One of the positive side-effects of the Covid experience has been that there has been less general illness in the UK workforce. Or, in Office of National Statistics speak, a reduction in working days lost to sickness absence. In fact, 2020 shows the lowest sickness absence rate, just 1.8%, since the data time series began in 1995.

Of course social distancing, shielding, working from home and furlough have all contributed to this reduction and we’re all washing our hands more often, sanitising and wearing masks. Coming out of lockdown however there will be more social interaction and therefore opportunity to spread illness. Also, just being back at work, out and about more and returning to sports is likely to lead to more personal physical injury, incapacitating workers.

With the Working from Home option looking as though it’s going to become an acceptable norm for many organisations, albeit to varying degrees, are businesses geared up and prepared to manage sickness absence in the post Covid world?

Surprisingly, there is no legal requirement for an employee to notify his or her employer that they will not be attending work due to sickness or injury. Instead, this would be a contractual obligation that is specified in an absence policy and would usually appear in the organisation’s staff handbook. Whilst it’s pretty standard practice for an employee to call in to their line manager if they’re sick, what is the expectation of staff who are working from home?

We’ve discussed previously how, with working from home becoming more prevalent, we might see a shift towards measuring productivity rather than hours in the office as a way to gauge employee contribution. There will be little incentive then for an individual to declare themselves absent if they feel they can still get their work done. Especially as declaring themselves as off sick will mean they are likely to suffer financially.

Historically, it’s accepted that if you’re not fit for work then you don’t come in. But if a member of staff, whilst unwell, can still drag themselves in front of their computer screen, they may consider themselves to be at fit enough for work. They may not be very productive, but if they’re in “attendance” then they’re probably going to expect to be paid.

On the other hand, if we are indeed measuring productivity, does the employee open themselves up for a performance discussion if they have not declared themselves sick, but their output suffers.

The complexity of this issue deepens further still when we involve the concept of presenteeism. You have doubtless heard reports that employees work harder and longer when at home because they feel they have something to prove. This in itself is self-defeating as over-work can be a contributor to stress and burnout which falls under the classification of Mental Health Conditions, one of the four main reasons for sickness absence in the UK for 2020; the top four being:

• minor illnesses (26.1%) - coughs, colds and flu; sickness, nausea and diarrhoea
• other conditions (17.1%) – the advised category for reporting coronavirus related illness
• musculoskeletal problems (15.4%) – back pain and limb problems
• mental health conditions (11.6%)

The danger is then that presenteeism contributes to sickness and health issues even when there is no requirement to be physically present.

It’s clear that absence policy and procedure will have to be updated to be enforceable and effective in the post-Covid working environment. As organisations settle into a routine over the coming months, we’re likely to see many such polices re-written to enable business to maintain robust and sensible management practices.

If you’re ready for a review of your policies and procedures, we can offer advice and support to ensure you’re covering all of the angles. Call us on 01452 331331 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For over 12 months now we’ve been living and working in the most unpredictable of environments; one where the rules, at times, seem to have changed almost daily. We have had to learn to accept change on a huge scale and with home-working becoming the norm for very many of us, we’ve become more relaxed about dress-code and keeping to strict start and finish times.

At times like this, it can be very tempting and all too easy to take a more relaxed approach about some of the other rules and procedures that govern our behaviour in the workplace. So, on the brink of hairdressers, gyms, non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality re-opening, it’s a good time to remind ourselves about the importance of procedure and of maintaining certain policies and protocols.

Take disciplinary and grievance procedures for example which is probably the most commonly short-circuited policy. Just this week there was a case of a firefighter who was awarded over £12,000 at Tribunal following his dismissal. Not because his dismissal was unjust or unfair; indeed, the Tribunal stated that his actions warranted dismissal. But because the fire service that he worked for had failed to follow the Acas code of practice by leaving it too long, four months in actual fact, to hear his appeal.

