Rebranding of Empire HR

Here at Empire HR we have recently launched our new image as part of our rebranding programme to compliment the range of services that we provide. In a brave move, we have decided to drop the HR from the title and will now be marketing ourselves as just Empire. 

The decision to rebrand follows continual growth and expansion for the business in recent years. In the last 18 month we have increased our clientele significantly and have seen a 25% increase in turnover.

The company is now one of the Scotland's leading HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety firms working with a wide range of clients with between 5 to 12,000 employees.

The new branding, name and logo was designed specifically to fully support the wide range of services that Empire has to offer.

Also to coincide with the new branding and image, we have just launched a new interactive website, offering free downloads, networking events and an online discussion board called The Empire Wire.

To find out more or to just simply have a look at the new website please visit http://www.empirehr.com/ or contact them on 01224 701383.

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Data Protection Fines

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued the first fines for breaches of data protection. Potential fines were increased from £500 to £500,000 in April 2010 following a review of the system.

A fine of £100,000 must be paid by Hertfordshire County Council after it disclosed that two serious breaches occurred within two weeks of each other. The breaches involved faxes being accidentally sent to the wrong address. The information contained details of children, criminal convictions, domestic violence records, and child abuse cases was sent to a member of the public, and a barristers office (not involved in any of the cases).

A fine of £60,000 was also issued to a business called A4e, after a laptop containing the details of several thousand people who had used community legal centres were lost. The laptop was issued to an employee who was working at home, but it was later stolen.

These penalties are the first to be issued by the Information Commissioner, and they do send a clear message to those handling data that they must take all possible steps to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information.

Businesses are advised to have clear and up to date Data Protection Policies, and possibly seek advice from their IT provider. The above cases highlight the importance of having good policies in place which prevent accidental leaks of information. In particular, it serves as a reminder that where employees work from home, any IT equipment they are provided with must contain the minimum amount of data that will allow them to do their job.

An increase in the use of blackberry's, iphones, memory sticks and laptops clearly exposes businesses to the risk of a fine since these devices often contain information relating to clients and their contact details. Unfortunately these are also easy to lose, leave in other people's houses, and they can often be left in cars or even on buses. Therefore its sensible to ensure that they do not contain particularly sensitive information or large quantities of data.

When information is shared between organisations, perhaps via email or fax it's absolutely essential to ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands. Sensitive documents should be marked as private and confidential, and checks should be in place to ensure they arrive at their intended destination.

Keeping key staff in the New Year

The start of a New Year can sometimes mean a time of reflection for many when a New Year resolution is made.

The resolution for a new job or promotion has been found to be in the top ten resolutions alongside losing weight and quitting smoking.

This can be a worrying time for employers as it runs the risk of losing those key members of staff as January is traditionally the boom time for people looking for new jobs.

Leading Aberdeen-based employment law, HR and health & safety firm, Empire HR has been advising clients on tips on how to prevent losing those key members of staff in the coming year.

Top of the list for reasons for employees on the hunt for a new job in the New Year are that they are looking to further maximise their career, New Year brings thoughts on whether they are on the right path and they begin to think where their career is heading.

Steve Cook, CEO of Empire HR said, “It can be a sorry time when an important member of staff is lost, let alone the costs that come with filling the position left. It is important to keep staff motivated over the festive period in order to keep their interest in their job and of course the company.”

According to a 2010 survey by the CIPD the overall employee turnover rate for the UK was found to be 13.5%. The findings also revealed that organisations are experiencing most difficulty in retaining managers and professionals and that in order to retain staff employers mainly focus on increased learning and development opportunities, improving the induction process, increasing pay and improving selection techniques. Seventy-two per cent of those taking part in the survey say improving line manager HR skills is the most effective method of improving retention.

Empire HR have provided some key points that are worth considering in order to manage employee retention which include: informing and communicating with employees on a regular basis, ensuring performance management tools are in place, and reviewing employee development.

