Breastfeeding in the Workplace: Supporting Working Mothers Breastfeeding is a natural and essential part of motherhood, providing numerous health benefits for both the baby and the mother. However, for many working mothers, the decision to breastfeed can be...

Father’s Day this year is celebrated on Sunday 18th June. Father’s Day was inspired by the success and presence of Mother’s Day which began back in the early 20th Century. It is a day to honor fatherhood and parental bonds along with the influence of fathers in...

In this month's Horizon, we are going to discuss three new employment bills, new guidance from ACAS relating to mental health, and the government proposals for changes to holiday calculations. On the 24th of May 23, we saw three new employment bills go through their...

International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (known as IDAHOSBIT) is observed on 17th May. This day aims to raise awareness of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transexual (LGBT) rights and to help to raise awareness of their rights at work nationwide and...

This month we have seen the usual increases to statutory payments for April, along with Jeremy Hunt – Chancellor -  announcing his Spring budget. Further details are outlined below.  The Bank of England has also increased its interest rates again in the aim to control...

This year Mother’s Day or “Mothering Sunday” as it was traditionally called, falls on Sunday19th March 2023. The date changes every year, as this day is related to Easter, therefore it always falls on the fourth Sunday during the period of Lent. Mother’s Day is for...

February has come and gone in the blink of an eye - what a busy month it was! Lots happened in the world of HR, from nationwide strikes to testing shorter working weeks, we take a look at all things HR and what’s on the horizon for March. Strikes Update On the 24th...

Opening our doors in 2017 we have been on a mission to make HR simple, refreshing, incisive, timely and professional for our clients, partners and friends. Working with over 110 SMEs, across 48 sectors, delivering consultancy and advice daily to around 5,000 employees...

ARE THE SCHOOL STRIKES HAVING AN AFFECT ON YOUR EMPLOYEES' ABILITY TO WORK? Teachers within the National Education Union (NEU) are being encouraged to take industrial strike action across England and Wales on selected dates in February and March 2023. Schools have...

The World Cup 2022 will take over the nation as teams get underway in the competition. The Competition kicks off on the 20th of November 2022 and continues up to the final on the 18th of December. It is being held in Qatar and kick-off times for these games will vary...

What is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease, which over time can lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetes is characterised by elevated blood glucose levels. There are 2 main types of diabetes: Type 1...

What are Employee Benefits? Employee benefits are part of a compensation package for employees, they are usually taxed however they do not form part of a basic salary. They can help to attract the right people into a business. Employers are legally required to provide...

World diabetes day falls on the 14th of November every year. It was first created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Foundation. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2022 is ‘Education to protect tomorrow’, encouraging people to paint their nails blue for the day to...

What is National Inclusion Week? National Inclusion Week (NIW) is a week that is dedicated to celebrating inclusion in the workplace and taking action to create inclusive workplaces. This week was founded by Inclusive Employers and 2022 is now the 10th year this has...

‘Make Mental Health for all a global priority’ The World Health Organisation (The WHO) recognise World Mental Health Day every year on the 10th October. The first World Mental Health day was back in 1992. World Mental Health Day is a chance for people to talk and...

What are investigations and when are they needed? All Employers have situations where an employee misbehaves or becomes comfortable and complacent in their employment or the role that they do. On these occasions, things may occur that require addressing via the...

What is Human Resources (HR) The Human Resources (HR) function contributes hugely to a Company, it plays an important role to assist with Employee Satisfaction, Performance Management and Productivity and assists to maintain Company morale and culture. The main role...

Employees spend a lot of time in the workplace and therefore ultimately need to be happy at work. When happier at work it is said, employees tend to be happier in the other aspects of their lives too. Therefore, the last week of September has been declared the...

On 8th September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest living and reigning British monarch passed away at the age of 96. Following Her Majesty’s death, the Country entered into a period of national mourning that will last for 10 days. This has seen events cancelled...

Background: Mrs Brazel, a music teacher employed by the Trust on a permanent contract. Working variable hours each week, in term time only. Hours of work would fluctuate, based on demand for lessons from students. She was both a part-time and part-year worker with...

Are your employees expected to attend too many meetings in their day to day job? Could this be demotivating your employees? Are we really addicted to meetings and is it a form of control? In a recent survey done with a pool of managers, they felt that 83% of the...

This month we are supporting #worldbreastfeedingweek2022 Did you know employers are required to provide suitable rest facilities for breastfeeding mothers. If an employer refuses to accommodate a breastfeeding employee, the employer may be considered guilty of sex...

Employees spend a lot of time at work and with their colleagues in the workplace. This can lead to personal or intimate relationships forming. Personal relationships that develop in the workplace can cause disruption to businesses, especially if the relationship...

