There has been much debate recently regarding the use of zero-hour contracts by UK employers. But what are they and what are their advantages/disadvantages? 

What Are Zero-Hour Contracts?

As the name suggests, a zero-hour contract means no obligation on the employer to provide the worker with any working hours. Similarly, the worker is under no obligation to accept those hours when they are offered. More...

Absenteeism at work is well known to have a highly detrimental impact on the ability of a business to maintain productivity and service standards. It’s estimated that almost a million people in the UK are absent from work for more than four weeks every single year.

Not only is this disruptive to the employer and the other employees of the organisation, it’s also very costly in terms of sick pay, overtime for replacement staff and lost taxation income for the government.

A recent report estimated the cost to the British economy to be an eye watering £14 billion pounds a year!

But what can be done to reduce the negative impact of absenteeism? Obviously, there will always be unavoidable absences from work for genuine reasons however those that are abusing the system need to be dealt with swiftly. More...

A four-day weekend is something many of us dream about, but could it soon become a reality?

Carlos Slim, allegedly the richest man in the world, has raised eyebrows recently by suggesting employers should introduce a three-day working week, claiming that working fewer days would create a happier, more efficient workforce with a higher quality of life. The idea being that we would work 11 hours per day for 3 days, before having 4 leisure days by way of reward. The flip side of this extra time off is that we would be expected to work on until our mid-seventies to make up for the reduced average hours worked per week.

Rehashing an old idea

The idea of reducing working hours is not a new one; it’s actually the continuation of a trend that began after the industrial revolution. It was Henry Ford that created the modern five-day week back in the 1920’s. Modern technology has now made it possible for many workers to perform their role from home or on the move, meaning there’s often no need to work set hours at a static location.

Whether or not you are able to work flexibly will invariably depend on your role/ employers’ flexibility/ external commitments as well as those jobs with health and safety implications. In fact, a recent report indicated that for certain roles, productivity can actually fall as the number of hours worked increases.

Will it ever happen? More...

We have entered those few weeks of the year when the sun comes out and the temperature rises – causing office work to become at best uncomfortable and at best unbearable. The good old British Summertime!

With forecasters predicting the heat wave to continue into August, the question regarding what amounts to acceptable office attire is being pondered the length and breadth of Britain.

 Of course, it varies greatly depending on your working environment: whether or not you are customer facing; the industry in which you work, health & safety requirements of your role etc. Clearly, a customer-facing environment will generally have a less relaxed approach to worker attire during the summer months than say, the construction industry.

Whilst there are legal limits on minimum working temperatures, currently 160C or 130C for those doing physically exertive work, there are no such maximum working temperatures. 

Keeping work comfortable

More...

Most business owners know that employment legislation can be as changeable as the British weather, and this year certainly has been no exception.

Tribunals are reeling following the introduction of fees and the complex ACAS Early Conciliation Scheme now being mandatory before a claim can be lodged has caused countless problems for both employers and employees.

Another huge change was introduced in June of this year as employees will no longer have to have parental responsibility for young children or be a carer to request flexible working.

There will still be some conditions that need to be met before employees can make such a request:

•    Must have 26 weeks’ continuo

us service;
•    Request made in writing containing certain specific information; and
•    One request can only be made per a 12 month cycle.More...