HR & Employment Law Insights

Helping family businesses, start-ups and early stage growth, third sector, professional services, trades and construction, manufacturing and engineering, and other growing or established businesses throughout the UK make sense of HR and employment law challenges.

We hope you enjoy the wide range of blog articles featured. We cover a wide range of topics including HR best practices, employment law updates, recruitment strategies, employee engagement, tips for effective people management, and addressing people challenges to help businesses navigate their HR needs with confidence.

How to respond to a flexible working request

Watch our video: Flexible working throughout the school holidaysWe recently read an article about an employee who was awarded £185,000 by an employment tribunal due to suffering indirect sex discrimination. The employee wanted to return to work after maternity leave...

Are Glassdoor Reviews Important?

We recently raised the topic of recruitment challenges and promised to share some good practice to support you in this area. This continues to be a huge issue for businesses, and it was reported this week that there are currently over 1m vacancies in the UK. Everyone...

Meet Our HR Consultant, Claire Brook

Meet Claire Brook, our talented HR Consultant. As one of our external human resources consultant, she manages our Kickstart Gateway programme and supports our clients with general HR matters. Find out how Claire's first 6 months at The HR Booth has gone. ''The last 6...

What is a Golden Hello or handshake?

Discover how signing bonuses attract top talent during recruitment challenges. Learn why these financial incentives are making a comeback and how they help fill critical roles quickly

Are young people adversely affected by home working?

A generation of young employees have started their careers at home or through a hybrid system. Whether that be in a shared flat or an isolated space, budding professionals could be missing out on the benefits of the office environment. When starting out, experienced...

Promoting Mental Health in the Workplace

Support Workplace Mental Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention. Access vital resources, advice, and tips. Foster open conversations and save lives.

Do you offer ‘good’ work?

The CIPD’s annual Good Work Index report was published in June. It gave a clear indication of how employees feel about their working lives. The CIPD surveyed around 6,000 working in a wide range of sectors and found that job quality is falling short on several...

Returning to the office with a hybrid team? Here are 4 things to get right

It goes without saying that the pandemic has created the greatest workplace transformation of our lifetime, quickly changing the way you and your team work. Even though the office has opened up again, you may decide to offer employees the choice to continue working...

The Furlough Scheme Is Changing

Find out the latest furlough scheme update, what the changes will look like, and what will happen when furlough ends after September.

Update on Self-Isolation Rules Scotland

Explore Scotland’s latest self-isolation changes including: vaccinated adults, critical industries exemptions, workplace conditions, and testing updates. Stay informed with changing regulations.

How to measure productivity in home-based staff compared to office-based staff?

KPI for remote workers: While the Scottish Government relaxed measures further last Monday, remote working is still advised across the UK, with calls for employers to consider hybrid working models in the long term. Remote working has become the "new normal" over...

Meet James, Our New Marketing Assistant

We are delighted to welcome James to the team as our new Marketing Assistant. The team identified James via the government’s Kickstart Scheme. We will provide James with practical work experience within marketing. We also plan to give James experience in recruitment...

Should Remote Workers Get Paid Less?

Google are one of the latest businesses to announce that employees who choose to continue to work from home may receive a pay cut. This has led the world to ask, should remote workers get paid less? With the opportunity for employees to return to work due to recent...

What are Fair Working Practices?

Every employee deserves to have access to fair working practices. The Scottish Government have launched a document that includes information on fair working practices and how this can benefit the workplace. This document separates these practices into 5 different...

HMRC Furlough Compliance Checks

Are you ready for the HMRC Furlough Compliance Checks? Find out the information that HMRC may ask you to provide as part of their checks.

Self-isolation Rules are Changing in Scotland

Scotland adjusts self-isolation rules for specific sectors. Health, social care, food, and transport workers may apply for exemptions with vaccination and testing criteria. Stay informed on evolving criteria.

Meet Our New HR Consultant, Jenna MacBeth

We have continued our journey of growing our team this week by welcoming our new HR Consultant, Jenna MacBeth. Jenna has had an extensive career in a wide range of exciting industries and we are excited for our clients to benefit from her support and expertise. Find...

Should We Wear Face Masks in the Workplace Once Restrictions are lifted?

The Prime Minister announced last week that Covid-19 restrictions could be lifted on 19th July in England. This means that social distancing will no longer be a legal requirement. In addition, all venues that have been forced to close over the past year will now be...

What Is Employment Tribunal Insurance?

Employment tribunal insurance is a type of insurance that is set up to protect against tribunal claims. In addition, many businesses may decide to carry insurance for all costs that may arise from a tribunal claim. After tribunal fees were removed in 2017, claims have...

First Aid in the Workplace

It’s been a couple of weeks since we witnessed the terrible scene of a professional footballer collapsing on the pitch during a Euro 2020 game having suffered a cardiac arrest. After receiving first aid, defibrillator, and heart massage, the medical team were able to...

International Men’s Health Week

This week is International Men’s Health Week. This is the perfect opportunity to become more aware of common male health issues and encourage businesses and institutions to create health policies that will provide much needed support. To do this, Men's Health Forum...