Hr Network Volume 15 Issue 3

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CONTENTS

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COVER STORY Strategic Workforce Planning: Completing the People Puzzle Andy Moore explores the topic of Strategic Workforce Planning

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CONTRIBUTORS

Founder and Publisher:

NEIL ARCHIBALD

Editor At Large: Location. Location. Location. p. 34

Lee Turner lee@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Neil is a freelance business journalist who has previously held senior HR positions

Senior Associate Editor: Andy Moore editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

KELLY FEEHAN

Deputy-Editor:

Insight: How to build trust in the workplace p. 42

Teresa Flannigan editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Kelly is the service director at CABA

Editor-At-large: Neil Archibald editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

LAURA TIMMS Insight: Why People Analytics is HR’s ‘secret weapon’ p. 43

Editor’s Assistant/Admin: Marion Robertson editor@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

Laura is product manager at MHR Analytics

Advertising/Sponsorship: Donna Turner advertising@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk

PHIL SPROSTON

Insight: Harness the harmony p. 44

Design:

Phil is the country manager for UK & Ireland for Top Employers Institute

Media Avenue Ltd and Alliance Creative Hr NETWORK now available on:

TRACEY GUEST

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hrnetwork1

Insight: Managing relationships in the workplace p. 45

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HrNETWORKNews

Tracey is an employment partner at Slater Heelis

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/hrnetworkscotland

Media Avenue Limited 18 Young Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4JB 0131 625 3267 www.hrnetworkjobs.com www.mediaavenue.co.uk

The views expressed in Hr NETWORK (SCOTLAND) are those of invited contributors and not necessarily those of Media Avenue Ltd. Media Avenue Ltd does not endorse any goods or services advertised, or any claims or representations made in any advertisement in Hr NETWORK (SCOTLAND) magazine and accepts no liability to any person for loss or damage suffered as a consequence of their responding to, or placing reliance upon any claim or representation made in any advertisement appearing in Hr NETWORK (SCOTLAND) magazine. Readers should make appropriate enquiries and satisfy themselves before responding to any such advertisement or placing reliance upon any such claim or representation. By so responding or placing reliance readers accept that they do so at their own risk. © Media Avenue Ltd. 2019

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WELCOME

January 2020 marketplace, will provide valuable insight into implementing a successful strategic workforce plan.

This Issue In this issue of the magazine, Andy Moore looks at ‘Strategic Workforce Planning’ as a prelude to the main theme at this year’s Hr NETWORK Conference & Exhibition.

The regular sections of the magazine include: Five Fab…, Stats and The Bookshop.

The ‘Insights’ section features first class comment from those in the know on a range of subjects including: Workplace Trust, People Analytics, Workplace Harmony, Workplace Relationships.

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very Happy New Year from everyone at Hr NETWORK and we are very excited about bringing our readers lots of news updates and features as we proceed through 2020. In this first issue of the New Year and a new decade, we are delighted to showcase all the winners from the November Awards gala dinner, which took place at the Glasgow Hilton on Thursday 14th November.

The feedback from the Gala Dinner, which attracted around 800 HR & people professionals, was amazing yet again and we have had many exciting conversations about the Awards for this year.

I hope you enjoy your copy of Hr NETWORK Magazine and look forward to seeing you at one of the forthcoming events.

Look out for some new categories being announced soon and new sponsors for 2020. There’s a full review of all the winners and sponsors from the night in our Awards review, starting on page 24.

We have a wide range of other hugely anticipated and exciting events taking place throughout 2020 including: Hr40 Dinners, Annual Leaders Dinner and the Nominees Lunch.

More notably the Hr NETWORK team is now fully immersed in plans for this year’s hugely exciting and much anticipated Hr NETWORK ‘Strategic Workforce Planning’ Conference and Exhibition taking place at the Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh’s West End on Thursday 14th May. Speakers from a range of awardwinning organisations who have created and implemented a sustainable strategic workforce plan, and are reaping significant organisational benefits that have led to increased productivity, enhanced job satisfaction and gained a clear competitive advantage in their

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Lee Turner Publisher

There’s a full review of all the winners and sponsors from the night in our Awards review, starting on page 24.

