Many staff lucky enough to have bought tickets or arranged to volunteer at the Olympic Games have already started booking time off to ensure they make the most of the once-in-a-lifetime event.

But bosses have been warned that if they have not already put in place policies to deal with staff absence, now is the time to do so – or they risk a glut of complaints when workers have their requests for time off refused.

Peter Mooney, head of employment law at business support specialist, ELAS, said: “Every employer is bound to have some staff who want time off during the Games, whether that is to go to watch the events, to volunteer at them, or just to watch their favourite athletes compete on TV.

“But no business can afford to have too many people off at any one time, and from a manager’s point of view the most important thing is to be seen to be fair when deciding who to allow to take annual leave and who not.

“That means not only having a clear and robust policy on how you’re going to deal with requests for annual leave, but reminding staff about it well in advance.”

The simplest system is to grant annual leave on a first come, first served basis, Mr Mooney said. But in order to give everybody a chance, managers should write to their teams now explaining that that is the case.

Many managers will be able to afford to have more than one person off at a time, so then a decision needs to be taken about how many will be allowed time off at once – and whether any rules are needed around which people cannot take holiday at the same time.

In the case of two requests being made simultaneously, managers are allowed to use their discretion to decide which person to favour – such as giving holiday to someone with tickets over someone who simply wants to watch their favourite event on TV – but any such reasoning will then need to be applied equally in all similar cases or run the risk of a claim for discrimination.

Furthermore, with other sporting favourites such as Wimbledon, the European Football Championships and the Paralympics all being held this summer, any policy put in place for the Olympics must apply equally to other sporting events as well, Mr Mooney added.

Finally, once those policies are in place, staff will need reminding that any unauthorised absences during these times will be frowned upon.

He said: “This year promises to be a real summer of sport but that always brings with it a few headaches for managers.

“In every situation their only priority should be to be fair to everyone. Bosses need to set their stall out now, then stick to it – rigidly, if needs be.

“That means that if anybody applies for holiday, is refused it, then rings in sick on the day they wanted off, managers need to deal with that as a potential disciplinary offence.”

As well as time off, Mr Mooney also recommended tackling whether company drivers will be allowed to attach flags to their vehicles, and consider buying TV licences to cover anybody watching sports coverage online at their desks.

Welcoming today’s announcement of a £126m scheme targeted at 55,000 teenagers who fall into this category, the CIPD highlighted the fact that this group are likely to fall into unemployment even in better economic times – and pointed to research showing that early contact with employers has a significant beneficial impact on future employment prospects.

Katerina Rüdiger, skills policy adviser at the CIPD, said: “The CIPD has consistently warned that overplayed ‘lost generation’ rhetoric around youth unemployment risks diverting attention away from the persistent and serious structural element of youth unemployment – affecting around 10% of young people in good economic times and bad.  In that context, we welcome today’s announcement of a scheme specifically targeted at the most difficult-to-reach groups with the poorest qualifications.

“Well before the recession hit, the CIPD was finding a marked preference amongst employers to recruit people with more experience, even to entry level jobs – to the detriment of young school leavers.  However, we’ve also seen, through initiatives we’re running to give young people access to voluntary guidance and mentoring from our members, that young people can quickly have their confidence and ability to impress employers boosted sufficiently to find work.  We also know that employers who do hire young school leavers have far more positive views of the potential of younger employees than those who do not.

“If we can break the cycle of no experience, no job, there is a real opportunity to boost employer perceptions of young people, and spare the economy the negative consequences of a significant minority of young people who grow up with little experience of work.  Research shows that the more contact young people have with employers, the better their chances of finding themselves in stable employment.  Targeting employability support at people who’d likely struggle to find work even in times of stronger economic performance is the right approach.  Those with very low qualifications and no experience of the workplace are the ones genuinely most at risk of the scarring effect of youth unemployment.  The earlier government and employers working together can get to these people and give them genuine support and experience of the workplace, the better.  The enduring challenge, of course, is creating the economic performance necessary to create more jobs for all categories amongst the growing ranks of the unemployed.”

SITTING at a desk for prolonged periods is bad for the physical health and mental well-being of employees, according to new research by the Work and Health Research Centre at Loughborough University.

In a typical working week, people spend on average five hours and 41 minutes per day sitting at their desks. Only sleeping, at an average of seven hours, takes up more time per day. It’s important that regular exercise is taken to break up the long spells sat at a desk, say experts.

The research found that nearly 70 per cent of employees surveyed did not meet recommended guidelines for physical activity. Dr Myanna Duncan, who presented the research at a recent occupational health conference, said, “Go and talk to your colleagues face to face, it’s a lot more sociable and better for you than emailing them.”

Jon Abbott, managing director – ergonomics and safety at Cardinus Risk Management, said, “This research from Loughborough University ties in exactly with the experiences of our customers. Regular short breaks and taking the opportunity to move around the office are vital to health and well-being.