By law, your disciplinary and grievance policy must be readily available for scrutiny by any employee and should ordinarily reside within your staff handbook. Make sure that your procedure is clear and unambiguous and plainly states the various levels of disciplinary action which is usually verbal warning through to dismissal.

All disciplinary matters should undergo a fair investigation in the first instance, and this would normally be carried out by a line manager. The investigation should gather all relevant evidence and interviews should be held with all involved parties and with anyone who is able to provide evidence for the case. This may be any number of employees or just the subject of the disciplinary matter. Under current restrictions, it’s fine to hold these interviews via Zoom or Teams.

You are still in the process of investigating at this stage, so for the disciplinary subject there is no right of representation. Moreover, you need to be very clear that no conclusion has been reached at this stage otherwise you may be accused of pre-judging the situation.

Once your investigation is concluded and if some form of discipline is required, you may then call the subject to a disciplinary meeting. You must give reasonable notice of a disciplinary meeting and we recommend at least 48 hours.

At the disciplinary stage the subject may be accompanied by a representative. Unless your policy states otherwise, and we recommend that it doesn’t, the employee’s representative may only be a work colleague or an “appointed representative” of a trade union; not simply a trade union member. If the employee chooses not to be represented make sure he or she is aware of their right and have this minuted.

Employees have a right to appeal any disciplinary decision and, unlike the case above, this should be heard in a timely manner and by someone at least equal in status to the disciplining officer.

Because of the difficult conversations that are usually involved it’s easy to see why disciplinary and grievance procedures are often carried it poorly, consequently becoming costly. However, you should apply rigour in all policies, procedures and processes. Redundancy, recruitment and Health & Safety are probably the most obvious, but failure in any can incur a cost.

Luckily we’re here to help and assisting with, attending and carrying out thinks like disciplinary procedures and redundancy processes for our clients is something we do a lot of. For help and support you can call us on 01452 331331 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you’ve been on one of our Leadership and Management training courses before, you’re probably already familiar with Tuckman’s Model. We mention it often and we’ve written about it on this blog previously. Simply put, Tuckman’s Model is a characterisation of the process that teams go through to reach a stage where that team becomes productive; as established by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in the 1960’s.

It’s relevant today because it’s likely that many teams will experience Tuckman’s Model, or a variation of it, as employees return to the workplace after Covid.

The stages of establishing a productive team, as described by Dr Tuckman are: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing with a further stage of Adjourning latterly added. Below we’ve amended the traditional description for each stage of the model to reflect the challenges that organisations are likely to face considering the influences of the Covid and lockdown factors.

Forming: Ordinarily this stage describes when a team has just come together. Individuals are polite if perhaps a little reserved with one another as they learn and understand others’ job roles, ways of working and personalities. After lockdown we can expect this stage to be more about re-familiarisation as team members will most probably already know one another. However it’s likely that Covid will have forced a need for change in job roles as well as working practices so how the team fits together may have to be re-learned. There may also be new starters who will have the added task of learning and understanding the culture of the organisation. Insecurity and/or lack of clarity could create friction. In all scenarios, this is a crucial time for leaders to demonstrate strong guidance.

Storming: This is commonly a phase where conflict arises as team members now have the measure of one another and some push for supremacy or dominance. After becoming accustomed to a relaxed and sometimes solitary working from home environment, team members may struggle to accommodate others’ working styles and processes, leading to frustration. Leaders may find their authority challenged, particularly if previous rules and processes have waned or if new guidelines are still quite experimental and flexible whilst they become established. Storming can also occur when a new member joins a stable team and the dynamic shifts. This may be the result of a re-shuffle or new shift pattern necessitated by Covid and members must once again establish themselves and their positions.

Norming: Teams eventually become settled, differences resolve and individuals understand theirs and colleagues’ roles including any changes implemented to achieve the new normal. The chain of command is established and we move to a position where we see some real progress in attaining the team’s goals. Members will revert to relying on one another and feel able to ask for help from others. Depending on the vaccine rollout and Government hospitality restrictions, there may be opportunity for social interactions and friendships re-forming. It can take a while to reach the norming stage, however some teams have been here before so it may not be such an uphill battle. Furthermore, we’ve gone through 12months of constant and at times quite dramatic changes, the experience of which may help team members adapt quickly and reach the norming stage sooner.

