Sarena Harwood, Author at Ward Williams HR Advisers

28Feb

A guide to menopause in the workplace

Gender Equality is an important aspect of diversity and inclusion and many companies are taking steps to address imbalances in the gender split of their workforce. However, one aspect of gender equality that is often overlooked is the impact of menopause in the workplace, which is reducing the number of women in the UK workforce as they move towards the latter part of their careers. The menopause is a natural stage of life which affects around half of the population.

Menopause at work is covered by certain pieces of legislation to protect employees. Under the Equality Act 2010, menopause is largely covered under three protected characteristics: age, sex and disability discrimination. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 provides for safe working, which extends to the working conditions when experiencing menopausal symptoms. While Acas has also introduced new codes of practice surrounding flexible working.

What should employers do?

Employers should ensure that all line managers have been trained to understand how the menopause can affect work and what adjustments may be necessary to support women who are experiencing the menopause.

Employers should ensure that issues such as the menopause are highlighted as part of a wider occupational health awareness campaign, so that all staff know the employer has a positive attitude to the issue and that it is not something women should feel embarrassed about. Guidance on how to deal with the menopause should be freely available in the workplace.

All women in a workplace should be given information on how they can get support for any issues that arise as a result of the menopause. Because of the way society treats the menopause, many women will feel uncomfortable going to their line manager, especially if it’s is a man, and other options should be available. This may be through human resources or a welfare officer.

Sickness absence procedures should make it clear that they are flexible enough to cater for menopause-related sickness absence. Women should experience no detriment because they may need time off during this time.

Working arrangements should be flexible enough to ensure they meet the needs of menopausal women, who may need to leave suddenly. They may also need more breaks during the day. Employers should avoid penalising staff who need to take more frequent toilet breaks.

Risk assessments should consider the specific needs of menopausal women and ensure the working environment will not make their symptoms worse. Issues that need looking at include temperature and ventilation. The assessments should also address welfare issues, such as toilet facilities and access to cold drinking water. Improved welfare facilities could also include a quiet place to rest and easily adjustable temperature and humidity controls. Employers already have statutory duties to provide these facilities under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

If you have any questions on any of the above, please get in touch with the office: sally.phillips@wardwilliams.co.uk or call 01932 830664.

26Sep

How to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Sarena HarwoodHR and Employment Law Advice and Support

Diverse and inclusive organisations are more innovative, more profitable, and more likely to be an employer of choice than their competition.

By promoting diversity and inclusion in your workplace, you will find it a lot easier to get your team pulling in the same direction and firing on all cylinders.

A truly diverse and inclusive workplace actively promotes diversity and inclusion every day.

Here are some ideas on how to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company culture:

1. Give every person a voice

Inclusive organisations listen to everyone, no matter where they sit within the company.

2. Be aware of unconscious bias

Understanding bias and building awareness is a first step towards real change.

3. Develop a strategic training program

Diversity training helps employees understand how cultural differences can impact how people work and interact at work. It can cover anything from concepts of time and communication styles to self-identity and dealing with conflict.

4. Think beyond culture fit

Hiring for “culture fit” makes a lot of sense on the face of it. By bringing people on board that fit your company’s culture and they are likely to quickly gel with the rest of the team, hit the ground running, and stick around for longer. But if you only hire employees that “fit in” with the rest of your team, you might quickly find you do not have a very diverse or inclusive organisation.

5. Commit to a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy

Here in the UK, your organisation doesn’t have a legal requirement to create a written inclusion and diversity policy. But making concrete diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments in writing will show your team how seriously you are committed to being a diverse employer.

6. Lead by example

To promote inclusivity and diversity at work, you need to have leaders who embody the same values. They are patient, open-minded, and empathetic and they listen more than they talk when it comes to matters of how represented and recognised their teammates feel.

7. Educate and empower your managers

Your managers and team leaders have a huge part to play in making your organisation inclusive and equitable. When it comes down to it, they are the ones responsible for executing your DE&I initiatives on the floor.

8. Consistently measure and improve inclusion

Your DE&I strategy is not something you can set and forget. Times change, and your organisation needs to change with them if you want to remain diverse and inclusive.

If you have any questions or would like further advice on promoting diversity and inclusion within the workplace or any other HR related matters, please get in touch with us at HRservices@wardwilliams.co.uk or call 01932 830664.