• Ensure you give candidates a realistic description of the job. Expectations will only lead to a demotivated employee in the longer term.
• Ensure line managers are responsible for managing their teams. Managers should be accountable for managing their employees through annual appraisals and regular feedback. Managers should be trained in people management and development skills.
• Clear career development and progression. Employees who are aware of their potential progression within the organisation will feel empowered. Where promotion is not feasible, sideways moves can develop their experience.
  
• Ensure there is good communication links throughout the organisation. Review communication forums or if there is nothing in place consider an employee survey to gauge opinion from the workforce.
• Consider work/life balance of employees. Consider varying working hours to support employees’ domestic responsibilities.
  

A satisfied employee will know what is expected from them whilst at work, will feel challenged and be clear on their development opportunities within the organisation. The perception of fairness and equitable treatment within the work place is important in employee retention.

To find out more on what Empire can offer your business in the New Year please contact Empire HR on 01224 701383 or visit www.empirehr.com

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Baby boom in the Empire

There appears to have been something in the water at an Aberdeen employment law and HR firm with four staff pregnancies in the last year alone.

Empire HR, which has 22 employees, has had four members of their consultancy team on maternity leave following the bumper year of bumps.

Three of the women, Joanna Jacob, Faye Barron and Morag Rose, work at the company’s headquarters in Aberdeen as part of the advice line team, while Maureen McKay, is a home worker. Three are still on maternity leave, which has led to some temporary team changes at the small business but as experts in this field, Empire HR had a strong maternity policy in place to help cope with the arising issues.

Many companies, however, are not prepared to deal effectively with maternity in the workplace and it is often wrongly viewed as a burden to employers, as it can be a costly exercise for small businesses.

Empire HR CEO, Steve Cook, said: “We are delighted with the new healthy additions and having a good understanding of our maternity policy has certainly been very useful this year. “On a serious note, there is bound to be a loss for any organisation but it’s difficult to measure. We had to go through the recruitment process four times and there is a very tangible cost to that. Our clients have been extremely understanding and each new member of staff has undergone intensive training on arrival and it’s been a steep learning curve. “We have a great team of people who have worked together to cover for the maternity posts, and we have worked hard to ensure that the new mums are still part of the Empire family by encouraging them to write about their maternity leave experience on the company blog.

“Empire HR has seen continued growth and it’s important that we have a great team that can re-shape to accommodate issues such as maternity leave.” Employers are usually faced with a number of concerns when a member of staff announces they are expecting, such as losing a key member of a team, having to find a temporary replacement and, of course, the additional costs.

It’s a worrying time for any organisation but it can naturally have a greater impact on smaller businesses like Empire HR. However, the employment law firm claims that if clear guidelines are in place the whole process of the pregnancy, maternity leave and return to work should be stress free for all concerned.

In Empire HR’s case, a genuine interest in the welfare of the new mums and securing good quality maternity cover has played a huge role in coping with the maternity issues which arose this year.

The Empire team were hugely supportive of the mums-to-be and worked together to ensure their workload was manageable during busy times. Necessary risk assessments were also carried out in the work place for the expectant mums, they were given parking spaces closer to the door, they were encouraged to take more rest breaks and were allocated desks near a window if they required fresh air.

The pregnant workers were encouraged to participate in ‘keeping in touch days’ to ensure they were not completely isolated from the workplace and that they still felt part of the Empire team. Faye Barron said: “We were so lucky that the team were really supportive. I almost felt isolated from work so the ‘keeping in touch’ days really helped. I think it can be easy for employees to be forgotten once they have left on maternity leave due to busy workloads but we were all invited to training days, office outings and team meetings, so we still felt very much part of the team during our leave.”

To keep employers up-to-date – here is a rundown of the current Maternity Rights:

• When an employee tells an employer that she is pregnant, the employer has a duty to carry out a health and safety risk assessment in order to determine whether there are any specific risks to her or her unborn child.

