Women more at risk of depression during child-rearing years. Mental health disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, panic disorder, insomnia, drug and alcohol dependence, will be the core health challenge for this century according to a study carried out last year in 30 European countries by the European College of Neuropsychopharacology (ECNP). The report highlights that [...]
The Government has launched its National Infrastructure Plan to boost growth by upgrading transport links – to help business and create jobs. The chancellor George Osborne (pictured) said today in his Autumn Statement: “We are identifying over 500 infrastructure projects we want to see built over the next decade and beyond. Roads, railways, airport capacity, [...]
Promise to ‘root out needless bureaucracy’ following Lofstedt Review Self-employed people should be exempt from health and safety regulations, while businesses should have the right to appeal to a new panel over decisions that affect them, a major review of health and safety for business has concluded. The Lofstedt review, which was published yesterday and has [...]
From Saturday 1 October 2011 the National Minimum Wage (NMW) will rise in accordance with the recommendations set out by the Low Pay Commission last April. From October 2011: The adult rate will increase by 15p to £6.08 an hour; The rate for 18-20 year olds will increase by 6p to £4.98 an hour; The [...]
Acas has warned employers time is running out to get to grips with what it calls “the biggest-ever shake-up of rights for temp workers”. With less than a week to go until the changes come into effect on 1 October, Acas has alerted bosses they could face a fine up to £5,000 from an Employment [...]
Tougher restrictions driven by security concerns More employers are blocking staff access to social media sites than was the case a year ago as security fears trump the potential business benefits of these media tools, a new study has found. In 2010, only 9 per cent of employers blocked staff access to sites such as [...]
A survey published this week by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated and conducted by Harris Interactive reveals that 43% of UK employees admit to having called in sick to work when they were not actually sick. Significant numbers of employees admit to calling in sick to work when they are not actually ill. In [...]
Job vacancy numbers in Leicestershire are back to levels last seen before the recession. Chamber of Commerce bosses say the number of jobs available in the county rose by 500 to about 19,200 last month – a similar number to three years ago. Martin Traynor, chief executive of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: “This takes it [...]
On 1 October 2011 the Agency Workers Regulations will come into force, entitling agency workers to the same basic employment conditions as permanent recruits after 12 weeks in the same role. With just a few days to go until the Regulations come in, is your organisation prepared for the changes? Here are five things you really [...]
Employers will choose to monitor their employees for a variety of reasons, for example to safeguard their employees, to protect business interests, to ensure quality of customer service and to comply with legal and regulatory obligations. Employers need to be aware of how they can monitor staff lawfully. Q Can an employer monitor its employees? An employer can [...]
