Originally written by Jill Bottomley on Small Business
It has been widely reported that many businesses expect to make redundancies at the end of April, when the furlough scheme comes to a close.
However, many smaller businesses may be unaware that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme rules were changed in December. The furlough grant can no longer contribute towards notice pay.
This is going to prove a major challenge for some small businesses which are already hanging on by their fingernails to their prospects of surviving this crisis.
Particularly where the employees facing redundancy have long service – this is likely, as they are the most experienced and will have been the most expensive to make redundant last year and remain on furlough – the coming costs could well push businesses under.
Unprepared small businesses looking at the prospects of redundancies over coming weeks and months may be in one of two highly problematic scenarios.
Scenario one – you’re unaware of your staff’s right to notice and redundancy pay
The employer has staff on furlough where redundancies will likely need to be made but he or she is unaware of their rights to notice and redundancy pay and how these are calculated.
A myth tends to circulate that
Tag Archive for Employing & managing staff
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Can I make my employees get the Covid-19 vaccine?
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
As the Covid-19 vaccine gets rolled out to more vulnerable groups across the country, employers may be starting to think about reintroducing their staff to the workplace after almost a year of furlough, homeworking or getting by under tough conditions.
One of the questions that’s sprung up is whether they can make it mandatory to get the Covid jab.
The short answer is that no, you can’t force staff to get immunised in most cases.
Strongly recommending that your staff have the vaccine is reasonable enough but be aware that some of your employees may not want to get it for health reasons, religious reasons or because they’re pregnant. Others have trust issues with large pharmaceutical companies or are hesitant due to the rapid development of the vaccine.
Terminating their employment would be viewed as discriminatory and they could take you to court for unfair dismissal.
Sarah Calderwood, a human resources and employment lawyer at Slater Heelis, said: “Under current health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to protect the health of employees, anyone on their premises and anyone else affected by the business.
“Existing vaccination guidelines state that if a risk assessment finds a risk of exposure
Hot Business News Today
Can I make my employees get the Covid-19 vaccine?
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
As the Covid-19 vaccine gets rolled out to more vulnerable groups across the country, employers may be starting to think about reintroducing their staff to the workplace after almost a year of furlough, homeworking or getting by under tough conditions.
One of the questions that’s sprung up is whether they can make it mandatory to get the Covid jab.
The short answer is that no, you can’t force staff to get immunised in most cases.
Strongly recommending that your staff have the vaccine is reasonable enough but be aware that some of your employees may not want to get it for health reasons, religious reasons or because they’re pregnant. Others have trust issues with large pharmaceutical companies or are hesitant due to the rapid development of the vaccine.
Terminating their employment would be viewed as discriminatory and they could take you to court for unfair dismissal.
Sarah Calderwood, a human resources and employment lawyer at Slater Heelis, said: “Under current health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to protect the health of employees, anyone on their premises and anyone else affected by the business.
“Existing vaccination guidelines state that if a risk assessment finds a risk of exposure
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What are the benefits of agile working? – a small business guide
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
On the face of it, it seems ridiculous that post Covid-19 hordes will commute into cities so they can all sit down at their desks at precisely the same moment.
When all of our working day is spent looking at screens, why does it matter where you physically are
And what does it mean for the future of the office, which some now see as a relic of Victorian working practices?
The future, according to some, will be agile working – a blend of coming into the office for collaboration and team meetings, and working remotely.
>See also: What is an agile working environment?
Agile working is nothing new – as with many other aspects of our lives, all the pandemic has done is accelerate what was happening anyway.
When the pandemic hit, ASDA dispersed its thousands of headquarters staff back to their homes.
Simon Halkyard, ASDA head office resourcing manager has said, “It’s amazing what you can do when you are forced and have no time to over think it. Should this be the new normal, even after the lockdown is lifted. Why restrict your business to only employing people in one location when you can reach a nationwide
Hot Business News Today
What are the benefits of agile working? – a small business guide
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
On the face of it, it seems ridiculous that post Covid-19 hordes will commute into cities so they can all sit down at their desks at precisely the same moment.
When all of our working day is spent looking at screens, why does it matter where you physically are
And what does it mean for the future of the office, which some now see as a relic of Victorian working practices?
The future, according to some, will be agile working – a blend of coming into the office for collaboration and team meetings, and working remotely.
>See also: What is an agile working environment?
Agile working is nothing new – as with many other aspects of our lives, all the pandemic has done is accelerate what was happening anyway.
When the pandemic hit, ASDA dispersed its thousands of headquarters staff back to their homes.
