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Isn't this weather fantastic! Trouble is though when we all have to carry on working. This month, we have some hints and tips on how to minimise the disruption to work during hot weather. We also look at remote working and how to make that work, together with some advice on return to work interviews following absence due to sickness.

Don't forget our invitation to join us at the Olney 7's Rugby Tournament this Saturday to cheer on the Crispin Rhodes Crusaders - just drop me an email to let me know you're coming.

And lastly, if you love skiing why not join our Ski-a-thon team to raise funds for the Spinal Injuries Association?

Kind regards,

Angela

 

Minimising Hot Weather Disruptions
Many of us will be breathing a sigh of relief that the hot weather has finally arrived (who knows how long it will stay for?), but for employers, this can mean a loss of productivity as employees begin staring out of the window, longing to enjoy the sun for themselves. So how can you ensure that your employees are as productive as they can be during the summer months? We’ve compiled a list of simple steps that will help everyone to stay focused:

Relaxing dress codes. Relaxing your dress code can make staff feel more comfortable and consequently make them more productive. An announcement should be made of what is acceptable and also what the requirements will be when meeting customers/clients. Relaxation of the dress code should be applied in a fair and non-discriminatory way and any dress requirements need to be justifiable.

Cold drinks. Reg.22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/3004) states that employers should ensure that employees have an adequate supply of accessible drinking water. Supplying chilled drinks will help employees stay cool and will keep them hydrated, both key to improving work performance.

Cool workplace. Although there is no legal maximum temperature for workplaces, employers should ensure that the temperature is reasonable. If you have air conditioning, it is a good idea to have it checked and serviced, to avoid a hot and uncomfortable wait for the engineer! If there is no air conditioning, consider the use of fans.

Holidays. Hot weather often leads to an inundation of holiday requests. Ensure that the procedure for booking holiday is clear and that employees know how many can be off at one time, so that remaining employees are not overloaded.

Unauthorised absence. There can be an increase in unauthorised absence, when employees take time off to enjoy the weather or watch a sporting event. This can be reduced if employees know unauthorised absence will be monitored and will need to be accounted for. If an unsatisfactory reason is given for the absence, the issue should be dealt with under your disciplinary procedures.


Managing Remote Workers
Remote working is becoming more and more common as staff want to have more flexibility and control over their working lives, and spend more time at home. Managing it properly is key to its success and it needs to be properly structured in order to work for the employer and the employee.

Although remote working sounds like heaven, with constant lie-ins and tea breaks, the reality is that it can be very frustrating for both parties if it is not properly structured or considered properly.

The positives of having remote staff for an employer are fairly obvious. You can save on desk space and other resources, it can allow your business to have influence in an area where it may not have an office, and also help the company to retain skilled staff.

A remote worker does not have to be out of the office all of the time either, they could work remotely some of the time and be in the office for the rest of the time.

Remote working should be fairly easy to arrange, the employee needs to submit an application to change their working category under the company’s flexible working policy (those who are carers or have children aged 16 and under are entitled to do this). If the flexible working application is accepted, the employee’s contract will be changed prior to the remote working being implemented.

Making it work

To make remote working work, employer and employee need to agree on how the role will work and what hours will be worked. It is important that the manager communicates effectively and regularly with the employee so that there is no confusion. Regular face-to-face meetings should also be had to make sure standards of work are maintained and any issues can be talked about.

Another useful way of setting or maintaining control of a remote worker is to set clear goals and deadlines, therefore helping to make remote workers just as effective as their office based colleagues.

Above all, ensure that these employees are capable of remote working, and won’t get distracted by the pull of the television. However, with goals in place and the drive to make it work, remote working can be successful and effective.


Return to Work Interviews
Return-to-work interviews are one of the most effective tools to use when it comes to managing employee attendance effectively. Typically, they are used after periods of sickness absence but it is also beneficial for employers to use return-to-work interviews after absences for other reasons. This allows for a consistent approach and application of a company’s attendance management policy and also allows management to follow up any absences that are suspected to be non-genuine.


Benefits of return-to-work interviews
  • They are key to establishing the cause of non-attendance at an early stage.

  • A frank discussion can be had about any underlying patterns of absence, and any issues arising can be tackled.

  • Allows managers to establish as accurately as possible, reasons for absence.

  • They demonstrate to the employee that attendance is carefully monitored.

  • They make it more difficult for employees to have casual absences as they will always have to provide reasons for their non-attendance.

The structure of the interview

Return-to-work interviews should be informal but they should also be in private, to allow honest discussion. The following points should be covered by the manager during the interview:
  • An explanation of the purpose of return-to-work interviews, which is to monitor attendance and identify problem areas, providing support where necessary.

