some addictions and eating disorders many of which (but not all) meet the legal definition of a disability. Employers are obliged to put in place reasonable adjustments...
Managing People Survey 2015 (Win a £25 Love2shop voucher!)
In order to help us to keep our content as relevant as possible to GP Practices and to develop new and existing services to meet the demands of the ever changing primary care sector, we would like you to complete our very quick HR feedback survey.
HR news round up – Employment law in general practice
A round up of the latest HR updates, including Equal Pay Claims, Nice Guidelines, Compulsory Living Wage, Tax Allowances, Holiday Pay and Working Time (Travelling).
A common annual leave scenario... and how to handle it
Summer is a popular time for staff to book annual leave, and often it isn’t possible to accommodate everyone. However, declining holiday requests can lead to discontent among staff and a spike in unauthorised absence.
Don’t get burned by these common summer workplace issues...
The peak summer months can come with their own HR challenges with rising temperatures and school holidays. Some common themes that Practice Managers and HR Professionals are faced with over the warmer periods include changes to dress codes, spikes in sickness absence...
Long Term Sickness: When is it too long?
Long term sickness that lasts for more than four weeks can be a huge drain on Practice resources and add strain to an already stretched team. So, pro-actively managing long term sickness, although time consuming, can help reduce the impact.
Understanding statutory and occupational sick pay entitlements
Sick pay can often be seen as a frustrating expense where money is leaving the practice and there is no contribution in return, but sick pay is an important area of UK employment rights and it can often get complicated. There have also been some changes that may have passed under the radar with the introduction of the Fit for Work scheme.
HR / Employment Law
Employment Tribunals: How does the claims process work?
I recently attended a mock Employment Tribunal to see how they work and found it quite a sobering experience. The seemingly organic management processes of an employer were methodically unpicked in public view, exposing non-adherence to procedure.
The End of the Afghanistan Conflict: Armed Forces Reservists in General Practice
On Friday 13th March 2015 the Royal Family and many Prime Ministers past, present and (potentially) future - joined Armed Forces veterans to commemorate the 13 year long Afghanistan conflict. Almost 15,000 UK personnel served in Afghanistan.
Considering Redundancy? Make sure you understand the risks involved
Redundancy can often be seen as a quick and easy way to exit people from a business or reduce costs. However, redundancy is one of the most complex areas of employment law and can result in costly unfair dismissal or discrimination claims if it isn't done properly...
A look ahead to the year in Employment Law
Traditionally election years are the calm before the storm in terms of changes to Employment Law, so although it is likely to be a quiet year regarding changes there are still some key pieces of legislation that will come into force in 2015...
HR / Employment Law
Christmas parties: Avoiding the HR hangover
‘Tis the season to be jolly! The last of the Christmas parties are right around the corner, so it’s time to make sure you lay down the law... the employment law, that is.
5 things to consider when merging your practice
Is it a question of surviving? Can a merger result in lower overhead costs? Perhaps a more balanced life style for the GP partners whilst maintaining that their income cannot drop? These are questions you are faced with when making the decision to merge or not to merge...
Workplace discrimination - can you spot it?
A surgery in Pennsylvania learned the hard way that discrimination within the workplace can be extremely damaging to any business’ reputation. After going viral last week, a letter from Visnich Oral Surgery laying off a long-time employee with cancer has had far reaching consequences...
Practice Manager Salary Survey 2014
The average advertised UK salary has increased by 0.9% this year according to Adzuna. This is the first increase in wages since the beginning of the recession. Although this is a positive sign, there are also signs of an increasing gap between wage growth in different areas of the country...
Tribunal claims can be costly – what you can do to avoid them
Unfortunately, there will be times within your organisation, when you have no option but to dismiss one of your employees. It could be for a variety of reasons, but your duty as employer is to ensure that your dismissal is fair. A dismissal procedure that is not carried out fairly...
Shared Parental Leave
Shared parental leave will be in be in place for employees who are due to have a baby with an expected due date of 5 April 2015, or after. This means that there will be an extended period of time after the compulsory maternity leave period of two weeks...
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