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March 2004 Welcome to the March newsletter. If you know of colleagues or associates who you think might benefit from this newsletter then please ask them to register on our website: www.picassohr.com
Could you do with a bit of magic in your life?
When pressure is piling on, the phone never stops ringing and you are increasingly aware that you're not up to speed with latest employment legislation and Health & Safety issues, you wish you had a magic wand. If that's how you feel, then please come along and join us at the ISSBA Trade Fair - 28 April 2004, 5.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. at the Corn Exchange, Ipswich. Come and find out the magic of HR outsourcing at our stand and find out how we can help you transform your working life forever. Take the opportunity to relax and get acquainted with Steve Short a professional magician, who will be showing you a few tricks of the trade.
In the meantime, if we can help you, then please give us a call without delay on 01473 890037. We'll be there in a flash!
Use of mobile phones that take photos and record conversations
The implications of such devices in the workplace
Avoiding Common Redundancy Pitfalls
Potential costly mistakes you should be aware of
Affordable Tribunal Insurance
Would your employment procedures stand up in court?
Make sure they would
Imagine Johnny, a 21 year old office clerk. He has recently bought a mobile phone that can take photos and record conversations. Johnny has a crush on Jane who works in the same office. He decides to ask her about her personal life one day and records the conversation without her knowing, having already taken some photos of her covertly. A colleague finds out about this and tells you, his Manager. What are you going to do? With an increasing number of people using mobiles phones that can take photos and even act as a tape recorder, employers need to consider the implications of employees use of these at work. In the case of Johnny's covert use of the mobile phone, what are you going to do as his Manager? Are you going to: - See if there is a Company policy on this?
- Have a quiet word with him and ask him not to do it again?
- Tell him to confess to Jane and apologise, risking upsetting her and facing the consequences of what may follow?
- Hold a disciplinary hearing?
- Or something else?
Employers need to consider whether they need a policy outlining the Company's views on the use of such devices covertly or otherwise and then ensure all employees are made aware of it. If you would help with developing a policy please call us on 01473 890037.
They can become costly exercises which employers can ill afford when handled incorrectly. Find out how to avoid the pitfalls and how Compromise Agreements can help. When you are faced with making an employee redundant, there are many traps for the unwary. A claim of unfair dismissal may be brought against an employer if: - The affected employee believes that it was not a true redundancy situation, or
- The procedure was unfairly conducted, or
- The employer behaved unreasonably.
It is also important that the situation is handled sensitively. Find out here the issues employers need to be aware of.
Imagine this. You are the model employer. You have done everything by the book. You have taken advice and you are totally confident about the case against your employee. You sack the employee. 4 weeks later you are the not so pleased recipient of a tribunal claim indicating that the ex-employee feels so aggrieved that you are being taken to an employment tribunal. You have already invested time and energy dealing with all the paperwork and communication, now you will have to take your eyes off the business to prepare for the tribunal case. However, worse is to come. Much worse. Despite you believing you have a cast iron case, the tribunal sees otherwise and you get stung for a huge amount of money – taken from your profit. Completely out of the blue, unforeseen, unplanned. Find out how to remove the uncertainty here…..
Every year thousands of well-meaning employers find themselves in industrial tribunals and courts. Their ignorance of employment law means that they face at best, a hefty fine and at worst, imprisonment. It is all too easy to assume that because you’ve not had a problem yet, that you never will. But it is so very easy to fall foul of the law. HR Legislation changes very fast and with the best will in the world, it can be difficult to keep up with what’s happening and how it affects your workforce. Of course, the effects of legal action against your business would be disastrous. Not just the crippling costs and time spent on your defence, but perhaps more significantly, the effect on staff morale and the impact on your professional reputation. Picasso HR specialises in helping those companies that are big enough to have employment concerns, but may be too small to need the full time services of a Human Resources professional. We can save you time and effort by shouldering the responsibility for all your employment issues from legal requirements and staff performance targets, to training and health & safety management. If there’s an employment problem… then Picasso HR has a tailor-made solution. With our retainer fee service comes the opportunity to further reduce the risk of unforeseen costs with Affordable Tribunal insurance.
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