Contributors: Neil Archibald, Kelly Feehan, Laura Timms, Phil Sproston and Tracey Guest.

Hr NETWORK also available on: LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hrnetwork1 Twitter: www.twitter.com/HrNETWORKNews YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ hrnetworkscotland

NEWS

New research reveals over 4 million workingclass men are suffering in silence with their mental health in the UK

The report published by Public First and commissioned

by Kindred Group centres upon new research of 4,000 UK adults – one of the largest of its kind ever undertaken – and shows that 4.34 million (28%) working-class (C2DE) men have suffered the symptoms of a mental health issue that they thought might require treatment in the last 12 months but decided not to seek medical help. And with awareness of the symptoms lower among working class men (54% aware of the symptoms, compared to 66% of the rest of UK adults), the challenge is apparent.

OVER 4 MILLION working class-men are suffering in silence with their mental health, new research reveals recently. For the first time, the huge barriers that exist in tackling mental health problems among working class men in the UK have been analysed – with a potential new solution using the power of sport also identified.

Mental ill health is estimated to cost the UK economy somewhere in the region of £70bn – £100bn a year, so the benefits of solving the challenge are clear. The new survey revealed that 1.7 million (11%) working-class men had to take some time off work, 2.3 million (15%) found it difficult to focus and 1.2 million (8%) lost or changed their job through experiencing symptoms of mental ill health.

Neil Banbury at Kindred Group, said: “The findings in this report are stark, and provide us all with a reminder that the issue of mental health in the UK is an enormous challenge that needs solving. Suffering from a mental health issue is not a weakness and that narrative needs to change so that those suffering in silence and not currently getting the help they need have better opportunities to access support.

“This report shows there is a new way forward – by working together as sponsors, football clubs and wider health services we have a huge opportunity to change things for the better using the power of sport and football.”

UK’s Recruitment Revolving Door Two fifths of UK businesses are in a constant battle with staff leaving, whilst 47 percent expect to lose over a tenth of their work force in any given year, according to new research

by Oleeo. Further contributing to the UK’s ‘recruitment revolving door’, 14 percent of HR heads expect new hires to leave within just 30 days, and 39 percent are accustomed to new employees leaving within six months of accepting a role.

Charles Hipps, CEO and Founder at Oleeo, the leading global provider of innovative talent acquisition technology, comments: “The scale of the problem is clear to see.

In an age where HR teams are fighting a myriad of challenges in a bid to find people who are right for both their roles and organisations, staff churn is a constant thorn in their side.

“Our data shows that 31 percent of UK recruiters classify a long-term employee as someone who remains in their role for just 18 months or less, meaning businesses are wasting excessive amounts of time and money on recruitment which is failing in the long-term. This has a fundamental impact on a company’s bottom line, its performance and the workload facing its HR team.”

Oleeo’s ‘See The Unseen’ report, which analysed the responses of more than 100 leading HR heads, suggests that even when a candidate is found and successfully recruited, there

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is a considerable delay until they deliver, with many never actually reaching the desired level.

71 percent of HR professionals say it takes a new starter three months or more to be fully up to speed, with 14 percent saying it takes between nine months to a year. Interestingly, almost half believe new employees live up to expectations less than 20 percent of the time. Having staff underperforming for such a significant period of time inevitably impacts colleagues, and the company’s bottom line.

The recruitment process itself brings with it a plethora of problems.

There are now 91 touch points in the average recruitment process making it unbelievably complex, yet HR teams are increasingly being judged on their speed to hire.

NEWS

Skills boost for Scotland’s Life and Chemical Sciences Sector Businesses in Scotland’s Life and Chemical Sciences sector are being offered help to develop talent through a new online portal.

The portal, which was launched in late 2019 is the result of a partnership involving Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Scottish Development International and has been co-designed by employers.

It helps employers explore training and learning options for their current and future workforce, and is aimed not only at businesses based in Scotland but those looking to invest here.

Dave Tudor, co-chair of the Life Sciences Scotland Industry Group, said: “The Life and Chemical Science sector aims to achieve a £8million turnover by 2025. To make this a reality, businesses looking to invest in Scotland, and those here already based here, need to have access to a detailed picture on the workforce and the breadth & depth of the learning opportunities available.

