Everything you need to know, and nothing more!

Recent case law has established that ‘sleep-in’s’ are covered by the National Minimum Wage Regulations.  So, if a worker is allowed to sleep at work, but required to stay at their workplace, then all their hours are covered by NMW regulations. This means that if a worker is on average, paid less than the National […]

There are only 58 working days to make sure you are all ready to go for the New Year. Don’t wait until the 1st January set your HR new year resolutions. If you haven’t even thought about HR or think you don’t need it, think again!  It’s common for small businesses (in particular) to believe […]

Every small business and employer wants to boost productivity in their workplace, right? There are many different views on how to do this, but research recently published by the CIPD has suggested that giving a small businesses basic HR support can result in a boost in staff productivity. The research showed that by providing face […]

I set up Hancocks Solicitors 11 years ago this week.  Thank you so much to all of you who sent their congratulations in response to the anniversary reminder on LinkedIn.  Hancocks was a traditional law firm, specialising in employment law and primarily in litigation.  If you visit the Hancocks website, you’ll be redirected to Your […]

I work in an open plan office and everyone knows what’s going on with everyone else. The trouble is that I need to have a conversation with one of my team that’s going to be a bit awkward for both of us. I’m not sure how to prepare for it; not just in terms of […]

I’ve noticed that ACAS has recently published new guides for employers on how to address issues that arise in the workplace including one relating to intersex or trans employees. I can’t help but wonder if we are overcomplicating things. My simplistic view is that employers should treat everyone fairly, regardless of any legally protected characteristics […]

Did you know that suspension is not always the appropriate response to an allegation of misconduct? Did you know that suspension is designed to be a neutral act? That means it is not something that should automatically happen when an employee is accused of doing something wrong. The outcome of a recent case was that […]

This case has been going on for some time now, so to fill you in on the story so far… The claimants, are overwhelmingly women who are employed by the supermarket giant Asda. They are arguing that the work they carry out on the shop floor is of equal value to their male colleagues working […]

HR shouldn’t be something that you only dabble in when the proverbial hits the fan.  If you take this approach, you’ll always be one step behind and fire-fighting when you have other more important things to do. As the summer break is coming to an end and you are preparing to get stuck in for […]

Last week I received a text out of the blue from a client that I advised almost 2 years ago. She wanted to come and tell me how my advice had had such a profound effect on her life between then and now.  She brought a beautiful bunch of flowers but the gift I enjoyed […]