Admirable gig-worker proposals by Brussels lack reality

Those of us who work in the employment status world breathe a collective sigh whenever it is suggested that the solution to the employment status problem is implementing an easy test that everyone can...

2022 employment law outlook

HR played a vital role over the last two years to help the workforce navigate the challenges of the pandemic. It looks as though there will be similar challenges to face in 2022, as well as a number...

12 months of 2021: February

In the second month of 2021, things became no calmer for the HR world, as the post-Christmas COVID spike continued. Our 12 Days of Christmas countdown reviews what made the headlines in 2021.

Pay gap reporting is failing women as pay gap widens

Today is Equal Pay Day, the date calculated by the Fawcett Society that marks the point in the year where women (on average), stop earning relative to men because of the gender pay gap.

Gender pay gaps discourage teenagers from taking jobs

Ahead of this Thursday’s Equal Pay Day (after which the gender pay gap effectively means women work the rest of the year unpaid), a poll by job site, Indeed, reveals nearly half (48%) of teenage girls...

Real Living Wage rise: what HR needs to know

The Real Living Wage (RLW), a voluntary salary level independently calculated based on the real cost of living, has today been substantially increased, bringing a much-needed wage boost to hundreds of...

Wage exploitation left unchecked by government

Employers paying below the National Minimum Wage only stand to be found out once every 500 years.

The problems with Shared Parental Leave

Lockdown 2020 and my wife and I were delighted to find out we were expecting our first child. 

Assistive technologies can level the employment playing field for disabled people

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology published a report into accessible employment for disabled individuals over the summer.

HR professionals must prepare themselves for a spike in data subject access requests

The number of data subject access requests (DSARs) soared amidst the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and now, following the end of the furlough scheme last month, that number is...

Five ways HR can ensure health and safety in the workplace

Although health and safety at work has not always covered employee mental health and wellbeing, it now needs to. Every UK business has a duty of care to look after the health and safety of their...

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Shared parental leave: The situation in higher education institutions 

Research reveals that the lack of employer support is a major factor behind why uptake of shared parental leave (SPL) is so low within UK higher education institutions (HEI). It’s been six years since...