“The Workforce Development Portal gives businesses up-to-date information, but in an accessible way. It has been designed by industry for industry – offering a real step-change in the support for the sector.”

Using the portal, employers can identify the range of learning pathways available – from the apprenticeship family, through to Degree level and up-skilling.

First flexible working festival for Scotland announced Scotland’s first ‘festival’ of flexible working to help businesses harness the power of flexible working will take place in January 2020. Research by Family Friendly Working Scotland shows that nine in ten (87%) Scottish business leaders who offer flexibility say it’s good for business. But there are many more employers want to be more flexible but don’t know where to start.

Tackling this conundrum head-on, Family Friendly Working Scotland will host Scotland’s inaugural FlexibleWorkFest – on Thursday 30 January 2020 at Whitespace in Edinburgh. Attendees can explore how workplace innovation, such as embracing flexible working, makes employees happier and businesses prosper through TED-style big conversations and panel discussions involving awardwinning organisations that already work flexibly.

Sessions with experts from organisations including Barclays, Arnold Clark, City and Building include: • Healthy, happy employees – how to get it right • The four-day working week and why it works • Flex in non-office jobs and sectors – it can be done • What millennials really want from work and how to deliver it Aviva, Deloitte, Quorum Network Resources and Pursuit Marketing will also be sharing their business journeys and giving examples of best practice that create engagement with employees and drive business growth.

Nikki Slowey, co-director at Family Friendly Working Scotland, said: “The benefits of flexible working in terms of productivity, staff recruitment and retention and reduced sickness absence are well documented. This combined with changes to our workforce with increasing numbers of working parents and those caring for elderly relatives as well as rising mental health and wellbeing issues, means employers are increasingly turning to flexible working to help them face the challenges of a modern responsible businesses.

Shelley Kerr, head coach for the Scotland Women’s National Football Team, will also speak at the event. She led the team in its recent World Cup campaign and exemplifies how parenthood needn’t be a barrier to professional success. She said: “Flexible working isn’t just about mothers, it’s about inclusivity and making sure we aren’t letting hard-working, capable employees slip away.

I can’t wait for FlexibleWorkFest to hear other real-life success stories of work-life balance.”

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NEWS

Employers play a vital role in supporting employees with cancer Leading employee benefits provider, Unum, have highlighted how important it is for employers to provide the right support for employees impacted by cancer throughout their journey from diagnosis through treatment to recovery and possible return to work.

BBC presenter, and current Classic FM host, Bill Turnbull, who was diagnosed in 2017 with prostate cancer, talked about how it has affected him both personally and professionally at a recent event hosted by Unum.

It is an accepted fact that now one in two people in the UK will get

cancer in their lifetime. In the context of an ageing work force, 125,000 of working age adults are diagnosed with cancer annually, meaning that cancer is becoming an issue which will impact most businesses whatever the size.

In 2018, cancer was the top cause of long-term sickness absence claims paid by Unum.

Upon returning to work, Unum’s research found that 28% of workers with cancer, or who have had cancer, said they didn’t receive any support, or the support they did receive fell below their expectations when they were at work following their diagnosis.

84% agreed their loyalty towards employers could have been influenced by the amount of support they received, and 3 out of 4 workers worried about the cost of cancer and how their families would cope with loss of income if they had to give up work.

Employers can help by ensuring that the right support is put in place to help the employee throughout their treatment and possible return to work.

The panel agreed that one effective way of doing this is to ensure all guidelines and advice, relating

to cancer is available in one place, easily accessible to both employees and employers.

Bill Turnbull says: “It’s been two years since my diagnosis and my life has changed forever. While I’ve had my ups and downs, it’s been the support of those around me who have helped me, and this extends beyond my family and friends to include my employer and colleagues at work.

I think being able to go back to work is a huge part of being able to feel normal again. It’s vital that employers understand how important the support they provide to their employees with cancer is in helping them cope and live with this disease”.

Almost half of women in tech feel gender pay gap is still an issue Ivanti have announced survey results that find the majority of women who work in the technology industry are still experiencing inequality when it comes to salary and career progression.