12Jul

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Sarena HarwoodHR and Employment Law Advice and Support

Under the Equality Act 2010, there are 9 protected characteristics that allow employees to be automatically protected against discrimination, victimisation, and harassment. Despite this, discrimination and inequality areas that need constant improvement within Employment across all sectors.

Inequality in the workplace can occur from the get-go with ineffective recruitment practices. Reviewing any current polices and procedures will ensure elimination of any unconscious biases or potential discrimination.

Development should also be prevalent for any workers, there should be equal access and opportunity regardless of sexual orientation, race, religion, or any of the remaining protected characteristics – however it is understandable that treating everyone same has shortcomings, not everyone can be treated the same, but they should be treated on a basis of one’s induvial needs.

Inclusion is very easy to be washed over by diversity initiatives as they are so similar yet vastly different. Ensuring your employees have clarity on inclusion, and what is means for your business, as opposed to diversity will help you ensure that your company is able to take decisive actions that mean you are able to fully address inclusion and allow your company to grow and excel.

The importance of showing that your company follows the basic principles of DEI, ensures that your company can retain employee engagement, boost profit, and increase your brands recognition and reputation.

If you have any questions on any of the above, please get in touch with the office: sally.phillips@wardwilliams.co.uk or call 01932 830664.

07Feb

Health and Safety in the Workplace

Sarena HarwoodHR and Employment Law Advice and Support

The purpose of health and safety law in the workplace is to ensure a safe working environment for employees. In the UK, this requires employers to meet health and safety obligations, covered by a vast range of legislation.

Health and safety at work encompasses a wide range of duties and initiatives aimed at maintaining a safe working environment for employees. There are many relevant pieces of legislation and case law which impose legal duties on matters ranging from providing insurance and written policies on health and safety, to education and training for staff, risk assessments and monitoring. There are also numerous initiatives and guidance aimed at promoting a holistic, proactive approach to health and wellbeing issues at work, improving employees’ work performance and reducing sickness absence. Health and safety is sometimes also used as an excuse to justify not permitting some activity when in fact health and safety legislation does not apply.

The main pieces of legislation dealing with different aspects of health and safety are the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. These two set the standards for all health and safety in the UK workplace.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK. It sets out the general duties which:

employers have towards employees and members of the public;
employees have to themselves and to each other;
certain self-employed have towards themselves and others.

You can read the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in full on legislation.gov.uk.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 were introduced to reinforce the Health and Safety Act 1974. They explicitly outline what employers are required to do to manage health and safety and apply to every work activity. The regulations place a set of duties on employers and employees to maintain a safe and healthy workplace. As a minimum, you should have the processes and procedures required to meet the legal requirements, including:

a written health and safety policy (if you employ five or more people);
assessments of the risks to employees, contractors, customers, partners, and any other people who could be affected by your activities – and record the significant findings in writing (if you employ five or more people). Any risk assessment must be ‘suitable and sufficient’;
arrangements for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures that come from risk assessment;
access to competent health and safety advice;
providing employees with information about the risks in your workplace and how they are protected;
instruction and training for employees in how to deal with the risks;
ensuring there is adequate and appropriate supervision in place;
consulting with employees about their risks at work and current preventive and protective measures.

Together these form the legal framework for health and safety in the workplace. If you have any questions on any of the above, please get in touch with the office: sally.phillips@wardwilliams.co.uk or call 01932 830664.

06Jan

Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme reintroduced for SME’s

Sarena HarwoodPayroll Services

Employers with fewer than 250 employees will be able to claim up to two weeks’ Statutory Sick Pay per employee for COVID-related sickness absences occurring from 21 December 2021.

The reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS) was announced as part of a £1bn support package for businesses impacted by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Employers are eligible for this support if they:

Are UK-based;
Employed fewer than 250 employees on 30 November 2021;
Had a PAYE scheme at 30 November 2021; and
They have paid their employees’ COVID-related statutory sick pay (SSP).

There are no details indicating when the scheme will end other than the government will keep the scheme under review. This follows the same pattern as the previous scheme that ran for periods up to 30 September 2021 when it was ended by legislation.

If an employer made a claim for an employee under the previous scheme, they will be able to make a new claim for a COVID-related absence for the same employee of up to two weeks.

