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24.05.13
Are you driving your company into trouble?
For employers that rely on meetings at clients’ respective places of business, having a mobile workforce is absolutely essential. However, with the benefits of employees with their own cars, also comes the liability. The Health and Safety Executive states that health and safety law applies to driving in exactly the same way as all other work activities, and statistically, driving is the most dangerous business activity that employees can undertake with some 20 people killed and 220 injured every week as a result
17.05.13
British stars could cost UK half a billion pounds in productivity
The rise of British sporting talent could adversely affect the UK economy by nearly £500 million in lost productivity this summer, as workers sneak-off early to watch their favourite stars in action.
16.05.13
ELAS offers health and safety courses surrounding operating machinery
Health and safety expert ELAS offers half-day courses in operating and maintaining machinery in two key areas; the safe use and operation of work equipment and machinery and one that raises awareness of health and safety while using such machinery.
15.05.13
Rise in Late Starts to Work Following Manchester United Parade
Employment law expert ELAS reported a spike in people turning up to work late following the action-packed celebrations of Manchester United’s Premiership win in the city.
14.05.13
ELAS gives time-saving, cost-effective boost to driving for work training
Following the recent and shocking announcement by the Health and Safety Executive that some 220 people are killed each week as a result of driving for work, ELAS has launched a definitive training package to combat the problem.
ELAS’ new online software offers vital driving for work training while saving businesses both time and money when it comes to getting the best out of their employees.
13.05.13
ELAS Proves it’s Care Sector Credentials
ELAS, the employment law and health and safety partner for the IAA, is rapidly earning itself a reputation as an expert within the care sector. This comes after the thriving business researched, developed and launched its safeguarding package, which helps organisations comply with stringent Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards.
10.05.13
Employment expert ELAS comments on how Immigration Bill will help stamp out illegal labour
“Cracking down on employers that use illegal labour by substantially fining them will help weed out bad working practices,” says Peter Mooney, head of consultancy at employment expert ELAS.
09.05.13
ELAS gives time-saving, cost-effective boost to driving for work training
ELAS has given a fresh lease of life to essential driving for work training. ELAS’ new online learning software package can help businesses save both time and money when it comes to getting the best out of their employees.
08.05.13
British stars could cost UK half a billion pounds in productivity
The rise of British sporting talent could adversely affect the UK economy by nearly £500 million in lost productivity this summer, as workers sneak-off early to watch their favourite stars in action.
07.05.13
Addressing Health and Safety in Academisation, by Wayne Dunning, Health & Safety Manager at ELAS
Since the introduction of academies to the British education system, 2,543 schools have either opened or converted to academy status, with an additional 634 still undertaking the application process. In ELAS’s capacity as business support consultants, it has been enlisted to assess many schools’ health and safety policies as they make the transition from state-sponsored organisations to privately-run entities.
06.05.13
Round table highlights health and safety failings in academies
Employment experts ELAS recently met with senior leaders in the education and health and safety sectors to look at how risks canbe managed in newly-formed academies.
03.05.13
ELAS gives time-saving, cost-effective boost to driving for work training
ELAS has given a fresh lease of life to essential driving for work training. ELAS’ new online learning software package can help businesses save both time and money when it comes to getting the best out of their employees.
03.05.13
Vital information all employers should know about the change to minimum wage
The national minimum wage will increase by 12p an hour to £6.31 for adults and by 5p an hour to £5.03 for 18 to 20-year-olds, the Government has announced.
03.05.13
The Apprentice tribunal – how employers can spot a workforce problem early
Lord Sugar called the recent constructive dismissal tribunal case brought by former Apprentice winner Stella English both “blackmail” and a “charade”, claiming his victory was one for common sense and against claims culture.
30.04.13
Safer & Rigorous Recruitment Training
Yewtree, Winterbourne, Bichard, North Somerset, Little Teds and now Pallial, the inquiry into the serious and prevalent child abuse in 18 North Wales child care homes; all are part of the ever growing list of serious case reviews when workers abuse their “position of trust” by harming the children, young people and vulnerable adults in their care.
01.04.13
Key Employment Law Changes for 2013
One of the key changes expected this April is the implementation of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, which comprises of a number of reforms to the Employment Tribunal system
06.03.13
Avoid an HMV- style Twitter meltdown
A huge media response resounded after an intern at HMV used Twitter to let the world know that dozens of staff members were being sacked.
22.02.13
ELAS Launch Online Training for Businesses
ELAS has given a new lease of life to employment law and health & safety training within businesses by devising an online learning software package that can help save both time and money.
04.02.13
Fewer Prepared to Skive this Sickie Day as More Workers Fear for their Jobs
Bosses are expecting fewer workers to skive this National Sickie Day (Monday, February 4), as further government cuts, train fare hikes and the announced increase in council tax deter workers from phoning in sick.