Flexible and part-time work schedules and career advancement are also topics those surveyed identified as areas for improvement. Respondents cited both as key drivers for employee satisfaction and retention. According to over half of respondents (51%), greater availability of flexible working policies would attract them to a new role, while one third stated that greater support from their employer for part-time work in management positions would help progress their career.

The Ivanti Women in Tech Survey 2019 surveyed over 800 women about their experiences and priorities working in the technology industry. Despite the implementation of equal pay legislation in the U.S. and UK in 1963 and 1970 respectively, the report revealed that pay is still a key issue for many of the respondents.

Interestingly, the perception of a “glass ceiling” holding women in technology back is greater in 2019 than 2018.

As many as 31% cited this as a key challenge, up from 2018’s figure of 24%.

Nearly two in three (64%) stated that equality in pay and benefits is the main factor that would attract them to a new role, while 46% suggested the industry still needs to close the gender pay gap to encourage more women into the industry.

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NEWS

New research reveals the best way to pay call centre workers People are not machines and according to new research from the UCL School of Management, a proper way to motivate call centre workers is to strip away their hourly wage.

According to Assistant Professor Dongyuan Zhan call centres currently use incentives, which are effectively

redundant. Zhan said: “By simply offering rewards for the amount of calls they make, call centre employees are often ringing customers just to hang up on them.

“Encouraging workers to work as fast as possible also means there is likely to be a larger number of mistakes, whilst being too slow results in a loss of productivity.”

As well as the errors in motivating staff, the researchers found that the allocation of calls, and staffing in call centres are also ineffective.

“In the current model, customers are placed in a queue, and their calls

are routed to the next available employee. This is the starting point to study more complicated systems with multiple types of customers and employees in the future, rather than customers queuing in a single line, assuming the company has exactly one service.” says Zhan.

Call centres are not listening to their customers and are not solving their problems effectively. This research shines a new light on why they are failing and how they can improve the staffing and compensation scheme for their employees.

75% of businesses surveyed say disabled people face barriers when job hunting When quizzed on where they turn for support in order to boost disability inclusion, respondents identified HR consultancies, BDF and internal employee networks (selected by 80%, 67% and 60% respectively).

Just 7% said they rely on external recruitment providers for assistance.

The findings come at a time when the employment rate for working age disabled people sits at just 52%.

For individuals without disabilities, this figure stands at 81.5%.

Just 53% of businesses actively seek and welcome disabled candidates – despite the fact that 73% say that are currently facing skills shortages.

That is according to a survey of 392 employers undertaken by one of the UK’s leading staffing companies and managed recruitment service providers, Intelligent Resource.

In addition, 75% of businesses admit that disabled applicants face barriers when job hunting, with online applications and assessments, face-toface interviews and telephone

interviews flagged as the stages where challenges are most often faced (identified by 44%, 38% and 31% respectively).

The research also found that 80% believe they ‘could do more’ to attract disabled jobseekers while just 40% of those surveyed were ‘very confident’ in supporting disabled jobseekers and existing employees. This desire to improve in this area seems to be reflected in the fact that 67% of companies reported actively recording disability data.

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Diane Lightfoot, CEO at Business Disability Forum, said: “One in five people have a disability and most people acquire their disability when they are of working age. Yet, the percentage of disabled people in employment remains far below the national average. External recruitment providers have a vital role to play in promoting disabled talent and supporting employers to remove the barriers that many candidates face when seeking and securing employment.”

NEWS

Less than 10% of UK CEOs have a financial incentive to tackle climate crisis

Back to school for two-thirds of SME leaders as business confidence increases The majority of leaders of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country have plans to brush up their skills in 2020, according to new research from Hitachi Capital Business Finance. New research showed that 69% were planning on attending courses this year, with leaders in the manufacturing (82%), legal (85%) and transport (73%) sectors the most likely to say they want training.

Less than 10% of UK CEOs have financial incentives in place to be environmentally friendly in their business practices and thus tackle the climate crisis, according to new research from Vlerick Business School. In fact, the researchers found that only 6 percent of UK CEOs have in their bonus a KPI focusing on the environment, and less than one per cent have long-term incentives focused on this area.

This research comes from Xavier Baeten, a professor in reward and sustainability at Vlerick Business School and director of the school’s Executive Remuneration Research Centre, alongside Vlerick researcher, Bettina De Ruyck. The study examined the pay levels, habits and incentives of CEOs and CFOs in 899 major European companies. The main focus of this was on the STOXX 600 – a stock index of the 600 largest firms across European countries, including 159 UK firms.