• Employees are entitled to paid time off to attend ante-natal appointments.

• Employees are entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave. Employees are required to notify their employer in writing of their intention to take maternity leave by the 15th week before their due date.

• If an employee is absent due to a pregnancy related sickness during the four weeks prior to their due date, maternity leave will start automatically.

• Employees are not allowed to return to work until at least two weeks after they have given birth (four weeks in certain cases).

• Employees are entitled to 39 weeks Statutory Maternity Pay if they fulfill certain qualifying conditions. For the first 6

weeks this is paid at 90% of their normal pay. For the next 33 weeks, this is paid at either 90% of their normal pay or the rate set by the Government, whichever is lower. The current rate set by the Government is £124.88.

• To qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay an employee must have been employed for at least 26 weeks before the 15th week before their due date. They must also earn more than the National Insurance Lower Earnings Level during a qualifying period.

• Employees who do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay may be entitled to receive Maternity Allowance which is paid by the Government.

• Employees continue to accrue all contractual benefits (apart from remuneration) throughout their maternity leave. This includes annual leave.

• During maternity leave, employees are entitled to agree with their employer to work for up to 10 days, without this affecting their Statutory Maternity Pay. These are called ‘Keeping in Touch Days’.

• Employees are normally entitled to return to the job they left on their return to work.

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The first of our help videos - The Disciplinary Hearing

We are delighted to release the first of our new information videos to help you understand some of the rules and regulations and, best practice in HR.

The first video in the series is The Disciplinary Hearing and, whilst it may not be something people relish having to deal with, it is one of the most important ares of HR. Going through the proper procedure is essential for any business if they are to avoid mistakes which invariably end up costing the organisation time and money.

We hope you enjoy the video and find the information useful to you. If you would like to chat to someone about a specific case or, you would like to find out how Empire can work with you, please give us a call on 01224 701383, we will be happy to have a coffee and a chat with you.  Alternatively, you can complete the short enquiry form on our web site and someone will contact you.

We will be posting all of these resourceful videos on our network site - Empire Wire, please take a minute to visit the site and join our network where you can engage with other people involved in HR and, get some very useful information about the HR industry.  Join Empire Wire here.

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Royal Public Holiday - Are your staff entitled to the day off?

The world is currently fascinated with next year’s Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and Westminster and Holyrood governments have both declared that the big day planned for 29th April next year will be a national celebration and marked with a public holiday.

The announcements by Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister Alex Salmond, means there will be two consecutive bank holiday weekends resulting in millions of employees working a three-day week. This substantial loss of working time will be costly for every business but it may prove to be particularly disruptive in the current economic climate when businesses are facing tougher times.

Mr Cameron and Mr Salmond’s declaration of an additional public holiday in 2011, may have given UK workers the impression that they are entitled to the day off to join in the Royal celebrations with the rest of the nation, however this is not the case.

Leading Aberdeen-based HR and employment law firm, Empire HR, is encouraging businesses to think ahead about how they wish to approach the forthcoming celebration in the workplace as it is not compulsory to shut up shop.

According to Empire HR, a national day will not automatically mean an extra days holiday. Companies do not have to honour the new holiday and employees should refer to their contract of employment to check their holiday entitlement. However, since the wedding will be an historic and momentous occasion, it may be mean spirited if a company doesn’t join in with the celebration and honour the public holiday.

A similar situation arose with the extra public holiday granted for the millennium. At the time a tribunal case considered contractual rights to holiday entitlement and ruled that unless it was clearly stated in the contract of employment, the employee would not be granted an additional day’s pay.

CEO of Empire HR, Steve Cook, is urging managers to examine the company approach to public holidays. He said; “Many contracts of employment state an employee is entitled to a fixed number of public holidays. Anyone who has a fixed number of public holidays written into their contract will not be entitled to the additional day off. As a result, anyone wishing to take the day off would have to book the day in accordance with their company annual leave policy. “Only employees whose contracts state the employee is entitled to all public holidays would be entitled to the extra day off. Of course it would be open to generous employers to give all employees an additional day off regardless of their contract terms.”