Performing: Eventually we should get to a stage where the team is achieving what it was set up to do and should accomplish this without conflict or resistance. A sign that the team has reached this stage is when it continues to function effectively in the absence of its leader. A performing team should be able to continue effectively even if team members come and go or new challenges are presented that it can overcome autonomously.

Adjourning: This stage can occur if the team was set up to complete a specific task which it achieves and is subsequently disbanded. It can also occur when outside influences cause the team to be restructured or broken apart. Many teams would have experienced this phase over the last 12 months when Covid restrictions affected their organisation or workplace. This can be a difficult stage for some people, especially when strong friendships have been formed, and very probably contributed to cases of mental health issues during lockdown; which is why it is sometimes referred to as “mourning”.

We shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking things will just go back to the way they were before and everything will just pick up where we left off. We should be prepared for people’s attitudes and approaches to have changed over the last 12 months and this will affect the way they interact with other team members. Remember some people may have lost loved ones to the pandemic or been seriously ill themselves.

Like everything else we’ve been through this last year, returning to work and reforming teams is going to be a new experience, so Tuckman’s Model won’t be an exact fit. However, recognising that your team is likely to go through some process that is similar to it will make your management more effective as it will enable you to implement tactics to progress to the performing stage more quickly.

Tuckman’s model is discussed in a number of our Leadership & management courses, and you can still attend these for free if your business is in Worcestershire, Swindon & Wiltshire, Bristol and now Somerset & Devon.

Effective leadership is required more than ever to integrate teams back into the workplace, working together and moving through the model to be at the very least norming, but ideally performing.

Remember, we can also support you with team management and associated documents including Contracts of Employment and Staff Handbooks. Call us on 01452 331331 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bolstered by a truly amazing vaccine rollout, and notwithstanding a couple of potential glitches this week, the country is forging ahead with its roadmap out of lockdown. It still seems however that most businesses haven’t really got to the bottom of what the workplace will look like. The shape that “The New Normal” will take continues to be a subject of wide-ranging debate.

The effect of lockdown has been very different for different businesses and industries. There has been a wealth of stories about businesses that have decided to do away with their office space altogether after realising that, with staff now working from home, they really don't need the expense.

On the other extreme, there is almost a desperation to bring employees back into a central workplace and resume some more traditional ways of working.

There’s not going to be a “one-size-fits-all” here and organisations will need to establish what works best for them in terms of productivity whilst remaining sympathetic to the wishes of their employees and also attractive to new recruits in the future. There are some common points of consideration however:

• For many employees, working from home has been a positive experience and a high proportion wish to continue doing so, at least partially
• Others find working from home a challenge both in terms of their own productivity and their health and wellbeing, in particular their mental health
• For business, there are the potential benefits of cost savings whilst endearing employee satisfaction by allowing continued working from home
• Working from home puts new strains on business just as maintaining a safe working environment will, both threatening organisational culture

A compromise seems to be on the cards for most organisations and so it’s very likely that a lot of businesses will adopt some form of hybrid approach; a solution whereby staff can mix and match their time spent in the workplace or at home. Notwithstanding, we predict that we will be see a high volume of flexible working requests over the coming months and businesses may find that keeping everyone happy may take some not inconsiderable planning.

When contemplating requests to continue working from home, we think there are some significant advantages to working in the office that should not be overlooked:

• The transmission of ideas and information, almost by osmosis, that only happens when people share space and time together
• Instantaneous communication; being able to simply swivel your chair to ask a colleague a simple question rather than having to organise a zoom call or send an email
• The creative space of the watercooler or coffee machine that often ignites ideas when otherwise distant colleagues can communicate
• The advantage reading the body language and visual clues that others often give when holding in-person meetings enabling individuals to judge their colleagues’ true reactions when ideas are floated
• Fairer meeting outcomes that aren’t dominated by the person who takes charge over screen based meetings
• Spontaneous communication of thoughts and ideas

Remote working also poses huge challenges to new recruits. Understanding the culture of an organisation is usually learned through experience, by watching and shadowing others to see “how things are done around here”. Having to ask questions from a colleague who might actually be a complete stranger, may not come easy. Furthermore, having every question committed to email, and thereby creating an instant audit trail, may create hesitancy in asking quite pertinent questions or simple asks that would usually be done across the desk.

