Award of Excellence
For Finest HR Consultants 2023
The HR consulting industry in the UK is a dynamic and vital sector that plays a pivotal role in the success of businesses across the nation. With the ever-evolving regulatory landscape, the need for expert guidance in managing human resources has never been greater. HR consultants serve as indispensable partners, helping organisations navigate the complexities of employment law, talent management, and employee engagement. This is where Consensus HR shines, and their unwavering commitment to excellence has earned them the prestigious Award of Excellence for Finest HR Consultants in the UK.
We are honoured to have received this award and if there is anything HR, Consensus HR can do for you, do not hesitate to give us a call.
Consensus HR – Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems.
On 28 November 2023, the Government published its proposals for pay rates for family friendly leave, statutory sick pay, and the lower earnings threshold to be applied from April 2024.
The proposals are:
Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, parental bereavement pay will rise from £172.48 to £184.03 per week.
Statutory sick pay will increase from £109.40 to £116.75 per week.
The lower earnings threshold, at or above which employees must earn in order to receive various statutory payments, will remain unchanged at £123 per week.
These rates are yet to be confirmed and are provided for information only at this stage. Until they are confirmed, they should not be relied upon for financial planning, however it would be highly unusual for the government not to implement the increases as currently proposed.
As a reminder, the following changes to national minimum wage were confirmed last week:
The national living wage age band will be expanded from 23 year olds and over, to 21 year olds and over.
National living wage will rise from £10.42 to £11.44 an hour.
National minimum wage for 18–20-year-olds will increase from £7.49 to £8.60 per hour.
The apprentice rate and rate for those below 18 but over school leaving age will increase from £5.28 to £6.40 an hour.
CIPD – News Article.
Our HR Comment: – Proposed rates of SSP and family friendly leave announced | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “Here. is some very valuable financial information for business owners so that they can prepare for the new proposed rates of pay applicable from April 2024 and budget accordingly.
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If you need any HR support with managing your team and adapting to the new proposed salary information outline in this article, click us now.
Consensus HR – Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems.
The Christmas season is upon us! Here’s some celebratory cheer, with thanks to many Twitter confessions from office Christmas partygoers around the UK. Enjoy these examples of when sensible HR guidance has made way for festive workplace shenanigans …
Professional Relationships
Professional relationships in the workplace that embody trust, respect, self-awareness, inclusion and open communication should be encouraged and facilitated wherever possible.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #1:
“I told pretty much the entire team that I hated them.”
Trust and Communication
Mutual trust and exceptional communication in the workplace is achievable through creating strong company values, setting clear boundaries and expectations, and encouraging effective internal communication.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #2:
“My colleagues tricked me into thinking it was a fancy dress party. I showed up to a black tie event dressed as a Christmas pudding.”
Team Building
Great relationships between managers and employees are just one of the keys to building and maintaining an efficient, productive and happy workplace.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #3:
“The queues were too long for the toilet so I went outside to wee behind a wall. Bumped into my boss doing the exact same thing.”
Training and Development
It is vital to build a skills-based approach to talent development, for unlocking employee potential and creating a more inclusive workplace.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #4:
“Tried to be really cool and do that ‘pulling the tablecloth from beneath the glasses’ trick. Completely failed, smashed everything. Red wine went everywhere.”
Privacy
An employee has a right to a private life, and therefore should be able to enjoy a “reasonable expectation of privacy”. Likewise, employees should be encouraged to leave their private selves at home, and to only bring their professional selves to the workplace.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #5:
“Proposed to my girlfriend in front of everyone. She said no.”
Social Media Policy
It is essential to have a solid social media policy, informing all employees of expectations and codes of conduct when it comes to posting online.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #6:
“I woke up to like a million messages and missed calls. Turns out I’d put inappropriate pictures of people (really drunk and wearing hardly anything) all over Facebook.”
Health & Safety
For any workplace party, it is advisable to appoint an appropriate person to monitor health and safety, identify dangerous situations, and assess and report potential risk. They also need to check any control measures put in place periodically.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #7:
“I jumped up onto my friend’s back but we fell over and she broke her arm.”
