Fuelling the strike

Earlier this week the Unite union announced that fuel tanker drivers have voted to go on strike to improve terms and conditions. The army have been called into training should they have to take over fuel deliveries. What would happen if members of your staff claimed they were unable to get to work because of fuel strikes i.e. there was no fuel left in the local area or they couldn't afford to put fuel in the car? We were asked recently this very question so we thought we would share it with you:

Employer: I’ve heard the news that there may be strike action on fuel. What if one of my employee’s comes to me claiming they have run out of petrol and could not afford to pay the premium on the short amount of fuel left in the pumps? In the short term they have suggested working from home, but I need them in the office so this wouldn’t work. What should I do?

The HR Dept: You’ve answered it for yourself; you need them in the office. Contractually they are obliged to turn up to work on time and perform their duties. You could consider your compassionate side with them and at least they were being honest and didn’t pull a sickie, but can you afford to sub wages? The reality is they need to find a way in to work – it is their responsibility. You could also suggest using public transport, share a lift with a colleague, share a lift through a car sharing website or like this GP did, walk the 18 miles to work. There are always practical ways around this disruptive event. Make it clear however that you expect them to be on time each day as well as understanding their predicament. Ensure they recognise that any unauthorised absence will be treated seriously as being AWOL.

Straight forward stuff really, but a good practical example of how to deal with these one off situations.

Cupid in the office?

The HR Dept has many a time dealt with issues around relationships in the workplace. As today is Valentine's Day, we thought we would share some Q&A’s to highlight how relationships in the workplace can often be a troublesome issue for employers:

Last week I caught two of my young employees getting too close for comfort in the stationery cupboard! What do I do?

Whose comfort, yours or theirs? If you have a policy about workplace relationships, see each of them individually and make sure they understand the rules. If not, then spell out the rules in the meeting i.e. not wasting working time canoodling or sending loads of emails and text messages. We will send you some HR Dept tissues as the course of young love never does run smoothly.

Around 20% people meet their long term partner in the office

One of my employees is saying they don't want Valentines flowers or chocolates around the office because of her beliefs, I’m at a loss.

Whilst we may believe that this is a commercially exploited event, St Valentine’s Day has been around since the Middle Ages and is a Christian celebration. Realistically disliking it is not going to count as a philosophical belief. Tell her to ignore the flowers and say you will eat her share of the chocs if they are handed round.

One of my staff is hoping her partner is going to propose on the 14^th and wants to provisionally book the 15^th off but able to cancel it if he does not.

Well let’s hope he does then or she will be absolutely no use to you on the 15^th if he does not. Better she takes the holiday come what may.

If workplace romance is destroying productivity in your business, then speak to us!

Christmas parties - Where has the fun gone?

Where indeed?

It is the definition of fun in regards to a Christmas party that needs some refining:

A social meet up at Christmas to thank staff members for their contribution to the business, whether paid for or not.

The problem is that there are so many stories that come out of Christmas parties that it means it can all sound like employment law and HR is the Christmas Grinch!

Though it may not sound like the Christmas spirit the reality is a business can be liable for the action of their staff and be the ones footing any legal bill.

HR Dept top tips for a Christmas Party without further cost;

• Make sure all of your staff (including directors) are aware that the Christmas party is an extension of the workplace. Yes, people should enjoy themselves but as a business owner you have a responsibility to them and you could be the one picking up the pieces
• Ask employees to use their common sense. Regardless of where you hold it, they are employees representing your business brand
• Be mindful if you have any staff under the age of 18
• If the party is in the office, keep the photocopier out of bounds
• Have a range of food and soft drinks available so that individuals religious observance is catered for
• If the staff do is during the week, make clear that everyone is expected at their desks at normal time the following day - or organise it on a Friday!

Here are some examples why:

'Gossip about an employees pregnancy following a Christmas party'

'Teacher loses sacking appeal after punch up'

'Explicit text message told husband of wife's affair'

'Millionaire boss humiliated as tribunal rules he sexually harassed employee'

We aren’t part of the ban the Christmas party brigade, it is these and many other untold stories that did not hit the media serve as a reminder of an employer’s liability when organising an event that should be seen as reward and time of enjoyment.

Don't let your employees crack!

How satisfied are you with your job? The annual World of Work survey was published this week, finding a whopping 62% of UK workers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their employers, as workloads increase with no extra reward being received

Employers are still facing the plight of hard and very uncertain economic times. With increased workloads, employees are feeling disengaged and unmotivated due to longer working hours and pay freezes.

Let’s put our violins down for a minute and be proactive: there are many ways that an employer can boost morale amongst employees and recognise a job well done without the need for a cash injection.

Here are our top tips:
·        Know your employees as individuals. Take an interest in their lives: families, pets
·        Say thank you, and mean it!
·        Public recognition: if an employee gets positive feedback from a customer, announce it so the whole team can hear.
·        Have an awards ceremony! Most improved performer, star sales person, best suggestion etc. Make sure prizes are relevant to the employee. It is no good giving free car parking to a non driver. The prizes don’t have to be high value and you can make them fun!

Bear in mind HMRC tax on benefits in kind. Trivial gifts such as a bottle of wine, bunch of flowers or chocolate would be regarded as trivial but all cash payments should be declared on P11d’s.

Most important tip: don’t let your employees crack!

‘I love your new bob!’ ‘I love yours too!’

Employers have a right to establish a dress code for employees for many reasons – image, health and safety etc. When considering a dress code you might think that hard hats would be appropriate for factory workers, and suited and booted in an office. But when a Japanese company recently ordered 2,700 staff to get the same haircut, our eyes widened and mouths dropped.

A Japanese construction firm has requested that men go to the barbers and ask for a ‘short back-and sides do (slightly longer on top) while the women adopt a ‘cute bob’ with a longer fringe that can be swept to one side.
While you gather yourself, it is worth mentioning that the company maintains that these identical hairstyles will reduce power consumption, a key environmental issue in Japan.

It appears this isn’t the first case of environmental friendly hair loss with a Japanese City back in 2010 seeking to ban beards at work.

Beards in the British workplace have even reached the Employment Appeal Tribunal with the famous case Mohsin Mohmed, a former customer service assistant at Euston Station, who claimed religious discrimination when he was dismissed for refusing to trim his beard to a fist's length - four inches. The appeal tribunal found that he and Virgin had agreed that he trim his beard to this length and that his treatment was no different from a non-Muslim employee. The case was dismissed, but does highlight the point about producing a fair dress code for both men and women and different religious backgrounds. As always, advice would be to use common sense.