Business leaders need to carefully consider what the shape of there workplaces will mean to the ability of their employees to be able to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. The draw of cost saving may be easily outweighed by the positive effects that spending time with people brings.

Returning to the workplace will be part of the content of our forthcoming breakfast club on 1st April. You can book you place at https://hrchampions.co.uk/events/event/208/HR-&-Employment-Law-Update--Online-1st-April

And if you have any questions raised by the points here, as usual we are available for support on 01451 331331 or via email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The last 12 months has presented a raft of new rules and guidelines that we are expected or requested to adhere to in order to protect the health & wellbeing of ourselves and others. There has been much debate over the legality of employers to enforce such guidelines, in particular whether receiving the Covid-19 vaccine can be mandated as a condition of employment.

The debate took a further twist recently when an Employment Tribunal ruled to uphold an employer’s decision to dismiss an employee for refusing to wear a mask when he was on a client’s premises.

If we delve a little further into that case, we will see that the employee, a delivery driver, arrived at the premises of Tate & Lyle where he was issued a mask and told to wear it at all times whilst on site in accordance with the company’s health & safety rules. He took the mask off whilst he was in his cab and refused to put it back on when challenged stating that he didn’t have to wear it whilst he was isolated in his cab.

Because of this breach of rules, the driver was subsequently banned from Tate & Lyle’s premises. Despite an appeal from the employer to have the driver allowed back on site, Tate & Lyle stood firm and, as the employer did not have any alternative work for the driver, he was dismissed for “some other substantial reason”; or SOSR in HR speak.

So, whilst the driver wasn’t dismissed explicitly for refusing to wear a mask, his contract would have dictated that he must follow the health & safety rules of any clients whilst on their premises. And because the wearing of a mask was a health & safety rule of Tate & Lyle’s, it was this failure to wear one that ultimately led to his dismissal.

Let’s consider the situation if it was the employee’s direct employer who held the rule that masks were to be worn on site. Refusal to wear a mask in this situation would more likely fall under “failure to follow a reasonable management instruction”. This is very often cited as grounds for dismissal, and, under the current circumstances most would agree that expecting staff to wear a mask on site, at least whilst moving around, is indeed reasonable.

So how is this likely to extend to the insistence that employees must be vaccinated. Well, that isn’t something that we are going to speculate on at this stage. It’s something we’ve already discussed in a previous post, but we’ll have to wait for a case to reach Tribunal before we have a definitive legal answer.

We should consider though that Government guidance is to encourage uptake of the vaccine rather than mandate it and that there is quite a difference from being injected with a something than simply wearing some PPE. Furthermore, we should note the Government information regarding the vaccine and Covid transmission:

Can you give COVID-19 to anyone if you have had the vaccine?

The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19 infection, and a full course will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill. We do not yet know whether it will stop you from catching and passing on the virus, but we do expect it to reduce this risk. So, it is still important to follow the guidance in your local area to protect those around you.

To protect yourself and your family, friends and colleagues, you still need to:

• practise social distancing
• wear a face mask
• wash your hands carefully and frequently
• follow the current guidance

In the meantime, organisations need to undertake their own risk assessments, and apply appropriate rules and guidelines. Make sure these are communicated to all employees with senior leaders role modelling and re-enforcing them. Include any outside organisations in your communications that might have reason to come onto your premises. Remember to keep an audit trail so that employees can be held to account.

