Operational Efficiency

Menopausal bus driver loses disability claim

A bus driver’s menopausal symptoms did not qualify as a disability, and her claims of unfair constructive dismissal and discrimination were rejected by the tribunal.

P&O Cruises owner flip-flops on fire and rehire

Cruise operator Carnival UK was embroiled in a fire and rehire controversy last week (23 November), after it made legal provision to fire more than 900 UK-based crew and rehire them on less favourable...

Breaking the silence: a spotlight on employees with hearing difficulties

Have you ‘heard’ that deafness and hearing loss are more prevalent than we think? Perhaps not, because it is rarely discussed in the media or the workplace.

Autumn statement: What HR needs to know

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt gave his Autumn Statement yesterday (22 November), prioritising reducing national insurance, boosting apprenticeships and getting people back to work.

Minimum wage will rise by almost 10%

The national minimum wage will increase by 9.8% to £11.44 an hour from April 2024.

Return to office or lose your promotion, Amazon says

Tech giant Amazon will block promotions for workers who refuse to work in the office three days a week, according to leaked emails.

The rise in demand for interim workers within legal teams

Ongoing economic turbulence has left companies suspended in long-term cost containment mode. Hiring freezes, redundancies and team restructures are a constant battle for many organisations, triggered...

Comment

Employers could use agency staff during strikes following new consultation

Government has opened a consultation on repealing the ban on agencies supplying temporary staff during periods of industrial action.

What can managers learn from the downfall of WeWork?

WeWork became the poster child for a shared office industry riding two waves: excess capital and surging demand. The pandemic brought further disruption to the office model, with significantly more...

Train driver unfairly dismissed for tarantula prank

A train driver who left a tarantula skin in his female colleagues’ pigeonhole did not bully her and was unfairly dismissed, a tribunal has ruled.

Two thirds of employees leave job reviews on public websites

Over two thirds (69%) of employees write online reviews of former employers, with over half being of a negative nature, according to research from the CPL talent evolution group.