Don’t worry, everything will turn out just fine this year. Probably.
Merry Christmas 2023 to all our readers! The team at Consensus HR hopes you all have a fantastic festive period and a Happy New Year 2024.
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We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024 but should you need any HR help, do not hesitate to contact us.
The Supreme Court has ruled that people working for Deliveroo cannot be considered employees because they don’t have specified hours, can work for rival companies, and can appoint someone to work in their place. A case brought by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWUGB) argued that Deliveroo riders should have collective bargaining rights, but the Supreme Court ultimately ruled they cannot benefit from union membership as they do not meet the definition of a worker or employee. A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “UK courts repeatedly and at every level have confirmed that Deliveroo riders are self-employed, and this now includes the highest court in the country. This is a positive judgment for Deliveroo riders, who value the flexibility that self-employed work offers.” The IWUGB, which represents thousands of gig economy workers, said it was disappointed by the decision and was considering its options under international law.
Our HR comments / advice: – UK’s highest court rules Deliveroo riders are not employees |Consensus HR Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “The working status of a person has again been considered in a judgement by the Supreme Court in relation to Union Status. In the case ‘Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (Appellant) v Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) and another (Respondents) Case ID: 2021/0155 where the CAC refused to accept the Unions application to be recognised by Deliveroo for Collective bargaining interfere with the rights of Deliveroo riders to form and join a trade union under Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This is another prime example of when the employment status plays a major part in what Employment Law is applicable and refers me to the previous blogs, we have written on the subject that can be found below as Deliveroo drivers are Self Employed:
If you run a business and have a team and are currently worried about the status of your team members and which to have a non-obligatory conversation about them and how we can help you to ensure you are working to best practice and the law, give us a call now.
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain our of employing people whilst preventing people problems.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden plans to establish an artificial intelligence “hit squad” unit with a remit to shrink the size of the UK civil service and bolster public sector productivity, including the speeding up of government processing of asylum, immigration and welfare claims. The Cabinet Office, which coordinates government departments, proposes to employ between 20 and 30 experts in a so-called “incubator for AI,” at an initial cost of about £5m. “Welfare and tackling welfare fraud, looking at what we can do around the interface with the health service, and looking at what we could do around asylum and immigration processing are three obvious areas where we’ve tasked them initially,” Dowden said. “What I see with this is a transformative tool to be able to enhance the pace of technology in a way that can help us deliver better outcomes with fewer inputs, and ultimately, that should be able to save taxpayers money,” he said.
Our HR Comment: – AI ‘hit squad’ to cut size of UK civil service | Consensus HR Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “Artificial Intelligence – AI seems to be in all the news lately and how a cross sector of businesses are beginning to use it and we have written numerous times in our blogs about the subject. I believe AI has a place but at Consensus HR none of our work is currently provided using AI and I do not see this changing for a very long time. At Consensus HR we pride ourselves in offering a personal corporate HR service covering all areas of the employee lifecycle from recruitment, employee relations, training and development to rewards and benefits with our USP (Unique selling point) being employment law and business knowledge front and back of house.”
We would love to know your views and please comment using the function available.
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If you would like the HR, Employment Law support of an outsourced HR company that has experience front and back of house in high footfall, high revenue businesses across a range of sectors, give us a call now.
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems.
This is an extremely upsetting story in relation to a young father who lost his life due to not following the correct Health & Safety when using a Forklift Truck which resulted in the loss of his life. Health & Safety is there for a reason and is not optional and must be followed at all times or the company / employee will face the consequences. The Health & Safety Executive have written a great article below and have some very useful information, available within this article.
The mother of a man who was killed when the forklift truck he was driving overturned says she still feels angry as he ‘simply went to work and didn’t come home.’
Jamie Anderson
Jamie Anderson was killed on 4 June 2019, when the forklift truck he was operating overturned at a depot in Newark.
