Weighing up the cost of working
Everyone is feeling the bite of the cost of living crisis now. Bills and prices are soaring left, right and centre. Many people are facing a difficult winter and becoming more mindful of when and where they spend their money.
Enter the cost of working crisis.
As some employers are keen for staff to return to the office, it has left many employees concerned. According to a survey from Adaptavist, over 1,200 UK employees said that due to inflation and cost of living, returning to the office is something they are worried about.
Rocketing gas and electricity bills have made working from home more expensive, but 44% of surveyed UK employees say that they are worried about the additional costs of working from the office full time. This includes things like not being able to afford the commute due to train or petrol prices.
If it is an issue in your business, could you consider offsetting this worry by offering things such as a commute reimbursement or free parking? In the survey, 29% of employees said this could tempt them back in.
However, many employees are preferring the hybrid approach, with their time spent between the office and home. Working from home comes with its benefits, such as a better work/life balance, fewer distractions and saved time and money on commuting.
It also makes being in the office more valuable, with employees having face-to-face time for meetings, building team relationships, and elevating the company culture – employees may feel better about only having to come in a few times a week, as opposed to every day.
If you can be alive to this, you will be well placed. Nearly 75% of employees said returning to the office will nullify the most important of their workplace freedoms.
Hybrid working can work out as cost-effective for employers and employees alike. Businesses can really benefit from the time where their employees are in the office and use it as an opportunity to gather the team, collaborate and reinforce everyone’s purpose.
Stay on the right side of redundancy law 
In this economic climate, you may be looking to reduce expenditure. Like many businesses you might recognise your people as being a major cost and consider a restructure resulting in redundancies as the answer. There has been a huge 103% increase in businesses planning to make redundancies this year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
But is making an employee redundant a legally justified reason for saving your business money?
To qualify legally, you would need to have ceased operating where the person or persons were employed, have closed completely or be reducing the head count because you no longer need as many staff as you used to.
The cost of living crisis is likely to provide legal justification for employers to consider making redundancies. The first step is to check your redundancy policy or any contractual considerations before setting out the business case clearly. This will include all the options you have considered before commencing a consultation process, as this will help protect you from any possible tribunal claim.
Don’t fear the gap! 
You may look at a potential employee’s CV with horror when you see a gap in employment, but don’t fear! Around one in three people in the UK have had a career gap.
It can be hard to know whether someone has the skills for a role if they take a break from employment. You want to make sure you are hiring the best talent for the job, but are worried their skills have faded during their time off.
People step away from work for a variety of reasons including childcare, mental or physical health, redundancy or caring for a relative. Sometimes they’ve taken a career break to fulfil personal goals such as continuing education or going travelling.
The #DontMindTheGap campaign group is asking organisations to stop requesting dates on CVs and instead ask for number of years’ experience. That way, those with employment gaps aren’t unfairly excluded from the recruitment process.
Time off for religious holidays 
October 24th marks the start of the Hindu festival Diwali, and the Christmas period is creeping up on us, too. With times of celebration approaching for many different cultures, are employees entitled to time to observe religious holidays?
In short, there is no automatic right to time off to observe religious holidays. However, if you’d like to avoid claims covered by religious discrimination legislation, it is a good idea to be supportive of those employees who wish to take time off during these events, if your business allows.
SMEs can implement their own policy and could consider things like allowing employees to use their holiday entitlement or taking unpaid leave.
It is also important to be aware that it may not be just one or two employees who would like the same holiday off. So, ensure you keep your policy on procedural matters in mind when dealing with requests.
Are you considering employee health issues? 
Ms Raja was a lawyer who worked as a deputy company secretary at Starling Bank. In March 2020 she was dismissed after she told her manager that she needed to talk about her working arrangements. The pandemic was worsening and she suffered from asthma. Starling said she was dismissed due to performance concerns. However, Ms Raja claimed she had not been made aware of these before she lost her job.
In late 2019, Ms Raja had to take sick leave due to her asthma and in March 2020, after receiving an email from HR about the company’s monitoring of COVID, she asked to speak to her boss about her medical condition. He told her she would be dismissed because of her performance.
The tribunal agreed Ms Raja has been treated unfavourably because of something arising from disability in respect of her dismissal. It also found Ms Raja was subject to detriment as a meeting was not held to discuss her health and safety concerns.
We wait to see the level of compensation to be received by Ms Raja, but it will prove costly.
This case also serves as warning to employers to take any employee health issues seriously and consider what you can do to accommodate them reasonably.
Be a good sport…
For some, football is a way of life. Their team colours run through their veins.
However, in the case of contractor Edward McClung, an employment tribunal ruled that his support of Glasgow Rangers did not constitute a philosophical belief.
Mr McClung filed an employment tribunal because he believed his boss, a Celtic supporter, did not offer him further employment because he supported the rival team.
While working for the construction firm, Mr McClung alleged that a fellow employee told him he was “unusually okay for a Rangers fan”.
Mr McClung gave a detailed account of his passion for football, but ultimately was unable to persuade the tribunal that being a football fan was a belief system. Therefore, he wasn’t protected by the Equality Act 2010.