2011 -
August
DEPENDANT’S LEAVE - 30.08.2011
Deducting pay for dependant’s leave
An employee was two hours late because their child’s carer failed to turn up. You’ve agreed that this time can be taken as unpaid dependant’s leave, but just how much can you deduct from their pay? What’s the latest tribunal ruling?
NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE - 30.08.2011
Unpaid intern demands pay (and succeeds)
An employer who took on an unpaid intern has recently been ordered to pay her £1,024.98 for five weeks’ work. Has this case set a dangerous precedent, or was there something else going on behind the scenes?
MOTIVATION - 30.08.2011
Why (not) have an “employee of the month”?
A colleague has read that many businesses are apparently motivating their staff through “employee of the month” schemes. Is this something you should consider or could it end up creating more problems?
SEX DISCRIMINATION - 30.08.2011
Maternity cover has announced she’s pregnant!
To provide cover for an employee on maternity leave you hired a temporary replacement on a fixed-term contract. But she’s just announced that she’s also pregnant! As she knew this on accepting the job, surely you can dismiss her?
CONTRACTS - 30.08.2011
Lay-off: dealing with the fallout from the riots
During the recent riots many businesses were forced to shut and send staff home for their own safety. A large number couldn’t open for a number of days afterwards. So can they safely class this situation as a “lay-off”?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT - 30.08.2011
How to deal with an unco-operative employee
It’s come to your attention that an employee isn’t carrying out some tasks that they’re required to do. This needs to be dealt with quickly, but is it a capability or conduct issue? How can you tell?
TRIBUNALS - 30.08.2011
Employer wins record £100,000 costs
Employees who lose tribunal claims rarely have to pay costs. But one has just been ordered to hand her former employer £100,000. What happened?
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - 18.08.2011
More environmental standards appear
You’re being bombarded with companies pushing new environmental management systems and standards. They claim they will help you to stay legal and bring in work. So should you go for one?
WATER - 18.08.2011
Water pollution that could have been prevented
A number of businesses prosecuted by the Environment Agency could have saved themselves much time, money and effort by making sure that they knew where their drains were. Why?
CARBON - 18.08.2011
Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) changes
You’ve heard that the government is planning to make it easier to comply with the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency scheme. What’s changing and how might you be affected?
ENERGY SAVING - 18.08.2011
Can a soft starter save you money and cut carbon?
You’ve heard that “soft starter” devices, which can be fitted to electric motors, can save energy and prolong the working lives of machines. Are they really this good and, if so, should you have them installed?
WATER - 18.08.2011
Do foam soaps clean up?
Research suggests that water consumption during hand-washing can be reduced by between 16% and 45% by using foam soaps rather than traditional liquids or lotions. How? And is it worth considering a change in your washrooms?
WASTE - 18.08.2011
Government review of waste
A number of announcements were made as part of the government’s latest review of waste policy. What has been decided and how might your business be affected as a result?
CARBON TRUST - 18.08.2011
Time up for the Carbon Trust?
The government has announced that from April 2012 the Carbon Trust will receive no core funding. What impact is this likely to have?
FIRE TRAINING - 02.08.2011
Do you really need to hold a fire drill?
You’ve been told that fire drills are essential, so even though you only have a handful of staff you’ve been holding them every so often. But it feels like a complete waste of time. Are they really necessary?
CONSTRUCTION - WELFARE - 02.08.2011
HSE targeting construction welfare standards
Making sure that construction workers have decent toilets and washing facilities has been a priority of the HSE for some time. So what kind of response can you expect if you get it wrong?
POLICIES & RECORDS - ACCIDENT/INCIDENT REPORTING POLICY - 02.08.2011
Accident reporting policy
From September 2011 the HSE will change the way that serious accidents and incidents must be reported. To reflect this, we’ve updated our accident and incident reporting policy. What should you do now?
WORKPLACE - 02.08.2011
Landowner jailed for unsafe car park
If you have some vacant land, you might be tempted to turn it into a car park. But as one businessman recently found out, it’s not as simple as it might seem. What happened and what can you learn from the case?
WORKING AT HEIGHT - 02.08.2011
Should you modify your access equipment?
You’re tempted to modify your low level access equipment to make it safer to use. Is this something that you should consider, or is doing so likely to cause more problems than it solves?
ASBESTOS - 02.08.2011
Do you really need an asbestos survey?
Your building was constructed in the late 1990s and you’re pretty sure that it doesn’t contain asbestos. Will you still need to have a suitable survey or can you get by without one?
ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES - 02.08.2011
Inspections could be costly
As a result of budget cuts, the HSE is having to change the way it inspects premises. What’s happening and how might this affect you?
ENTERTAINMENT - BOOKS - 02.08.2011
Are e-books here to stay?
J.K. Rowling is creating a Harry Potter website that will provide e-books and Amazon is selling more e-books than any other format. What’s happening?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - WEBSITE PROMOTION - 02.08.2011
A favicon for your site?
You want to mark yourself off from the competitors, on the one hand by offering unique products and services, on the other by using recognisable elements. Can a so-called favicon help you?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - BLOGS - 02.08.2011
Your first steps as a blogger
Suppose you wish to create a blog for keeping people informed of your business, products or personal interests. Where do you start and which services are best?
ENTERTAINMENT - MUSIC - 02.08.2011
YouTube as DJ?
As a music lover you will know that YouTube is a treasure trove of video clips, live concerts, bootlegs etc. Here are some nifty webtools that will turn YouTube into a fully-fledged jukebox.
COMPUTER - PERIPHERALS - 02.08.2011
There’s more to a mouse than meets the eye
We use the computer mouse constantly. So it’s a shame that we should do this only to select something or to click. What free tools can make your computer mouse more useful?
SOFTWARE - COMPUTER MANAGEMENT - 02.08.2011
Software for making the most of your hard drive
Your computer’s hard drive is of great importance. By using the right software, you can organise your hard drive, plus the partitions and data it contains, to prevent problems.
SECURITY - PRIVACY - 02.08.2011
Simple privacy tips for your browser
Your browser is probably the program you use most often. If you wish to run as few privacy and security risks as possible when surfing, it’s essential to configure your browser properly. How?
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE OFFICE - 02.08.2011
Using Microsoft Office and Google Docs together
Microsoft Office and Google Docs each have their advantages and strengths. How can you make Microsoft Office and Google Docs collaborate as efficiently as possible?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL USE - 02.08.2011
E-mail with an impact
Busy people typically receive so much e-mail that they hardly have the time to read all messages, let alone reply to them. How can you make your messages so impressive that they can’t escape your correspondent’s notice?
ENTERTAINMENT - TRAVEL - 02.08.2011
Travelling with your smartphone
Are you planning a trip shortly? If you have a smartphone, here are some handy apps that can enhance your travel experience.
COMPUTER - MOBILE - 02.08.2011
Making better use of your Apple iOS device
On your Apple iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad, iOS runs as a fully-fledged operating system. Like on a PC or Mac, you should know what it has on board in order to make the most of your device.
