Can employers decline an annual leave requests? With most employees’ holiday balances resetting every January it can feel like all you’re doing is approving a mountain of leave requests.  But what happens if you aren’t able to approve a request – can you actually say no? The legal bit you need to know Under the […]

With the 29th March fast approaching, we haven’t talked too much about Brexit and what that means in terms of employment law.  That’s mostly because there are still many, many unanswered questions. What we do know is that EU nationals who do not have indefinite leave to remain but have been resident in the UK […]

Our obsession (yes, we know we’re obsessed) with note taking and documentation started within the first couple of weeks of starting Keeping HR Simple. Working with a brand-new client who had dismissed an employee for gross misconduct some months previously, they wanted to talk through the process they had followed leading up to and including […]

On World Mental Health Day in October we looked at the importance of having an open positive workplace where staff feel willing and able to discuss their own mental health and ask for help. We now want to look at the role Line Managers play in your business.  Leadership and management are key to promoting […]

As the winter nights drawn in, and many of us drive to and from work in the cold and dark, your thoughts may start to turn to the heating bill, those new year resolutions or even next year’s sunny escape; it’s safe to say your employees will most likely be thinking the same.  However, there […]

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 […]