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.

A guide to workplace savings

With finances being tight in recent years, many employers are looking for ways to make cost savings in the workplace, in a way that prevents them from having to sacrifice quality. With a little thought and effort, there are many things you can do to cut costs in the...

What are the benefits of a jobs description?

A jobs description not only helps you to have better job postings to attract the right candidates, it also helps you to avoid being in a situation where your employees are not fulfilling their duties. It sets clear expectations at the outset of their employment and...

What documents do I need to show employees are eligible to work in the UK?

If you fail to do so you may be liable to pay a fine (known as a 'civil penalty'). If you knowingly employ an illegal migrant worker, you may face criminal prosecution, which could result in an unlimited fine and/or a maximum two-year prison sentence. In this weeks...

Holiday Pay Update – March 2016

The March 2016 Holiday Pay Update reveals a significant ruling in favor of Mr. Lock, a commission-based British Gas employee. The European Court of Justice and the Employment Appeal Tribunal agreed that holiday pay calculations should include commission and bonuses. Employers are advised to update their pay structures, considering the role of pay and leave in employee satisfaction.

My employee has resigned, is there anything I need to do?

An Employee resignation is a common occurrence in the workplace. While it can be challenging to see a valuable team member leave, it's essential for employers to handle the situation professionally and ensure a smooth transition. There are specific steps that...

Why it’s important to keep your employees hydrated

Today it is increasingly common to find one if not more water coolers within an office space. Why? Because keeping employees hydrated creates a wide range of benefits, which we’re going to explore in this article. Keeping your employees hydrated will help to promote...

Can shop workers opt out of Sunday working?

In this week's Question of the Week Alistair answers "Can shop workers opt out of Sunday working?" Question An employee who works in our shop has asked to opt out of Sunday working, what should I do? Answer All shop and betting shop workers can opt out of Sunday...

Can Employees See Their Personnel File?

We were recently asked 'can an employee see their personnel file'. This is a really important question and it's crucial that all businesses know the answer to this. In addition, we will answer this once and for all in this article. In short, yes, employees in...

How Work-based Learning Courses Benefit Employers

Work-based learning is made up of classroom study (or long distance) and hands-on experience in the workplace. More and more colleges and universities are now offering vocational work based learning courses in partnership with employers all over the country. In this...

What are the advantages of a probationary period?

In this weeks question of the week, we explain what the advantages are of have a probationary period in place. Question What are the advantages of a probationary period? Answer It is good practice to make use of a probationary period with a new staff member. By having...

What is a Company Handbook?

We get asked HR related questions every day and each week we share our top question of the week that we have been asked here at The HR Booth. In this week’s question of the week, we explain what should be in a company handbook. Question What is a company handbook and...

Managing your employer reputation

Now we leave tracks in more places than ever The Importance of Managing Reputation When operating in the competitive world of attracting talent, managing your reputation can be a key element of your success. Your reputation can suffer all kinds of knocks from every...

Can Employees Take Holidays When Off Sick

Managing employee absences can be tricky for both employers, especially when it involves balancing holiday entitlement and sickness. A common question that arises in the workplace is whether employees can take annual leave while they are off sick. The short answer is...

Essential Tips for a Successful Office Relocation

Moving to a bigger and better office space? Make sure you have planned your move down to the very last detail to ensure it goes without a hitch! Moving to a new, bigger office can be both exciting and stressful at the same time. On one hand, it means that your...

Could this be the worst employer in the world?

Breaking nearly all the HR working directives, failing to observe health and safety and forcing long and inhumane working conditions on his staff, could this individual be the worst employer in the world? Despite being much loved by customers, those who work for him...

How to Choose an HR Consultant

We understand that deciding who your outsourced HR provider should be can be a difficult decision, and we would like to help you with your decision making. When it comes to choosing an HR Consultant you generally you have two main choices, a smaller independent HR...

Who are the best HR Consultants in Scotland?

We are outsourced HR consultants and offer a professional HR service to thousands of people. This includes team members, managers, to MD’s and CEO’s in an effort help them with a wide variety of HR issues and challenges across multiple different industries, across the...

What is a Protected Conversation?

We get asked HR related questions every day and each week we will be sharing our top question of the week that we have been asked here at The HR Booth. In this week’s question of the week, Alistair explains what a protected conversation is. Question What is a...

Managing and Motivating Different Personality Types

In many cases, motivation is less to do with employees practical or technical skills, and more to do with their personality types. By understanding what motivates your team and the type of work they are best suited to, you can affect the most appropriate...

What role does a Trade Union Representative have at a disciplinary investigation?

'What is the role of trade union representative at disciplinary hearing?' This is one of the most popular questions we get asked about. Trade union representatives provide support and representation to the employee who is being investigated. Therefore, they can play...

How to Manage Company Events

As the nights start to close in and winter approaches, there are lots of opportunities for staff to let their hair down and socialise after work. Depending on the traditions of the company, there may be Halloween, Bonfire and of course Christmas parties organised by...