Euros advice for UK pubs to avoid staff subs, Irish workers reject the office, the Australian Menopause debate, pay transparency in Canada, and…
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Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we give you a rundown of the week's top employment stories around the world.
From the UK to Australia to Canada, stay on the pulse of current trends impacting your business, plus get up-to-the-minute commentaries on all things HR and legal.
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Euros 2024: Can I make my pub staff work longer to cover extra opening hours?
The UEFA Euros 2024 tournament, kicked-off on Friday the 14th of June 2024. Bringing excitement, friendly competition, and you guessed it—unplanned absences!
But that’s not the only change, Pubs and other licensed premises in England and Wales will be able to extend their opening hours to 1 am if England and/or Scotland make it to the semi-final and final on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th of July.
These extended opening hours mean you’ll need to be hot on getting cover and managing your match-day rotas. Especially as some employees might choose to book annual leave to watch the match.
If you do need staff to work for longer hours than normal, you must check their employment contract . If no flexibility has been built into their working hours, you can ask for volunteers to support during busy periods or offer your staff an incentive for extra hours, like double or a higher rate of pay.
BrightHR Lite rota software lets you plan, schedule, and notify staff of last-minute shift changes instantly. It’s FREE forever, no strings attached!?Plan the perfect game plan: Try it today >
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Labour’s workplace reform
On June 13th Labour published their full employment law manifesto ahead of the upcoming General Election on July 4th.
If they win in the polls, their reforms will mean employers will need to do a huge review of their current policies like the right to disconnect and can expect major changes to worker contracts .
To avoid any employee disputes, legal fines or costly claims—It’s essential you get the right advice and support to update contracts accurately.
For more instant advice on this topic ask our AI advice tool, Bright Brainbox: If the Labour Party wins the next general election, what changes will they make to employment law?
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Time-tracking software catches employee out for working a second job
A fully remote employee was recently fired from a recruitment company based in Barcelona.
Business Insider details how the CCO found an employee was working a second job right under the employer’s nose.
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The CCO said the employee in question had been underperforming, regularly missed deadlines, and was unavailable for long periods of the day. The employer set up reviews to talk about the employee’s performance, but no major improvements were seen.
They were eventually caught out by the company’s time-tracking software, which they introduced as a way to boost productivity and potentially introduce a 4-day working week.
The tracking data showed the employee had been working on tasks for another business in the US that used the same time-tracking software. Following an investigation, the employee was fired from their position.
Some key takeaways for employers:
-????????? Most employers would agree working a second job is fine as long as they aren’t a direct competitor, and the extra work doesn’t interfere with productivity or performance. But if you do want to prevent your employee from carrying out secondary employment, you must lay this out clearly in the terms of their contract.
-????????? It’s important to investigate any suspicions your employee has broken rules thoroughly and hold a disciplinary investigation before taking any action.
For difficult situations like this, you should always seek accurate employment law advice—even better if that advice is available 24/7. Discover BrightHR’s expert employment law advice line.
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Ongoing pay dispute for Aer Lingus pilots
Aer Lingus passengers could see drastic delays this summer as pilots demand a 24% pay rise leading to industrial action from June 26th onwards. The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) has announced a work-to-rule policy, where pilots will not work overtime or beyond contracted hours, affecting the airline’s operation during what is always a busy summer season.
As an employer, you should always be aware of the potential operational impacts of industrial action, and the importance of addressing employee pay claims.
For instant advice on keeping your workforce happy, ask our super-fast AI tool Brainbox: How can I improve employee experience?
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Half of Irish workers would reject a fully office-based job
A recent survey from The Stepstone Group has revealed that nearly 50% of Irish workers would reject job offers without remote working options, which is higher compared with the global average.
The survey shows how important work-life balance and financial compensation is for jobseekers in the Republic, with a key preference for remote or hybrid working.
Accommodating for the growing demand of remote working can be tough, especially if there is a business need for in-person working. But if it is possible in your organisation, it might be worth considering introducing more flexible options to attract and retain staff.