  • Ask the employee for a reason for their absence – make sure this is phrased in a supportive way.

  • If the absence was due to sickness or injury, ask if a doctor was consulted or if there was a hospital trip.

  • Avoid intrusive medical questions, whilst seeking to establish the basic cause of the absence.

  • If there is a discrepancy between the employee’s reason for absence and the reason given when the absence was originally notified, ask the employee to explain the discrepancy.

  • Review and check the employee’s self-certification form. Ask them to sign it and countersign the form.
If the manager has grounds on which to conclude that the reasons given for the absence were not genuine, the manager should put this evidence to the employee and give them the opportunity to respond and provide an explanation.


Keep a paper trail

There should be a record of each interview with the following information:
  • the name of the person conducting the interview;

  • the employee name and job title;

  • the date and time of the interview;

  • the length of the absence and when the employee returned to work;

  • the reason given for the absence;

  • whether proper notice was given for the absence and if not, why;

  • whether a doctor was consulted or hospital attended by the employee;

  • whether there are or there is any suggestion of other factors that contributed to the absence, what these factors were and what action was agreed to support the employee;

  • whether the absence is part of a pattern;

  • whether the employee has a disability.
Having an accurate record will help greatly when monitoring attendance and establishing reasons for absences. A copy should be given to the employee and under the Data Protection Act 1998; the employee has the right to access the record once it is placed in their file.


Cheer On The Crispin Rhodes Crusaders!
Crispin Rhodes are proud sponsors of a Bucks under 20 rugby 7’s team compromising England Colleges and Bucks players, the Crispin Rhodes Crusaders, who will be playing in the Olney 7’s Tournament on Saturday, 4th July from 10.30am.

Come and join us for a fun, family day out and to cheer on the crusaders! The tournament takes place at the Recreation Ground, East Street, Olney, Bucks, MK46 4DW. We’ll be competing against 20 teams in a day packed full of excellent rugby and socialising.

The day includes activities for children, and all the family with the social side continuing into the night with live music and a hog roast.


Support the Spinal Injuries Association and Ski With Sonic!
Come and join SIA on the first endurance challenge of its kind to take place in the UK on real snow, and raise money and awareness for a fantastic cause.

The Spinal Injuries Association, based in Milton Keynes, supports individuals affected by spinal cord injuries and their families, from the moment of injury for the rest of their lives. They provide services and publications to enable paralyzed people to live independently and campaign for improved medical and social care for spinal cord injury.

The SKI-A-THON is taking place in Xscape, Milton Keynes on Saturday 12th September, and is a 12 hour, team endurance challenge. As well as action on the slope, there will be plenty happening off the slope throughout the day.

Crispin Rhodes wants to get a team together so if you ski, or know anyone else that does, please let us know!

For more information and to register your interest, please call Angela on 01908 576991 or email angela@crispinrhodes.co.uk


Your Questions Answered
Q: Is it lawful to not give a pay rise to employees?

A: Generally, unless there is a contractual entitlement to a pay rise, you are not legally obligated to give one. It is important to bear in mind if there are any verbal agreements to this effect, any clauses in the employee’s contract of employment or whether there is some other binding agreement (for example, with a trade union), which may mean you are obligated to give a pay rise.

Some employers often stipulate in the staff handbook that there will be an annual salary review for employees, but of course this is not the same as a pay rise! It simply means that the employer will look at the financial circumstances to see if a pay rise could be given. It is quite rare for an employer to have a contractual obligation to a pay rise unless bound by other circumstances, for example a trade union collective agreement or a pay award that had been made previously, for example set over a two or three year period.

Other factors to be considered are equal pay issues that may need to be addressed, for example between men and women who do the same or broadly similar work, and whether there are any other discriminatory issues to do with your pay scales as they stand and market forces. You should also think about any staff retention issues that may arise if your employees feel underpaid, and therefore undervalued.




In Closing

I hope you have found this month's newsletter useful and informative. If so, then why not forward it on to someone. if not, then do tell us how we could improve it.

Crispin Rhodes is a specialist human resources company that offers a wide range of cost effective HR services, tailored to the needs of small and medium size businesses.

We provide advice and tailored service packages embracing recruitment, HR policies and procedures, discipline and grievance, sickness, terms and conditions of employment, maternity, paternity and adoption, redundancy, psychometric testing and one to one personal development.

Thank you once again, and for now I wish you all the best.

Kind regards,

Angela Rhodes
Crispin Rhodes Ltd


Tel 01908 576991 - Fax 01908 607533 - Free HR Resources - Newsletter Archive - Contact Us
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