Why get tied up in Employment Law and HR issues?
Updated: Sep 4, 2018
You set up your business and you had a clear vision of what you wanted.
But did you expect to have to be an expert in all areas?
Leaving you less time to focus on your original vision?
The consequences of not being compliant or on top of HR issues can have a drastic effect on your business.
It was very interesting to read a recent report, on 27th March 2018, in various news media.
That report detailed the first case of a judge in Scotland exercising powers granted in 2014, in relation to Employment Law. The company was fined £5,000 for unfairly sacking the worker and was also ordered to pay that worker £30,000.
The basic details are that the worker had signed off for stress due to grieving, following the death of his best friend’s son, and of two close friends.
Management at a well-known tyre company’s Dundee factory then became aware of a Facebook post indicating that he had been at a gin festival in Glasgow during the sick leave.
He was subsequently fired for gross misconduct.
Importantly, Judge Wallington QC noted two aggravating factors.
1) A boss deciding to sack the worker prior to his disciplinary hearing.
2) A disregard for a ‘fit note’ from the employee’s doctor.
Judge Wallington’s further comment really caught our attention, when he stated: “The respondent is a large organisation with sufficient resources to enable it to comply with the basic canons of Employment Law”.
His remark highlights a positive – that Employment Law and HR coverage can be installed across your company effectively, preventing situations like this from dominating the time of the management team, which in turn hinders core tasks and growth.
In the ever-changing area of Employment Law and Human Resources (HR), it underlines what is always the best stance to adopt – that prevention is better than cure.
Recently, the Ministry of Justice also released Tribunal data in March 2018, showing that single claims numbers have almost doubled since fees were found to be unlawful (abolishment of fees, July 2017). So, on the first full quarter to be reported on, the claims have doubled.
Receipts, disposals and caseload outstanding increased by 90%, 21% and 66% respectively to December 2017, compared with same quarter in 2016.
Those are BIG increases.
Employment tribunal award limits were increased too, with an implementation April 2018.
There are constant ongoing changes in HR and Employment Law. Process and procedure, tribunals, disciplinary hearings, dismissal issues, bullying claims, discrimination claims, and so on… it can be a lot to worry about.
If you are a CEO, Managing Director or Company Owner, we want to hear from you if this area troubles you in any way.
Having a comprehensive health check and support that covers all areas in a business is surely the best way forward?
This isn’t just a paperwork exercise but is something that puts the heart of the business at the forefront and makes sure you are working on the vision and strategy instead of demoting yourself to managing paperwork.
At Diamond Business Growth we are here to help. If people challenges are stopping you from being as successful as you want then let us provide you with a free initial HR and Employment Law ‘Healthcheck’.
That Healthcheck will indicate if you really do have ‘everything covered’ (something we are often told). And from there we can advise on all areas to consider strengthening and how to tackle associated business challenges you have.
The above case shows how positive the overall impact HR, great culture and strategy within your business can have as it helps attract excellent talent to help grow your company.
It also makes the best people who already work with you, stay with you.
Get in touch and let us know your challenges......it's good to talk.