Empire HR provide commercially focused employment law and HR support service including a telephone advice line, HR Consultancy, employment tribunal insurance and health & safety support for businesses across Scotland. Empire HR can assist businesses on all aspects of holiday entitlement. For further information, please contact Empire HR on 01224 701383



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Employer Tribunal Nightmares

In the last year, there has been an increase of more than 50% in tribunal cases against employers with the economic downturn being blamed for the unprecedented rise.

Unfair dismissal is one of the most common type of claim but certainly the most expensive for an employer. Over 120,000 unfair dismissal claims were made in the last year, with average pay-outs of £8,000 up to a maximum of £76,700.

Leading Aberdeen-based employment law, HR and health & safety firm, Empire HR, is urging businesses to ensure there are certain procedures in place to avoid potential tribunal claims.

The firm says business leaders and managers should be taking a fresh look at their disciplinary policies and working practices to ensure that the risk of a claim is minimized.

Research has shown there is a increase in the willingness among employees to raise claims against their employer or former employer. Claims can now be made online making the process more accessible and with employees struggling to find another job they are much more likely to resort to litigation.

CEO of Empire HR, Steve Cook, said: “In the current economic climate, the effects of a successful claim could be disastrous for a business. It’s worth bearing in mind that it’s not just the actual compensation that costs the business money, as the time and resources spent on defending the claim can also severely affect the day-to-day running of a business.”

Mr Cook continued: “The rise in the number of dismissals over the past year, combined with the increasing awareness that employees have of their rights in the workplace have had a disastrous impact upon businesses.

“Factors such as the availability of legal information on the internet, the difficulty in finding new jobs, and the resulting poor financial situation of former employees means that people are more likely to file a claim than ever before.”

The good news, however, for employers is that statistics show employers with legal representation are more likely to be successful in defending any claims brought against them by former employees.

Here are ten employment tribunal stories that have been faced by some UK organisations:

Council facing potential pay out of £600m in equal pay case
Birmingham City Council is facing a hefty pay out after around 5,000 mainly female workers won their case for equal pay at a tribunal. Unions claim some female workers may be owed £30m in back-pay for bonuses paid only to their male counterparts. It is estimated the pay out could be up to £600m.

City lawyer awarded millions
A London lawyer who accused her bosses of destroying her career with a sexist bullying campaign accepted a secret pay-out of millions to drop her claim. She had been claiming a record £19million compensation deal over allegations that intimidation and sexual discrimination had left her 'mentally disabled'.

Hospital chief executive awarded £1.2m
The Royal Cornwall hospital had to pay-out £1.2 million to its former chief executive after he won a case claiming he was unfairly dismissed as a ‘whistle blower’.

Gay manager awarded £118,000 after only eight days of employment
A gay media sales manager was sacked after just eight days with a company because he was apparently not ‘psychologically balanced’. A tribunal heard the Glasgow man had been harassed and on one occasion been told he looked like a ‘cream puff’. He was awarded the compensation for discrimination on the grounds of his sexual orientation.

Company director awarded £68,000 for wrongful dismissal
A security company director was sacked under the grounds of the business’s financial difficulties. The director was apparently told by bosses he had to go due to lack of business, but when he was unable to find a new job the case was ruled as unfair dismissal and breach of contract, forcing the company to award him £68,000.

Teacher awarded £63,000 after unfair dismissal
A teacher in Blackpool won his case and was awarded £63,000 for unfair dismissal after imposing discipline on a disruptive pupil. The disciplined pupil claimed that she was unfairly treated which cost the science master his job leading to the unfair dismissal case.

