ProAction HR

So 2025 is nearly with us - what will the next year bring? HR has had to deal with so much post-Covid. Now we are being asked to do more with the same, or even less, resource. How is your business going to cope with an increasingly volatile employee relations world? We use the acronym DIGAM, which is really relevant when we look forward into 2025 and beyond: o Disciplinaries o Investigations o Grievances o Appeals o Mediation You might have survived the party season unscathed (did you?), but the need for these processes will increase as the UK employment market tightens in 2025, and we see the progression towards Day One Employment Rights. How do you presently plan for surges of work activity? At ProAction HR we are highly experienced in all elements of DIGAM! If you want to talk about a particular matter, in confidence, with an external HR professional, then drop us a line. First meeting is on us… YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

#seasonsgreetings #happyholidays #merrychristmas #happynewyear

The one that neartly got away! Thanks to Jon Craddock for mentioning this one recently to me. In the Budget, the Government announced legislation to change who has responsibility to account for PAYE where an umbrella company is used in a labour supply chain to engage a worker. Essentially the accounting for PAYE will move from the umbrella company that employs the worker, to the end client. Umbrella companies will still be a useful payroll operator perhaps, but you will no longer be able to outsource the underlying PAYE obligation and business will be ultimately responsible if the umbrella company operating payroll on their behalf fails to do so correctly. As always more will follow in due course. Look out for draft legislation ahead of its introduction to Parliament as part of the Finance Bill 2025. https://lnkd.in/eBwd7ZUa

To build on Joanne Hobbins thoughts on what went well in 2024 - what are you hoping to achieve in 2025? A Holiday's break is a good time to set your goals for 2025 - commit to them in writing - prepare for derailers (including your own internal obstacles!) - and take one little step at a time.

As we head into the party season, you want to be sure your workers are protected, and that you know how to respond to any issues that arise. With more high-profile accusations of alleged sexual harassment in the news over the last week, a lot of questions are being raised around what should have been done. Remember, not all Sexual Harassment or Sex-Based Harassment is intentional. For some people, there's a very blurred line. "𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳!", "𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮.", or "𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳." are common (unacceptable) responses to complaints. Training can help all of your staff understand what is - and is not - acceptable behaviour. Policies will ensure that everyone knows what to do if someone raises a complaint. Take the first step in making sure you are doing what is necessary to prevent sexual harassment in your workplace by downloading our FREE Worker Protection Act Checklist: https://lnkd.in/e2jHWtpP If you don't take action, your business could be at risk of huge employment tribunal payouts. We have put together a fixed price 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸 that will give you everything you need to: ✔️ assess the risks to your business and workers; ✔️ implement policies; ✔️ communicate to your staff; ✔️ get one-to-one guidance from an experienced HR professional. We think that this issue is so important that we've cut the price of our Worker Protection Act Pack to just £95 +VAT. Buy it here: https://lnkd.in/eYWZjM_r Make sure you put everything in place to protect your workers, protect your business and take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. #workerprotectionact #sexualharassment #employmentlaw

Check out the latest blog from Breathe (featuring our very own Martin Nicholson and Colleen Bloomfield Assoc CIPD) highlighting how important it is for employers to take action now to protect their businesses, and their workers, over the Christmas party season. #workerprotectionact #sexualharassment #sexbasedharassment #employmentlaw

"It made me uncomfortable," she said. "What am I meant to say in response to that?" a second person stated; when they were travelling together by car. She said he took out his phone and showed her photos of a woman in her underwear. Two of the many quotes from the allegations made against Gregg Wallace this week as reported by BBC News https://lnkd.in/eZYZFfTS As yet these are allegations only and will be investigated by the BBC of course. With the Worker Protection Act of 2023 now in place since October 26th 2024, we really don't need anymore high profile cases to demonstrate the risks involved here. Organisations across the UK have the duty to take preventative action to stop sexual harassment. Such quotes could imply that individuals have been affected by Gregg Wallace's behaviour and as such could be found to be sexual harassment, which the Equality and Human Rights Commission [EHRC] define as; 1.19 Sexual harassment occurs when a worker is subjected to unwanted conduct as defined in paragraphs 1.8 to 1.14 and which is of a sexual nature. The conduct need not be sexually motivated, only sexual in nature (s.26(2)). The EHRC go on to describe Sexual nature amongst other things as; - intrusive questions about a person’s private or sex life or a person discussing their own sex life - displaying sexually graphic pictures, posters or photographs Employers if you are reading this and have not taken action to risk assess, implement new policies and train your workers, get it done before Xmas! THIS sort of behaviour should never have been acceptable!

We've had a lot of conversations recently about the Worker Protection Act 2023, which became law on 26th October 2024. We were struck by how many people don't realise what it involves, and that it affects their business. It is not about: ❌ Health & Safety ❌ Discrimination ❌ Medical Insurance ❌ Equality ❌ Mental Health It affects every employer in the UK and 𝗜𝗦 about: ✅ Sexual Harassment ✅ Sex-based Harassment To help businesses understand what action they need to take, we've put together a FREE checklist. Download your copy here: https://lnkd.in/e2jHWtpP #workerprotectionact #sexualharassment #hrconsultant

Great article from Martin Nicholson about finding an HR partner that will help you get the best from your people.

A guide to what you should be looking for in an HR support provider.