“Good ergonomic risk management places huge importance on breaks and movement, which is why we see significant improvements among customers who introduce e-learning such as Workstation Safety Plus to their organisations.”

Cardinus has been developing effective ergonomics programmes for more than 12 years. Its customers include many of the world’s leading organisations, central government departments and unions.

The Cardinus approach to effective ergonomic management is to apply simple programmes that provide a modular, adaptable solution. Workstation Safety Plus, the innovative online DSE assessment and e-learning solution, provides award-winning solutions that are fully endorsed by the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management.

Cardinus provides on-site and telephonic DSE assessments and, when needed, will supply DSE triage and case management solutions.

For more information about ergonomic risk management services and other Cardinus products telephone 020 7469 0200.

DECLARATION: NorthLight Media Ltd, publisher of Peterboroughbusiness.co.uk, provides marketing and PR services to Cardinus Risk Management.

The new Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) conference, Social Media in HR, will help to demonstrate how HR professionals can incorporate social media across a wide range of HR activities. The conference will reveal first-hand examples of how HR can use social media to improve the way they deliver services, plan manpower, engage employees, execute strategy and policy, build an employer brand and recruit and manage talent pipelines.

HR professionals can gain insight into developing a workable approach to using social media in the workplace. Expert case studies will present innovative solutions to their communications challenges. For example, The Big Lottery will be talking about the development of its internal intranet, which has improved collaboration and communication internally. Another feature of the conference is the ‘Social Media Surgery’, which will give delegates the opportunity to ask key questions and get advice from speakers and fellow delegates on social media challenges.

Highlight sessions:

• Organisational approaches to the use of social media internally – what will work best in your organisation? Panellists include: Neil Morrison, Random House, and Alison Chisnell, Informa
• Approaches to developing bespoke social tools: delivering business benefits – developing solutions linked to business objectives and delivering results. Speakers include: Hayley Brown, Big Lottery, Sam Hackett, Save the Children, and Christine Bamford, National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare
• Social Media and the Impact on HR – what will the impact of a more ‘boundary-less’ and transparent business be? Panellists include: Jose Franca, Subsea 7, Gareth Jones, BrubakerHR, and Michael Silverman, Unilever.

For further details visit:  www.cipd.co.uk/cande/social-media-in-hr

Della Garmory will lead the HR and Development Teams across Fusion’s UK sites in Peterborough, Coventry and Sunderland. A key part of Della’s remit will be to develop further the HR and training strategy to ensure that Fusion, which now totals more than 1483 employees, has capable and motivated employees who will make a difference to its growth and success. The strategy will include embedding the company’s comprehensive ‘Wellbeing’ offering, developing appropriate recruitment and retention mechanisms as well as reviewing talent and succession across all sites.

David Thompson, managing director of Fusion, said, “Fusion has been through a tremendous period of employee growth over the last year and Della will play a key role in ensuring that our HR strategy continues to be seamless. So many of our employees join Fusion with the view to making it a long-term career and Della will help to ensure that the opportunities available to our staff continue to expand.”

Della Garmory, new associate director for HR, added: “As an employer Fusion has a very positive reputation in the local areas that it operates in. The learning and development opportunities available to staff are fantastic and I am looking forward to helping drive the success of these programmes even further.”

As part of the launch, BGL will employ six people in their new Microsoft .Net IT Academy, which will involve successful applicants spending 12 weeks in classroom-based training, before formally beginning their new roles as Trainee Web Developers.

More than 360 people work in IT across the BGL Group, and the new recruits will be involved in building and developing web applications on behalf of a number of leading household name insurance brands. Other recent BGL IT Academy schemes have successfully trained 21 people in other technologies, including Microsoft SharePoint and IBM System i programming, which are also used by BGL in the development of a wide range of IT solutions to meet constantly growing business requirements.

Ian Leech, chief financial officer of the BGL Group said, “IT delivers real business advantage through innovative services and solutions and is pivotal to the ongoing success of the BGL Group. Continued investment in initiatives such as the new .Net IT Academy will help position us for future growth. Skills in .Net are in great demand within the company – with all of our websites and customer journeys moving to .Net platforms – so to have in-house, highly trained employees in this area is becoming increasingly important.”

Jo Addington, senior HR manager, said, “The IT Academy is a unique opportunity for people with a passion for a career in IT who are either just starting out or are looking for a completely new career path. Previous IT experience is not necessarily required, however successful trainees will have a natural aptitude for logical thinking as well as a keen desire to work towards a career in IT. Working in IT can be extremely rewarding but does involve a commitment to life long learning – with technology constantly evolving.”

The annual event, which attracts around 200 of the city’s HR professionals, focuses on new legislation and its likely impact on businesses in the Greater Peterborough area.

Regular speaker Martin Bloom, employment partner at Hegarty’s, will be discussing the two new strands of discrimination introduced by the Equality Act 2010 – that of associative and perceptive discrimination. His colleague Emma Carter will be talking about the key legal and practical considerations when managing and dismissing sick and disabled employees. Completing the presentations will be partner Tim Thompson who will be looking at examples of recent case law.