Snow Disruption
We have had a number of employees unable to travel to work this month due to the snow. While previously this has not been too much of an issue, the company has been forced to look at ways to manage its payroll burden and one option is to withhold pay from those unable to come in because of the weather. What are the potential consequences of this?
What are the most common pitfalls when running a franchise?
Q: As a result of a recent inheritance I am currently looking to invest in starting a business. Having looked at the current market I have come to the conclusion that it is far too risky to begin something from scratch. I am now considering investing in a franchise but I have heard that the amount of support I might receive will vary greatly depending on the company I choose. If I do go down the franchise route, what type of relationship can I expect with the franchisee, and what are the most common pitfalls to be aware of in running this type of business model?
Fee for Intervention Scheme
ELAS is warning companies that fines for health and safety breaches could now reach thousands of pounds per day, following further clarification of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Fee For Intervention scheme launched at the beginning of October.
Treat the healthcare like education – use leaders to share best practice
The CQC State of Care report makes for some disconcerting reading. While it is hugely important to note the majority of well-maintained, well-managed services available to patients, there is still an unacceptable number of incidents where the quality of care does not meet expectations.
Lone ranging- don’t be afraid to franchise
Franchising is a double-edged sword. A company that successfully franchises its business has the potential for fantastic growth, but it also risks tarnishing its brand should a license fall into the hands of someone unsuitable or unable to maintain the standards expected by the franchisor and its customers.
Employer health & safety breach costs could triple
ELAS is warning companies that fines for health and safety breaches could now reach thousands of pounds per day, following further clarification of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Fee For Intervention scheme launched at the beginning of October.
How will the new pension changes affect my business?
This week sees the start of National Payroll Week both in the UK and the USA. The campaign is in its 16th year in America and is designed to raise awareness amongst companies and workers about the benefits that result from payroll activity.
How do I deal with requests for flexible working?
A member of staff returning from maternity leave has made a request for flexible working to reduce the number of days worked from five per week to two.
Are Employment Tribunals being made easier?
This focus has already seen an alteration in judging panels, from three people to just one judge hearing cases, although some cases will still have a panel of three.
Schools out for Summer
Many employers are now looking at the recruitment of young workers as a viable answer to their business needs
Jubilee fever spread to the workplace
Businesses across the UK were struck down with a less patriotic ‘Jubilee fever’ today (Wednesday 6 June), as a flurry of staff called in sick following the four-day celebration.
Most small businesses aim to ignore Diamond Jubilee, survey reveals
Nearly two thirds of small businesses are refusing to give staff an extra day’s holiday to honour the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this summer, a survey has revealed.
Bosses must put finishing touches to Olympics preparation – or face summer of chaos, experts warn
With 100 days to go (Weds Apr 18, 2012) until the opening of the London Olympics, it’s not just athletes who need to be finalising their preparations – employers also need to act or face a summer of chaos, experts have warned.
Spring sunshine sends sickies soaring, say expert
With March temperatures soaring, offices around the country are being given the cold shoulder as thousands of employees called in sick today.
ELAS to deal with companies pressing issues
A new name appearing on the Reds’ team shirt in 2012 will be that of Eccles base employment law company ELAS. We spoke to marketing manager Annabel Dawkins to find out a little more about what they offer and to whom.
Festive gift buying will cost businesses £5bn as email discounts tempt workers to shop from their desks
Email discounts such as Groupon and Vouchercode are tempting office workers to do their Christmas shopping from their desks this year – at a cost to the UKof more than £5 billion, experts warn.
Stronger managers, not weaker laws, needed to tackle lazy workers, experts claim
Watering down the law on unfair dismissal in order to stimulate growth is pointlessand will achieve nothing, according to legal experts
Tribunal fees might do more to harm small businesses, warns expert.
Introducing steep charges to bring a case to an employment tribunal is more likely to damage small businesses than protect them, according to experts.
ELAS wins appeal against pub residency ‘extra hours‘.
A brewery has won a landmark Employment Tribunal case over paying pub managers for the time they spend off-duty living in the pub, in a case which it said could have proved a “death knell” to the already struggling industry.
Most businesses unprepared for ageing workforce, survey finds.
More than half of small businesses are unprepared for having employees working beyond the traditional retirement age of 65, a survey has found.
TAS Racing welcome ELAS as a new partner.
TAS Racing is pleased to announce a new team partner for 2011 in ELAS who have been a long-term personal sponsor of Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing’s international road racer Guy Martin.
ELAS launches new tool for SMEs to Reduce Absence Costs
(Salford-based) Business support services expert ELAS has launched a new service to help SMEs tackle the issue of falsified sick leave – or sickie days.
