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News in brief

Diary Dates

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Redundancy Advice pack launched

A comprehensive package of advice for workers who have been made redundant, or are at risk of redundancy or of losing their homes due to the economic downturn has been launched.

The package includes two new free booklets:

Facing Redundancy is the newest addition to the TUC’s Know Your Rights series of leaflets and can be downloaded or ordered for free. It contains a comprehensive guide to the law on redundancy, redundancy pay, employers’ duties to consult and to select the person being made redundant in a fair and open manner. It also provides information on how to claim Job Seeker’s Allowance.
Coping with the Economic Downturn is written by the TUC with input from Citizens Advice (CAB) and tackles: what to do if you are faced with redundancy; making sure you claim the right benefits; dealing with debt and rising prices; accessing work, skills and training; and a section on where to turn for further help and advice.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “With unemployment due to exceed two million and possibly hit three, more than 1,500 people a week are losing their jobs. Many will be facing redundancy and unemployment for the first time in their lives.

“This leaflet is an excellent sign-posting and self-help tool for those who are worried about their employment prospects, at risk of redundancy or have recently lost their jobs.”
Source
Advice and information on how best to weather the current economic storm.

above: Many will be facing redundancy and unemployment for the first time in their lives.

Surge in age discrimination claims expected

Photo of a bespectacled male senior citizen The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) has urged employers to prepare for a surge in claims, following the news that TV presenter Selina Scott has reached a settlement with Channel Five after launching legal action for age discrimination.

Catharine Pusey, director of the EFA, said: “High profile cases like that of Selina Scott will make even more people realise that they should not be judged on their age, but on their skills and suitability for the role.”

Scott, 57, alleged she was discounted from covering colleague Natasha Kaplinsky’s maternity leave for being “too old”. The case was settled out of court, reportedly earning Scott £250,000.

Pusey said: “Employers cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand hoping this issue will just go away. They really must ensure they comply with the 2006 regulations not only to avoid costly tribunals but also to harness the business advantages of an age diverse workforce.”
Source
Factsheets detailing the age legislation.

£10 million Apprenticeship expansion

The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to developing the nation’s skills with the launch of an innovative new trial to develop Apprenticeship Expansion Programmes aimed at increasing current apprenticeship numbers to fill existing skills gaps. The trials, delivered through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) will provide participating employers with access to funds of more than £10 million over the next three years, in a bid to increase the number of available Apprenticeship vacancies.
Source
Guide to apprenticeships in administration and human resources sector.

Leadership training fund launched

Train to Gain branding The government has launched a new scheme which will allow small businesses to claim up to £2,000 for leadership training.

The Train to Gain scheme is making up to £1,000 available to UK businesses which have between five and 249 employees. This funding will be matched by training company Enterprise Leaders Worldwide and will allow enterprises to access entrepreneurial leadership training.

Small and medium business leaders will be able to access the profit building strategies of Dragons’ Den entrepreneurs Simon Woodroffe and Duncan Bannatyne as well as 27 other self-made millionaire business leaders.
More
Apply for the leadership and management training programme.

Managers need more support

Photo of man in despair with one hand covering face and the other holding his spectacles A survey from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) shows that 60% of UK managers did not choose to go into management, while 25% question their own abilities.

Some 60% feel stressed and lack confidence, with 34% of managers saying that the most challenging element of their job was stress.

Penny de Valk, chief executive of ILM said: “Strong leadership and competent managers are vital if businesses are to survive the turbulent times ahead.

“With the majority of managers not having made an active decision to move into management, and many feeling less than confident in their own ability, there is a real business need to provide them with extra support and development at this time.”

Almost two thirds of those polled revealed they were reluctant managers — progressing into the role for more money or because it happened to be the next rung on the career ladder, rather than a desire to manage. A further 14% of managers said they struggled with their workload.
Source

New employment law support service

Photo of pregant bump A new support service has been launched to help employers work through parental legislation issues.

The service, which is operated by Business Link, provides employers with information, guidance and practical support on employment law issues regarding maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay.