If you’re concerned about embracing hybrid or remote working practices, ask Brainbox: How can employers ensure that hybrid workers are able to stay connected with the rest of the team?
Or try our remote time-tracking app, Blip, which makes managing hybrid work a breeze!
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Menopause takes a pause
Debates are raging over whether Australian workplaces should introduce menopause policies and leave.
Research has found that workplaces are losing women right around the time they reach the peak of their careers as a result of a lack of support surrounding menopause and the challenges it can bring.
Professor Rebecca Mitchell who has studied the costs Australian businesses shoulder as a result of menopausal women leaving the workplace has found that Australian women tend to retire earlier than the usual 59 they plan for. When asked why, 45% said it was due to their sickness or disability. However, when women past their menopausal age, and nearing 60, are asked their reason for retirement those who attribute it to sickness or disability drops to 24%.
It’s been estimated that the condition is costing businesses approximately $5 billion a year. A mammoth cost that some believe can be slashed if the right policies and procedures were introduced.??
On the flip side of the coin, others believe that legislating menopause leave could lead to more gender bias in the workplace. They argue that a business may hesitate to promote or hire women if they are given a greater leave entitlement.
The conversation continues, but in the meantime it’s important to make sure you’re adhering to your employees' leave entitlements and ensuring that your workplace is free from discrimination in both policy and practice.
Our library of HR document templates including handbooks, policies, and factsheets is available 24/7 to help you create and roll out compliant documentation without spending hours on your HR admin.
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Brushing shoulders with termination
In a recent case, a B.C. arbitrator ruled that there was no just cause for terminating a long-term employee for shoulder-checking his supervisor. Instead, the employee was rehired and given a six-month suspension.
The employee already had two prior suspensions for misconduct involving inappropriate exchanges with coworkers and impulsive outbursts. The final incident that led to their termination happened when the employee shoulder-checked his supervisor while leaving work to pick up his daughter.
The employee didn't have a good relationship with this supervisor and had complained about them in the past. This incident, paired with their muddled?history of misconduct,?led the employer to believe the employee’s actions were?intentional?and terminated them.
However, the employee's union challenged the dismissal, arguing that the shoulder check was an innocent accident and didn't warrant any discipline. The arbitrator considered the context, including the employee's recent suspensions, and his protective nature towards his daughter due to her serious health issues.
Despite the employer's argument that the employee's behaviour was part of a volatile pattern, the arbitrator stressed the importance of progressive discipline. Turning to progressive discipline instead of automatic termination allows employees to explain their behaviour and address any issues affecting them, such as stress or mental health issues.
In this case, however, the employee and the union did not explain the misconduct and lied during the investigation. They claimed they never discussed the supervisor before the incident, which was a significant factor in the arbitrator's decision to impose a six-month suspension instead of upholding the termination.
If you're dealing with a difficult employee, you need BrightAdvice . Our team of employment relations experts are always available to guide and provide support on managing terminations in line with legislation.
B.C. employers must prepare gender pay reports by November 1
British Columbia is stepping up its commitment to pay transparency with new tools and deadlines for employers. As of November 1, 2024, employers with 1,000 or more employees must prepare and post reports about their gender pay gaps.
If you're an employer in this province, the government has made creating reports much easier by introducing the Pay Transparency Reporting Tool. ?It's completely free to use; all you need to do is upload your data and review for errors. A draft version of your report will be available to download in a few clicks.
Remember to review the "Guidance for Preparing Pay Transparency Reports " to understand what content you need to include in your report, general information about your organization, and any data constraints or limitations.
The pay transparency legislation, introduced in March 2023, mandates that all employers include wage or salary ranges in publicly advertised job postings. ?Progress on pay transparency has been notable. As of February 2024, data from Indeed shows 49% of Canada-wide job postings included pay details, but in B.C., that number has risen to 76%.
The legislation's scope will expand in stages:
As an employer, complying with B.C.'s pay transparency legislation not only promotes fairness and equality in the workplace but also helps you avoid penalties and fines.
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And that’s a wrap. Tune in bi-weekly for more HR headlines in a hurry and make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!
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