Analysis of data on the 159 UK companies by the researchers revealed that over 90 per cent of CEOs were given no financial incentive to focus on sustainability or environmental initiatives. UK CEOs had more incentives – both short-term and long-term – focused around income, revenue and profit, employees, customers, safety, innovation and shareholder return.

Professor Xavier Baeten said: “There is a general consensus in business, certainly among larger firms, that there is a climate crisis and that different stakeholders have to play a role in becoming part of the solution. They now understand how their practices are impacting the environment, and are actively looking to implement initiatives that focus on being more environmentally friendly. However, our research shows that for the overwhelming majority of UK firms, there is no incentive for the top CEOS to enact these environment focused initiatives and policies”.

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Top of the list of development areas was digital skills. Of the business leaders with plans for training, 38% said they were after more skills to improve their knowledge of software, the internet and social media.

Interestingly, this figure increased to 51% of leaders in the retail sector – a sign of the direction of travel as shops increasingly move away from the high street and increasingly online. Marketing and PR was also a big consideration for around a quarter (28%) of business leaders.

Similarly, with a clearer position on Europe potentially around the corner, one in four (25%) would now like professional guidance on the likely impact of Brexit on their business. This was most keenly felt by leaders in the agriculture (27%), real estate (24%), and hospitality (24%) sectors.

Interestingly the proportion of business leaders under 35 with plans for training in the New Year shot to a massive nine in 10 (88%). While digital skills were a priority, the environment was a massive consideration for this group – 29% said they wanted training on how to make their businesses more environmentally friendly compared with a national average of 15%.

More broadly, the same research found that confidence within the small business community is gradually increasing. Four in five (81%) SMEs had plans to invest in the New Year to grow their business, while 36% expected their businesses to grow in the next three months.

HONOURING

Third of Brits are unprepared for their financial futures The UK’s leading price comparison website MoneySuperMarket, looks at UK savings and discovers that many Brits haven’t made provisions for their dependants after they die or started planning for their finances in later life.

Just 42% of all respondents admit to currently having life insurance – 9% more than in 2018. However almost half (46%) still do not plan on taking out a life insurance policy, despite it being one of the best ways to clear debt and help dependants after the policyholder’s death.

The data shows that 92% of Brits are also unaware of how much they need in their pension pot to live

a comfortable life in retirement.

The average pension pot can require as much as £298,000.

Despite this, millennials (18-34-year olds) in particular show a lack of knowledge about pension planning, with 62% of them underestimating the amount needed to live comfortably in retirement, with 16% thinking they would only need £50,001-£100,000.

42% of all respondents said they are saving for retirement, yet for 18-24year olds a home is a higher priority, with 58% saving for a property. On the other hand, women are more likely to put money aside for a holiday than men (12% of women vs. 9% of men).

Rachel Wait from MoneySuperMarket, commented: “Brits face all sorts of calls on their money and it’s easy to see why the cost of everyday living can trump longer-term objectives such as saving for retirement – especially if you’re not fully aware of how much you’ll need in retirement. But anyone who can get into the savings habit gives themselves a better chance of building up the sort of pension kitty that’s needed to fund a comfortable lifestyle once they stop work.

“Anyone who has dependents should consider life insurance in order to ensure financial security for their loved ones. Policies can be set up to pay off a mortgage and other debt, as well as help provide money to meet the day-to-day financial needs of those left behind if the policyholder passes away.

As a result, it’s important that people take the time to look for a policy that’s best suited for their needs.”

10% of meetings workers book are FAKE New data from meetings technology providers Synergy SKY reveals 10% of workers are regularly booking fake meetings into their diary to keep colleagues thinking they are busier than they really are.

Whilst everyone appreciates that meetings get moved or cancelled frequently depending on various factors, it’s when workers repeatedly book meetings that literally nobody is attending that raises the question “why?”.

The study conducted by Synergy SKY, who’s meeting technology Synergy of Things tracks almost every possible conference call metric including “no-show detection” allowing managers to see stats on meeting attendance, reveals the average UK worker that books fake meetings is clocking up some 3 hours a week or over 150 hours a year in “fake meeting time”. That works out at just over a whole month of deliberately wasted meeting-resources & time per year!