The 35-year-old father of one, was found in the car park trapped under the roll cage of the vehicle. He had been using a counterbalance forklift truck to move waste material when it clipped a kerbstone at the edge of the roadway and overturned. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
His mum Sarah Anderson, a care assistant from Newark, said: “No mother should lose a child and for Jamie’s son Harley he has lost a loving father.
“As a family we have gone through all emotions, and I still feel angry as Jamie simply went to work and didn’t come home. This should not have happened.
“He was a happy-go-lucky boy and would do anything for anyone. It’s the everyday things that remind me of him and I miss his smile and blue eyes. He’s missed so much.”
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that The Barcode Warehouse Ltd failed to enforce the use of seatbelts by forklift truck operators. They should have properly risk assessed the use of forklift trucks on their premises and enforced the use of seatbelts. Instead, it was left to individuals to choose whether to wear a seatbelt or not.
At Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 8 November the Barcode Warehouse Ltd of Telford Drive, Newark pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £500,000 and agreed to pay costs of £7,039.55.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector, Tim Nicholson said: “This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a young man. Jamie’s death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved and enforced the use of seatbelts by forklift truck operators.”
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We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024 but should you need any HR help, do not hesitate to contact us.
Christmas is just around the corner! This means many organisations will be planning their annual Christmas party. Alongside unpacking the tinsel and choosing (or avoiding) a turkey menu, businesses must also prepare for the chance of employee misconduct.
‘Christmas parties may seem like the ideal opportunity for organisations to allow their staff to let their hair down and dance the night away with their colleagues,’ says Matthew Chilcott of Consensus HR. ‘However, alcohol consumption within a relaxed social atmosphere can foster situations that may not occur in the office.
‘Employers should note that events are more than social gatherings. While they are intended to be informal and fun occasions they are also official, company-organised events. Therefore, the party is an extension of the working environment.’
Legally, employers have a duty to protect their employees’ health, safety and welfare. Organisations can be liable for actions committed by employees in the course of their employment, unless they can demonstrate that ‘reasonable steps’ were taken to prevent these actions. This includes forms of misconduct at company-organised events … such as a Christmas party. Therefore, the organisation may be responsible for its employees’ actions if they behave inappropriately. Some examples of what might constitute gross misconduct at a work Christmas party include physical violence, bullying, obscene behaviour and harassment.
Organisations can also be liable for misconduct that takes place within after-party drinks. Although the company may not officially organise these, liability can still arise if it can be established that an employee’s conduct was sufficiently connected to their work position.
In the Court of Appeal case of Bellman v Northampton Recruitment, an employer was held vicariously liable when the managing director seriously assaulted an employee at a gathering after the Christmas party. Even though the impromptu drinks were not part of the company event, this ruling was decided upon. The Court of Appeal found that the manager acted within his management capacity.
Whilst organisations want staff to have fun at a party, provisions should be in place to ensure behaviour doesn’t get out of hand. To this end, it is highly advisable to implement a policy which addresses office parties and other work-related social events. This should outline that staff have a duty to behave responsibly at all times. In addition, individuals should be reminded that the organisation’s rules on acceptable behaviour apply at the event and that incidents of misconduct will be treated seriously.
If inappropriate action is reported, swift action should be taken to deal with it in line with company policy.
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To check that your organisation provides adequate duty of care to its employees, have an informal chat with the Consensus HR team. Our expert guidance can help reassure you that you’ve taken steps to ensure everyone can enjoy the festive season safely,
Highly knowledgeable and specialised speakers, networking to support new connections plus opportunities to exhibit on a first come, first serve basis are also available.
We are looking forward to presenting on ‘The HR Foundations needed for a successful business;
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If you run a business and have a team and want to ensure you are always working to HR best practice and the current Law, give us a call now for a non-obligatory chat.
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems – 01438 576750.
McDonald’s has fired 18 workers since a BBC investigation uncovered hundreds of allegations of harassment at the restaurant chain, its UK boss has said.