We have documents and templates to help businesses with risk assessments and guideline implementation and as usual we are available for support on 01451 331331 or via email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We don’t usually respond to the budget on this blog, preferring instead to leave that sort of commentary to the accountants and financial planners. On this occasion however, with the budget playing such a significant part in post Covid economic recovery, and having such dramatic effect on jobs and employment, we thought a few lines were in order.

As is customary, opposition leaders and analysts took the opportunity to lambast the Chancellor for devising a budget that, in their opinion, failed to deliver a satisfactory economic stimulus to help the country bounce back from the pandemic. But to be fair, we didn’t think it was too bad.

Backed by optimistic statistics about the future of the economy from the Office for Budget Responsibility, Mr Sunak resisted calls to immediately raise personal taxes and cut spending to repay the unparalleled public borrowing that Covid has forced upon the Government. Instead, the Chancellor has maintained many of his costly job protection measures and aimed a delayed taxation increase largely at super-profitable businesses. We would still like to see some measures that capture appropriate tax revenue from the likes of Amazon and Google.

Here are the main points of note:

• The furlough scheme will continue until September 2021. Employees will continue to receive at least 80% of their gross pay and this can still be topped up by employers who must also continue to cover the cost of NI and pension contributions.
  
  
• Additionally, eligibility for the furlough scheme increases. From 1 May 2021, staff who were employed from 2 March can be furloughed. Currently the cut-off date is 30 October. Also, you’ll be able to use the scheme even if you haven’t used it previously.
  
  
• In July, furlough grants will reduce to 70% of wages and to 60% of wages in August and September. Employees must still be paid at least 80% of normal pay so the 10% & 20% reduction in grants must be covered by employers if they wish to maintain staff on the scheme.
  
  
• We see this “tapering off” of the grant as a signal to employers that it’s time to take stock and make a call on the tough decisions regarding employees that the furlough scheme has enabled them to delay.
  
  
• Self employed grants will also continue. There will be a fourth grant covering February to April (at 80% of average profits). There will also be a fifth and final self-employed grant for May onward. Some previously excluded self-employed workers will be able to claim the 4th and 5th grants so long as they submitted their 2019/20 tax return before midnight 2nd March.
  
  
• The National Living Wage sees a modest increase to £8.91 from April 2021. Remember this is the minimum hourly rate for those aged 25 and over. There were also modest increases for the National Minimum Wage.
  
  
• Personal Allowances will still increase to £12,570 for the 21/22 tax year with the higher rate band will going up to £50,270. However, these will then be frozen until April 2026. This is the closest thing to a tax increase that the chancellor imposed as 100% of any pay increases that employees are awarded will be taxed in some form.
  
  
• The Employer cash bonus incentive scheme for taking on apprentices will rise to £3K per apprentice regardless of the apprentice’s age and the scheme is extended by 6 months to September 21.

Another point of note was the announcement of the “Help to Grow Scheme”. This is a 12 week, partially funded education programme, to support senior managers of small and medium sized businesses to boost their business’s performance, resilience, and long-term growth.

Whilst the training will be delivered by business schools and universities, its introduction does endorse the benefits of the Leadership and Management Training that we have been delivering for years. Clearly the Government recognises that to drive an effective economic recovery, businesses need to have senior decision-makers who are capable of leading and who understand the consequences of their actions and decisions.

Our own Accredited Training Course schedule is in full swing and 100% funding is still available for businesses in the Worcestershire, Swindon & Wiltshire, Bristol & West of England and Heart of the South West LEP areas. Take a look at the details on our website or contact us for further information on 01452 331331 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We now have the Government’s cautious, 4-step Roadmap out of lockdown. Schools will return from 8th March although little else is changing at that time and the stay at home message continues until the end of March. Despite this, businesses at least have a framework around which they can formulate a plan to resume some semblance of normality.

It’s likely to be some months yet before we see businesses fully returning all employees to the workplace, if indeed that is their goal. Some of our own clients, in consultation with their employees, have already made the decision to do away with their offices entirely; if not immediately then as soon as a break in their leases allow. Whilst others have strongly confirmed their intentions to retain their work premises.