Quarter of businesses not celebrating royal wedding
One in four businesses is not giving staff the royal wedding as an extra holiday, a survey has revealed.
Want to woo a colleague this Valentines Day? It could land you in hot water.
Hopeless romantics could face more than just heartache if their workplace advances are rejected this Monday (February 14).
Bosses brace themselves as record numbers throw a sickie
Bosses are increasingly taking their eye off the ball and allowing staff to get away with avoiding work – paving the way for record numbers of Brits phoning in sick today (Feb 7).
Bosses face ghosts of winters passed as snow causes havoc- again!
Thousands of businesses could find their past generosity come back to haunt them this winter as the country prepares for another season of snow and disruption.
Royal Wedding holiday no more than a political PR stunt without new law, warn experts.
The public holiday to mark next year’s Royal Wedding is a PR stunt set to turn sour – unless David Cameron passes it into law, experts warn.
Direct Payments Scheme Users Falling Foul Of Employment Law
Care users are increasingly ending up in employment tribunals because they are unaware of their legal responsibilities as an employer under the Department of Health’s Direct Payment scheme, according to employment law specialist ELAS.
Blackberries damage productivity
Giving staff the ability to send or receive emails when they’re away from the office might sound like a good idea, but that doesn’t mean that having a smartphone like a Blackberry boosts their productivity.
National Minimum Wage
From 1st October 2010,the National Minimum Wage will increase 13p from £5.80 an hour to £5.93 an hour.
Equality Bill targets Discrimination
October 1st sees the first parts of the Equality Act 2010 come into force, and while the new legislation incorporates all existing laws on discrimination to date, thereare key areas which will change.
Equality Act
The 1st October 2010 is looming nearer. Is it still the case that the Equality Act, which was passed just before the General Election is going to be implemented?
Is the Right to Request Time Off to Train still applicable?
The right to request time off to train was introduced on 6th April 2010, initially affecting employers with more than 250 employees.
What are the requirements for Lifting Equipment?
Equipment used for lifting residents such as Passenger Lifts, Dumb Waiters, Harnesses, Bath or Standing Hoists and Stair lifts all come under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)
Employment Tribunals costing the UK millions
British businesses are losing more than £2.6 million a week in lost time due to increasingly lengthy tribunal cases, employment law experts estimate.
Double Dip fears grow as businesses rush for redundancy advice
Small businesses across Britain could be heading for a double dip recession as a result of the budget after it emerged the numbers seeking to make staff redundant has soared in recent weeks.
New service to ensure dentists don’t get bitten by red tape
Dentists facing a struggle to cope with a mountain of regulation may be able to relax a little more thanks to a tailored compliance service designed to take the stress out of running a practice.
Holidaymakers hunt for bargains – but bosses pick up the 3bn bill
The death of the traditional package holiday is costing the UK up to £2billion as workers research their next sunshine break at their desks.
Government’s announcement that the default retirement age is to be phased out
On 30th July 2010, the Government announced that the default retirement age, which is 65, is to be phased out from 6th April 2011 and abolished completely from 1st October 2011, when the statutory retirement procedures will be removed.
Has employment law gone quiet in the run up to the general election?
Although this year is going to be dominated by the coming General Election, with the last possible date on which it can be held being 3rd June 2010 there are already legislation changes and new legislation which will come into force prior to the General Election. As you may be aware, there are two dates in a year when legislation is likely to change; these are usually 6th April and 1st October.
Be Careless With Twitter and it might not just be your heart that breaks
Recent headlines naming and shaming some top celebrities have demonstrated all too clearly the dangers of reckless use of social networking systems such as Twitter.
Spring Clean?
While our minds are generally directed towards Christmas those of you are lucky enough to be having Christmas parties and a festive break now is a good time to take stock and plan ahead for the New Year. It’s never too early for a spring clean!
Throwing a sickie just got easier…
Phoning in sick could soon become a thing of the past as new research shows a quarter of bosses now accept text messages and emails from workers who ‘throw a sickie’.
Don’t Yawn! It’s Pension Reform!
As you may or may not be aware, the Government is reforming workplace pension provision.The reason for the Pension reforms is that at the rate the population of the UK is growing, the projections suggest that the number of people aged 65 and over, will almost double by the year 2055.
Disciplinary & Grievance
As you know the law changed in April in respect of disciplinary and grievances.So where does this leave redundancies?
The End for Harry?
Harry Redknapp will be sacked by Tottenham Hotspur, spelling the end of his colourful career in football if he is found guilty of tax evasion, according to a leading employment law expert.
Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas Party!
It’s that time of year, the festive season is just around the corner and employers around the country start to worry about the implications of having a Christmas Party for their employees.