Answering the Interview Question - How Did You Handle a Difficult Situation at Work? Answering interview questions where you are required to talk about a difficult situation can be daunting. However, it’s important that you talk honestly about your experience and use...

Many employers are looking to offer jobs to Ukrainian refugees. If you as an employer would like to do the same, but are not sure if you can or how to go about it the vital information that you need is outlined below. The Government has set up several schemes to help...

How to Answer the Interview Question: What does good customer service mean to you? Customer service is the experience and support you offer customers before, during and after they purchase a product or service from you. Giving excellent customer service is so...

12th April 2022 The National Equal Pay Day is a day to encourage people to fight for employment equality no matter what their gender or the colour of their skin is. This year it falls on Tuesday 12th April 2022. The date of National Equal Pay day changes year on year...

Competency Interview Questions for Civil Service Behaviours As part of their success profiles, the Civil Service has developed a set of defined behaviours that are associated with job success. Knowing and understanding what these nine civil service behaviours are, and...

The International Transgender Day of Visibility is a national event that happens on 31st March annually. This day is to raise awareness of discrimination that is faced by the transgender and gender non-conforming community and to also celebrate the achievements across...

Problem Solving Skills: How to demonstrate them at the interview Problem-solving is the process followed in order to identify a problem and its source, and then find a solution to it. The ability to problem-solve is really important to an employer as problems crop up...

For almost two years now, we have seen many restrictions placed on our everyday life. Overnight employers and employees needed to quickly adapt to new ways of working and many businesses were forced to close under Government rules. At the start of the pandemic, there...

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on 8th March 2022. This is a global day to celebrate the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women, to raise awareness of bias and discrimination that can occur and for everyone to take action...

Competency-based questions are asked during an interview to find out how you can demonstrate a specific skill required for the role in which you are applying. They are amongst some of the most common types of questions asked, and therefore it’s really important to...

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – What it means for employers and employees 2022 is a special year for Her Majesty the Queen, as the country look to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. The official date of the jubilee is Sunday 6th February 2022, but the celebration for this...

Preparing for the most common competency-based interview questions Competency-based questions are asked during an interview to find out how you have demonstrated a specific skill required for the role in which you are applying. You will need to draw on your own...

Common Values-based interview questions and how to answer them The values of an individual can be really personal and will largely be based on experiences and influences that have occurred during their lifetime, and the principles in which they have lived by. Although...

Common Behavioural Interview Questions and How to Answer Them Many interviews will now include a mixture of questions relating to both the task or technical aspects of a role as well as the behavioural aspects. Much of the time, you will be able to pick up what...

In 2022 there are several Employment Law Changes that will take place. It is crucial all employers are aware of these. The changes include: Social Care Levy This is a new tax which is to provide funding for social care in the future. From April 2022 there is to be a...

When preparing for an interview, it's always worth assuming that you will be asked a question that centres around what you could bring to the role. The aim of this question is usually to gain an understanding of whether or not you have some of the key essential skills...

How Employers Can Support Employees with Cancer World Cancer Day is celebrated on 4th February every year around the world. The purpose of this day is to help prevent deaths from Cancer, the purpose of the day is to be able to unite people and countries affected by...

During the recruitment process, companies must ensure that they abide by The Equality Act 2010, to ensure that they do not discriminate against any applicants. Discrimination is the unfair treatment of an individual due to a protected characteristic. There are three...

The new year can mean a new start for many – whether that be new year resolutions, a new hobby, perhaps a new house or a new job! For some, it can be an exciting time, and for others, it’s a time where they need extra support to look to the year ahead. Following an...

4 day working weeks – Are they as effective as people say In recent times, there have been many factors contributing to the conversation of the 4-day working week coming to the UK. There is becoming a wider acceptance that frequent, long hour days doesn’t necessarily...

Maternity Discrimination This is one all Employers should be wary of! When an employee is pregnant there are numerous rules and regulations to follow. If someone is seen to be treated unfairly because they are pregnant, breastfeeding or have recently given birth, they...

Protected Conversations Since July 2013, employers have legally been able to have an off the record discussion with an employee to discuss the idea of terminating their contract of employment. These are able to be done as a protected conversation. A protection...

What is an HR investigation and when is it needed? Sometimes employees in the workplace can make accusations against fellow colleagues or an employee’s conduct may be deemed inappropriate by managers; in these instances,  as part of the process to resolve conduct...

“Tell me about your weaknesses” is the dreaded interview question that candidates hate or fear to be asked, but interviewers love to ask! Asking candidates during an interview what they would class as their weaknesses, is a popular question with all companies looking...