Recently we were asked if a person with specific health and safety responsibility, and identified by a firm as a Competent Person, needed a special section in their Terms and Conditions of Employment stating that they should ‘act without fear or favour’. What’s important is the delegated authority and status enabling them to carry out their role as required by management. Modification of employment documents is not needed.

There is no statutory or moral requirement upon an employer to provide a reference for a former employee. The exceptions are where the former employer has expressly agreed with the employee that a reference will be given as part of their negotiated exit conditions. Sometimes also there can be an implied contractual term that a reference will be given. The principles also apply where the manager is receiving a reference.

People are the most important asset of any organisation. Research has shown that effective management of employees can lead to increased bottom line performance and a growth in shareholder value. All small companies and many medium sized organisations tend to work without HR professionals but they still engage, train, promote, pay and generally manage their staff. Research shows however that there is more to be had for such organisations.

Sometimes, the scenarios that our clients ask us to work with are straightforward – a revised pay structure, a manpower plan or a restructure of existing activities. But occasionally they present something that takes a little more to understand, is more complex and takes more time to develop solutions for. Here’s an example of one such complexity involving complex work patters, pay and tax.

Firms take disciplinary action when an employee does something that is considered to constitute unacceptable behaviour. There should be rules in place to assist managers in dealing with wayward employees, and also to let employees know what is, and is not, acceptable behaviour.

In dealing with discipline of employees, the most important thing is that you must follow your own company’s documented disciplinary process.

Disciplining staff is one of the key rights, and one of the key methods a manager has of effecting control of unacceptable behaviour. This right must however be used only when other management systems have failed.