In offices and work places across the UK employees are thinking about Secret Santa gifts. It can be a great way to spread a little Christmas cheer and doesn’t have to be expensive, but it can be a source of conflict. What happens if a gift is offensive or not appropriate or if an employee […]

The horrific case of a bus driver in the West Midlands who crashed into a supermarket killing two people brings sharply into focus your obligations as an employer around employees who drive as part of their job. Here are our top tips for organisations who have employees driving as all or part of their job […]

Last week was Anti-Bullying Week.  At Keeping HR Simple, we have been avidly discussing what constitutes bullying in the workplace, what the consequences of workplace bullying are and what companies can do to combat bullying and harassment. Defining Bullying Bullying isn’t defined in law because it is not illegal but it does fall under harassment […]

Ikea, Chelsea Football Club and Aviva to name just a few have committed to paying their employees the real living wage which went up this week to £9.00 per hour and £10.55 per hour in London. What is the Real Living Wage? It’s a calculation based on the cost of a basket of household goods […]

Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience mental health problems each year.  In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week. Mental health has always been on the agenda.  Experience shows that what is worrying people hasn’t changed: Finances […]

So what exactly is employee engagement anyway? “By putting the employee first, the customer effectively comes first by default, and in the end, the shareholder comes first by default as well” – Richard Branson On average, it costs a company between £3000 – £5000 to recruit a new member of staff and with a staggering […]

April is stress awareness month so how aware are you? With the public’s general shift in attitude towards mental health, now has never been a better time to look at the variety of ways that stress at work can impact on both employees and employers. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), statistics show […]

Are you thinking about introducing a drugs and alcohol testing policy? You may be considering introducing a drugs and alcohol testing policy to your company but before you start testing your employees there are number of points to consider. Firstly, the need for such a policy. Do you work in a potentially dangerous environment e.g. […]

Unpaid workplace shifts – trial or tribulation? As a business owner, it can be difficult to find the right person for the job when you recruit.  After all, most people (the smart ones anyway) generally tend to be on their best behaviour at interview.  Just how can you tell who can talk the talk and […]

2017 saw the removal of Employment Tribunal fees – what’s the real impact of that decision? The statistics Firstly, since it was ruled that fees in the Employment Tribunal are unlawful and were then abolished in July 2017, notifications to ACAS have increased by 500 per week.  That’s a jump from 1700 to 2200 notifications […]