This blog is produced by members of the employment team at Pannone LLP, a full service law firm based in Manchester city centre.
We hope you will find it useful, informative and thought provoking.
We'd be really interested to hear from you regarding any of the issues we cover, so please take the opportunity to make comments. We would also like to hear your views on the format and content of the blog and if there are subjects you'd like us to cover, then please email us and let us know.
By Guest Blogger in General HR Issues on Monday, June 14, 2010
The proposals by the government to extend flexitime to all employees have received support from many. In a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 47% of those surveyed considered flexible working the most favoured benefit in the workplace, with only 19% favouring bonuses. The new trend... read more
By Louisa Chadwick in Reward, Pay and Benefits on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Official figures by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have revealed that as employers reduced hours to protect jobs, 5.07 million people regularly worked unpaid overtime in 2009, a decline of 168,000 on the previous year. Staff undertaking the overtime worked on average seven hours and 12... read more
By Rebecca French in In the News on Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Surveys published recently suggest that workplace bullying has increased. Across different jurisdictions, stress and depression contributes to 13.7m working days lost. A large proportion of these symptoms are due to bullying. One workplace bullying charity (the Adrea Adams Trust) defines the... read more
The 2009 pre-budget report included a one off 50% Bank Payroll Tax payable by banks and other financial services firms on bonuses exceeding £25,000 awarded to any employee between 12.30pm on 9 December 2009 and 5 April 2010. Treasury officials have estimated that the new levy will apply to a... read more
By Emma Cross in Reward, Pay and Benefits on Monday, November 23, 2009
Many employees who, having accepted a pay freeze this year, were looking forward to receiving a pay rise next year, will have their hopes dashed according to the results of recent survey. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash, questioned 240... read more
By Rita Nissiphorou in In the News on Friday, October 30, 2009
Yvette Cooper, work and pensions secretary has announced that she wants employers to offer better part-time jobs. In addition, job applicants would be able to request flexible working when applying for a job, rather than have to wait 6 months to make such an application, as provided for in... read more
By Emma Cross in In the News on Monday, September 14, 2009
The Government’s strategy for beating the recession has so far been to increase public spending but, with a general election looming and the general public expressing deep concern about the scale of national debt, spending cuts are now on the political agenda. However, speaking on the eve... read more
By Elizabeth Hughes in In the News on Saturday, June 27, 2009
According to news reports, trainees at international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, learned they were not being retained by the firm, following completion of their 2 year training contract, after HR managers left messages with the bad news on trainees' answering machines. ... read more
I was surprised to see the latest of British Airways attempts to save costs as being a request that 40,000 of their staff either take annual leave or work, for no pay. Staff were given a choice of anything from 1 week to 1 month unpaid. BA are almost appealing to their staff to help them get... read more
By Rita Nissiphorou in Reward, Pay and Benefits on Monday, May 18, 2009
Following a recommendation by the Low Pay Commission UK minimum wage is set to rise in October 2009. National minimum wage is to rise to £5.80 (7p rise), the rate for 18 to 21-year-olds will increase to £4.83 (6p rise) and for 16 and 17-year olds to £3.57 (4p rise). Furthermore, from October... read more