£45,000 pay-out for cafe worker after being refused maternity pay
A cafe worker from Northern Ireland was awarded £45,000 for unfair dismissal. The woman
was working as a full time manager in the café for around 40–45 hours per week, however, the
owner had only been putting her down in the books for working 15 hours a week. When the
worker fell pregnant, the owner then claimed she didn’t qualify for maternity pay, prompting
the employee to raise a claim.

Accountant awarded almost £40,000 after unfair dismissal
An accountant from Perth was awarded £40,000 after being fired from his job accused of spending a “ridiculous amount of time” on the internet during working hours. It was later found that the management of the company had no idea how to interpret the internet usage reports and therefore the dismissal was treated as unfair.

Barmaid awarded more than £14,000 after text sacking
A Dundee barmaid who was sacked by text message by her boss was awarded more than
£14,000 at an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal. The barmaid, who had slept in for her
shift during the festive period, had previously worked 11 hours the day before her dismissal.
The barmaid was awarded a further £1,296 for breach of contract after being left alone in the
bar for more than two hours by her employee.

Wheelchair worker awarded £6,000 after being nicknamed by boss
A worker in a wheelchair who was nicknamed ‘Ironside’ after the disabled 1970s TV detective won a £6,000 payout for his ‘violated dignity’. Ironically, the ill-advised quip was made by a manager at a firm that helps people with disabilities return to work. The claimant took the company to a tribunal after finding out that he was being referred to as ‘Ironside’ behind his back.

Empire HR Ltd can assist businesses on all aspects of disciplinary action, from drafting the
disciplinary procedure to representation at tribunal.

For further information, please contact Steve Cook on 01224 701383 or email
s.cook@empirehr.com



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Winter blues in the workplace

As the winter months loom, the dark mornings and dark evenings leave many people feeling a little under the weather and not in the mood for work which leads to an increase in absence rates in the workplace.

Getting out of bed in the dark mornings can affect moral and have many people reaching for the duvet rather than the alarm clock. Low morale increases at this time of year leading to higher absences from work leaving employers with a costly problem.

The latest research by the CIPD reveals that, on average, sickness absence costs employers £692 per employee every year. Sickness absence also represents 3.1% of working time.

In 2009 absence levels stood at an average of 6.4 days per employee and research indicated that a staggering 180 million working days were lost to absence in 2009.

Leading Aberdeen-based employment law, HR and health & safety firm, Empire HR, is urging businesses to ensure they have the right procedures in place to handle absences at work as the winter months approach.

The current economic climate means that it is increasingly important to ensure that businesses are as efficient as possible. Successfully curbing absence costs could make a real difference to a business – potentially saving jobs.

Empire HR say the poor weather, post-summer and holiday blues along with the long wait for the next break from work creates a lack of enthusiasm for many employees who decide not to turn up for work in the morning.

Research found that two in five workers see less than half an hour of daylight during the winter working day and one in 10 sees no daylight at all, leading to slumps in productivity and motivation.

To combat this issue, some businesses introduce daylight initiatives in the winter months giving employees the option to attend work an hour later or finish an hour earlier and such schemes have seen an increase in staff morale.


Employees pulling sick days out of work are not just costly to the employer but also to their fellow work mates. Workload needs to be allocated to other employees leaving some overworked and this in turn can lead to further absences.

There is growing evidence that the longer the period of absence, the harder it is to return to work.
Most short term absence is self certified but there are a number of effective ways of managing this issue.

• Return to work interviews

• Disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence

• Use of trigger mechanisms to review attendance

• Involvement of managers in absence management

• Provision of sickness absence information to line managers

• Restricting sick pay Training managers to handle absences

• Involvement of occupational health professionals

Return to work interviews can help ensure that short term absence problems are identified at an early stage. They also provide managers with an opportunity to start a dialogue with staff over underlying issues which might be causing the absence.

CEO of Empire HR, Steve Cook said: “Absences in the workplace is costly, and the use of disciplinary procedures leading to dismissal for unacceptable absence may be used if organisations wish to make it clear that unjustified absence will not be tolerated. Overall, employers must have a clear policy in place that spells out rights and obligations when taking time off work due to sickness.”

