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Keep Corporate Manslaughter Legislation In Proportion

The threat of prosecution for corporate manslaughter could be driving risk management in companies, warns Norwich Union, rather than protecting staff against workplace accidents. And those firms who have a defensive approach towards effective risk management could well be failing to improve measures ahead of the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. read more

 

Compensation Claims For Workplace Stress

Workplace stress can be reduced by making it easier for people to do difficult jobs, according to Professor Coulson-Thomas, chairman of cotoco limited and Professor of Leadership and Direction at the University of Lincoln. Professor Coulson-Thomas, an Ambassador for Investors in People, told how stress at work can be reduced even when difficult jobs have to be done in a limited time. read more

 

Positive Outlook But Less Red Tape Please

The outlook is "positive" for small businesses - with new product and service launches at their highest for five years, according to a study by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). It also emerged that 65 per cent of SMEs are planning expansion over the coming years - and one in five small businesses have taken on new employees over the last twelve months. read more

 

Entrepreneurs Fear ‘Compensation Culture’ Nightmare But Fail To Act

Nearly two thirds of smaller businesses are leaving themselves hugely exposed to legal action from their own employees, despite the number of employment tribunals increasing by 15 per cent last year, according to figures released today by business insurer Hiscox. The annual Hiscox Risk Barometer reveals that 62 per cent are playing a dangerous game by failing to protect themselves against possible employee legal action, even though one third are concerned that they could become a victim of the UK’s growing compensation culture. read more

 

Companies Urged To Take Action Now Ahead Of UK Immigration Rules Implementation

Companies are urged to begin putting into place internal processes to enable them to deal with new UK immigration rules, based on a points based system (PBS), that came into effect incrementally from 29 February 2008. Those firms found to be non-compliant could face hefty fines, removal as a legitimate sponsor on the Border and Immigration Agency register, or prosecution - warns PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal LLP. read more

 

Dispute Resolution - Simplified?

The recent Employment Bill means that 2008 will bring in further employment law changes. In this article we look at those changes in more detail. The statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedures and the statutory grievance procedure came into force in October 2004. Often referred to as the ‘SDDP’ or the ‘three-step procedure’, the procedures reflected the fairly standard practice of disciplinary and grievance hearings. read more

 

Handling Disciplinary Issues

In any business, whatever its size, the performance and behaviour of staff is crucial to its success, and most employers will say that the majority of their staff give them no cause for complaint. However, from time to time someone will choose to break the rules, do his or her job badly or take time off without good reason. If these things occur, the employer has to take action, ranging at one end of the scale when an informal approach will nip the problem in the bud, to the extreme when the employment relationship must be terminated. read more

 

The Year Ahead In Employment Law

Although 2007 was a relatively quiet year in respect of new employment legislation, readers should not be lulled into thinking that this represents a settled pattern for the future. There are key developments in the pipeline which are likely to result in major changes, in particular with regard to dispute resolution procedures and the way in which discrimination legislation is structured. Whilst ongoing developments on these are expected during 2008, other more imminent changes will occur this year. These various developments are explained below. read more

 

Age Discrimination Cases May Increase

Just over a year since the age discrimination law was implemented (1 October 2006), research commissioned by Croner has shown that age is increasingly becoming the number one discrimination-related grievance amongst UK employees. In a YouGov survey of 1,992 British adults who work or have worked with others, 11% felt that they had been discriminated against due to their age, 3% more than those who felt they had been discriminated against as a result of their sex. read more

 

Grievances – The Curse Of The Employment Act

Since the Employment Act came into force back in 2004, most employers find themselves spending a great amount of their working time dealing with grievances from employees. As a result of the statutory procedures, employers have to take any such complaints seriously, or risk a claim being made against them and not only that, but an increase being put on the compensation that then may be made against them. read more