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments:”The. BBC has today published the following article in relation to the huge amount of sexual harassment allegations within the company. We cannot believe as stated in the article that in this day and age, this kind of behaviour is happening in the workplace and the appropriate management / company action not being taken.”
Alistair Macrow told MPs the firm had received 407 employee complaints since July and investigated 157 to date.
While people have been sacked, Mr Macrow did not know how many complaints had been referred to the police.
They said they experienced a toxic workplace culture where claims of sexual assault, racism and bullying were not taken seriously.
Mr Macrow told the Business and Trade Select Committee that McDonald’s UK was receiving between one and two complaints of sexual harassment a week.
Following the BBC’s initial report in the summer, Mr Macrow set up an investigation handling unit to deal with complaints.
Since then, more than 400 have been made but more than half have yet to be fully investigated.
Of the 157 that have been looked into, Mr Macrow said 17 complaints were about sexual harassment and had led to disciplinary action. He added that nine related to bullying and one was about racial harassment.
He said that of the remaining cases still to be probed, they include 27 complaints of sexual harassment.
The fast-food chain is one of the biggest private sector employers in the UK, employing more than 170,000 people.
It has one of the UK’s youngest workforces, with three quarters of staff aged 16 to 25 and, for many, it is their first job.
In total, it has 1,450 restaurants. According to Mr Macrow, 89% of its branches in the UK are operated by franchisees. But he admitted that no franchisees had yet lost their contracts due to claims of harassment and abuse.
Liam Byrne, Chair of the Business and Trade Committee, asked if “profit was more important than protecting workers”.
Mr Macrow said it was “absolutely not the case”.
“The most important thing in our business is our people. We do everything we can to look after our people,” he said.
More than 200 current and former McDonald’s workers spoke to the BBC about their experience of working at the fast-food chain, with a number claiming they were subject to sexual abuse and harassment by colleagues and superiors.
Mr Macrow said the testimony from workers had been “truly horrific” and “very difficult to hear”.
He admitted that some of the complaints reported to McDonald’s independent handling unit “stretch back as far as the 1980s”, adding: “Clearly those more recent we were able to investigate more fully.”
Ian Hodson, national president at the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, also appeared before MPs and said some stories that it had been told by McDonald’s employees were “absolutely horrific”.
“And it shouldn’t happen,” he said. “In the 21st century, in the UK, it shouldn’t happen.”
Mr Hodson added: “When a global corporation, [one of the] biggest employers in the world that makes billions and billions of pounds, can’t protect its workforce it’s awful. It should be leading and be an example for others – but
Please refer to our full information on how manage discipline within the workplace to best practice and the law by clicking here.
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If you run a business and have a team and want to ensure you are always working to HR best practice and the current Law, give us a call now for a non-obligatory chat.
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems – 01438 576750.
Whistleblower reports to HMRC have surged by 47% in the last year, according to research from law firm RPC. The number of reports rose from 106,920 in 2021/22 to 157,270 in 2022/23. Adam Craggs, head of RPC’s tax disputes, financial crime and regulatory team, said a large part of the spike in reports could be linked to fraud involving the government’s pandemic support. Data from the Department for Business and Trade shows that lenders responsible for distributing government-backed loans during the pandemic had flagged almost £1.7bn worth of potential loan fraud at the end of June, up 43% from three months earlier. Craggs notes that the furlough scheme “was a magnet for fraudsters with significant sums lost in the public purse,” adding that the public “is understandably outraged by that, and this sense of outrage may be a driver in this large increase in reports of suspected fraud to HMRC.” RPC partner Michelle Sloane says that while HMRC currently pays whistleblowers on an ad hoc basis, standardising payments could encourage more whistleblowers to come forward, saying: “Paying informants is likely to increase the number of investigations, and will improve the quality of information HMRC receives.”
