From April 2010, the new electronic ‘Fit Note’ – which replaces the paper-based sick note – is being rolled out across Britain and all employers need to play their part. People Resolutions is hosting a free online webinar on Tuesday 4th May to help   More...
28 April 2010 12:45

The introduction of the fit note is an opportunity for occupational health professionals to raise their visibility within organisations, the government said, in guidance published to coincide with the launch of the note . The Department for Wo  More...
26 April 2010 12:21

Only five per cent of employers believe that the fit note, launched this month, will cut absence rates, according to a survey of 500 employers by OH service provider Aviva UK Health . It also found that one in 10 thought the fit note would be   More...
26 April 2010 12:13

Sickness absence management was the topic at a recent roundtable debate between occupational health and HR professionals, organised by Axa Icas Wellbeing. Noel O'Reilly reports.  More...
22 April 2010 16:36

Supermarket giant Asda today revealed that is it continuing to pay staff who are stranded abroad because of the travel chaos caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The company, which had 38 staff away on business and around 250 on holiday when the   More...
22 April 2010 16:36

Volcano update: Seven things employers should be doing Teaching unions will fiercely resist any moves by schools to dock the pay of teachers unable to get to work because of the travel disruption caused by the volcanic erupt  More...
20 April 2010 15:22

Employers have been urged to be consistent in their approach to managing employees affected by the travel disruption caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Travel industry body Abta has estimated that as many as 150,000 UK workers are currently  More...
19 April 2010 15:54

Employers are under no legal obligation to pay staff who are stranded because of the travel chaos caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, lawyers have confirmed. Travel industry body Abta has estimated that about 150,000 UK workers are stranded   More...
19 April 2010 14:03

Businesses that dock the pay of workers who fail to turn up to work because they are stranded abroad by the volcanic ash cloud could face employment tribunals, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned. Guidance on the   More...
19 April 2010 10:27

Teachers who fail to return to school after the Easter holiday because they are stranded abroad must not be penalised, unions have warned. NASUWT teaching union warned that one local authority planned to dock pay from absent teachers, the BBC has r  More...
19 April 2010 09:55

HR news and analysis including: A new Work Foundation investigation into the problem of sickness absence News of Personnel Today's first social media week Strike threats at BT Presenter Tara Craig is joined by Noel O'Reilly and Rob Mo  More...
16 April 2010 17:27

Council workers in England and Wales took on average more than two days off work because of stress last year, costing more than £500m. Figures published by the Local Government Association (LGA) revealed council employees took almost five million da  More...
16 April 2010 09:08

The majority of small and medium sized businesses are wary about hiring new staff following a number of rulings stating that staff on long-term sick leave are entitled to accrue holiday pay, research has revealed. In recent months, two European Court of  More...
14 April 2010 10:39

For more information, see XpertHR's ' Disruptions to public transport: model policy ' 1. Make sure you have a policy in place dealing with disruptions to public transport. This should cover issues such as the steps your emp  More...
01 April 2010 14:56

For a limited time only, members of Personnel Today Plus can access this fictional case study from XpertHR setting out an employer’s actions on receipt of a fit note. To browse additional samples of XpertHR compliance, good practice and benchma  More...
30 March 2010 14:37

Supermarket chain Asda will loosen its rules on flexible working during the World Cup in June and July to reduce the number of 'sickies' being recorded and to enable employees to take time off work and watch key matches. Under the 'Shift Swap' schem  More...
26 March 2010 15:45

The UK’s only recruitment agency review site has noted a trend in the days that employees are likely to pull a sickie with 34% opting for the Monday and 26% choosing a Friday, the main reason being that they are too hung over to work. A recent study  More...
03 March 2010 12:17

Sickness absence and holiday: more resources Model policy on sickness during or just before a period of holiday How to deal effectively with sickness that occurs during or just before a period of holiday - a guide Line manage  More...
24 February 2010 10:32

HR news and analysis including: the latest advice on whether holiday leave can be carried over to the following year when an employee falls sick we analyse the latest UK unemployment figure and in particular the rise in part-time work and,  More...
19 February 2010 17:17

With little over a month to go until the introduction of the new fit-note system, it seems there is already disquiet within the HR profession over how it will work in practice. One of the biggest problems with the new system is the fact that GPs will  More...
17 February 2010 11:53