Sickie Facts:

One in three sick days falls on a Monday

More days are lost in January than any other month

Musculo-skeletal conditions are top cause of all absence

Sick leave amongst women is 24% higher than amongst men

If you need help on any absence management issues contact Empire HR on 01224 701383.

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Tribunal Case Horror Stories - Trick or Treat?

Over the past year, tribunal cases have more than doubled in the UK, with the economic downturn being blamed on the unprecedented rise.

Steve Cook, Chief Executive of Empire HR based in Aberdeen discusses this with the Press & Journal.

In this article you will see some case studies that are more of a trick than a treat to employers!

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Empire HR Podcast No.3 - When work and religion clash

Podcast No.3 is now available where we explore the recent case with Transport for London and the muslim bus driver who stopped to have a prayer. We look at the facts surrounding the case and why Transport for London did not take action against the bus driver. We also look at the wider issue of discrimination and consistency when assessing disciplinary action.

You can download the podcast here

Abercrombie & Fitch Podcast

We've just released a podcast with comments from Steve Cook about the Abercrombie & Fitch story and why other clients shouldn't follow their lead.

You can subscribe to the podcast here.


When you get to the page, Episode 2 (Abercrombie & Fitch) may not be listed by iTunes yet however, if you "SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST" Episode 2 will automatically download for you.

Empire HR’s advice for businesses – do not follow Abercrombie & Fitch’s example!

Famous retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has sparked outrage in Aberdeen, after placing a controversial job advert outside its store.

The latest job advert stating “We are looking for cool and good looking people to represent our brands” has caused outrage and upset in the North East. 

The posting of the advert in Aberdeen’s Union Square has led to a local MSP calling for the advert to be removed, and has shocked the local community.

A spokesman for the Company has been quick to point out that the advert is not illegal, and does not breach any employment laws.

Empire HR recently highlighted that Abercrombie & Fitch was forced to defend a claim of Disability Discrimination last year, after an employee who had a prosthetic limb was kept off the shop floor as a result of the Companies 42 page ‘Look Policy’. 

However, the Company has rigorously defended its ‘Look Policy’, pointing out that they also have anti discrimination and harassment policies, as well as a diverse workforce.

Empire HR, a leading employment law and HR company has been quick to warn their clients against following the example of Abercrombie & Fitch. 

Steve Cook, CEO of Empire HR explains that “whilst the job advert is not actually illegal, it could lead to problems if a job applicant can prove that they didn’t get the job due to discrimination.  Of course, there is no legislation specifically preventing discrimination on the grounds of looks, but there is a risk that it could lead to a claim on the grounds of disability, age, or even sex discrimination”.

Mr Cook goes on to point out that “the danger is that a rejected older job applicant could claim that ‘cool’ infers ‘young’ and that they were turned down because they were too old.  Or a rejected disabled applicant may claim that ‘good looking’ means ‘physically perfect’ and that they didn’t get the job because they are disabled.”

This job advert does raise interesting points – the store clearly thrives on presenting an image of ‘coolness’ and their website features impossibly good looking men and women.  Those approached for job interviews in the recently opened Union Square centre have confirmed that good looking people were singled out, and they were not asked any questions relating to retail experience and skills.

So is it reasonable for a clothing retailer to simply recruit those who most closely reflect the image they want to present?  Businesses often spend large sums of money building up a brand and image, which are designed to target the type of customers they want to attract.  The shop assistants in a clothing shop will obviously be part of this image, so is it understandable that they should look a certain way?

However, perhaps Abercrombie has taken this a step too far?  Does the Company really need to have ‘model like’ shop assistants to sell its products?  Do we want to live in a society whereby the best looking people get the best jobs, and those of us with are not quite to perfect are left to take the not so good jobs?

 

Or should businesses be left to decide who they recruit?  Has employment law gone too far in protecting job applicants? 