The Chancellor has promised that furlough will last until the end of April but the suspicion is that it will be extended again for those industries that continue to have restrictive trading terms imposed, such as hospitality and leisure. For others, the end of furlough will force those difficult decisions regarding employees that the furlough scheme has enabled them to delay.

The details of the Government’s continuing financial support package for the economy won’t be fully revealed until the Chancellor’s budget next week. However, the coming weeks and months is a time for organisations to formulate and implement their plans to return. This must involve strategies for re-engaging employees back to a working environment.

Remember that some employees may not have done any work for months. And whilst working from home has been adopted by many, the old workplace may still seem like a new or alien environment. As we plan our returns, we need to adopt a structured and consistent approach to ensure employees are treated equally and fairly. You might want to consider some of the following:

• Give employees as much notice as possible: This should go without saying but don’t fall into the trap of keeping your return to work plan a big secret that only senior managers have access to. Keep everyone informed and even celebrate your plan so that everyone has plenty of time to get used to the idea of coming back to work and the positives that it will bring.
  
  
• Hold return to work interviews: We recommend a return to work interview for every return from absence anyway. Working from home and furlough should be no different. Use the meeting to check the employee’s physical health, mental health along with any concerns they have about returning. You could arrange this prior to your official start date, virtually on Teams or Zoom if necessary but in person would be better. Staging onsite meetings over a period of time will enable you to maintain social distancing amongst employees.
  
  
• Offer re-familiarisation days: Give employees the chance to come in and have a look around so they can acquaint themselves again with the workplace and understand any changes you have made to keep people safe. You may have had to redesign workplace layout or introduce work pods or one-way systems. Pre-acclimatising will void any of the confusion we usually associate with “first day at big-school”.
• Plan and communicate any rotas or shifts: If you’re bringing people back on a rota or shift basis to keep them socially distanced, make sure you’ve worked out who is working with who and clearly communicate when people will be required for work. For business efficacy you’ll need to ensure that people who rely on each other are working together. Also make sure that staff understand the importance of any “air locks” in between shifts and don’t turn up to work too early or leave too late.
  
  
• If you’re one of the businesses that will be consolidating working from home options as part of your ongoing practices and employee engagement strategy, make sure your contracts and handbooks reflect any changes, keep you compliant and work in your favour when you need it. You may need to include right of access to an employee’s home to retrieve company equipment if and when they leave, for example.
• You may still have employees who don’t want to return to work. You’ll need a plan to manage these people. Consider I advance the process you are going to follow to ensure consistency across the company and how to resolve issues including AWOL employees and those who don’t want to return.
  
  
• If redundancies seem inevitable, don’t delay. It’s only fair that your staff get as much opportunity as possible to look for new jobs. It would be far worse to tell them on the day that they are expecting to return that there is no position for them to come back to. You can still consult with employees about potential redundancy during furlough. If you do need to action redundancies then notice can be issued whilst staff are furloughed. However you can’t use furlough remuneration to cover pay during the notice period, which needs to be at 100%.
  
  
• Don’t forget your basic Health & Safety. If buildings or work spaces have been empty for a while you may need to test that everything is working to standard and is safe. Fire alarm systems checks are obvious but consider a report that the rat population increased by 25% last year. Check for vermin infestation and also that that telephone and electrical cables haven’t been gnawed through by rodents.

For any help or support with any of the above from planning your return, communicating it with staff or making redundancies, we’re available on 01452 331331 or e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Employee mental health and wellbeing continues to be one of the main topics of discussion that has arisen as a side-effect of the coronavirus crisis; or more accurately, that has arisen as a side effect of the restrictions that have been imposed in order to stop the spread of the virus.

The Government is holding its cards very close to its chest regarding any potential relaxation of lockdown restrictions, insisting that it will abide by the science. The First Minister for Wales has expressed some optimism that the end of the stay-at-home rule is in sight. Northern Ireland on the other hand has already said that lockdown there will continue until at least 1st April. We should expect Mental Health issues to continue to be a cause for concern.

