In September, sexual assault allegations were raised against a former Harrods owner, the Labour Party conference took place, and a commission warned that the numbers of people on long-term sick leave would surge.
Harrods sexual assault allegations
Allegations of sexual assault against the late former Harrods owner, Mohamed al Fayed, came to light.
BBC News revealed testimonies from 20 former Harrods employees in a documentary that aired on 19 September.
Former employees said that Fayed subjected them to sexual assault, physical violence and rape while working for the company. They claimed that, on occasions, he used HR leaders and managers to source and control his victims.
“This is another corporate scandal and a tragedy that reinforces the question, where was HR?”, commented David Liddle, founder of People and Culture Consulting.
The Labour Party conference concluded on 26 September, and saw senior members of government outline further details of changes in employment law, apprenticeships, immigration and benefits.
Secretary of state for business and trade, Jonathan Reynolds, confirmed the government’s plans for changes to employment law.
This included an Employment Rights Bill, subsequently published in November, which included changes to unfair dismissal rights, sick pay and maternity pay.
The changes would likely make hiring managers reluctant to take on new staff, according Qarrar Somji, director of Witan Solicitors.
Drastic action must be taken to address the growing number of people signed off from work with a long-term illness, according to a cross-party commission published on 18 September.
As many as 4.3 million people could be missing from the workforce by the end of this parliament, up 53% from the current 2.8 million on long-term sick leave.
The commission recommended that the government envision a ‘health creation’ system, to add 10 years to healthy life expectancy.
Employers have a role to play in supporting better health, Chris Thomas, head of the commission and principle research fellow at the IPPR, said.
Best of HR magazine in September 2024:
Worker who accidentally called customer a “twat” wins tribunal