Philosophical Belief?
You may recall the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations, which came into force on 2ndDecember 2003.
Associative Discrimination
You will all of heard of the various types of discrimination i.e. sex, race, disability, age, religion or belief, disability, sexual orientation, but what of associative discrimination? What, you may ask, is that? Well, associative discrimination is a very real risk for employers in their dealings with employees.
British bosses flout smoking ban to increase productivity
Almost three quarters of British bosses have reported a drop in productivity as a direct result of the smoking ban, according to new research.
Employers advised to have an Internet & Email Policy
Many employers allow their employees access to the Internet either for work purposes or at specific times such as break times.
I have been offered a directorship by the Company I work for. What are my duties?
Director’s duties are set out in the Companies Act 2006. A new Director should always check the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association to ensure that the Director and indeed the Company itself, is acting within its powers, which are set out in that document.
Dealing with Grievances
Employers should be well aware of the risks that can occur if they do not deal with an employee’s grievance.
What is the Default Retirement Age (DRA)?
Currently the DRA is 65 years. However, as most businesses will no doubt be aware due to recent media coverage of the ‘Heyday’ challenge, the DRA’s days are numbered.
Dragon’s Den Star Leads – Bosses Follow
Bosses across the UK are taking advice from Dragon Den’s star Theo Paphitis and banning Facebook in the workplace, according to one of the country’s leading employment law specialists.
Peter Mooney takes an in depth look at one of the biggest issues facing employers today.
ONE of the most serious issues affecting businesses today is staff absenteeism. It does not matter in which sector you operate, allowed to get out of control, consistent employee absence can have a ruinous effect on a company’s productivity.
Christmas Shopping
THE SOARING popularity of online Christmas shopping could cost British businesses more than £7 billion, according to the latest research from ELAS.
Stress epidemic costs British business billions
A silent epidemic sweeping Britain’s workplaces is costing business over £4 billion a year in wasted wages, lost working days and lower productivity.
Staff fiddling expenses to fill credit crunchpay-gap say uk bosses
Britain’s beleaguered bosses claim more of their staff are fiddling expenses to line their own pockets as the credit-crunch bites.
Swine Flu Update
With more than 9,700 confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK the Government has announced changes to the way the virus is being tackled.
Is the Issue of Mental Health Driving Employers Mad?
The Government announced this week that people with mental health problems are to get extra help with managing their condition to help them continue to work.
Commencing the Employment Relationship
You could be forgiven for believing that the only issues arising out of employment law at the current time are those relating to redundancy, lay off and short time working, or issues to do with swine flu.
Will Employers Have To Be Flexible With Parents?
The right to request flexible working has been extended to parents of children up to the age of 16.
Businesses turn to technology to stamp out office romances
Businesses across the UK are turning to Employersafe in a bid to clampdown on workplace relationships.
The Equality Bill
This legislation will have far reaching effects on every employer in the United Kingdom and also the providers of services.
Is there light at the end of Age tunnel?
This week in a new report, the TUC state that long term unemployed older people are at risk of never working again, unless tailored support is offered to help them back into work.
Employers Complain Swine ‘Flu Advice Creating ‘Skivers’ Charter’
British bosses are complaining that measures designed to reduce the impact of swine ‘flu on the workplace are in danger of creating a ‘skivers’ charter’.
ELAS Predicts a Dark Friday for Employees as Staff Skive for Sunshine and Tennis
Millions of workers are predicted to skive work tomorrow to watch tennis and bask in Britain’s sunshine.
Legal Experts Help Employers Select Staff Safely
Employment experts are helping bosses make safer decisions when recruiting staff by providing vital checks to protect children and other vulnerable groups.
‘Low Lunch Input Damages Business Output’, Claims Survey
The demise of the British lunch hour could be putting the country’s economy at risk.
Cutting Edge Absence Monitoring Software Package Launched at HR Show
A unique absence monitoring system has been launched by a leading employment law consultancy based in Greater Manchester.
British Bosses Running Scared of Natasha Kaplinsky Style Pregnancies
More than 50 per cent of bosses take into account the chances of a new member of staff falling pregnant before employing them – a survey has found.
Bosses Urged to Crackdown on Office Facebook Addicts
Workers who use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook in the office could be facing the sack, experts warned today.
Age Discrimination
One of the most significant changes in employment law for years finally came into force on October 1st– with many businesses yet to address the issue within their workplace.
Smoking Ban Proves a Drag for Businesses
More than two months after the smoking ban was introduced many businesses are still confused over how to implement the new Employment law.
Personal Hygiene
Personal hygiene in the workplace has long caused problems, mainly because it is an issue that nobody wishes to tackle, even though everyone is happy to complain where a problem exists.