The research reveals that 32% of the meetings it suspects are fakes are due to employee’s booking out their calendar & meeting rooms on a regular basis to appear to be busy or simply blocking out their time and resources so other people cannot take it thus avoiding work or other meetings entirely.

Synergy’s motion detection technology can tell these meetings are not taking place, as nobody is physically present.

The tracking by Synergy SKY is not able to tell exactly what workers regularly exhibiting this suspicious behaviour are actually doing but it does make you wonder when colleagues are regularly vanishing for “meetings”, are they really? Or are they sneaking out to the local Cafe for some personal time?

The study which analysed over 2500 meetings conducted via it’s software in 2019 was able to identify clusters of repeat meeting behaviour and it was on this basis Synergy SKY decided to conduct this study and uncover the truth.

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

“Over the next decade, HR roadmaps will navigate even more towards vital human aspects such as mental health awareness and support” There are a multitude of areas where AI can assist using data and other automated approaches.”

in the face of frugal budgets – but be mindful of excessive workplace stress, job dissatisfaction and, ultimately, higher staff turnover.

In the future, HR will have to modify itself, he says, so it is less about process and procedure, and much more about employee culture and health.

“In the new decade, HR will have to look at the efficiencies in people, practices and technology. Often, people can become too inefficient because they are being pushed too hard,” he suggests. “Multitasking can be counter-cultural to how the human mind works, that everyone must do much more all the time. HR needs to think what success looks like, both organisationally and on a national level.”

“Over the next decade, HR roadmaps will navigate even more towards vital human aspects such as mental health awareness and support,” Steven sums up. “Patterns and locations of work, combined with the right tools will make it easier for employees to perform in their roles, more efficiently, effectively and harmoniously.”

Microsoft recently experimented with a four-day working week and discovered that productivity as part of the business increased by 40% under its “Work-Life Choice Challenge.”

The 2020’s will indeed be about working even smarter, not harder.

Over the new decade, Steven predicts that organisation scale will also play a part in workforce planning, for example the obligations on larger employers with broader and more diverse people functions. A case in point is a finance department that requires 10 HR people.

Strategic Workforce Planning for the 2020’s • Technology, flexible working, culture and wellbeing are the trends

“Larger organisations must be at the very forefront of alternative and flexible working patterns because they have the critical mass to resource these elements,” he adds. “Smaller organisations – from 50 to 250 employees – are under much more pressure to facilitate compressed working hours.”

• 82% of HR leaders predict their roles will be unrecognisable in 10 years • It will hinge around wider and more diverse talent pools

While technologies such as AI and machine learning may foster greater efficiency, Steven reiterates that HR must not forget the ‘human’ element of human resources by delivering wellbeing, recognition and reward initiatives. These must address stress, maintain work/life balance, morale and, ultimately, their loyalty, motivation and performance.

• 53% of HR leaders struggle to make the business case for change • It is important to take productivity statistics in isolation

Practitioners are becoming ever aware of employee burnout, and are re-examining their practices. This is reflected by the proliferation of psychology research and support programmes that all prove that 20th century work practices are no longer fit for the 21st century.

• HR will face even greater economic pressures to reduce employee costs • It must not forget the ‘human’ element of human resources

But what about HR’s own role in the 2020’s? “So many HR processes can be automated – for example requesting new team members. Automation is about very simple processes for practitioners and many already do them.

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STATS

83% do not know where to locate the first aid kit Do you know where it is? You’re not alone: Most workers don’t even know what’s inside the kit when they find it.

Five out of six British workers have no idea where their workplace first aid kit is located, and even more don’t have a clue what to do once they’ve found it.

That’s the incredible findings of a UK health and safety consultancy, which has uncovered a massive gap in first aid knowledge and training across the British workforce.

UK based Protecting.co.uk says that companies should do more to hammer home the simple steps to ensure that workplace incidents are dealt with smartly and quickly by people who know what they’re doing.

