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Managing restrictive covenants
Written by Sue Berry on 4th May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
So what happens when someone jumps ship to a competitor and has a restrictive covenant in their contract of employment? Restrictive covenants bind employee to neither solicit, compete, deal nor poach. Restrictive covenants are difficult to enforce, involving complex discussions and communications. Read here how to proceed.
On Health Screening and Other Employee Surveillance: A guide to introduction
Written by John Berry on 29th May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
14 min read
Management has the right to manage. But it has to behave reasonably and have good reason for its actions. This paper addresses the general question often asked: can management implement routine screening, testing or other surveillance of employees, their goods, information and health? It goes on to show how management should go about its introduction in cases where screening or surveillance is appropriate.
Competent Person Role Assures Health and Safety
Written by Sue Berry on 3rd May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
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.
Do I need to provide a reference for an ex-employee
Written by Sue Berry on 10th May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
3 min read
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.
The SME Human Resource Maturity Model: Taking HR seriously
Written by Sue Berry on 4th May 2017. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
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.
Employing peripatetic employees with complex work patterns
Written by John Berry on 23rd January 2019. Revised 25th March 2020.
5 min read
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.