The claims portal remains live for the previous iteration of the scheme as employers have until 31 December 2021 to submit their claims for periods up to 30 September 2021.

Employers should wait until mid-January 2022 to submit claims for coronavirus-related SSP from 21 December 2021. It is expected that claims will only be possible once the requisite secondary legislation has been laid.

Employers must keep records of SSP that they have paid and want to claim back from HMRC. The following records supporting the claim must be kept for three years after the date the employer receives the payment:

Dates the employee was off sick;
Which of those dates were qualifying days (ie, the days that the employee would normally work);
The reason they said they were off work due to COVID-19;
The employee’s national insurance number.

Currently, employees can temporarily self-certify up to 28 days of absence and coronavirus-related SSP claims are not subject to the normal three-day waiting time.

20Dec

Temporary change to Fit Notes

Sarena HarwoodHR and Employment documentation production, HR and Employment Law Advice and Support, Payroll Services

For Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), where employees go off sick on or after 10 December 2021, employers can only ask employees for proof of sickness (such as a fit note) after 28 days of sickness (including non-working days). Proof of sickness cannot be requested earlier than 28 days.

Fit notes do not have to be provided for DWP benefit claims until 27 January. This will not affect claims to benefit.

These changes are to give GP’s more time to work on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) booster programme.

More information on this can be viewed here: The Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) Regulations 2021

01Dec

HR Christmas Charity Donations 2021

Sarena HarwoodCharity

From everyone at Ward Williams HR, may we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Instead of sending out Christmas cards this year we are making charity donations to the below charities:

24Nov

Winter weather and work: five common employer queries

Sarena HarwoodHR and Employment Law Advice and Support

With winter weather on its way, we answer five common questions from employers on the workplace impact of severe weather conditions.

1.Do I have to pay employees who cannot get to work because of severe weather? Do I really need a policy on severe weather?

You may need the policy only a few times a year, but it is a good idea to make your workforce aware of the rules that will apply if they have difficulty getting to work because of bad weather.

The policy can be open ended enough to include disruptions caused by anything from natural disasters and severe weather to public transport strikes and terrorist attacks.

In principle, you would be within your rights to refuse to pay an employee who does not appear for work because of severe weather such as heavy snow.

This is because an employee who is not working is not fulfilling his or her contract of employment, and so you do not have to pay him or her.

This is the case even if the employee’s non-appearance is out of his or her control, for example because of extreme weather conditions.

However, this is one of those employment scenarios where the letter of law says one thing, but common sense dictates a more pragmatic approach.

The financial burden on your business of paying staff even though they are not working because of bad weather may be outweighed by the benefits.

Staff morale and your reputation as a good employer may benefit in the long run if you pay staff on a snow day.

2.What are my options if I need employees to work even though the weather is bad?

In this day and age, many jobs can be done from home, and employees who frequently work at home should be encouraged to do so when bad weather approaches.

However, employers need to be careful about asking employees to work at home when a requirement to do so is not included in their contracts of employment. So you need to seek their consent.

If it is not, to require an employee to work at home in severe weather will constitute a unilateral variation of contracts of employment requiring consultation in advance with affected staff. To avoid this, you need to express that this is a one off occurrence and bears not change to their terms and conditions of employment.

Employers should also consider the health and safety aspects of homeworking before imposing a homeworking requirement: some employees’ homes will simply not be set up to be turned into a temporary workplace.

3. Can employees take periods when they cannot get to work because of poor weather as annual leave?

Where employees are unable to get to work because of bad weather, taking the time as paid annual leave may be an option.

There is nothing to stop you asking if employees would like to take extra holiday if they are unable to get to work.

Many employees will find taking paid holiday preferable to losing a day’s pay.

However, there may be circumstances in which this might not be possible. For example, where the employee wishes to keep their leave for a foreign holiday.

If you are going to insist that employees take the time as holiday, you must give them the minimum statutory notice.

4. If I close my workplace because of bad weather, do I have to pay my staff?

If employees are working from home, you must pay them their normal wages.

If an employee is unable to work because you have made the decision to close the premises, this will in effect be a period of lay-off.

You should pay your employees their normal wage, unless there is a contractual provision allowing for unpaid lay-off, or the employees agree to being laid off without pay.