The interactive site helps employers establish their employee’s entitlement to maternity, paternity and adoption pay and leave as well as the right to request flexible working. It includes a free, step-by-step tool guiding employers through all the legal requirements for managing new and expectant parents at work.
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Data Protection Act misunderstood by small firms

Research, commissioned by Invu and conducted by YouGov, has revealed that nearly one in four British small or medium organisations are unsure or do not believe that their company is compliant with the act, which gives individuals in the UK the right to know what information is held about them by organisations.

The Data Protection Act, introduced in 1998, is designed to give the public greater protection over how their personal information is gathered, stored, shared and maintained by a range of organisations.

Companies who do not comply risk receiving a hefty fine from the Information Commissioners Office, who is charged with policing the Act.

Yet despite this, the Invu survey shows that small firms don’t really understand the Data Protection Act. As a consequence, they are failing to adhere to the legislation — nearly one third of respondents stated that they did not realise that the act also covers both paper-based documents and not just those held electronically.

According to the Data Protection Act, when an individual requests information, every organisation, regardless of size, is legally obliged to share all necessary details within 40 calendar days. But the research found that 51 per cent of respondents did not know that they have to reveal personal data about an individual held in any filing system within that timeframe.
More
Guide to the data protection act 1998.

Working time victory

The European Parliament has won the vote to remove Britain’s opt-out from the 48-hour limit on the working week.

Members of the European Parliament have courageously defied the abusers and the slave-drivers over the loss of the ‘right’ to work people till they drop.

Britain’s workers will still be working hard to get the British economy back on its feet, but they will now be protected from the stress, heart disease and accidents that result from persistent long hours. And their families will get their mums and dads back.

Now we need to tackle the low pay and poor productivity that were kept alive by long hours working. No one should have to work more than 48 hours a week all year round to put food on the table or a roof over their heads.
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Prompt payment code introduced

A new Code of Practice has been launched to help increase the speed of payments to smaller companies.

This will be essential to help smaller firms maintain cash flow in the months ahead.

The Code of Conduct, which leading suppliers are urged to sign, focuses on three main areas:

1. Pay suppliers on time

within the terms agreed at the outset of the contract;
without attempting to change payment terms retrospectively;
without changing practice on length of payment for smaller companies on unreasonable grounds.

2. Give clear guidance to suppliers

providing suppliers with clear and easily accessible guidance on payment procedures;
ensuring there is a system for dealing with complaints and disputes which is communicated to suppliers;
advising them promptly if there is any reason why an invoice will not be paid to the agreed terms.

3. Encourage good practice

by requesting that lead suppliers encourage adoption of the code throughout their own supply chains.

More
Register your interest in the prompt payment code.

Tax Rebate Scam

Fraudsters are sending out high volumes of emails supposedly sent from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) offering tax rebates. These fraudulent emails may contain the HMRC logo and other details however they are fake and you should never respond to an email which asks for personal information.

If you suspect you have received a fraudulent email please do not follow any links within the email, disclose any details or respond to it.

Points to look for

The padlock — when you log on to HMRC Online Services you are always in a ‘secure session’ — which is shown by the padlock in the bottom right hand corner of your web browser.
Your name — fraudulent emails are not normally addressed to you personally; they can be missing addressee details or contain something vague such as ‘Dear valued customer’.
The sender — HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) was formed on the 18 April 2005 following the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise departments. Those former departmental names no longer exist. Recent fraud attempts have used the following fake departmental names.
Embedded links — the email may include a link that you are asked to follow to take you to a website. Following the link takes you to a site that may look genuine, but it is most probably a fake. In the email, if you hover your mouse pointer over the link it will show the real address you will be directed to.

If you think you have been scammed

If you have good cause to suspect that your personal details have been stolen by fraudsters either by email or on the Internet, you should report the incident to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), via their abuse hotline (e.g. abuse@yahoo.com, abuse@aol.com etc). They are in a position to close down sites that are found to be bogus.

Anything that relates to HMRC should be forwarded to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk for further investigation.
Source
Guide to existing fraud attempts.