What do you think?  Let us know by posting your comments below.


Other links to previous law suits against Abercrombie and Fitch include 2005 case and the widely reported case in the UK about Riam Dean's prosthetic arm

Adverse Weather Conditions

Empire HR has been inundated with requests for help from businesses throughout the North East following the recent winter weather.

The leading employment law and HR company has seen enquires relating to the poor weather soar, with many businesses finding that it difficult to cope in the face of worsening conditions.

Steve Cook, CEO of Empire HR explains: “The winter weather has caused serious problems for businesses throughout the UK this month, largely caused by the difficulties experienced by commuters. Coupled with school closures, the weather has led to absence levels soaring. Hopefully, we are over the worst, but it is worrying that the weather continues to cause such disruption to businesses during these difficult economic times.”

As the poor weather continues, how can businesses ensure they are able to cope during periods of extreme weather?

Although it may be impossible to avoid the entire impact of severe weather, it’s likely that taking a few simple steps could make a real difference. Therefore, the Empire HR team has been advising businesses on steps they can take to reduce disruption and how to deal with staff absences caused by the weather.

• Identifying key roles within the business means you can anticipate which roles absolutely must be covered if the weather is so severe that the person who normally carries out the role is unable to get to the office. This will lead on to considering how the role can be carried out in their absence. This is key to drafting a contingency plan to cover all emergency situations. Knowing that the essential staff are trained and aware of what they need to do in this sort of situation is invaluable.

• It is worth considering whether employees who cannot get into the office could work from home for a day or two. This could actually turn out to be a great opportunity to get some paper work or admin out of the way. This arrangement will be beneficial to both parties and avoid a wasted day.

• Alternatively, this could be an opportunity to reap the benefits of a flexible working scheme. If an employee cannot get into the office, could they make up the hours over the next couple of weeks. Sitting down with the relevant employee and coming to an arrangement about making up the hours is likely to have the added benefit of building a good relationship with the employee since both parties will ultimately get what they want.

• Those with children are obviously likely to be affected by school closures. This is a difficult situation since parents will need to sort out alternative childcare arrangements at very short notice, or even stay at home themselves. This is compounded by the last minute nature of the closures since parents may only discover the school is closed once they have arrived at the gates. Careful consideration should be given to this situation with regards to how the employee’s family needs can be accommodated. Alternative working arrangements such as working from home can be invaluable, or perhaps they could take the day off as annual leave.

• Health and safety factors will also need to be taken into account. Will the car park present a risk of slipping and falling over? If it is a private car park, arrangements will need to be made to clear the snow and grit the area. If you have employees with mobility issues or pregnant employees, it would be prudent to reserve spaces close to the building entrance for them. If your employees have managed to get into the office, are you sure that they will be able to get home? If the snow is falling heavily and you know your employees have a long drive home, it would be sensible to allow them to leave earlier than normal so that they can miss the rush hour gridlock.

• A pressing concern for both employers and employees is pay. Should an employee expect to be paid for an absence caused by severe weather? There is no legislation stipulating this. Many businesses never pay an employee if they are absent for this reason. However, some choose to do so in the interests of maintaining good employee relations and as a considerate gesture. When considering the issue of pay, it is essential to note that if a contract or handbook states that these absences will be paid, this should be adhered to. In addition, if these absences have been paid in the past a precedent may have been set. If you are unsure of whether or not to pay employees who have not made it into the office, it is well worth considering seeking advice on the issue.

• It can be difficult if it is suspected that an employee is taking advantage of the weather to simply get an extra day off work. A return to work interview or investigation meeting can help ascertain the true circumstances surrounding an absence. Of course, regardless of the reason, all employees can be expected to follow the standard absence reporting procedures. A failure to do so, and/or misuse of the system can ultimately be dealt with through the disciplinary procedure.

Click here for a free adverse weather policy.  For more information about Empire HR please click here