Our HR comment / advice – Whistle-blower reports to HMRC surge by 47% | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “The Pandemic and Furlough is still hot in the news and in this article in the Daily Mail rightfully so! This brings back memories of working during the Pandemic and witnessing the many problems it caused for businesses and our clients with their teams and businesses with loss of sales and near closure. The Furlough scheme continually changed throughout, and we were writing updates consistently to ensure our clients were fully updated on the current law and how they could rightfully obtain monies from the Governments Furlough Scheme legally whilst also ensuring this was implemented to HR best practice and the law. We can only imagine the amount of fraud that took place but hope that reasonable investigations will take place so as to ensure any business that did not have the intent to fraud the Government is not penalised.”
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If you run a business and have a team and want to ensure you are always working to HR best practice and the current Law, give us a call now for a non-obligatory chat.
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems – 01438 576750.
Doctors have accused Pharmacy2U, Britain’s largest online pharmacy, of making it too easy to obtain sick notes. The company recently launched a service that allows customers to be signed off work by recording a 30-second video describing their symptoms. For a fee of £39, customers can upload the video and receive a sick letter on the same day if submitted before 9pm. The Times tested the service and successfully obtained a sick note for four days by feigning symptoms. Critics argue that the service lacks rigour and is open to abuse. Beverley Sunderland, managing director at Crossland Employment Solicitors, said: “I understand people have difficulties getting GP appointments, but they need to be speaking to someone who is asking questions and probing them about what kind of work they might be able to do. We are seeing an awful lot of people signed off sick at the moment and it is causing chaos for businesses.”
Our HR comment: – Online pharmacy accused of making it too easy to get sick notes | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds.
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This article in the ‘The Times’ demonstrates what could be a managerial, business owner and HR nightmare in ensuring that sickness in the workplace is managed accordingly. At Consensus HR we know how hard it can be to obtain professional medical information from an employee’s GP or medical professional such as a Hospital Consultant but without this we and our clients cannot support members of the team at work with their health and welfare whilst ensuring the success of the business. Money making schemes such as these do not help either the employee or businesses as their real medical need or not is not addressed correctly and is open to abuse at the cost of the employee and the business they work for. Companies need to ensure that they always have a comprehensive sickness and absence strategy in place that ensures the welfare of all members of the team is managed correctly with return-to-work interviews, gaining consent to write to the employees doctor / GP for advice on how to support the employee and access to Occupational Health for support and advice for the company and employee when needed.”
To read our detailed advice on absence management click here.
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If you manage a team and would like support on writing and implementing a suitable Sickness & Absence Policy / Strategy into your business with any other areas of HR, give us a call now for a non-obligatory chat. – 01438 576750
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain out of managing people whilst preventing people problems.
Aliyah Tariq, a 16-year-old schoolgirl who represented herself at an employment tribunal, has become one of the youngest people to win a victimisation case in Britain. She was sacked by New York Diner in Manchester after complaining about sexual harassment. Tariq claimed that a chef repeatedly suggested that she perform a sex act on him. The restaurant presented a fabricated document to the tribunal, that Tariq appeared to have signed, stating that “no sexual harassment took place at New York Diner,” but the judge agreed with Tariq’s claim. She was awarded over £18,000. Tariq confided in a former employee about the sexual harassment incidents. The tribunal ruled that Tariq was victimised by the restaurant’s director and manager, who sacked her when it became clear she wouldn’t let them forget about the harassment.
Our HR comment: – Teen wins victimisation case after sexual harassment | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is another interesting case about sexual harassment in the workplace and again demonstrates that business owners / managers need to fully investigate any such claims with the individual concerned and take the appropriate action following the ACAS Code of Practice so as to be able to demonstrate that they have acted as a reasonable employer or they will face the penalties and awards as in this case £18,000. At Consensus HR we support and advise all our clients on best practice and the law in all scenarios so that incidences such as these should they happen are dealt with correctly, to the law, best practice and for the benefit of the team, business, and business reputation.”
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If you would like to have a non-obligatory conversation with us about how we can help you and your business in the world of HR and Management and prevent such incidences from happening, give us a call now – 01438 576750.
Consensus HR | Helping companies take the pain out of managing people, whilst preventing people problems.
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