Simon Halkyard, ASDA head office resourcing manager has said, “It’s amazing what you can do when you are forced and have no time to over think it. Should this be the new normal, even after the lockdown is lifted. Why restrict your business to only employing people in one location when you can reach a nationwide
Hot Business News Today
Zoom tips and techniques when doing video job interviews
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
These days, the telephone interview might not go far enough in finding candidates. As a result, many employers have been turning video platforms like Zoom.
The advantage to Zoom is that lots of people use it and know how it works. However, you miss out on certain upsides in a video interview that you would get in a face-to-face job interview, like reading social cues and body language.
To help you get the most of your Zoom job interviews, let’s take a look at what you need to do as an employer before, during and after the interview.
Before the interview
The first step is the all-important preparation you do when planning your interview.
Provide instructions for your candidate
As soon as you decide a date and time with the candidate, send them details of how to access the meeting. If you have several candidates or plan to recruit for multiple positions, a template is a wise idea. Tell them where they can download Zoom (if they don’t have it already), making sure you include the link to their meeting along with the password.
Give them a phone number in case there are any tech issues on the day. Schedule
Hot Business News Today
Zoom tips and techniques when doing video job interviews
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
These days, the telephone interview might not go far enough in finding candidates. As a result, many employers have been turning video platforms like Zoom.
The advantage to Zoom is that lots of people use it and know how it works. However, you miss out on certain upsides in a video interview that you would get in a face-to-face job interview, like reading social cues and body language.
To help you get the most of your Zoom job interviews, let’s take a look at what you need to do as an employer before, during and after the interview.
Before the interview
The first step is the all-important preparation you do when planning your interview.
Provide instructions for your candidate
As soon as you decide a date and time with the candidate, send them details of how to access the meeting. If you have several candidates or plan to recruit for multiple positions, a template is a wise idea. Tell them where they can download Zoom (if they don’t have it already), making sure you include the link to their meeting along with the password.
Give them a phone number in case there are any tech issues on the day. Schedule
Hot Business News Today
Do I need to pay employee for travelling time?
by Amy Paxton • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Amy Paxton on Small Business
Your employee is confusing travelling time during work with travelling time to and from work. There is no right to be paid for time spent travelling to and from work unless this is specifically set out within the contract. The only time you would normally look at making a payment or some contribution towards travel to and from work is if you require your employee to work at a different location from usual.
The obligation on an employer is to pay an employee in respect of their actions in carrying out their work. This doesn’t include covering the costs of getting to and from work unless you have specifically agreed to do so. Any travelling you require for work, such as visiting a customer within the employee’s working hours, is time spent carrying out work under the contract and so counts towards the time the employee should be paid for but the time spent getting to work and back is his choice and responsibility, not yours. Ensuring that time spent travelling is counted towards working hours is particularly important if the employee is paid at, or very near, to the national minimum wage rate
Hot Business News Today
Do I need to pay employee for travelling time?
by Amy Paxton • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Amy Paxton on Small Business
Your employee is confusing travelling time during work with travelling time to and from work. There is no right to be paid for time spent travelling to and from work unless this is specifically set out within the contract. The only time you would normally look at making a payment or some contribution towards travel to and from work is if you require your employee to work at a different location from usual.
The obligation on an employer is to pay an employee in respect of their actions in carrying out their work. This doesn’t include covering the costs of getting to and from work unless you have specifically agreed to do so. Any travelling you require for work, such as visiting a customer within the employee’s working hours, is time spent carrying out work under the contract and so counts towards the time the employee should be paid for but the time spent getting to work and back is his choice and responsibility, not yours. Ensuring that time spent travelling is counted towards working hours is particularly important if the employee is paid at, or very near, to the national minimum wage rate
Hot Business News Today
Checklist: what should be in a job advert?
by Aaron Hurst • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Aaron Hurst on Small Business
When you have a clear idea of what job you need doing and what sort of person you would like to fill the job, it’s time to advertise the post.
The main ways you can tell job hunters about the job on offer are:
By advertising direct, online or in newspapers or magazines
Through recruitment agencies and consultants
Through friends, existing employees and business contacts
By recruiting direct from educational institutions
That said, it’s advisable to use more than one method to fill a job as it will widen the field. Make sure you advertise in places where your potential candidates. For example, if you’re recruiting for a role in digital, candidates are less likely to see the advert in the newspaper.
What should I be putting in my job advert?
Here’s a quick checklist of what you should be including in your job adverts.
• Company name: put in the name and logo, if you have one
• Job title: use a title or description which will mean something to a stranger
• Pay: state what salary can be expected. Job hunters interpret phrases like ‘salary negotiable’ as meaning a low salary
• Place: state where the job is. If you are not offering