Finding the big green box Protecting.co.uk spoke to over 750 workers in British offices, factories, garages and other workplaces and found: • 83% did not know where their first aid box was located • 92% could not describe the contents of a first aid box beyond “sticking plasters and bandages” • Only 1% said they knew first aid, or had been on a first aid course

The trouble is that a significant number of people think they’ll know what to do if there’s an accident that requires a first aider: • 12% of those asked thought that watching Casualty and other medical dramas on TV gave them a significant grounding in emergency medicine.

• Sterile eye pads • Eye wash and eye bath • Plasters, wipes and adhesive tape • Disposable gloves • Face shield for mouth-to-mouth • Distilled water

What’s in a first aid box?

If you’ve got plasters and bandages – congratulations, you’ve made a start on the happy voyage into first aid knowledge.

What people do not know is that the workplace first aid kit is kept as simple as possible to make sure that nobody tries anything that is beyond their capabilities.

The standard first aid kit should contain: • Contents list and basic first aid advice leaflet • Sterile gauze dressings • Triangular and crepe bandages • Finger dressings and dressings for burns • Safety pins

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• Tweezers and scissors First aid kits in the construction industry, for childcare, and for food service may contain variations.

But all come with one important warning: If it looks serious, call 999 immediately.

First Aid is an important skill to have in the workplace. With any luck you could go your entire career without needing to use it – but it’s a skill that could save a colleague’s life should the worst happen.

RECOGNISE

ACKNOWLEDGE

REWARD

SAVE THE DATE! NATIONAL AWARDS 2020 in partnership with

Gala Dinner, Glasgow Hilton, Thursday 26th November 2020 For further details contact the Awards Planning Team on Tel: 0131 625 3267 or email: awards@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk www.hrnetworkjobs.com

LEGAL BITES

PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT LEAVE AND PAY

The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act 2018 is expected to come into force in 2020. This entitles primary carers – including foster parents and guardians – as well as parents, to time off work following the death of a child. Under the new legislation, parents or carers will be able to take at least two weeks’ leave following the loss of a child under the age of 18. This also applies to a stillbirth that occurs after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Paid leave will be calculated at the statutory rate for employees

with 26 weeks’ continuous service, while other workers will be entitled to unpaid leave. Leave can either be taken as a single block, or two separate blocks of one week.

A period of 56 weeks following the child’s death applies, enabling parents to take time off for events such as anniversaries. Provisions have also been introduced so leave can be taken without prior notice, and parents will not be required to present their employer with a death certificate as evidence.

RAISING THE BREAK OF SERVICE PERIOD

Businesses currently use a one-week-gap (SaturdaySaturday) to determine a break in the continuity of service, but this will be changing from 6 April 2020. In a bid to make it easier for employees with non-standard working patterns to accrue continuity of service, the break period

will be increased to four weeks. Temporary workers are likely to receive the greatest benefit from the change, as it will make it easier to meet the two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal rights.

NEW REFERENCE RULES FOR HOLIDAY PAY CALCULATIONS

as holiday pay cycles will often vary from business to business. For example, those who operate annual leave entitlement on a calendar year basis may wish to bring in the new rules from 1 January 2020, ahead of the 6 April deadline. These changes will be particularly pertinent for employers following a ruling made at the Court of Appeal in 2019. Lesley Brazel, a part-time music teacher working at Bedford Girls’ School, was successful in a case against her employer where she argued that her holiday pay had been incorrectly calculated. Ms Brazel works between 10 to 15 hours a week during term-time, and her holiday pay was calculated as a percentage of the number of hours worked over the course of the year. The judge ruled that it should have been allocated based on her average weekly pay over a 12-week term, as per the Working Time Directive.

As of 2020, the government is increasing the holiday pay reference period for workers with variable pay from 12 to 52 weeks. If the employee has been working for less than 52 weeks, the period should include as many whole weeks of pay information that are available. Companies need to decide when they implement these changes,

The ELAS Group is a leading provider of business support services and training to companies across the UK. The group is comprised of ELAS Business Support, ELAS Occupational Health Ltd, STS and Occupational Medicals Enterprise (OME).

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NATIONAL AWARDS 2019 in partnership with

AWARDS

NATIONAL AWARDS 2019 in partnership with

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THURSDAY 14TH MAY 2020

THURSDAY 14TH MAY 2020