Avoiding Recruitment Bias

Recruiting best talent is critical to all organisations. But recruitment decisions can, and often are, influenced by unconscious recruitment biases. Such biases can be hard to identify, but they can lead to imbalances in the hiring process, which will ultimately create a less diverse workforce. The way we think is largely moulded by various unconscious […]

Staff Affairs at Work

Workplace romances are an inevitable consequence of the amount of time people spend at work. While most relationships at work won’t cause problems, it’s best for employers to be prepared and have provisions in place to ensure any workplace affairs or relationships don’t have a negative impact on the organisation. It’s also important that employees […]

Extra Bank Holiday Rules 2023

bank holiday rules 2023

Understanding how bank holidays work in the context of holiday entitlement, and your employee’s right to paid time off, is important when it comes to keeping your workforce happy. The following guide for employers looks at the bank holiday rules for 2023, including the extra bank holiday scheduled across the UK for King Charles’ coronation. […]

Performance Improvement Plan: HR Guide

When an employee is underperforming at work, it can be a tricky and sensitive situation for managers to deal with. Mishandling the issue can exacerbate the problems and can potentially lead to unfair dismissal claims if the result is a capability dismissal. Putting in place a performance improvement plan (PIP) is generally recommended to help […]

How Long Should You Keep Personnel Files?

Personnel records include the employee’s personal details, pay and tax information, working time, absences, training, career progression and any disciplinary or grievance matters. An employer’s duties to retain personnel records are governed by a combination of business and statutory requirements, as well as accepted best practice. Employers should bear in mind that they owe general […]

Phased Return to Work (HR Guide)

A phased return to work is where an employee who has absent from work due to illness, usually for some time, agrees with their employer a way to ‘stagger’ how they come back into the workplace, rather than resuming duties on a full-time basis straight away. Such employees may have had a serious physical or […]

Recruitment Methods (Best HR Techniques)

Knowing the right recruitment methods to use when hiring new staff can offer competitive advantage when searching and finding the best candidates for your business. We explore some practical advice for employers on the benefits and pitfalls of various different recruitment techniques, and how these can add value to your wider recruitment strategy.   What […]

Return to Work Form: Guide for HR

For employers, the information captured on a return to work form can both help to provide support to the employee on their return after a period of absence, and also help identify potential absence-related issues.   Why use a return to work form? Using a return to work form as part of your return to […]

How to Assess Soft Skills

In this guide, we delve into the types of soft skills employers should look for in the modern workplace and consider techniques to assess job candidates’ soft skills.   What are soft skills? Soft skills refer to an individual’s personal characteristics and attributes that enable them to work well with others and contribute positively to […]

The Pros & Cons of Unlimited Holidays

The benefits of offering employees more than their minimum statutory entitlements are well understood. Enhanced annual leave, for example, is a common way for employers to attract talent, and help their workforce achieve a healthy work-life balance by increasing levels of morale and motivation whilst decreasing levels of work-related stress. Offering additional paid holiday can […]