Operational Efficiency

Former chef wins £13k after work argument is blamed on medical conditions

A former chef has won £13,455 after an argument she had at work in front of customers was attributed to symptoms of anxiety, depression and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

ONS sickness absence data: How can HR support sick employees?

The number of working days lost to sickness and injury in the UK in 2024 was 148.9m, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data published on Wednesday (4 June).

How to address the ethnicity pay gap

Do HR leaders have a responsibility to draw attention to the ethnicity pay gap? If so, how? As organiser of the University of East London (UEL)’s first Ethnicity Pay Gap Conference, Jummy Okoya shares...

Pay transparency: What you need to get your head around today  

We’ve heard a lot about pay transparency over the past couple of years, ramped up since the EU Pay Transparency Directive was passed in June 2023. Sat in the UK, it’s easy to dismiss this noise as...

Solicitor fined £9k for moonlighting

A property lawyer was struck off for holding three jobs at once while working remotely.

Easing the mental load of single parents at work

How often do we really stop to consider what it’s like to balance work, parenting, and life’s unpredictability without a partner to share the weight?

Employers should be "alarmed" by workplace disability discrimination, experts warn

Four in 10 (39%) workers have experienced bullying, harassment and discrimination at work due to their disability, according to survey findings published yesterday (3 June).

John Lewis staff call for bonuses to return: Can reward address employee discontent?

Employees from retail giant John Lewis Partnership have called on bosses to reinstate bonuses after a three-year hiatus, the Financial Times reported on Sunday (1 June).

Is your AI fair? How HR can tackle algorithmic gender bias

For HR leaders, AI promises speed, objectivity and consistency. But can we really trust AI to be fair?  

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Unused volunteering days cost employers £5k+ per person a year, research suggests

If employers maximised volunteering days, they could boost productivity by at least £5,239 per employee, per year, according to research findings published today (2 June), the start of Volunteers'...

Flight change: Why HR needs to get redundancies right

The Employment Rights Bill is set to change how employers deal with redundancies. What’s on the horizon, and how can HR prepare to help organisations get redundancies right? Simon Kent reports.

Almost half of kinship carers leave their jobs

Almost half (45%) of kinship carers leave their jobs when caring for a relative's or friend’s child, according to research findings published on Wednesday (28 May).