New Year's Resolutions 2015

It’s that time again, when thoughts turn to Employment Law Resolutions for the New Year. Or at least they do in our house. A good early spring clean and a refreshing of companies HR documentation will put the business on a firm foundation for the year ahead. The better employers and employees understand their respective rights and responsibilities, the quicker and more efficiently necessary workplace changes can be implemented to meet the needs of your clients.

Businesses need to consider the following:

1. A review of contracts and Employee Handbooks. Are they compliant with recent statutory changes? Do they properly take account of the actual responsibilities and rewards of the workforce? If you made physical copies available, are they now worn with pages missing?
2. Are all personnel files up to date? Not just with wage/holiday entitlements but also any changes in their personal sphere e.g. address/contact details in event of emergency?
3. Classification of people working for you. Make sure there is a clear understanding of who is or is not an employee. Is it possible that someone you considered a self-employed contractor may now be classed a worker or even an employee? Clarity on status will ensure no errors are made when providing direction and instructions to staff members.
4. Keep better records, especially as this is the time when staffs thoughts turn to holidays for the year ahead. Do holidays get booked/approved without taking account of the operational needs of the organisation? Has this caused last minute disappointment amongst staff when employees must forgo part or all of their break? Make sure there are clear lines of recording of what has been requested and be aware of moveable bank holidays, “royal event” days which may result in key members of staff being away for longer than anticipated.
5. Are there any long standing employee performance issues that have been allowed to slide due to immediate pressure of work? These may just be subjective observations and in fact there are no grounds for concern. However, there could be a deeper problem which could become more critical as client requirements change in the year ahead. Take time to think about the issue as objectively as possible and ensure you have in place key performance indicators so that you can be satisfied employees are working efficiently to the goals you have set.
6. Join a gym - all resolution lists feature at least one reference to gyms so why not this one!

That's probably enough for now. As statistics show that only 92% of resolutions fail (source Forbes magazine) even if just part of at least one of the above wins through you will have done something to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of your workforce.

Of course the best resolution you can make is that if you need any advice/support with Employment Law/HR aspects of your organisation drop me a call/email at Searchlight.

[email protected]; 07861 309 729