As an HR and Training consultancy we’re doing our utmost to practice what we preach regarding employee mental health. So here, we share some of the actions and measures we have taken to support our own team members. Most of them are relatively inexpensive and can be implemented quickly and easily:

• Our team expressed how much they wanted to come into work as it gives them a sense of routine and normality. We therefore introduced an office rota to give everyone who wanted it, the opportunity to come into the office to work. Just 2 or 3 people a day and social distancing and a cleaning regime are strictly enforced.
• A catch-up on Zoom or Microsoft Teams every morning at 8.30am for 20 minutes. We take turns between team members to lead the meeting and choose the theme. It’s an opportunity to share any pressing work issues but it’s also fun. This morning we had show and tell but we’ve also had “name your favourite song, film and meal and explain why.”
• Our own Mental Health training sessions on Monday mornings. An extended one-hour session covering Mental Resilience and last week, Managing Change.
• This Monday we had a trainer running a Mindfulness session.
• Next Monday we have a Meditation practitioner running a session.
• Friday mornings on Zoom we celebrate what’s gone well and say what our following week’s priorities are. The team expressed a need for support in keeping focussed. This is also an opportunity to ask for help.
• Friday afternoons before we close for the weekend we have a 15 minute social to just grab a cuppa and share plans for the weekend
• We bought the business version of the “Calm” app so all members of staff who asked for it can use it for free.
• We’ve made sure that all available support services are shared with the team. For example our company life insurance provider has an employee assistant programme that includes a counselling helpline and online access to a doctor.
• Physical wellbeing contributes to mental wellbeing so we had a physiotherapist take a “Descathalon” session where we were given 10 exercises to do at our desks.
• We’ve also adopted the Government cycle to work scheme to subsidise staff buying a new bike so they can get more exercise
• The associated Techscheme makes it easier for staff to buy IT equipment; especially useful where there’s a home-schooling need
• We have introduced a “sustainability champion” and everyone has shared their own green practices and ideas as a way of creating activity to keep staff active and engaged on a project. Our chosen charity for the year is Ecologi which plants trees and staff can follow our progress
• 80% of the team have undergone our own Mental Health First Aider training so that they can signpost other team members, family and friends to support where they feel it’s appropriate
• Where no conflict allows, team members can bring their pet dogs into the office
• We have implemented an informal “buddy” scheme where team members telephone or online-chat one another, to replicate coffee-breaks or water cooler encounters.

We’re always open to further suggestions of course and our morning catch-ups are a perfect opportunity to share any further ideas.

Further information about our Mental Health courses and workshops for individuals and teams is available at HR Champions - Mental health and because it’s live online training it’s available to anyone. And remember that furloughed workers are allowed to undertake training.

We’ve included hyperlinks where appropriate in the above tips but if you have any questions or would like some support implementing your own wellbeing plan then you can contact us on 01452 331331 or drop an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

There was an interesting ruling in a case held at the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) last week in the case of Allay vs Gehlen which debated a claim for race discrimination. The case bought into question whether an employer could rely on the defence that “all reasonable steps” had been taken where training was provided to an employee who discriminated against another member of staff.

In the original Tribunal case, an employee had won a discrimination claim against his employer when a fellow employee had persistently made racists remarks toward him. The employer’s claim that he had taken all reasonable steps relied on the fact that the perpetrator of the offensive comments had previously undergone Equality and Diversity training along with other employees; including some managers who were aware of the racist comments.

The EAT upheld the original Tribunal’s decision that the employer was vicariously liable for the actions of its employee because the E & D training had been delivered over a year prior to the harassment and had therefore gone “stale”. Reasonable steps, it was judged, would have been to refresh the training.

Whilst this ruling may throw some organisations’ strategies for complying with equality laws into disarray. It shouldn’t really come as any great surprise. Prejudices and consequential discriminatory behaviour often stems from deep within an individual and is moulded and shaped by their experiences and role models.