Anne Corder said, “It is vital that HR professionals keep up to date with new legislation. Our seminars address those issues and help translate them into real life scenarios. We are delighted to be working with the experts at Hegarty’s to provide that kind of help to businesses in the area once more.”

The seminar is taking place at the East of England Showground in Peterborough on Tuesday, September 20th. Attendance is free and includes breakfast but places are limited. Please call 01733 319888 or email info@annecorder.co.uk to book your place.

On the agenda of the breakfast seminar on June 9 is the likely impact of the Agency Workers Regulations, coming into force in October.

Hegarty LLP Solicitor’s partner and employment law expert Martin Bloom will be covering in detail the points in the Regulations which businesses need to be aware of and providing tips on how internal processes can be altered to ensure all requirements are met.

Delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions during the event.

“We have been working closely with our industry body the REC for more than two years to ensure we are perfectly placed to advise our clients on preparing for the introduction of the regulations,” said Anne Corder. “There is only a small window left for businesses to ensure compliancy and we are hoping the seminar will give people the push they need to put those final measures in place.”

For more information about the seminar please contact ACR on info@annecorder.co.uk or telephone 01733 319888.

The qualification is an ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) Level 3 Award in coaching for team leaders/supervisors and potential leaders in the fresh food sector. The course will be delivered in May 2011 in Lincolnshire.

Charlotte Wolfe (left), a leading UK coach and coaching teacher who will lead the course, said, “The qualification will help individuals and organisations develop their management styles away from a dictatorial management style to a more coaching and mentoring approach.”

For more information see the attached flyer by right-clicking the link below.

GrowYourOwnCoach – food sector

Laura Burke

Lisa Jinks

Employment law experts Laura Burke and Lisa Jinks explain the confusion around changes to the law affecting retirement age

PROBABLY the most significant employment law development in 2011 is the removal of the default retirement age (DRA) later this year. Up to now, employers have been allowed to retire employees at a DRA (normally 65) by following a statutory procedure, giving between six and 12 months’ notice of intended retirement. However, the proposed removal of the DRA has not been a straightforward process and there is still much confusion surrounding the issue, particularly as a result of the recently published transitional provisions.

Life after the DRA

In January 2011, the coalition government confirmed, following further consultation, that from October 1 2011 the DRA would be scrapped and that, after this time, no further valid retirement dismissals could be effected

The government stated that from October 1 2011 businesses will have two choices: either to have no normal retirement age or to have an employer justified retirement age (EJRA).

Under the first option, employers will have to consider each employee on a case by case basis and ensure that any dismissal is for a fair reason and follows a fair procedure (e.g. for ill health, performance or redundancy).

Clearly, employers will want to know what their employees’ future plans are in order to facilitate workforce planning, and new ACAS guidance has been issued to assist employers deal with this new regime. Employers may want to hold workplace discussions with employees to seek their views on, e.g., their performance, developmental or training needs and future aims and aspirations. However, it is important not to single out older workers, and so annual appraisals might be an opportune time to raise these sorts of discussions with all staff.

The second option is for employers to have an EJRA and to continue to retire employees at a set age – either across the workforce as a whole or a group of employees. However, this option is risky. An employer would have to show that it had a ‘legitimate aim’ in choosing that particular age and also, that it acted ‘proportionately’ in relation to its aim. Legitimate aims might include promoting retention and recruitment by ensuring a clear career path for younger workers, facilitating long term employment planning etc. However, the real test would be for the employer to demonstrate that it had acted ‘proportionately’, i.e. showing that there was not a less discriminatory way of trying to achieve its aims. Both the government and ACAS have indicated that it is likely to be very difficult for employers to justify an EJRA, except in specific sectors such as air traffic controllers, for example.

Confusion continues…

Earlier this year, the government confirmed that transitional provisions would allow employers to continue to issue notices of intended retirement up to and including April 5 2011 for employees who were 65 on or before 30 September 2011. This meant that employers would have to give the six months’ notice by no later thanMarch 30 2011 or else risk claims of compensation from employees.

Last week, confusion spread amongst HR practitioners with the release of the transitional provisions. First, it now appears that employers can in fact give up to 12 months’ notice of retirement on or before 5 April 2011 (meaning that retirement dismissals could still be being effected up to April 5 2012). More confusingly however, it appears that the transitional provisions only apply to those employees who turn 65 between April 6 2011 and September 30 2011 inclusive.

Employment lawyers are now querying this with the government in the hope that this is just a drafting error which will be rectified. However, there now remains a lot of confusion for employers as to whether notices of retirement already issued will become invalid for those employees who will already have turned 65 by April 6 2011.

Lisa Jinks is an associate and Laura Burke is a solicitor with Greenwoods Solicitors LLP’s employment and employee benefits team.