5. I have employees with children at schools and nurseries that are closed because of the severe weather. Do I have to give them time off when they have nowhere to put their children?

Employees have the statutory right to a reasonable period of unpaid time off for dependants.

The right applies where an employee needs to take time off work because of unexpected disruption to the care arrangements for a dependant.

The right to time off for dependants would clearly apply where schools or nurseries close because of severe weather.

An employee taking advantage of this right must inform you of the reason for the absence, and likely length of the absence, as soon as he or she can.

For further information of if you would like a copy of our Sever weather and disruption to public transport Policy please email Sally Phillips Managing Director of Ward Williams HR Ltd sally.phillips@wardwilliams.co.uk

19Nov

The misconceptions of Human Resources

Sarena HarwoodBlog, Dispute and Grievance Management, HR and Employment documentation production, HR and Employment Law Advice and Support, People Management Training, Performance Management, Strategic HR planning for the future

In our latest blog, we discuss the common misconceptions of HR. For many employee’s, HR are often feared, viewed as unfriendly and met with negativity. It is true to say we get a bad press. In reality, sadly, there are some horror stories out there, and everyone will have a story about an awful experience, a terrible HR Manager and a poorly managed exit from a business.

We can’t speak for all, but we do speak for us, and the proof is in the pudding. The success of us, is intrinsically linked to the success of our clients. The success of our clients is down to their people. Their most valuable asset that we want to nurture, develop and protect.

Here’s some common misconceptions of HR we challenge in our practice –

We protect the company and not the people –It is absolutely impossible to do this. We cannot protect our clients, without protecting their staff and promoting best practice. It is our job to be fair, compliant and commercial.
We don’t interact with staff and sit in a glass office – that isn’t how we work. When we visit clients, we are on the floor, among the staff, getting to know everyone and engaging with conversations. Believe it or not, we even get invited to their Christmas parties – ‘fun police’ we are not!
We don’t get it – Believe us, we do. We are human, but sadly, HR don’t get ‘HR’ themselves. We too have child care issues, family bereavements, sickness, mental health issues, and anxiety. We also have the skills to help your people navigate through difficult times, and assist clients in how to support their staff in doing so.
HR don’t know what they’re doing – HR is some organisations is so undervalued. Often with no department, it sits with an over stretched Finance team, or a busy office Manager. So if that is the case, then this theory may well be accurate. We are different, it is what we do day in day out and with our CIPD qualified team who have studied for years – it is safe to say we know exactly what we’re doing.
Policies over people – Let’s be real, Employment Law is HUGE. Policies are needed, for everyone involved. They protect us all. That doesn’t mean to say we lose sight of the human factor. As a HR consultancy firm, we strive to ensure we promote inclusivity, diversity and positivity.
They are stuck in the dark ages, we don’t need HR – This is perhaps the biggest misconceptions of HR we challenge. If that is how you think, then I really think you do need HR. We pride ourselves on challenging ideas, promoting change, and encouraging Employer’s to think outside the box. We are ahead of the game with issues that haven’t even hit statute yet and we drive the change to help our clients and there staff. We champion the inclusion of neonatal leave, increased rights for individuals on maternity/adoption/parental leave, and promote a change to those undergoing fertility treatment. We are passionate about changing working culture, and helping organisations get it right.

For more information as to how we can help you and your staff, get in touch today.

23Aug

Care workers and Care home Vaccinations

Sarena HarwoodBlog, Coronavirus

The UK government recently introduced new legislation, effective from 11 November 2021, that requires people working in care homes to be Covid-19 vaccinated.

The new legislation will take effect on 11 November and, subject to parliamentary approval, will apply to all Care Quality Commission-regulated service providers of nursing and personal care, in care homes in England. The rules will mean that anyone seeking to work in such a care home will have to have been double vaccinated. The duty will apply not only to employees, but will also extend to all agency workers, volunteers, healthcare workers and tradespeople that might be engaged by the home. Those medically exempt will not have to be vaccinated and, similarly, any visitors of care home residents will also be excluded from the new requirements. The Department of Health and Social Care issued guidance on the matter on 4 August.

If you would like any further information or guidance on this. Please get in contact with a member of the Ward Williams HR team on 01932 830664 or email hrservices@wardwilliams.co.uk

1 2 3 … 11