FAMILY-FRIENDLY RIGHTS

The XpertHR employment law manual has been enhanced by the addition of a new chapter on family-friendly rights.

This groups together and expands on the guidance on maternity, paternity and adoption pay previously found in the "pay for employees not at work" section of the pay and benefits chapter of the manual, along with the guidance on pregnancy and maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, parental leave and the right to request flexible working previously found in the employee rights chapter.

Where appropriate, individual subsections now also contain an "additional resources" box, which links to relevant policies and documents, FAQs, practical guidance and case studies, helping users find more of what XpertHR has to offer on the subject quickly and easily.

Jo Stubbs, Editor

Take part in our research

Take part in our overtime survey
XpertHR is conducting a survey of overtime, looking primarily at arrangements and pay rates. Take part and you will be entitled to a complimentary copy of our findings as soon as our research has been completed.

Benchmark absence and turnover rates with our survey
The XpertHR staff absence and labour turnover survey is your chance to benchmark your organisation's figures against those of other employers.

Employment law

Employment law manual update: new family-friendly rights chapter
The XpertHR employment law manual has been enhanced by the addition of a new chapter on family-friendly rights.

Government consults on repeal of Equality Act third-party harassment provisions
The Government is consulting on proposals to repeal the third-party harassment provisions in the Equality Act 2010.

Government proposes repeal of discrimination questionnaires and tribunals' wider recommendation powers
The Government is consulting on the repeal of provisions in the Equality Act 2010 that prescribe questionnaires for an individual who thinks that he or she has been discriminated against to gather information from an employer, and those that give employment tribunals the power to make wider recommendations in discrimination cases.

Unfair dismissal qualifying period: exceptions
We look at some of the reasons for dismissal that do not require a period of qualifying service for the dismissed employee to be able to lodge an unfair dismissal claim.

Olympics: employer guidance
To help employers deal with any issues that arise in the run-up to, and during, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have gathered together information from XpertHR on the subject, along with links to external resources for employers.

Case reports stop press
XpertHR's case reports stop press service highlights recent key cases, including the Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in Prior v City Plumbing Supplies Ltd that an employee who was unfairly dismissed because the employer believed his prison sentence frustrated his contract of employment was guilty of contributory conduct.

HR policy and strategy

XpertHR adds more events to HR calendar
Our 2012 calendar covers: forthcoming legislation and cases on appeal; XpertHR surveys, conferences and events; religious festivals; bank/public holidays; training dates; and much more.

Redundancies remain on the agenda in 2012
Widespread redundancy programmes are back on the agenda for the majority of organisations, our latest survey finds, with no signs of the situation improving in 2012.

Health and safety

Employees with epilepsy: good-practice guidance
A new guidance booklet is available that covers the effects of epilepsy and illustrates best practice on helping employees to cope with the condition in the workplace.

International

International guide updates: May 2012
Updates to XpertHR's international section this month include changes to the Belgium and Greece guides.

From our blogs

Racehorse owner's driver unfairly dismissed over bone fed to dog
A round-up of links to news items on employment tribunal rulings in the week beginning 7 May 2012, including a driver being unfairly dismissed by a millionaire racehorse owner for feeding a piece of leftover lamb to an ailing Labrador.

How has responsibility for HR activities changed over the past decade?
How has the allocation of responsibility for key HR activities changed over the past decade? A new XpertHR Benchmarking report reveals some long-term trends.

What are the key characteristics of leaders in the digital era?
As business moves ever further into what we might term the digital era, how are our expectations of leaders and leadership changing and evolving?

Do we need to communicate more about reward and benefits?
The latest annual reward management survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggests that employers' reward spend is not fully understood or appreciated by staff due to a lack of education and communication.

News from XpertHR

Coming soon to XpertHR
Forthcoming additions to XpertHR include an absence rates survey and a good practice guide on stress.

Latest additions to XpertHR services
A number of enhancements have been made to XpertHR's case reports stop press and employment law manual sections.