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Basic steps in closing an office
Written by John Berry on 31st May 2020. Revised 4th November 2020.
4 min read
Regretfully there are many firms now considering closing an office, factory or other facility. First the closure must be necessary, and this can be proven using a business plan. Second, the whole process of redundancy must be done fairly. Critically, this involves determining redundant jobs and assessing all jobholders for dismissal using a fair criteria
Is £20k difference discrimination or just reasonable?
Written by John Berry on 9th January 2019. Revised 4th November 2020.
10 min read
The crux of an article in The Guardian is that the woman author, a journalist, has found out that a man who reports to her and whose work she manages, is paid £20k a year more than her. She feels that she has been treated unfairly and that she should have held out for more when she negotiated her salary. And she describes how her emotional response has transitioned through the five stages of grief. Here we discuss the issues and ask, "Is £20k difference discrimination or just reasonable?"
In search of an optimum reporting structure
Written by John Berry on 28th February 2019. Revised 4th November 2020.
4 min read
There’s no rule about how many people one manager should have reporting to them. For effective leadership the leader must build the dyadic relationship with every follower. If the manager has too many direct reports his or her leadership will weaken while too reports with too much time on each few stifles. So what's the ideal reporting structure?
When it comes to loss-making and redundancies, managers have choice
Written by John Berry on 29th June 2020. Revised 4th November 2020.
6 min read
First Brexit uncertainty, then pandemic. And next, Brexit for real. All in all, pressures on the economy right now are universally downwards. The result, we hear, is that unemployment will rise. But why must that be so? Is it inevitable? And how should managers change to better manage their firms through short periods of unsettled trading? Here we set out the arguments.
Coronavirus Questions
Written by Sue Berry on 26th March 2020. Revised 2nd November 2020.
14 min read
The Government is presently making up policy day by day to help firms avoid having to layoff or make employees redundant. As a result, there are many ambiguities and issues with its schemes. This information represents our best interpretation. We will continue to update this blog as more information becomes available.
Long-term absence dismissal not always unfair
Written by Sue Berry on 1st May 2017. Revised 1st November 2020.
3 min read
A Court of Appeal ruling this month has given clarity to the question regarding dismissal of an employee who is on long-term sickness absence. Here's more on how to manage long-term sickness absence.
