Getting Redundancy Right – Key Steps for Employers
Unfortunately, as the furlough scheme tapers, more and more businesses are announcing redundancies. The job market for redundant employees is tough, resulting in employees more likely to challenge the fairness of the process they have been through. As an employer, how can you minimise the risks? Fiona Sinclair, HR Consultant at Darwin Gray, guides us through the key steps in a fair redundancy process: Establish the rationale for the...
How businesses can address rising absenteeism resulting from the mental health impact of lockdown
New research[i] highlights concerns that home working is causing a rise in employee burnout and ‘e-presenteeism’, with almost three in five (58 per cent) HR managers fearing losing staff to sick leave as a result of the mental health impacts of working in lockdown. The research, conducted by Mental Health Foundation and LinkedIn amongst HR professionals, found that more than half (54 per cent) said that mental health issues such as...
A Wales HR Network Q&A: Furlough leave and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
On 20 March 2020, the UK Government announced the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for all UK employers. The scheme will help employers to carry on part-paying salaries for those employees who otherwise would be “laid off” due to the Coronavirus crisis. We asked Fflur Jones, Partner and Head of Employment Law & HR at Darwin Gray, some of the burning questions around the scheme and legal considerations for...
Poor mental health, hangovers and laziness – the top ‘sickie’ excuses costing businesses money
On National Sickie Day[i], the first Monday of February which according to statistics is the day when most ‘sickies’ are pulled, Adrian Lewis, Director at Activ Absence is calling on employers to track and monitor absence to avoid huge costs to their business. New research by Viking Office Supplies highlights that 56% of workers in the past year have pulled a sickie, costing UK businesses £5.6 billion[ii]. This is despite the Office...
Finalists revealed for Wales HR Awards 2020
The 2020 Wales HR Awards finalists have been announced following a record number of entries. Launched in 2017 by leading recruitment agency Acorn and commercial law firm Darwin Gray, the fourth annual Awards will see 350 top HR professionals and organisations gather on 27 March at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff for a glittering twenties themed ceremony. New for 2020 is an additional category – ‘Inspiring Great Leadership’ – and...
Blue Monday – Good Mental Health at Work
Blue Monday is supposedly the saddest day of the year. It is the third Monday of January that’s been awarded the title due to a combination of cold dark evenings, the dread of returning to work after the festive period and the unwelcome arrival of unpaid credit card bills. According to the mental health charity Mind, one in six workers is experiencing common mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, at any one time....
CIPD Awards recognise top HR talent in Wales
CIPD Wales, the professional body for HR and people development, has recognised those at the top of Wales’ HR industry at its 2019 awards. The CIPD Wales Awards, which are now in their third year, recognise outstanding individuals and teams as the best in HR, learning, and people management practice in businesses across Wales. This year, Cardiff’s City Hall hosted the awards, on an evening that saw four outstanding individuals and 11...
HR professional in Wales? Don’t miss out!
Less than three weeks to go to get your entries in for the Wales HR Awards 2020. Entry deadline: Monday 9 December. How to enter: www.waleshrawards.cymru. The awards will be taking place on Friday 27 March 2020 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and will celebrate the hard work and commitment of Wales’ best HR teams, consultants and industry experts for their contribution to the sector. Created by commercial law firm Darwin Gray and leading...
Edinburgh and Cardiff Revealed as Best Cities for Community
The UK is built upon its communities, with the kind and charitable actions of both groups and individuals creating the environments that people want to grow up and grow old in. Whether it be the number of parks and good schools in an area, the amount of charity jobs and events or just the general quality of life, there are many things that make our communities great. Safestore have carried out in-depth research looking at some of the...
Leading Wales HR awards opens for entries
Entries are officially open for the fourth Wales HR Awards, to be held on 27 March 2020 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and hosted by Sian Lloyd. The awards celebrate the hard work and commitment of Wales’ best in-house teams, consultants and HR industry experts for their outstanding contribution to the sector, and will embrace a roaring twenties theme to mark the year 2020. Created by leading specialist recruiter Acorn and commercial...
Winners crowned at Wales HR Awards
HR professionals were recognised at the third annual Wales HR Awards on Friday 22 March. Hosted by Sian Lloyd, the awards – launched in 2017 by leading recruitment agency Acorn and commercial law firm Darwin Gray in partnership with the Wales HR Network – saw individuals and teams from across the country attend a black-tie event at the Exchange Hotel in Cardiff. Celebrating outstanding people and businesses for their contribution to...
Wales HR Awards announce chosen charity
The 2019 Wales HR Awards has announced Macmillan Cancer Support as its chosen charity and will raise funds for new Specialist Palliative Care Unit in Llantrisant. The £7m state-of-the-art palliative care unit is being built at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital by Macmillan Cancer Support and the National Garden Scheme, in partnership with Cwm Taf University Health Board. It will provide vital care for people with terminal cancer and other...
How leading Welsh construction firm JEHU Group has tackled absence management and reduced administrative costs
New YouGov research[i] has revealed that 22% of British businesses lack expertise when managing workplace absence, and figures from ACAS estimate the annual cost of sickness absence to the UK economy at £17 billion[ii]. One company that has transformed its absence management is leading Welsh construction firm, JEHU Group through the introduction of Activ Absence from Codel Software. One of the biggest challenges for JEHU Group was...
Finalists revealed for Wales HR Awards 2019
The 2019 Wales HR Awards finalists have been announced following a record number of entries received from across the country. Launched in 2017 by leading recruitment agency Acorn and commercial law firm Darwin Gray, the Awards will see 350 HR professionals gather at The Exchange Hotel in Cardiff for a glittering black-tie ceremony to celebrate the success of 34 finalists and discover if they have been chosen to receive one of the...
The New Fundraising Platform Set To Transform Swansea
A 20-year-old Swansea University student has just launched an online fundraising platform for students to donate money to local small charities and get great discounts in return. Based in Swansea, Wales. The social enterprise Phoenix Subscriptions aims to help tackle the funding problem that small charities often face by enabling students to set up a monthly donation through the site to the organisations they connect with. Students...