Equality and Diversity training may lay out the facts of what does and what doesn’t constitute discriminatory behaviour. It may even alleviate such behaviour it in the workplace for a time because it brings it to the surface of peoples consciousness, however, on it’s own it’s unlikely to be a permanent fix.

We have written before how it is not enough to simply have policies in existence and arrange tick-box style training in order to avoid any blame for wrongdoing falling on the organisation’s shoulders. A business needs to demonstrate that they have created a non-discriminative organisational culture that is “lived and breathed” by everyone.

Let’s remember that equality extends further than race as in this case and that under the Equalities Act 2010 there are nine protected characteristics, namely:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender Reassignment
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Race
• Religion or Belief
• Sex

More recently we are seeing a new wave of potential discrimination brought about by the effects of Covid. Figures show for example that women have been disproportionality affected owing to childcare and home-schooling responsibilities whilst the schools remain closed over lockdown. And we must be cautious that our judgment for future decisions does not become jaundiced following the well documented rise in mental health issues amongst those now working from home or in isolation.

Equality and Diversity training is essential to continually remind and update us of the causes of discrimination and the behaviours that demonstrate it. But it will only be truly effective when there exists an organisational culture that is truly inclusive.

For a review of your Equal Opportunities strategy we’re available to talk to on 01452 331331 or drop an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

During a radio programme this week on BBC Radio 5, there was a report that maternity units around the UK are seeing a rise in the number of admissions and new births to above the usual average for the time of year. The story went on to suggest that the rise in births were potentially as a result of the first lockdown last March when people found themselves at home with, well… not much to do.

Historically we know that certain months are busier than others in maternity units following nine months on from periods such as Christmas and New Year. There are also reports of spikes in pregnancy and birth-rates as a result of certain events such as World Cup wins and widespread power cuts. Should we then be poised to see an increase in the UK birth rate over coming months as a result of lockdown? And will it follow that business see an increase in applications for Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental leave?

Remember, even in male dominated businesses and industries, Shared Parental Leave means that there is a potential impact for all organisations. Line managers should be aware of anyone who’s partner is expecting, including those same sex relationships.

Managing personnel to take account of staff who take their statutory time off when they become parents is a matter of fact that businesses simply have to deal with. However, it would be wise to be prepared for potential absences, especially as the effects of the Covid crisis will not only increase potential absences but spin a new dynamic on how individuals might take their leave.

One of the effects of lockdown will be that the normal support network that many mothers rely upon to return to work will not be available. Parents, grandparents and siblings may be outside an individual’s immediate bubble, or live a distance away that makes it unjustifiable to travel to under lockdown rules for babysitting duties. Instead, parents will potentially need more time off to care for their new children themselves.

How the holiday entitlement of furloughed staff has been managed may also have an effect. If staff have been allowed to carry over the holiday entitlement they accrued whilst furloughed, they could potentially take an extra full year’s holiday allowance at the end of their maternity leave. Thus extending the time they are absent from work and their position requires cover for.

Remember also that currently, being on maternity affords certain rights and protection against dismissal. That’s not to say that a person on maternity leave cannot be made redundant should a business find itself in the position where redundancies are necessary, but care should be taken to treat staff fairly.

Furthermore, a recent consultation on the extension of maternity protection has concluded and states:

Government is determined to take action to address pregnancy and maternity discrimination. Following the consultation, we now commit to:

• ensure the redundancy protection period applies from the point the employee informs the employer that she is pregnant, whether orally or in writing;
• extend the redundancy protection period for six months once a new mother has returned to work. We expect that this period will start immediately once maternity leave is finished

This commitment also extends to shared parental and adoption leave, and whilst there is yet not timescale for its implementation into UK Law, we should be prepared for implementation in the foreseeable future.

If you think you might be affected by staff taking parental leave, now might be a good time to check that your family friendly policies are in good order and to make sure you are conversant with the workers’ rights. We can help with all of this of course and we’re just a phone call away on 01452 331331 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.